CNR Sections L and M - Draft RFP - 16Apr2021.docx

A. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION (Section L)

1. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

1. Each Offeror is required to submit the Technical, Past Performance, Price, and Small Business Participation Plan proposals as outlined below. The Offeror shall submit a written proposal in accordance with these Proposal Submission Instructions to include the Demo/Quick look requirements identified in Factor 1, Sub-Factor 1, Element 1 of the RFP and the Test Plan found at Attachment xx.

1. Each volume shall be submitted electronically only, submitted through the DoD SAFE file exchange site (https://safe.apps.mil/). DoD Safe submittals shall be sent to the Contracting Officer at bradley.a.phillips14.civ@mail.mil, as well as the Contract Specialist at lee.alexis.civ@mail.mil . No hard copy(ies) of an Offeror’s proposal is requested, nor will be accepted by the Government. Proposals shall be submitted no later than the date and time specified (Eastern Time) in Block 9 of the Standard Form 33 (SF 33). Offerors shall NOT submit proposals via the beta.sam.gov website. Electronic format files submitted by the Offeror that are found to contain viruses, malware, or other malicious types of code will be set aside, and the contents of those files will not be considered by the Government. No classified information shall be submitted by the offer in response to this solicitation. Any portion of the proposal that is changed (as a result of negotiations or proposal revisions) should be annotated and dated. Each volume shall be clearly labeled with its Title and a copy number (e.g., copy 1 of 5). WARNING: Please do not wait until the last minute to submit your proposals! To avoid submission of late proposals, we recommend the transmission of your proposal file 24 hours prior to the required proposal due date and time

1. Each paragraph should be single spaced, and shall be separated by at least one blank line. A standard, 12-point minimum font size applies. Arial or New Times Roman fonts are required. Tables and illustrations may use a reduced font size no less than 8-point and may be produced in landscape mode.

1. The following volumes of material shall be submitted:

NOTE: Pages that exceed the required page limitations will not be evaluated. Additional pages over the maximum allowed will be removed or not read and will not be evaluated by the Government.

NOTE: Offeror provided test results presented to the Government to verify an Offeror’s compliance with the PRD will not count against the page count.

The email proposal submittal shall consist of separate files as set forth and named below. Microsoft Office 2007 software or higher, and Adobe software if applicable, shall be used to create the required files. Offerors may encrypt and/or password protect proprietary information as they see fit. However, if the Government is unable to access the documents, the proposal may not be considered for award. Proposals shall not contain any classified data or information.

2. PROPOSAL FILES

a. Format. The submission shall be clearly indexed and logically assembled. Each volume shall be clearly identified and shall begin at the top of a page. All pages of each volume shall be appropriately numbered and identified by the complete company name, date and Request for Proposal (RFP) number in the header and/or footer. A Table of Contents should be created using the Table of Content feature in MS Word. MS Word (doc) files shall use the following page setup parameters:

The following additional restrictions apply:

b. File Packaging. All of the proposal files shall be compressed (zipped) into one file entitled proposal zip using WinZip version 6.2 or later, or as separate uploads in their native format, i.e. doc, xls, ppt, etc. Files shall be in read-only format, using PDF files. All price breakdown information to aide in the cost/price evaluation shall be submitted in Microsoft Office Excel Read/Write format and viewable in Microsoft Excel 2007. **Please note – Self extracting exe files are not acceptable.

c. Content Requirement. All information shall be confined to the appropriate file. The Offeror shall confine submissions to essential matters, sufficient to define the proposal in a concise manner, to permit a complete and accurate evaluation of each proposal. Each file of the proposal shall consist of a Table of Contents, Summary Section, and the Narrative discussion. The Summary Section shall contain a brief abstract of the file. Proprietary information shall be clearly marked. The format of the Technical Volume of the Offeror's proposal shall be paragraphed and numbered consistent with the Subfactors and Functional Areas described below. The following shall be included in the Narrative discussion:

(i) VOLUME I – Technical. The volume shall be organized into the following sections:

Section 1 – Subfactor 1: Technical Requirements. This subfactor evaluates the Offeror’s approach to meeting the SINGGARS CNR technical requirements. The Offeror shall propose a CNR solution that complies with the requirements of the Performance Requirements Document (PRD) and meets the delivery requirements as stipulated in Section F of the Request for Proposal.

Element 1 - Demonstration/Quick Look Test

All Offerors will be required to submit three sets of physical hardware for a demonstration and quick look test. Government testing will be conducted as outlined in the Test Plan – Attachment XX. The demonstration/quick look is designed to validate the Offeror’s technical solution.

If the Offeror is proposing a card replacement approach, the Offeror is required to provide a complete Receiver/Transmitter (RT) for the Demonstration/Quick Look Test.

All hardware shall be delivered in person to Government site by an Offeror representative at the address identified below. Hardware shall be delivered in transit cases and all transit cases shall include return paid shipping labels OR an appropriate POC that can provide the appropriate return paid shipping labels within 24 hours of Government request.

An Offeror’s representative shall be on Government site to inspect, inventory, and handoff the equipment to a Government representative. After inventory check and during handoff, the Offeror representative shall bring, sign, and leave Attachment XX – CNR Product Bailment Agreement for all supplied hardware. Offeror representative shall be authorized on behalf of the offering company to sign the Product Bailment Agreement. The signed Product Loan Agreement shall include a complete listing of all hardware being left with the Government for testing. No additional equipment or materials will be accepted after the receipt of the signed Product Loan Agreement. Furthermore, if the Offeror fails to deliver all of the required equipment and materials for the Demonstration/Quick Look, the Offeror’s written proposal may be returned and it may be disqualified from and not considered for award.

The Offeror will be notified of their required delivery date/time. Delivery dates/times will occur no earlier than 5 business days before proposals are due. Required delivery date/times will be randomly selected by the Contracting Officer.

Hardware delivery timelines and timeslot assignments are NOT subject to reassignment. Offerors bear all responsibility to deliver hardware per the assigned timeslot. The Government will NOT accept hardware that is delivered more than 30 minutes past the assigned time (i.e. timeslot is 0900, hardware no longer accepted at 0931). Therefore, Offerors shall plan accordingly.

Hardware Drop-Off Address:

C5ISR, S&TCD

6590 RECONNAISSANCE ST BLDG 6010

ULTRA LAB RM 401

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD 21005

All Offeror representatives accessing APG and dropping off hardware must be U.S. citizens and hold valid driver’s licenses. Offerors should review APG visitor information at https://www.apg.army.mil/NewcomersAndVisitors/GateHoursAndDirections to ensure access compliance and timeliness of hardware delivery.

Offeror hardware will be stored in a secure and locked location that will only be accessible by CNR testing representatives during the evaluation. Offeror equipment will not be seen nor accessed by other participating Offerors.

The Government shall keep submitted hardware throughout the entire duration of the solicitation evaluation, hardware will only be returned to Offerors in accordance with the bailment agreement.

Demonstration/Quick Look dates/times will be randomly selected by the Contracting Officer. Offerors will be notified at least five (5) working days in advance of the scheduled date and time for their Hardware Test. Hardware tests will last five (5) working days, including set-up and tear down.

No more than two (2) of the Offeror’s representatives shall be available and permitted to participate in/attend the Day 1 and Day 5 of the Hardware Test. One of these representatives shall also be a Subject Matter Expert (SME) point of contact in the event that there are unforeseen operational issues or failures with the Offeror’s equipment during the Demonstration/Quick Look. SME shall also assist with hardware integration issues, software integration issues, and to answer set-up/configuration questions by the test team or government representatives.

On Day 1, the Offeror representatives shall unpack, inventory, set-up, configure, and test its equipment to ensure it is ready for the Hardware Test. The Offeror shall be allotted a maximum of eight (8) hours in one (1) day for unpacking its hardware, perform functional testing, and train the Government personnel to operate the hardware.

On Day 5, Offeror representatives shall inventory, pack, and seal equipment at the conclusion of the Hardware Test. The Offeror shall be allotted a maximum of four (4) hours in one (1) day for packing its hardware. The Government will maintain control of the equipment until the Offeror is notified the Government has return shipped the hardware.

The timelines associated with Day 1 and 5 of the hardware test will be coordinated by the Contracting Officer with the applicable Offeror.

Hardware Evaluations are NOT subject to reassignment. Offerors bear all responsibility to support their assigned demonstration/quick look time slot.

Element 2 - Technical Proposal

The Offeror shall describe how its design meets the SOW and PRD requirements for each of the functional areas described below:

· The Offeror shall provide a description of the threshold PRD requirements that the Demonstration and Quick Look Hardware does not meet, and provide a detailed description of the approach to meeting those requirements.

· The Offeror shall identify compliance or non-compliance with the PRD threshold requirements via the Technical PRD Compliance Matrix.

· The Offeror shall describe the approach to meeting SINCGARS Size, Weight and Power (SWAP) envelope as defined in the SINCGARS specifications and standards referenced in the PRD.

· The Offeror shall provide a detailed description of the proposed approach to achieving full operational, electrical and environmental performance defined in the PRD. Particular attention should be paid to the following areas: interoperability, low and high temperature operating conditions, nuclear, biological and chemical survivability and decontamination, to include instantaneous and residual nuclear survivability.

· The Offeror shall identify the degree of maturity of its CNR configuration and sub-system components by providing documented test reports and analyses to prove the Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) in accordance with DOD Guidelines of its offering that supports delivery of First Article hardware.

· The Offeror shall fully describe a programmable COMSEC capability to upgrade communications security with future NSA approved COMSEC algorithms.

· The Offeror shall fully describe its approach to meeting the requirements for NSA certification.

· License Rights (LR). The Offeror shall submit a complete proposal of all data deliverables with sufficient level of license rights and background patent rights necessary to support operation, maintenance, installation, and training (OMIT); modernization; and sustainment; and future full and open competition. The submission shall include a complete license rights proposal that clearly outlines all the terms and conditions required to grant license rights with clear definitions as to what conditions are required to activate the granting of the license rights. The proposal must list all cost/price to the Government including any minimum quantity required to be purchased by the Government, any cost/price to purchase the Technical Data Package (TDP) or rights in Offerors background patents, minimum time in months to acquire license and patent rights, and any limitations that may be imposed. (Any royalty cost/price for third party patents for use in the contract shall be disclosed in accordance with FAR 52.227-6.)

· Data/Software Rights Assertions. The proposal from an Offeror with background intellectual property and chooses not to propose license rights will be evaluated in accordance with the color/adjectival ratings in Section M of the solicitation. However, to the extent known at the time an offer is submitted to the Government, the Offeror is still required to identify the data deliverables that the Offeror (including its potential subcontractors or suppliers) asserts should be furnished to the Government with restrictions on use, release, or disclosure in accordance with Section I of the RFP. The identification shall include, but not be limited to, the Offerors background U.S. or foreign patents, or the Offerors background pending patent applications.

The Offeror’s proposed strategy shall identify any data deliverables, or intellectual property licensing restrictions that will hinder Government from executing organic sustainment.

The Offeror shall provide a copy of the Offeror’s Identification and Assertion of Restrictions on the Government's Use, Release, or Disclosure of data deliverables. Pursuant to the requirements set forth in DFARS 252.227-7017, Offerors are required to specifically identify Data/Software Rights Assertions related to technical data and software deliverables (at the base contract level and task order level). As indicated in DFARS 252.227-7017(e), an Offeror's failure to submit, complete, or sign the aforementioned Data and Software Rights Assertions with its offer may render the offer ineligible for award. In accordance with the content and formatting requirements for Data and Software Rights Assertions (set forth in DFARS 252.227-7017), the Offeror's Data and Software Rights Assertions shall comply with the following requirements:

1) The Offeror shall not assert license restrictions on items, component, or processes themselves. The asserted license restrictions shall pertain to software or technical data that relates to items, components, or processes.

2) The Offeror's Assertions shall not include technical data or software that will not be furnished to the Government under this procurement.

3) The Offeror shall provide a concise (but specific) description of the technical data and software deliverables that will be furnished to the Government with restrictions, rather than generically asserting license restrictions in "technical data" or "technology".

4) The Offeror is responsible for ensuring that Data and Software Rights Assertions from its subcontractors comply with the aforementioned content and formatting requirements (in accordance with DFARS 252.227-7017.

Offerors shall provide Data/Software Rights Assertions in a tabular format prescribed in DFARS 252.227-7017. However, in addition to the content and formatting requirements set forth in DFARS 252.227-7017, the Offeror’s Data/Software Rights Assertions table shall list technical data and software items that the Offeror intends to furnish to the Government with and without license restrictions. Thus, the Data/Software Rights Assertions table may include technical data and software items that are provided to the Government with an “unlimited rights” license. In the Offeror’s identification of technical data and software license rights, the Offeror shall use the prescribed categories of license rights referenced in DFARS 252.227-7014 and DFARS 252.227-7015 (e.g. “Limited Rights”, Government Purpose Rights”, “Unlimited Rights”, “Unrestricted Rights”, or “Commercial Software License Agreement”).

(2) Section 2 – Subfactor 2: Schedule. This subfactor evaluates the Offeror’s approach to meeting the SINGGARS CNR delivery timeline in Section F of the solicitation. The Offeror will provide information to substantiate the following:

· Integrated Master Schedule: The Offeror shall provide an Integrated Master Schedule which clearly demonstrates its proposed approach towards meeting all of the development, integration, test and certification (to include NSA certification) efforts necessary to achieve the SINCGARS CNR capability. An IMS based on use of government test facilities or government witnesses shall be based on a five day work week. The schedule for production deliveries as specified in Section F of the solicitation is notional and structured as a not later than schedule. It should be noted that the Offeror’s proposed IMS must be supported with back-up data verifying Technology Readiness Level / Manufacturing Readiness Level claims.

(3) Section 3 – Subfactor 3: Sustainment Strategy. This sub-factor evaluates the Offeror’s approach to sustain its proposed radio solution. If the proposed solution is crypto modernizing the RT1523 E/F through a circuit card upgrade of existing SINCGARS RT-1523 E/F, the Offeror needs to describe how its approach maintains the Army’s existing SINCGARS sustainment strategy in Attachment XXX. If the solution is a new radio, the Offeror shall detail its proposed sustainment approach for the new radio. The Government will evaluate the Offeror's proposal from the standpoint of how well it demonstrates: 1) the Offeror’s strategy will assist the Government in the support, operation, maintenance, installation, training, modernization, and sustainment for the entire life cycle of its proposed radio solution; and 2) the Offeror’s strategy will assist the Government in establishing organic support no later than 2 years after contract award (using the required technical data deliverables under this contract and organic sustainment resources). In either situation, the proposed Product Support/Sustainment Strategy will be evaluated based upon the following functional area considerations:

1. Repair concept, including required repair parts and sparing. All special tools and test equipment shall be described.

1. Ability to disseminate base software loads as well as updates to Field/Depot Support Assets for Government loading and provisioning of new and/or updated radio.

1. A proposed logistics support strategy that maximizes the government’s ability to perform basic repairs in the field and minimizes sustainment-level repair tasks. For the circuit card upgrade, describe the needed support from the government to enable this upgrade.

1. Ability for Government to achieve reduction of sustainment costs based on proposed maintenance and support plan at Field and Depot levels for transition to organic and/or contractor support.

1. Conduct Test, Troubleshooting, and/or Debugging activities.

1. Use of diagnostics, prognostics, and Built in Test (BIT) capability

1. Use of existing SINCGARS Power Amplifiers (PA) and Vehicular Amplifier Adapters (VAA)

1. Provide list of items that are available in the commercial market that can be procured by other Contractors in a future competitive procurement (even without providing detailed technical information on these commercially available items.

1. Propose the procedures for leveraging technology to meet Government mission goals and improving the capability over the lifecycle of the system.

1. Delineate the required software, hardware components and configuration items.

1. Configuration Control. Ability for the Government to identify, adjudicate, and prioritize issues/discrepancy reports for resolution in a timely fashion. Scope for shared roles and responsibilities in support of the test/certification and deployment release process/capability.

1. Software Sustainment Activities. The range, roles and responsibilities afforded the Government to analyze, assess, support executing code updates/enhancement, regression test, as well as integrate baseline changes (i.e. for resolving major to minor fixes).

1. Risk Management. Based on level of proposed license rights, risks Government will incur in the operation, maintenance, installation, and training (OMIT); modernization; and sustainment of the Combat Net Radio. Scope of documentation, security implementation, and associated cyber security activities.

1. Implementation of Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortage (DMSMS) processes. If the proposed solution is to crypto modernize existing RT-1523 Es/Fs through an upgrade, the Offeror shall detail how it will mitigate current and emerging DMSMS issues with the remaining LRUs/components within the RT-1523 E/F. For a new radio, and new components such as the COMSEC and TRANSEC card, the Offeror shall describe its approach to proactively manage obsolescence in order to meet, and sustain the proposed radio solution, for its required 20-year life.

1. Warranty. The Offeror shall provide a copy of the proposed warranty. The warranty shall at a minimum address the following elements by topic, and any additional element(s) shall be included without changing the order or numbering of the following elements:

25. Scope

25. Definitions

25. Individual Warranty Coverage

25. Systemic/Performance Warranty Coverage

25. Commercial Warranties

25. Warranty Procedures/Remedies

25. Other Rights and Remedies

25. Warranty Administration

25. Warranty Status Reporting

25. Exclusions

25. Presumption of Failure Defect

25. Contractor Obligations

25. No Evidence of Failure (NEOF)/Re-Test OK (RTOK) Reductions

25. Disputes

25. The terms of the Warranty shall not cause a conflict or otherwise diminish the Government’s rights in any other clause, provision or term of the solicitation or any resultant contract.

(ii) VOLUME II – Cost/Price. The volume shall be organized into the following sections:

(1) Electronic Copy. Cost requirements: Electronic links are only permissible within the Cost Volume. If files contain links, the links must be intact and maintained through all revisions. The Offeror shall not include pivot tables in Excel spreadsheets. The Offeror shall provide a completed Section B Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs and shall complete the Government provided template.

(2) Compliance. Failure to comply with the RFP requirements for Cost information may result in an adverse assessment of an Offeror’s proposal and reduce or eliminate its chance of being selected for award. Offerors shall ensure that the information presented in this volume is consistent and correlates with the information contained in the other proposal volumes. Also, the Offeror shall ensure that the information submitted in this volume is consistent with and fully supports the amounts set forth in the SF33 and continuation sheets.

(3) General Instructions. The Contracting Officer has determined there is a high probability of adequate price competition for this acquisition. However, in accordance with FAR 15.402, and FAR 15.403-4; if at any time during this solicitation the Contracting Officer determines that adequate price competition no longer exists; the Offeror may be required to submit Certified Cost or Pricing Data to support a determination of a fair, reasonable, and realistic price. Information other than certified cost or pricing data may be provided in contractor format providing that sufficient information is made available. Information submitted shall be prepared following the instruction in FAR 15.403-5. If after receipt of proposals the Contracting Officer determines that there is insufficient information available to determine price reasonableness and none of the exceptions at FAR 15.403-1 apply, the Offeror may be required to submit cost or pricing data. Additionally, in the event that adequate competition is not obtained, the Contracting Officer may incorporate FAR 52.215-20 entitled, “Requirements for Cost or Pricing Data or Information Other Than Cost or Pricing Data,” into the solicitation and request a Certificate of Current Cost or Pricing Data. There are no page limitations for this volume. Proposal information included in this volume which is not directly related to Cost will be disregarded.

The Offeror shall include all required costs to complete the requirements/tasks of the CLINs as specified in the Statement of Work.

If after receipt of proposals the Contracting Officer determines there is insufficient information available to determine cost reasonableness or cost realism and none of the exceptions identified in FAR 15.403-1 apply, the Offeror may be required to submit certified cost and pricing data.

All prices shall be expressed in whole U.S. Dollars.

There are no page limitations for this volume.

(iii) VOLUME III – Past Performance. This volume shall contain past performance information regarding similar contracts. This volume shall not exceed 25 pages plus five pages for each major subcontractor, excluding Past Performance Questionnaire Forms. Offerors shall submit all Government and/or commercial contracts for the prime Offeror and each major subcontractor in performance or awarded during the past three years, from the issue date of this RFP, which are relevant to the efforts required by this solicitation. Relevant efforts are defined as services/efforts that are the same as or similar to the effort (as compared to North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 334220) required by the RFP. Data concerning the Offeror shall be provided first, followed by each proposed major subcontractor, in alphabetical order. The Offeror shall also submit the written consent of its major subcontractors to allow the disclosure of its subcontractor’s past performance information to the Offeror. In addition, letters of commitment shall be included for all major subcontractors for their past performance to be considered. This volume shall be organized into the following sections:

(1) Section 1 – Contract Descriptions. This section shall include the following information in the following format.

(a) Contractor/Subcontractor place of performance, CAGE Code and DUNS Number. If the work was performed as a subcontractor, also provide the name of the prime contractor and Point of Contact (POC) within the prime contractor organization (name, and current address, email address, and telephone and fax numbers).

(b) Government contracting activity, and current address, Procuring Contracting Officer’s name, email address, telephone and fax numbers.

(c) Government’s technical representative/Contracting Officer’s Representative and current email address, telephone and fax numbers.

(d) Government contract administration activity and the Administrative Contracting Officer’s name, and current email address, telephone and fax number.

(e) Government contract administration activity’s Pre-Award Monitor’s name, and current email address, telephone and fax numbers.

(f) Contract Number and, in the case of Indefinite Delivery type contracts, GSA contracts, and Blanket Purchase Agreements, include Delivery Order Numbers.

(g) Contract Type (specific type such as Fixed-Price (FP), Cost Reimbursement (CR), Time & Material (T&M), etc.). In the case of Indefinite Delivery contracts, indicate specific type (Requirements, Definite Quantity, and Indefinite Quantity) and secondary contract type (FP, CR, T&M, etc.).

(h) Awarded price/cost.

(i) Final or projected final price/cost.

(j) Original delivery schedule, including dates of start and completion or work.

(k) Final or projected final, delivery schedule, including dates of start and completion of work.

(2) Section 2 – Performance. Offerors shall provide a specific narrative explanation of each contract listed in Section 1, Contract Description, describing the objectives achieved and detailing how the effort is relevant to the requirement of this RFP.

(a) For any contracts that did not/do not meet original schedule or technical performance requirements, provide a brief explanation of the reason(s) for the shortcomings and any corrective action(s) taken to avoid recurrence. The Offerors shall list each time the delivery schedule was revised and provide an explanation of why the revision was necessary. All Requests for Deviation and Requests for Waiver shall be addressed with respect to causes and corrective actions. The Offerors shall also provide copy of any Cure Notices or Show Cause Letters received on each contract listed and a description of any corrective action implemented by the Offeror or proposed subcontractor. The Offerors shall indicate if any of the contracts listed were terminated and the type and reasons for the termination.

(b) For all contracts, the Offeror shall provide data on all manufacturing warranty returns. Data shall delineate total number of warranty returns, number of Could Not Duplicate (CND), number of failures attributable to GFE component failures, and number and nature of failures attributable to the Offeror’s delivered product.

(3) Section 3 – Subcontracts. Offerors shall provide an outline of how the effort required by the RFP will be assigned for performance within the Offeror’s corporate entity and among the proposed subcontractors. The information provided for the prime Offeror and each proposed major subcontractor must include the entire company name, company address, CAGE Code, DUNS Number and type of work to be performed by citing the applicable Government Statement of Work (SOW) subparagraph number. This includes all subcontractors who will be providing critical hardware/services or whose subcontract is for more than twenty five (25) % of the total proposed cost/price. This section will further include written consent of major subcontractors to allow the disclosure of their subcontractor’s past performance information to the Offeror. In addition, letters of commitment shall be included for all major subcontractors

(4) Section 4 – New Corporate Entities. New corporate entities may submit data on prior contracts involving its offices and employees. However, in addition to the other requirements in this section, the Offeror shall discuss in detail the role performed by such persons in the prior contracts cited. Information should be included in the files described in the sections above. Letters of Commitment shall be included in the proposal for these employees in order to be considered.

(5) Past Performance Questionnaire. For all contracts identified in Section 1, Contract Descriptions, a Past Performance Questionnaire must be completed and submitted. The Offeror shall complete Part I of the Past Performance Questionnaire and email the questionnaire to both the Government contracting activity and technical representative responsible for the past/current contract. The POCs shall be instructed to electronically complete Part II of the questionnaire and email the entire questionnaire to the Contracting Office no later than the proposal due date, to bradley.a.phillips14.civ@mail.mil. The Offeror shall email to the Contracting Officer a list of all the POCs who were sent a questionnaire. The Government must receive this list no later than the proposal due date. The POC List shall be submitted in Word for Windows Table Format to include the following fields: Solicitation Number; Company Name; Contract Number; Government Agency; POC Last Name, First Name; POC Title; POC Telephone Number; POC Email Address; and Date Email to POC.

(6) Submissions. Offerors are discouraged from providing points of contact with another contractors’ facility, i.e., in case an Offeror (or one of his/her team members) is in a subcontract with another contractor who has submitted a proposal on the same requirement. Offerors shall provide and submit the prime contract number and all Governmental agency POCs in lieu of subcontract numbers or prime contract POCs in situations as described above.

(7) Small Business Participation Past Performance. All Offerors shall submit information substantiating the Offerors’ past performance in complying with FAR 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns, maximizing opportunities for U.S. small business subcontractors. Offerors shall also provide a statement indicating whether any negative information has been reported in the past six years concerning the Offerors’ past compliance with FAR 52.219-8. If any such negative information has been reported, the Offeror may submit explanations or comments responding to such negative information. Offerors with no prior contracts containing FAR 52.219-8 shall certify the same.

Past performance information may be obtained from established systems such as the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS), Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), Electronic Subcontract Reporting System (eSRS), or other databases; and may be obtained from other sources available to the Government, such as the Defense Contract Management Agency; and interviews with Program Managers, Contracting Officers, Fee Determining Officials.

(iv) VOLUME IV – Small Business Participation Commitment Document (SBPCD)

All Offerors (both other than small businesses and small businesses) shall provide the following SBPCD requirements and substantiating documentation to demonstrate how you will meet these requirements. This required information will be used to evaluate the extent of your proposed participation/commitment to use U.S. small businesses in the performance of this acquisition (as small business prime Offerors or small business subcontractors) relative to Section M, Factor III, Small Business Participation. These SBPCD requirements will be incorporated into any resulting contract(s) as specified below.

(1) Small business concerns (SBC) as defined in FAR Part 19 are to be used in your proposed approach to satisfying the requirements of this solicitation for the entire performance period, including company name, business category(ies), description of products or services and NAICS code to be provided by each SBC and the nature of the commitment with the SBC (i.e., letter of commitment, joint ventures, mentor protégé agreements, others). Binding commitments shall become enforceable, contractual requirements. Use the table/format below in proposing this required information.

Category(ies)

(SB, SDB, WOSB,

Hubzone, VOSB, SDVOSB)

Product(s)/Service(s) to be Provided, including type & variety of work

Commitment

(2) The SBCs (prime Offerors and small business subcontractors) proposed quantitative participation in terms of the value of the total acquisition (total contract value). Offerors shall provide detailed explanations/documentation to support quantitative small business participation. Binding commitments shall become enforceable, contractual requirements. Use the table/format below in proposing this required information.

Proposed Total Contract Value $ < fill in base contract ad all option years >

Minimum Quantitative Requirement (MQR) - Small Business Participation (Including Small Business prime Offeror’s participation)

All supporting documentation is excluded from the page count. Supporting documents will not be incorporated into any resulting contract.

(3) Past performance information to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of FAR 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns, including the extent to which small business performance objectives/requirements were met for the contracts that required submission of a Small Business Participation Plan or other small business participation/utilization document. Copies of contractual reports may be submitted to validate compliance with requirements of FAR 52.219-8. Explanation of efforts where minimum quantitative requirements and/or goals were not met should be provided. Supporting documentation shall be relevant to the requirements of this solicitation and shall be within the past five years. All supporting documentation is excluded from the page count.

(4) Past performance information to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of FAR 52.219-9 (DEVIATION 2016-O0009) Small Business Subcontracting Plan (when applicable), including extent to which applicable goals and other small business performance objectives/requirements were met for the contracts submitted to demonstrate compliance. Explanation of efforts where goals were not met should be provided. Supporting documentation shall be relevant to the requirements of this solicitation and shall be within the past five years. All supporting documentation is excluded from the page count.

(5) The work to be performed directly by a small business prime Offeror shall be evaluated as Small Business Participation. Small business prime Offerors shall include their information in the above requested subparagraphs as required.

(6) SBPCD enforceable, contractual requirements shall require periodic progress reporting to facilitate government monitoring in the event of an award. Offerors are to propose quarterly reporting for the requirements in L-XXX, subparagraphs 1-3 above (contractor format acceptable) in accordance with Section J, Exhibit B, CDRL B001, Small Business Participation.

(7) Prime Offeror’s Size: Identify the applicable size and applicable socioeconomic categories for the PRIME Offeror only when submitting your proposed SBPCD. Include this information within the initial section of the proposed SBPCD and check all applicable boxes:

{ } Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Small Business

(v) VOLUME V – SOLICITATIONS, OFFER AND AWARD DOCUMENTS AND CERTIFICATIONS/REPRESENTATIONS

Certifications and Representations – Each Offeror shall complete (fill-in and signatures) the solicitation sections indicated below using the file (without modification to the file) provided with the RFP. An authorized official of the firm shall sign the SF 33 and all certifications requiring original signature. An Acrobat PDF file shall be created to capture the signatures for submission.

Solicitations, Offer and Award Documents and Certifications/Representations shall not be addressed separately from that submitted in VOLUME V – SOLICITATIONS, OFFER AND AWARD DOCUMENTS AND CERTIFICATIONS /REPRESENTATIONS.

B. BASIS FOR AWARD

It is the intention of the Government to award up to two (2) contracts as a result of this solicitation. The award will be made based on the best value to the Government on the basis of the Trade-Off source selection procedures in accordance with FAR 15.101-1. Award will be made to the best overall (i.e., best value) proposal that is determined to be the most beneficial to the Government, with appropriate consideration given to the four evaluation factors: Technical, Cost/Price, Past Performance, and Small Business Participation. The Cost/Price Factor is approximately equal in importance to all non-Price Factors when combined. The Cost/Price Factor is slightly more important than the Technical Factor. The Technical Factor is significantly more important than the Past Performance Factor and the Small Business Participation Factor combined. The Past Performance factor is slightly more important than the Small Business Participation Factor. To receive consideration for award, a rating of no less than “Acceptable” must be achieved for the Technical factor (to include all subfactors) and the Small Business Participation factor. Additionally, any other than small business Offeror must have an acceptable Small Business Subcontracting Plan to receive an award in accordance with FAR 19.702(a). Offerors will be cautioned that the award may not necessarily be made to the lowest cost offered. NOTE: ALL NON-PRICED FACTORS COMBINED ARE APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO COST/PRICE.

C. FACTORS AND SUBFACTORS TO BE EVALUATED

The following evaluation factors and subfactors will be used to evaluate each proposal: Award will be made to the Offeror whose proposal is most advantageous to the Government based upon an integrated assessment of the evaluation factors and subfactors described below.

Subfactor 1 is more important than Subfactor 2. Subfactor 2 is more important than Subfactor 3.

Evaluation of the Offeror’s proposal shall address each Technical subfactor as it applies to the PRD and SOW. A detailed explanation of the criteria for the evaluation is set forth in the “Evaluation Approach”, Paragraph D of this section. During evaluation of each proposal, the Government will assign each Technical subfactor an adjectival rating.

Factor 2: Cost/Price: The resulting award will be a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) contract, also containing Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) and Cost Reimbursement (No Fee) line items. Cost realism will be utilized in the evaluation of Cost Reimbursable efforts. Price reasonableness will be utilized in the evaluation of the Firm-Fixed Price effort.

Factor 3: Past Performance: Each Offeror’s past performance will be reviewed and a performance confidence assessment will be performed.

Factor 4. Small Business Participation: Each Offeror’s level and degree of commitment to utilize small business in execution of the requirement will be evaluated.

D. EVALUATION APPROACH

All proposals shall be evaluated by the Source Selection Team (SST).

1. The overarching evaluation approach for all factors and subfactors is as follows:

a. Adequacy of Response. The proposal will be evaluated to determine whether the Offeror’s methods and approach have adequately and completely considered, defined, and satisfied the requirements specified in the RFP. The proposal will be evaluated to determine the extent to which each requirement has been addressed in the proposal in accordance with the proposal submission section of the RFP.

b. Feasibility of Approach. The proposal will be evaluated to determine the extent to which the proposed approach is workable and the end results achievable. The proposal will be evaluated to determine the extent to which successful performance is contingent upon proven devices and techniques. The proposal will be evaluated to determine the extent to which the Offeror is expected to be able to successfully complete the proposed tasks and technical requirements within the required schedule.

2. The Technical factor is divided into the following subfactors:

Subfactor 1: Technical Requirements. This subfactor evaluates the Offeror’s proposed approach to meeting the technical requirements for the basic contract period and all option years. The failure to meet threshold requirements will result in deficiencies and an unacceptable rating. The evaluation will focus on:

· How the Offeror’s design meets the PRD requirements for each of the functional areas, the adequacy of the response and feasibility of the approach.

· The results of the Demonstration/Quick Look will be used to assess the feasibility and maturity of the Offeror’s proposed CNR solution and associated risks.

Subfactor 2: Schedule. This subfactor evaluates the Offeror’s approach to meeting the SINGGARS CNR delivery timeline. The evaluation will focus on:

1. The Offeror presents a comprehensive and complete plan to successfully achieve First Article Test (FAT), NSA Certification and hardware production at full rate quantities in accordance with the proposed schedule.

Subfactor 3: Sustainment Strategy. This sub-factor evaluates the Offeror’s proposed approach to meeting either: 1) The existing SINCGARS sustainment strategy if the Offeror’s proposed solution is a modified RT-1523 E/F; or 2) The Offeror’s proposed approach to sustainment if the proposed solution is a new radio. The evaluation will focus on:

1. The Offeror’s approach and feasibility addressing all of the sustainment strategy functional areas, while maximizing organic sustainment of the proposed radio solution.

In accordance with the Army Source Selection Supplement (AS3), Section 3.1, the Army methodology for evaluating Technical Approach and Related Risk is the Combined Technical/Risk Rating, (see Table 1 below). This methodology considers risk, in conjunction with the strengths, weaknesses, significant weaknesses, uncertainties, and deficiencies in determining technical ratings.

TABLE 1 – COMBINED TECHNICAL/RISK RATINGS

3. Cost/Price Factor. Adjectival ratings shall not be used for Offerors’ Cost/Price proposals. The Government will fully evaluate and negotiate all priced Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) ordering periods for award. For award purposes, the total proposed price for all CLINs will be added together into a total sum (contract ceiling). The evaluation of all option ordering periods will not obligate the Government to exercise any option more than the minimum order. The Offeror’s Cost/Price proposal will be evaluated as follows.

a. FFP Evaluation. For a price to be fair and reasonable, it must represent a price to the Government that a prudent person would pay in the conduct of competitive business. The Offeror’s proposed fixed-price CLINs may be evaluated, using one or more of the techniques described in FAR 15.404-1 in order to determine if they are fair and reasonable.

b. Overall Cost/Price Proposal Evaluation: The overall Cost/Price proposal will evaluated for the following:

1) Compliance: The Cost/Price proposal submitted by the Offeror will be evaluated for compliance based upon the submission requirements contained in the Section L-2(c)(ii) Cost/Price instructions

2) Unbalanced Pricing: The Offeror’s overall Cost/Price proposal will be evaluated for unbalanced pricing as defined in FAR 15.404-1(g). An offer may be rejected if the contracting officer determines that the lack of balance poses an unacceptable risk to the Government (see FAR 15.404-1(g)(1) through FAR 15.404-1(g)(3)).

3) Errors: The Offeror’s Cost/Price proposal will be reviewed for errors. The Offeror may be given an opportunity to clarify certain aspects of their proposal at the sole discretion of the Contracting Officer.

4) Business Systems: The Government will verify the adequacy of…