Combined Synopsis_Solicitation - Software for OGE 450 Processing.pdf

STREAMLINED SOLICITATION COMMERCIAL ITEMS AND SERVICES

COMBINED SYNOPSIS / SOLICITATION

COMPETITIVE

Title: AmeriCorps – Software to Process OGE Form 450 (Confidential Financial Disclosure Report)

(i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with FAR

13.003 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

(ii) The solicitation number is 95332A22Q00006 and the solicitation is issued as a Request for

Quotation (RFQ).

This acquisition is for an other than commercial item or service and is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures, and is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.

(iii) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through

Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) Number 2022-06, with effective date 26 May 2022.

(iv) The associated NAICS code is 511210 – Software Publishers. The small business size standard is

$41,500,000.00. This requirement is a total small business set-aside.

(v) The AmeriCorps Office of General Counsel (OGC) advises on all legal matters that arise as

AmeriCorps carries out its mission, programs, and activities. As part of its duty, OGC is seeking the means to reliably file and track Confidential Financial Disclosure forms (OGE Form 450s) to fulfill the Agency’s legal ethics obligation.

Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the

Government as needed to provide the requirement for the product/service as follows:

• Software to file and track the OGE Form 450 (Conidential Financial Discolosure Report).

Please refer to the attached Specifications Document titled “Attachment A – Specifications

Document (Software to Process OGE Form 450)” for additional information.

(vi) The Government anticipates award of a firm fixed-price purchase order for this acquisition with an anticipated period of performance of 12 months to begin after receipt of purchase order.

Additionally, the Government anticipates use of four (4) 12-month option periods and one (1) six-month extension. The six-month extension will be evaluated and used in accordance with in accordance with FAR 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract.

(vii) The provision at FAR 52.252-1, Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998), applies to this acquisition. This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the

Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this address:

https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far

(End of provision)

Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference

The following provisions apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference:

• FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management (Oct 2018)

• FAR 52.204-16, Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (Aug 2020)

• FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (May 2022)

• FAR 52.217-5, Evaluation of Options (Jul 1990)

(viii) The clause at FAR 52.252-2, Clauses Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998), applies to this acquisition. This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this address:

(End of clause)

Solicitation Clauses Incorporated by Reference

The following clauses apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference:

• FAR 52.204-2, Security Requirements (Mar 2021)

• FAR 52.204-13, System for Award Management Maintenance (Oct 2018)

• FAR 52.204-18, Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (Aug 2020)

• FAR 52.227-14, Rights in Data – General (May 2014)

• FAR 52.239-1, Privacy or Security Safeguards (Aug 1996)

• FAR 52.243-1, Changes – Fixed Price (Aug 1987)

FAR 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (Mar 2000)

(a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor within

30 calendar days of the Contract expiration; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 60 calendar days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension.

(b) If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this option clause.

(c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed 5 years, 6 months.

(End of clause)

(ix) The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are attached in full text. Offerors

MUST complete the provisions at 52.204-24 and 52.204-26 and submit completed copies as separate documents with the quote.

• FAR 52.204-24 Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video

Surveillance Services or Equipment (Nov 2021)

• FAR 52.204-26 Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services-Representation (Oct

2020)

• FAR 52.213-4 Terms and Conditions - Simplified Acquisitions (Other Than Commercial

Products and Commercial Services) (Jan 2022)

(x) INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

(a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsive and responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the

Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate quotes:

(i) Technical capability;

(ii) Past performance; and

(iii) Price.

The Contractor’s quote shall address each area of the Specifications requirements in sufficient detail to demonstrate a clear understanding of the requirement needs and an understanding of the expertise required to successfully meet the requirements needs. At a minimum, the quote shall address the Contractor’s technical approach to implementation of process automation for filing, tracking, and reporting. Additional merit will be assigned to offers which exceed the stated requirements.

The Offeror shall demonstrate:

(i) In-depth knowledge of system functions and requirements related to back-end administrative support of activities related to processing and tracking Confidential

Financial Disclosure forms

(ii) Ability to meet scope, deliverable, and knowledge requirements to provide a highly accurate, highly user-friendly platform

(iii) Ability to provide timely support.

(iv) The ability to work cooperatively and collaboratively with AmeriCorps’ Ethics team.

(b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

(c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the

Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

(d) The Offerors to include a completed copy of the provision at FAR clause 52.212-3, Offeror

Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (Nov 2021), with its offer. If the Offeror has completed FAR clause 52.212-3 at www.sam.gov, then the offeror does not need to provide a completed copy with its offer.

(e) Responses to this solicitation must include sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities of providing the service needed. The price quote shall be completed on Attachment B – Software to Process OGE Form 450 Price Sheet. Offeror(s) price quote will be evaluated for reasonableness. For a price to be reasonable, it must represent a price to the

Government that a prudent person would pay when consideration is given to prices in the market.

Normally, price reasonableness is established through adequate price competition, but may also be determined through cost and price analysis techniques as described in FAR 15.404. The Offeror shall submit their Firm Fixed Price quote for all items and/or services required in this solicitation, including option years.

The Offeror’s quote shall include any applicable information including, but not limited to, unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, delivery days after contract award, delivery terms, prompt payment discount terms, F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), product or catalog number(s); product description; special features required for effective program performance; trade-in considerations; probable life of the item selected as compared with that of a comparable item;

warranty considerations; maintenance availability; and environmental and energy efficiency considerations; and any other items deemed relevant by the Offeror.

There are no additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions applicable to this acquisition.

Question Submission

All questions must be received by Thursday, 28 July 2022 at 2:00 PM EST and reference

Solicitation Number 95332A22Q00006. Questions shall be submitted via email to the Contracting

Officer, Jasmin Webb at JWebb@cns.gov and the Contract Specialist, Shannon C. Quick at

SQuick@cns.gov.

http://www.sam.gov/ mailto:JWebb@cns.gov mailto:SQuick@cns.gov

Quote Submission

All responses must be received by Tuesday, 09 August 2020 at 2:00 PM EST and reference

Solicitation Number 95332A22Q00006. Responses shall be submitted via email to the Contracting

Officer, Jasmin Webb at JWebb@cns.gov and the Contract Specialist, Shannon C. Quick at

SQuick@cns.gov. Quotes that are not received by the closing date and time shall be excluded from consideration. The submitted Quote must comply with all instructions, requirements, and applicable documents set forth within this RFQ.

Faxed responses will not be accepted.

Any offer, modification, revision, or withdrawal of an offer received at the Government office designated in the solicitation after the exact time specified for receipt of offers is "late" and will not be considered unless it is received before award is made and the Contracting Officer determines that accepting the late offer would not unduly delay the acquisition. Offers may be withdrawn by written notice received at any time before the exact time set for receipt of offers.

In case of an emergency that delays Government operations and makes submission or receipt of offers impossible, the deadline to submit offers is extended to the same time of day specified in the solicitation on the first work day on which normal Government processes resume.

Offers must include:

(1) The solicitation number of this RFQ;

(2) Company name, address, Unique Entity Identifier, and telephone number;

(3) A technical description of the items being offered in sufficient detail to evaluate compliance with the requirements in the solicitation. This may include product literature, or other documents, if necessary;

(4) Terms of any express warranty;

(5) Price and any discount terms;

(6) "Remit to" address, if different than mailing address;

(7) A completed copy of the representations and certifications at

Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.212-3 (see FAR 52.212-3(b) for those representations and certifications that the Offeror shall complete electronically);

(8) Acknowledgment of Solicitation Amendments; and

(9) Past performance information, when included as an evaluation factor, to include recent and relevant contracts for the same or similar items and other references

(including contract numbers, points of contact with telephone numbers and other relevant information).

Debriefing

Under FAR Part 13 procedures, a de-briefing is not required. Instead, a brief explanation of the basis of the contract award shall be given, if requested. If a post-award explanation is given to requesting offerors, the Government shall disclose the following information, if applicable:

(1) The number of offerors solicited;

(2) The number of quotes received;

(3) The name and address of each offeror receiving an award;

(4) The items, quantities, and any stated unit prices of each award. If the number of items or other factors makes listing any stated unit prices impracticable at that time, only the total mailto:JWebb@cns.gov mailto:SQuick@cns.gov https://www.acquisition.gov/far/52.212-3#FAR_52_212_3 https://www.acquisition.gov/far/52.212-3#FAR_52_212_3 contract price need be furnished in the notice. However, the items, quantities, and any stated unit prices of each award shall be made publicly available, upon request; and

(5) In general terms, the reason(s) the offeror’s quote was not accepted, unless the price information readily reveals the reason. In no event shall an offeror ’s cost breakdown, profit, overhead rates, trade secrets, manufacturing processes and techniques, or other confidential business information be disclosed to any other offeror.

(xi) BASIS OF AWARD

Evaluations will be conducted in accordance with the FAR 13.106-2. The Government intends to award one contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible and responsive Offeror whose

Quote conforming to the Solicitation provides the “best value” to the Government, all factors considered. "Best value" means the expected outcome of an acquisition that, in the Government's estimation, provides the greatest overall benefit in response to the requirement will be most advantageous to the Government, Price and other factors considered.

The Government intends to evaluate quotes and award a contract without discussions with offerors.

Therefore, the offeror’s initial quote should contain the offeror’s best terms from a price and technical standpoint. The Government reserves the right to conduct discussions with one or a combination of some or all of the Offerors, if the Government, in its sole discretion, determines that discussions are in the Government’s best interest.

The Government may reject any or all quotes if such action is in the Government’s interest.

The Government may waive informalities and minor irregularities in quotes received.

Exchanges with Offerors after receipt of a quote do not constitute a rejection or counteroffer by the

Government.

All evaluation factors other than price, when combined, are significantly more important than price.

Factors and Subfactors to be Evaluated

AmeriCorps will evaluate quotes based on the following factors:

Factor 1 – Technical

Factor 2 – Past Performance

Factor 3 – Price

The Technical Factor has two (2) Subfactors, which are listed below:

• Subfactor 1 – Technical Approach

• Subfactor 2 – Experience and Capacity

Factor 1 – Technical

Technical Evaluation Approach. Each Quote will be evaluated relative to the Factors and

Subfactors. As a result, there will be a determination of the overall merits of each quote in terms of its potential to best satisfy the needs of the Government.

The Government will evaluate the Technical Quote according to the following scale:

Rating Description

Exceptional Significantly exceeds all minimum requirements of the criteria; has a high probability of success; contains no weaknesses or deficiencies.

Good

Exceeds all the minimum requirements of the criteria; has an above average probability of success; contains no significant weaknesses and only minor, correctable weaknesses exist.

Acceptable

Meets all the minimum requirements of the criteria; has an average probability of success; no significant weaknesses and any deficiencies can be readily corrected.

Marginal

Fails to meet one or more of the minimum requirements of the criteria; low probability of success; major weaknesses and/or significant number of deficiencies exist.

Unacceptable Fails to meet any of the minimum requirements of the criteria; quote needs major revisions; very low probability of success.

Subfactor 1 – Technical Approach

The Contractor’s quote shall address each area of the Specifications requirements in sufficient detail to demonstrate a clear understanding of the requirement needs and an understanding of the expertise required to successfully meet the requirements needs. At a minimum, the quote shall address the Contractor’s technical approach to implementation of process automation for filing, tracking, and reporting. Additional merit will be assigned to offers which exceed the stated requirements by raising the assigned adjectival rating in concert with the additional benefit afforded the Government.

The Offeror shall demonstrate:

(a) In-depth knowledge of system functions and requirements related to back-end administrative support of activities related to processing and tracking Confidential Financial Disclosure forms

(b) Ability to meet scope, deliverable, and knowledge requirements to provide a highly accurate, highly user-friendly platform

(c) Ability to provide timely support.

(d) The ability to work cooperatively and collaboratively with AmeriCorps’ Ethics team.

Subfactor 2 – Experience and Capacity.

The Government will evaluate the extent to which the Contractor’s previous experience with projects of a similar or greater size, scope, and complexity demonstrate its capability to successfully perform the requirements of this contract.

Factor 2 – Past Performance

The Government will evaluate the quality of the offeror's past performance deemed relevant to the requirements of this RFQ. The Government will use information submitted by the offeror and any other sources of information available to assess past performance. The Government will evaluate past performance on an Acceptable/Unacceptable basis as follows:

• Acceptable: Based on the offeror’s performance record, the Government has a reasonable expectation that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort, or the offeror’s performance record is unknown.

• Unacceptable: Based on the offeror’s performance record, the Government does not have a reasonable expectation that the offeror will be able to successfully perform the required effort.

NOTE: In the case of an offeror without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available or so sparse that no meaningful past performance rating can be reasonably assigned, the offeror shall be determined to have unknown (or “neutral”) past performance.

Factor 3 – Price

Offeror(s) prce quote will be evaluated for reasonableness. For a price to be reasonable, it must represent a price to the Government that a prudent person would pay when consideration is given to prices in the market. Normally, price reasonableness is established through adequate price competition, but may also be determined through cost and price analysis techniques as described in FAR 15.404. The Offeror shall submit their Firm Fixed Price quote for all items and/or services required in this solicitation, including option periods.

(xii) ATTACHMENTS

The attached documents are included:

Attachment A – Specifications Document (OGE Form 450)

Attachment B – Software to Process OGE Form 450 Price Sheet

Attachment C – FAR 52.204-24 Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video

Surveillance Services or Equipment (Nov 2021)

Attachment D – FAR 52.204-26 Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services-

Representation (Oct 2020)

Attachment E – FAR 52.213-4 Terms and Conditions - Simplified Acquisitions (Other Than

Commercial Products and Commercial Services) (Jan 2022)

Attachment F – Invoicing Instructions with IPP