B08_SOL_Attachment_No__7_-_Instruction_to_Offerors.pdf

Attachment No. 7 – Instruction to Offerors

Source Selection Information – FAR 2.101 and 3.104

1 Addendum to Federal Acquisition Regulation Provision 52.212‐1 Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2021)

Detailed Proposal Instructions

This is a Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) competitive, best value, source selection as a total small business set‐aside for Herbicide Application Services in support of the Bureau of Land Management, with appropriate NAICS code 115310. Competing contractors, hereinafter referred to as “Offeror”, shall submit a proposal that includes the required submission information indicated below to demonstrate the Offeror’s technical capabilities to perform the work described in this solicitation. In addition, each Offeror shall also include its price and other administrative information described below. By submission of a proposal, the Offeror accedes to all the terms of this Request for Proposal (RFP).

The Offeror’s complete proposal, consisting of all price and non‐price evaluation factors will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria of this solicitation. The Government reserves the right to reject any and all offers.

The following detailed proposal instructions are provided to ensure a consistent and detailed description of the Offeror’s approach and the associated price(s). The Offeror must include the Volumes, Sections, and Chapters described below using the precise labeling schema described. Offerors may add Sections and Chapters if deemed appropriate, but the numbering schema defined herein shall not be changed.

The Government reserves the right to award up to two (2) contracts per district as a result of this acquisition. This number may be reduced if the same offeror is awarded a contract for two or more districts.

Questions or inquiries for this acquisition shall be submitted, via email, to Contracting Officer, Juan Rendon at Juan_Rendon@ibc.doi.gov . Additionally, please copy Contracting Specialist, Candy Mott‐ Harris, at Candy_Mott‐Harris@ibc.doi.gov as a backup point of contact.

1.1 General Instructions

a. Your proposal shall become the property of the Government and will not be returned. If your proposal contains information that you do not wish disclosed to the public or used by the Government for any purpose other than evaluation of your proposal, such restrictions shall be clearly indicated on each sheet containing such information.

b. Prior to submission of proposals, Offerors are expected to reach an understanding of the requirements of this Request for Proposal (RFP). If such a review establishes the need for correction or clarification, such information should immediately be brought to the attention of the Contracting Officer so that the matter can be resolved.

c. The Government reserves the right to request such additional information as may be necessary to determine the Offeror’s qualifications for award of a contract or to clarify any aspects of the proposal. Such information shall be furnished promptly upon the Government’s request.

Solicitation No. 140D0423R0003– Herbicide Application Contract

Instructions to Offerors

d. Offerors shall not be reimbursed for the associated costs of developing a proposal for this RFP.

e. This requirement shall be competed utilizing Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 12 –

Acquisition of Commercial Items, 15 – Contracting by Negotiation, and 16 – Types of Contracts.

f. Questions regarding this solicitation must be submitted in writing to no later than 3pm Eastern Standard Time on February 2, 2023. Please identify the RFP number in the email subject line.

Questions shall be submitted to Contracting Officer, Juan Rendon at Juan_Rendon@ibc.doi.gov.

Additionally, please copy Contracting Specialist, Candy Mott‐Harris, at Candy_Mott‐ Harris@ibc.doi.gov as a backup point of contact.

g. Proposals shall be submitted prior to 3pm EST on February 20, 2023, to Contracting Officer, Juan Rendon at Juan_Rendon@ibc.doi.gov . Additionally, please copy Contracting Specialist, Candy Mott‐Harris, at Candy_Mott‐Harris@ibc.doi.gov as a backup point of contact.

h. The Offeror is required to be registered in the Systems for Award Management (SAM) website as of the date the proposal is submitted, which can be accessed at https://sam.gov/content/home.

The registration must be in active status at time of proposal submission and remain active for the duration of this requirement.

i. Your proposal shall be valid for 120 days from date of submittal.

1.2 Proposal Format

1.2.1 Cover Pages, Table of Contents and Standard Form Attachments

The Offeror shall provide a Cover Page in each Volume. The Cover Page will include the following:

a. Legal Business Name and Doing Business As (DBA) Name

b. Physical Street Address

c. City, State, Zip Code

d. Mailing Address

e. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

f. All applicable NAICS Code

g. Product Service Code

h. Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)

i. Technical And Contracting Points of Contact

i. Job Title

ii. Address

iii. Telephone Number

iv. Email Address

j. Include Solicitation Number 140D0423R0003

k. Acknowledgement of all proposal amendments

The Offeror shall provide a Table of Contents in each Volume.

The below information must be submitted in the vendor’s proposal package. Proposal packages missing any of the information or documentation required by this solicitation may be deemed incomplete and not eligible for award.

A. Vendor’s proposal to include:

Volume 1 – Technical Volume 2 – Relevant Past and Present Performance Volume 3 – Price

B. Completed SF1449 and continuation pages, and SF‐30s (if applicable)

The Offeror shall complete blocks 30b and 30c of page one of the SF 1449, and sign block 30a to show that the Offeror has read and agrees to comply with all the conditions and instructions provided in the RFP.

Any and all amendments shall be acknowledged by completion of blocks 15A, 15B and 15C of the SF 30 Amendment form and returned with your proposal.

C. All representations and certifications as required by this solicitation

1.2.2 VOLUME 1 ‐ TECHNICAL:

The Technical Submission is limited in length to ten (10) page count, exclusive of resumes, licenses, cover letter, and table of contents. Any pages in excess of this shall not be evaluated. The offeror’s submission shall use 12 point font size (any style), single spaced. Graphics and tables shall use no smaller than 8 point font size (any style). The printer preferences should be set to single sided 8.5x11 paper.

In addition to the topics specified herein, the technical submission may address any other topics considered to be pertinent to demonstration of the knowledge, competence, and capability to complete this requirement. The proposal package should be in the form of a detailed written proposal describing how the work will be performed and who will perform the work.

The technical submittal shall not contain any pricing information.

The Vendors shall provide a Technical Proposal that addresses the following:

Technical Factor 1: Technical Approach

Discuss the offeror’s proposed approach for meeting all the requirements in the Statement of Work (SOW) and this solicitation, including the type of equipment used. The proposal shall not simply rephrase or restate the Government’s requirements but rather shall provide convincing rationale to address how the Offeror intends to meet these requirements.

Technical Factor 2: Project Management

Discuss the following:

A. Staff management plan: Provide the overall management organizational structure to include, functional allocation of responsibilities, and show the lines of authority to support the execution of the contract. At a minimum, discuss project team composition to include subcontractors, requirements and certifications addressed, an organizational chart and ensure the information fully supports the narrative.

B. Identify how you will ensure the crew Foreman will be present during application (this may be the applicator) who can accurately communicate with the COR and Project Inspector (PI) on the daily progress of the project and address issues as they arise.

C. Record keeping skills to prepare accurate pesticide application records.

D. Quality control. Respondent shall furnish a quality control plan that complies with Federal, state, local laws and regulations and includes a discussion of how the vendor will monitor and evaluate performance for successful completion. The Quality Control Plan shall also address any anticipated major difficulties, problem areas, and risks, along with recommended approaches for resolution and risk mitigation.

E. Communication system (radio specs), including how contractor personnel engaged in the project at different locations can communicate at all times with each other so that government Project Inspectors may communicate with the contractor at any time to discuss performance matters, that also meets the requirements for government P‐25 compliant VHF‐FM narrowband systems.

Technical Factor 3: Key Personnel

Key personnel shall include a minimum of, one contract manager, two licensed applicator(s) and two qualified mixing/loading staff (this includes foreman, mechanics, truck drivers, pesticide mixers and loaders).

i. Resumes: The offeror shall provide resumes for each of the identified key personnel that highlight the key personnel’s experience with similar work on previous or current projects. Resumes shall include the following:

• Name of key personnel

• Key personnel’s position, function, or role

• Experience (including, in reverse chronological order, area(s) of work in which a person is qualified, company and title of position, approximate starting and ending dates (month/year), concise descriptions of experience for each position held)

• For mixing/loading staff, resumes shall include the following experience:

o Utilizing the specific adjuvants and herbicides listed in the attached SOW and Price List.

o Extent of experience in quality control to ensure compliance with specifications and all Federal, state, and local laws and regulations o Extent of experience in mixing and loading these chemicals for application safely and to limit runoff/exposure in the service areas to reduce any potential harm or damage to the land, wildlife and to limit human exposure.

o Record keeping preparing accurate pesticide application records o Any licenses or other professional certifications as required by the SOW o Certification that the information contained in the resume is correct and accurate

• For applicators, resumes shall include the following experience:

o Performing herbicide application in the terrain type specified in the SOW. Also describe your technical expertise on how you apply herbicides accurately and evenly within designated locations.

o Extent of experience using all application equipment proposed in herbicide applications for this solicitation.

o Extent of experience in applying these chemicals safely and to limit runoff/exposure in the service areas to reduce any potential harm or damage to the land, wildlife and to limit human exposure.

o Any licenses or other professional certifications as required by the SOW o Certification that the information contained in the resume is correct and accurate

Resumes shall be no more than 3 pages each.

Technical Factor 4: Experience

Please provide the title, description, award value, and performance period of three to 10 projects of similar scope and complexity your company has completed within the last three (3) years as a prime contractor.

Please also discuss the extent of your company’s experience in the following:

Utilizing the specific adjuvants and herbicides listed in the attached SOW and Price List.

Performing herbicide application in the terrain type specified in the SOW. Also describe your technical expertise on how you apply herbicides accurately and evenly within designated locations.

Extent of experience in quality control to ensure compliance with specifications and all Federal, state, and local laws and regulations

Extent of experience in applying these chemicals safely and to limit runoff/exposure in the service areas to reduce any potential harm or damage to the land, wildlife and to limit human exposure.

Extent of experience in managing employees and/or subcontractors

Extent of experience using all application equipment types in herbicide applications for these projects.

Record keeping preparing accurate pesticide application records

Production rate (acres/day)

Experience with herbicide spraying in remote locations and experience with acquiring and hauling water in remote locations.

1.2.3 VOLUME 2 – RELEVANT PAST AND PRESENT PERFORMANCE

The Past Performance of the Offeror consists of (a) Relevant and Recent Company Effort and (b) Quality of Past Performance.

1.2.3.1 Section 1: Relevant Past and Present Performance Assumptions, Conditions, or Exceptions

Reference Section 1.4 Assumptions, Conditions, or Exceptions for instructions.

1.2.3.2 Section 2: Relevant Past and Present Performance References The Government seeks to evaluate the Offeror’s relevant past and present performance supporting various clients, across various project types, and under varying conditions by evaluating the quality of Offeror performance in execution of contracts of similar scope (type, complexity, magnitude and dollar value) to this requirement. The Offeror shall identify no more than three (3) recent contracts/orders for the prime contractor. In lieu of three prime contracts the Offeror may submit two (2) recent contracts/orders for the prime contractor and one (1) recent contracts/orders for a proposed subcontractor. Previous or current projects/tasks shall be of a similar scope (type, complexity, magnitude and dollar value) of work identified in the ID/IQ and first task order SOWs. Offerors with less than three (3) relevant Past Performance contract references may submit fewer than three (3) contracts. Each reference may apply to one or more Contract scope areas. Recent is defined as within the last five (5) years. Relevant is defined as work similar in scope (type, complexity, magnitude and dollar value) of the work described in the SOW. Performance references may include active contracts.

The Government will not consider contracts recent when the contract is newly awarded without a performance history or when the effort concluded more than five (5) years prior to the release of this solicitation.

Each Offeror shall submit a past and present performance volume with its proposal, containing past performance information. The Offeror shall submit the information for themselves and any Subcontractors, and/or teaming partners used on similar contracts and/or subcontracts completed within the last three (3) years, and related contracts and subcontracts currently in process, if any. The burden of providing current, detailed and complete past performance information rests with the Offeror.

If the Offeror is submitting under a Joint Venture (JV), the JV Offeror shall provide no more than three

(3) examples of recent, relevant projects performed by the JV that reflect the JV’s ability to perform the work required in this solicitation. If the JV Offeror does not have three (3) projects performed as a JV, the Offeror may supplement those projects it performed as a JV with recent, relevant projects performed by the members of the JV in their individual capacities. In such instance, the total number of projects submitted by the JV shall be no more than three (3). If the JV Offeror has not previously performed as a JV, each member of the JV may submit recent, relevant projects performed in their individual capacities. The total number of projects submitted by the JV shall be no more than three (3).

Offerors are required to explain what aspects of the contracts are deemed relevant to the proposed effort, and to what aspects of the proposed effort they relate to the SOW. This may include a discussion of past efforts to identify and manage program risk. The Offeror is required to clearly demonstrate management actions employed in overcoming problems and the effects of those actions, in terms of improvements achieved or problems rectified, if applicable. Submittal of quality performance indicators or other management indicators that clearly support that an Offeror has overcome past problems is required, if applicable.

All provided Past Performance references should:

a. Consider that the term “contract” refers to a Contract, BPA, or purchase order.

b. Consider the term “order” refers to a Task Order, Delivery Order, or BPA Call.

c. Be for the prime Contractor, Teaming Partner, or Subcontractor.

d. Reference Past Performance where the contractor performed a substantially similar service to that which the contractor will perform.

e. Be of similar size, scope, complexity, and currency where:

1. “Size” of a contract relates to the contract value of services including all subcontracts and option periods.

2. “Scope” relates to the range of services provided to any Federal, State, or Local Government entity as compared to the scope of this requirement.

3. “Complexity” refers to the range of technical challenges that must be addressed in addition the ability to provide multiple services in multiple locations in parallel while meeting or exceeding performance objectives.

f. Demonstrate the Offeror’s Past Performance in providing all of support services directly related to the SOW Requirements.

1.2.3.3 Past Performance Information Required

Each Past Performance reference submitted by the Offeror in the following order shown and shall include the following information:

a. Company Name;

b. Location of contract work;

c. Contract name;

d. Contract number;

e. Order number (if applicable);

f. Contact information for two (2) customer points‐of‐contact including:

1. Name and title

2. The role/job of the points‐of‐contact, while associated with the project

3. Employer/agency

4. Telephone number

5. Email address

g. Indicate whether the Past Performance reference is for the Prime Contractor, Teaming Partner, or Subcontractor;

1. If listed as prime contractor indicate Extent and type of work subcontracted out

h. Brief description of the Contract scope and tasking (not to exceed 100 words);

i. Contract task areas to which the Past or Present Performance reference applies;

j. Customer organization (agency, firm, etc.);

k. Customer types (Federal Government, State);

l. Contract type (firm‐fixed price, cost reimbursable, time‐and‐materials, etc.);

m. Estimated contract value:

1. Including all subcontracts and option periods with a clear indication of whether the options were exercised; and

2. The contract value shall reflect the revenue realized by the Offeror for services actually performed by the Offeror. For example, if the Offeror was a subcontractor, the dollar value shall only reflect the Offeror’s portion of the work as subcontractor, not the value of the entire contract as realized by the Prime contractor.

n. Performance‐based Contract (Yes/No/Partial);

o. Start and completion date (or projected completion date);

p. A brief narrative of why the Offeror deems the reference to be relevant to this effort to include

SOW paragraph(s) that the reference applies to;

q. A brief description of how Offeror’s efforts resulted in:

1. Quality Service, including termination or Liquidated Damages Information and known performance deemed unacceptable to the customer, or not in accordance with the contract terms and conditions

2. Timeliness (Schedule Control)

3. Cost Control

4. Positive and Effective Business Relations

5. Effective and Efficient Staff Management

Offerors are strongly urged to provide the Government with the most current data 3 years from the date of issuance of this solicitation for each contract reference. Offerors shall provide unclassified contracts whenever possible. Classified contract references or information provided on classified contracts cannot be verified by the Government and may limit the amount of data available to perform the performance risk evaluation.

1.2.3.4Quality of Past Performance Information The Offeror shall submit evidence of the quality of their past performance for each project. For Federal Government projects, the Offeror shall provide a completed Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) (Interested offerors shall fill out sections 1 and 2 of the PPQ attachment. The remaining portion shall be filled out by Government personnel listed in section 2 of said attachment. The offeror shall ensure the form is complete and included with their proposal). If, at time of evaluation, a final contractor performance evaluation exists in CPARS, and yet the Offeror submits a PPQ, only the evaluation in CPARS will be considered. The quality of past performance portion of Factor 3 does not count against the page limitation.

a. Past performance surveys/assessment/evaluation forms other than PPQs are unacceptable and will not be considered or evaluated

b. Completed PPQs that were submitted in response to previous solicitations may be used in this source selection. However, Offerors shall not incorporate such PPQs by reference and thus must resubmit the PPQ with their proposal. This does not, however, preclude the Government from utilizing previously submitted PPQ information in the Past Performance evaluation

c. If an Offeror has been required to take corrective action for any substandard performance or experienced other performance problems such as cost overruns, extended performance periods, numerous warranty calls, etc., the Offeror should explain the circumstances and the corrective actions taken

The Government reserves the right to verify the information on projects submitted for evaluation, and to review Government project appraisal systems and any other system, for information on other projects performed by the Offeror whether submitted as part of a proposal or not. The Government also reserves the right to contact project clients/customer, or other references. For any adverse performance information found for which the Offeror has not had an opportunity to address, the Offeror will be afforded an opportunity to explain.

Information obtained will be used for both the responsibility determination and the best value decision.

Provide three to ten references for the projects demonstrated in Volume 1, Technical Factor 4:

Experience, using Attachment 4, Relevant Past and Present Performance Questionnaire.

The Government reserves the right to verify the information on projects submitted for evaluation, and to review Government project appraisal systems and any other system, for information on other projects performed by the Offeror whether submitted as part of a proposal or not. The Government also reserves the right to contact project clients/customer, or other references. For any adverse performance information found for which the Offeror has not had an opportunity to address, the Offeror will be afforded an opportunity to explain.

Information obtained will be used for both the responsibility determination and the best value decision.

1.2.4 VOLUME 3 – PRICE

The price portion shall be a separate volume from the technical portion. The price quote shall be in the form of a completed Attachment No. 3 – IDIQ Pricing Template and Attachment No. 9 – Sample Task Order. No other price quote structure will be accepted.

The Government reserves the right to request additional information as necessary to determine the Offeror’s qualifications for an award or to clarify any aspects of their submissions. Such information shall be furnished promptly upon the Government’s request.

Do not submit data beyond that required by this instruction unless you consider it essential to document or support your price position. All information relating to the proposed price, including all required supporting documentation, must be included in the section of the proposal designated as the Price Volume. Under no circumstances shall this information and documentation be included elsewhere in the proposal.

These instructions are to assist the Offeror in submitting information other than cost or pricing data that is required for the Government to properly assess the reasonableness, including completeness and accuracy, and realism (if necessary) of the Offeror's Price for the initial task orders. Proper presentation and adequate supporting documentation will ensure the price volume is fairly evaluated and the

Government is able to understand all assumptions concerning the proposed price within the proposal.

The burden of proof for credibility of proposed prices rests with the Offeror.

Compliance with these instructions is mandatory and failure to comply may result in rejection of the Offeror's Price volume. If the Contracting Officer or Contracting Specialist requests revised or additional information, the Offeror will specifically point out how the update impacts the Offeror's proposal. The Offeror is cautioned to submit other than cost/pricing information that is fully responsive to the contract requirements.

Unrealistically low or high proposed prices may be grounds for eliminating a proposal from competition either on the basis that the Offeror does not understand the requirement or has made an unrealistic proposal. Offerors are cautioned against submitting a materially unbalanced offer. An offer is mathematically unbalanced if it is based on prices that are significantly less than the price for some contract tasks and significantly overstated in relation to price for others. An offer is materially unbalanced if it is mathematically unbalanced, and if:

There is a reasonable doubt that the offer would result in the lowest overall cost to the Government, even though it is the lowest evaluated offer; or

The offer is so grossly unbalanced that its acceptance could result in the Government initially overpaying for a portion of the work performed.

The Offeror agrees to hold the cost of its offer firm for 120 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers unless another time period is specified in an amendment to the solicitation.

1.2.4.1 Cover Page Information

The Offeror shall submit a proposal that provides the following information on company letterhead that provides the following:

a. Legal Business Name and Doing Business As (DBA) Name

b. Physical Street Address

c. If work is performed on a military installation

d. City, State, Zip Code

e. Mailing Address

f. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

g. Commercial and Government Entity Code (CAGE) Code

h. All applicable NAICS Code

i. Product Service Code

j. Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)

k. Technical And Contracting Points Of Contact

i. Job Title

ii. Address

iii. Telephone Number

iv. Email Address

l. Include Solicitation no. 140D0422R0077

m. Acknowledgement of all proposal amendments

1.2.4.2 Section 1: Price Volume Assumptions, Conditions, or Exceptions Assumptions, Conditions, or Exceptions for instructions.

1.2.4.3 Section 2: Bid Schedule

The Offeror shall complete the provided bid schedule and provide in MS Excel format.

1.3 CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITY INFORMATION

The Offeror shall provide information that the Offeror is responsible within the meaning of FAR 9.104‐1.

Offerors shall also provide the following information:

1.3.1 Financial Information of Organization. This information is required for the Prime vendor only.

Information on financial condition, capability and background of the organization. Clearly explain your current financial strength and resource capability, and current credit rating. The organization’s latest annual financial statements (e.g. Balance Sheet, Profit and Loss Statement, Statement of Cash Flow, and Annual Reports), for the last three consecutive years of operation, latest quarterly financial statements of operations, and other documentation to clearly explain its current financial strength and resource capability, and current credit rating. Compiled financial statements, reviewed financial statements, and/or audited financial statements will be acceptable and sufficient.

1.3.2 Provide your Dun & Bradstreet® Credit Rating.

1.3.3 Provide your financial line of credit amount.

1.3.4 The government reserves the right to utilize financial statements to determine financial responsibility, in the absence of financial statements the Government shall utilize the SBA under FAR subpart 19.6 to determine responsibility for small businesses.

1.4 Freedom of Information Act and Congressional Request

Offerors are apprised that information furnished under this RFP may not be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), under Section 821 of P.L. No. 104‐201 (1997).

Offerors should nevertheless be aware that proposals may be accessed through Congressional request and are advised to mark all items that are confidential to the business or contain trade secrets, proprietary or personal information must be clearly marked. Marking of items will not necessarily preclude mandatory disclosure.

1.5 Inquiries

The Offeror is instructed to contact only the Contracting Officer specified for this acquisition for information about any aspect of this solicitation. Where possible, inquires must be submitted in writing via electronic mail at Juan_Rendon@ibc.doi.gov. Additionally, please copy Contracting Specialist, Candy Mott‐Harris, at Candy_Mott‐Harris@ibc.doi.gov as a backup point of contact.

1.6 Incurring Costs

The Contracting Officer is the only person who can legally obligate the Government for the expenditure of public funds. Costs shall not be incurred by recipients of this solicitation in anticipation of receiving direct reimbursement from the Government. It is understood that your proposal will become part of the official file on this matter without obligation of the Government.

1.7 Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI) Disclosure

The Offeror shall provide a disclosure statement with its proposal that concisely describes all the relevant facts concerning any past or present OCIs relating to this solicitation. If applicable, in the same statement, the Offeror shall provide information to assure the government that the conflicts of interest have been mitigated and/or neutralized to the maximum extent possible. If a conflict of interest is discovered after award of this contract, the Contracting Officer will make a decision on whether or not to terminate the contract. If no conflicts of interest exist, the Offeror shall provide a statement stating no Conflicts of Interest exist.

1.8 Discrepancies/Exceptions to Terms and Conditions

The Contracting Officer is the exclusive point of contact for this acquisition. Address any questions or concerns you may have to the CO. Written requests for clarification may be sent to the CO. Questions or requests for clarification shall be submitted on or before 3:00 P.M. Eastern February 2, 2023. In the event of conflict between the answer to questions and the RFP, the RFP shall take precedence. Please be advised that the Government reserves the right to transmit those questions and answers of a common interest to all prospective Offerors. Telephonic and facsimile questions will not be accepted. Questions shall contain the RFP number and Title. Use Attachment No. 6 – Q&A, for any discrepancies / exceptions to the terms and conditions. Questions and answers will be posted on the Government Point of Entry at sam.gov.

It is the responsibility of the Offeror to get their submission in on time and ensure successful delivery to the Government facility. If you do NOT receive a confirmation email, it is the Offeror’s responsibility to follow‐up with the Contracting Officer to ensure successful delivery.

If you believe that the requirements in these instructions or elsewhere in the RFP contain an error, omission, are otherwise unsound or require clarification in order to permit submittal of a responsive proposal shall notify the CO in writing with supporting rationale. Exceptions taken to terms and conditions of the solicitation, to any of their formal attachments, or to other parts of the solicitation shall be identified and the Offeror shall notify the CO in writing with supporting rationale on or before 3:00 P.M. EST, Wednesday, February 20, 2023. Each exception shall be specifically related to each paragraph and/or specific part of the solicitation to which the exception is taken. Provide rationale in support of the exception and fully explain the impact, if any, on the performance, schedule, price, and specific requirements of the solicitation.

1.9 Government Points of Contact

Contracting Officer:

Mr. Juan Rendon Juan_Rendon@ibc.doi.gov

1.10 Deadline for Submission of Proposals and Submission Instructions

Responses to this RFP shall be submitted via email to on or before 3:00 P.M. EST February 20, 2023.

Proposals received after the date/time specified will not be evaluated. Please note it is the Offeror’s responsibility to ensure/verify that the Government receives their submission on or before the time specified. If the proposal is not received by Government on or before the date and time specified, the Offeror’s submission may be considered late. Any “no‐proposal reply” should include a brief statement as to why you are unable to perform. The electronic copies of the proposal shall be submitted in a format readable by Microsoft Office OR Adobe Acrobat Standard and shall be virus free. If files are compressed, they must be provided in a self‐extracting format. The bid schedule shall be submitted in editable Microsoft Excel format.

1.10.1 Delivery

Interested Offerors shall submit their proposal via email during the specified timeline to the Contracting Officer, Mr. Juan Rendon at Juan_Rendon@ibc.doi.gov . Additionally, please copy Contracting Specialist, Candy Mott‐Harris, at Candy_Mott‐Harris@ibc.doi.gov. No proposals shall be hand delivered. For planning purposes and to ensure successful delivery of your proposal, be aware that the size limit for each email is 25 MB. Compressed, condensed, and zip files are recommended for larger files.