CSS W912LN24Q0011 FRG YR 05MAY2024 - FINAL 18 JAN 2024.docx

Best Value Trade-Off Using FAR 13.1 and FAR Part 12 Procedures

1. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.2, 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.

1.1. The combined synopsis is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ) / under solicitation number: W912LN-24-Q-0011.

1.2. This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2024-02 (22 DEC 2023).

1.3. This requirement is set aside 100% for Small Business.

1.4. NAICS Code: 721110. Size standard $40M.

1.5. Posting Date: as stated on the header of this Solicitation as posted in SAM.gov.

1.6. Questions due by 10:00 am EST on 24 JAN 2024. Questions received after that time will not be answered. Answers provided on or about 26 JAN 2024.

1.7. Response Date: as stated on the header of this Solicitation as posted in SAM.gov.

1.8. Contracting Office: USPFO-P&C-VT; Building 3 Camp Johnson, Colchester Vermont 05446.

1.9. Government Points of Contact: Contracting Officer: Kathleen.b.oneill.civ@army.mil Contract Specialist: kimberly.a.swasey.civ@army.mil.

1.10. A list of line item number(s) and items, quantities, and units of measure:

Estimated quantities may decrease by up to 15%.

Government to provide final quantities 10 days prior to event.

1.11. Description of requirements for the items to be acquired: Rental of multiple conference rooms, equipment, and catered meals to support a post deployment yellow ribbon event for 90 personnel. Details as set forth in the Performance Work Statement.

1.12. Period of Performance (PoP) and place(s) of delivery and acceptance: 05 MAY 2023, venue must be located within Chittenden or Franklin County, Vermont.

1.13. Provision 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (SEP 2023) and addendum applies to this acquisition.

1.14. Provision 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (NOV 2021) and addendum applies to this acquisition.

1.15. Offerors shall include a completed copy of 52.212-3 with Alternate I, Offeror Representations and Certifications- Commercial Products and Commercial Services (NOV 2023) with its offer.

1.16. FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions- Commercial Products and Commercial Services (NOV 2023) applies to this acquisition.

1.17. FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Deviation 2024-O0002) (JAN 2024) applies to this acquisition.

1.18. Additional contract provisions and clauses are applicable and included below as necessary.

1.19. Defense Priorities and Allocations Systems (DPAS) Rating: Not applicable.

CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY FULL TEXT

52.204-24 REPRESENTATION REGARDING CERTAIN TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SERVICES OR EQUIPMENT (NOV 2021)

The Offeror shall not complete the representation at paragraph (d)(1) of this provision if the Offeror has represented that it "does not provide covered telecommunications equipment or services as a part of its offered products or services to the Government in the performance of any contract, subcontract, or other contractual instrument" in paragraph (c)(1) in the provision at 52.204-26, Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services--Representation, or in paragraph (v)(2)(i) of the provision at 52.212-3 (Alternate I), Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial Services. The Offeror shall not complete the representation in paragraph (d)(2) of this provision if the Offeror has represented that it "does not use covered telecommunications equipment or services, or any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services" in paragraph (c)(2) of the provision at 52.204-26, or in paragraph (v)(2)(ii) of the provision at 52.212-3 (Alternate I).

(a) Definitions. As used in this provision-

Backhaul, covered telecommunications equipment or services, critical technology, interconnection arrangements, reasonable inquiry, roaming, and substantial or essential component have the meanings provided in the clause 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment.

(b) Prohibition.

(1) Section 889(a)(1)(A) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232) prohibits the head of an executive agency on or after August 13, 2019, from procuring or obtaining, or extending or renewing a contract to procure or obtain, any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system. Nothing in the prohibition shall be construed to--

(i) Prohibit the head of an executive agency from procuring with an entity to provide a service that connects to the facilities of a third-party, such as backhaul, roaming, or interconnection arrangements; or

(ii) Cover telecommunications equipment that cannot route or redirect user data traffic or cannot permit visibility into any user data or packets that such equipment transmits or otherwise handles.

(2) Section 889(a)(1)(B) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232) prohibits the head of an executive agency on or after August 13, 2020, from entering into a contract or extending or renewing a contract with an entity that uses any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system. This prohibition applies to the use of covered telecommunications equipment or services, regardless of whether that use is in performance of work under a Federal contract. Nothing in the prohibition shall be construed to--

(i) Prohibit the head of an executive agency from procuring with an entity to provide a service that connects to the facilities of a third-party, such as backhaul, roaming, or interconnection arrangements; or

(ii) Cover telecommunications equipment that cannot route or redirect user data traffic or cannot permit visibility into any user data or packets that such equipment transmits or otherwise handles.

(c) Procedures. The Offeror shall review the list of excluded parties in the System for Award Management (SAM) (https://www.sam.gov) for entities excluded from receiving federal awards for "covered telecommunications equipment or services."

(d) Representations. The Offeror represents that--

(1) It [ ___ ] will, [ ___ ] will not provide covered telecommunications equipment or services to the Government in the performance of any contract, subcontract or other contractual instrument resulting from this solicitation. The Offeror shall provide the additional disclosure information required at paragraph (e)(1) of this section if the Offeror responds "will" in paragraph (d)(1) of this section; and

(2) After conducting a reasonable inquiry, for purposes of this representation, the Offeror represents that--

It [ ___ ] does, [ ___ ] does not use covered telecommunications equipment or services, or use any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services. The Offeror shall provide the additional disclosure information required at paragraph (e)(2) of this section if the Offeror responds "does" in paragraph (d)(2) of this section.

(e) Disclosures.

(1) Disclosure for the representation in paragraph (d)(1) of this provision. If the Offeror has responded "will" in the representation in paragraph (d)(1) of this provision, the Offeror shall provide the following information as part of the offer:

(i) For covered equipment--

(A) The entity that produced the covered telecommunications equipment (include entity name, unique entity identifier, CAGE code, and whether the entity was the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or a distributor, if known);

(B) A description of all covered telecommunications equipment offered (include brand; model number, such as OEM number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number; and item description, as applicable); and

(C) Explanation of the proposed use of covered telecommunications equipment and any factors relevant to determining if such use would be permissible under the prohibition in paragraph (b)(1) of this provision.

(ii) For covered services--

(A) If the service is related to item maintenance: A description of all covered telecommunications services offered (include on the item being maintained: Brand; model number, such as OEM number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number; and item description, as applicable); or

(B) If not associated with maintenance, the Product Service Code (PSC) of the service being provided; and explanation of the proposed use of covered telecommunications services and any factors relevant to determining if such use would be permissible under the prohibition in paragraph (b)(1) of this provision.

(2) Disclosure for the representation in paragraph (d)(2) of this provision. If the Offeror has responded "does" in the representation in paragraph (d)(2) of this provision, the Offeror shall provide the following information as part of the offer:

(i) For covered equipment--

(A) The entity that produced the covered telecommunications equipment (include entity name, unique entity identifier, CAGE code, and whether the entity was the OEM or a distributor, if known);

(B) A description of all covered telecommunications equipment offered (include brand; model number, such as OEM number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number; and item description, as applicable); and

(C) Explanation of the proposed use of covered telecommunications equipment and any factors relevant to determining if such use would be permissible under the prohibition in paragraph (b)(2) of this provision.

(ii) For covered services--

(A) If the service is related to item maintenance: A description of all covered telecommunications services offered (include on the item being maintained: Brand; model number, such as OEM number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number; and item description, as applicable); or

(B) If not associated with maintenance, the PSC of the service being provided; and explanation of the proposed use of covered telecommunications services and any factors relevant to determining if such use would be permissible under the prohibition in paragraph (b)(2) of this provision.

(End of provision)

52.212-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS--COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES (SEP 2023)

(a) North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code and small business size standard. The NAICS code(s) and small business size standard(s) for this acquisition appear elsewhere in the solicitation. However, the small business size standard for a concern that submits an offer, other than on a construction or service acquisition, but proposes to furnish an end item that it did not itself manufacture, process, or produce is 500 employees, or 150 employees for information technology value-added resellers under NAICS code 541519, if the acquisition--

(1) Is set aside for small business and has a value above the simplified acquisition threshold;

(2) Uses the HUBZone price evaluation preference regardless of dollar value, unless the offeror waives the price evaluation preference; or

(3) Is an 8(a), HUBZone, service-disabled veteran-owned, economically disadvantaged women-owned, or women-owned small business set-aside or sole-source award regardless of dollar value.

(b) Submission of offers. Submit signed and dated offers to the office specified in this solicitation at or before the exact time specified in this solicitation. Offers may be submitted on the SF 1449, letterhead stationery, or as otherwise specified in the solicitation. As a minimum, offers must show--

(1) The solicitation number W912LN-24-Q-0011;

(2) The time specified in the solicitation for receipt of offers;

(3) The name, address, and telephone number of the offeror;

(4) 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;

(5) Terms of any express warranty;

(6) Price and any discount terms;

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

(8) A completed copy of the representations and certifications at Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.212-3 Alternate 1 (see FAR 52.212-3(b) for those representations and certifications that the offeror shall complete electronically);

(9) Acknowledgment of Solicitation Amendments;

(10) 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); and

(11) If the offer is not submitted on the SF 1449, include a statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation. Offers that fail to furnish required representations or information, or reject the terms and conditions of the solicitation may be excluded from consideration.

(c) Period for acceptance of offers. The offeror agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm for 30 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers, unless another time period is specified in an addendum to the solicitation.

(d) Product samples. When required by the solicitation, product samples shall be submitted at or prior to the time specified for receipt of offers. Unless otherwise specified in this solicitation, these samples shall be submitted at no expense to the Government, and returned at the sender's request and expense, unless they are destroyed during preaward testing.

(e) Multiple offers. Offerors are encouraged to submit multiple offers presenting alternative terms and conditions, including alternative line items (provided that the alternative line items are consistent with FAR subpart 4.10), or alternative commercial products or commercial services for satisfying the requirements of this solicitation. Each offer submitted will be evaluated separately.

(f) Late submissions, modifications, revisions, and withdrawals of offers:

(1) Offerors are responsible for submitting offers, and any modifications, revisions, or withdrawals, so as to reach the Government office designated in the solicitation by the time specified in the solicitation. If no time is specified in the solicitation, the time for receipt is 4:30 p.m., local time, for the designated Government office on the date that offers or revisions are due.

(2)(i) 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, the Contracting Officer determines that accepting the late offer would not unduly delay the acquisition; and--

(A) If it was transmitted through an electronic commerce method authorized by the solicitation, it was received at the initial point of entry to the Government infrastructure not later than 5:00 p.m. one working day prior to the date specified for receipt of offers; or

(B) There is acceptable evidence to establish that it was received at the Government installation designated for receipt of offers and was under the Government's control prior to the time set for receipt of offers; or

(C) If this solicitation is a request for proposals, it was the only proposal received.

(ii) However, a late modification of an otherwise successful offer, that makes its terms more favorable to the Government, will be considered at any time it is received and may be accepted.

(3) Acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at the Government installation includes the time/date stamp of that installation on the offer wrapper, other documentary evidence of receipt maintained by the installation, or oral testimony or statements of Government personnel.

(4) If an emergency or unanticipated event interrupts normal Government processes so that offers cannot be received at the Government office designated for receipt of offers by the exact time specified in the solicitation, and urgent Government requirements preclude amendment of the solicitation or other notice of an extension of the closing date, the time specified for receipt of offers will be deemed to be extended to the same time of day specified in the solicitation on the first work day on which normal Government processes resume.

(5) Offers may be withdrawn by written notice received at any time before the exact time set for receipt of offers. Oral offers in response to oral solicitations may be withdrawn orally. If the solicitation authorizes facsimile offers, offers may be withdrawn via facsimile received at any time before the exact time set for receipt of offers, subject to the conditions specified in the solicitation concerning facsimile offers. An offer may be withdrawn in person by an offeror or its authorized representative if, before the exact time set for receipt of offers, the identity of the person requesting withdrawal is established and the person signs a receipt for the offer.

(g) Contract award (not applicable to Invitation for Bids). The Government intends to evaluate offers and award a contract without discussions with offerors. Therefore, the offeror's initial offer should contain the offeror's best terms from a price and technical standpoint. However, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if later determined by the Contracting Officer to be necessary. The Government may reject any or all offers if such action is in the public interest; accept other than the lowest offer; and waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received.

(h) Multiple awards. The Government may accept any item or group of items of an offer, unless the offeror qualifies the offer by specific limitations. Unless otherwise provided in the Schedule, offers may not be submitted for quantities less than those specified. The Government reserves the right to make an award on any item for a quantity less than the quantity offered, at the unit prices offered, unless the offeror specifies otherwise in the offer.

(i) Availability of requirements documents cited in the solicitation.

(1)(i) The GSA Index of Federal Specifications, Standards and Commercial Item Descriptions, FPMR Part 101-29, and copies of Federal specifications, standards, and product descriptions can be downloaded from the ASSIST website at https://assist.dla.mil.

(ii) If the General Services Administration, Department of Agriculture, or Department of Veterans Affairs issued this solicitation, a copy of specifications, standards, and commercial item descriptions cited in this solicitation may be obtained from the address in paragraph (i)(1)(i) of this provision.

(2) Most unclassified Defense specifications and standards may be downloaded from the ASSIST website at https://assist.dla.mil.

(3) Defense documents not available from the ASSIST website may be requested from the Defense Standardization Program Office by--

(i) Using the ASSIST feedback module (https://assist.dla.mil/feedback); or

(ii) Contacting the Defense Standardization Program Office by telephone at 571-767-6688 or email at assisthelp@dla.mil.

(4) Nongovernment (voluntary) standards must be obtained from the organization responsible for their preparation, publication, or maintenance.

(j) Unique entity identifier. (Applies to all offers that exceed the micro-purchase threshold, and offers at or below the micro-purchase threshold if the solicitation requires the Contractor to be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM).) The Offeror shall enter, in the block with its name and address on the cover page of its offer, the annotation "Unique Entity Identifier" followed by the unique entity identifier that identifies the Offeror's name and address. The Offeror also shall enter its Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) indicator, if applicable. The EFT indicator is a four-character suffix to the unique entity identifier. The suffix is assigned at the discretion of the Offeror to establish additional SAM records for identifying alternative EFT accounts (see FAR subpart 32.11) for the same entity. If the Offeror does not have a unique entity identifier, it should contact the entity designated at www.sam.gov for unique entity identifier establishment directly to obtain one. The Offeror should indicate that it is an offeror for a Government contract when contacting the entity designated at www.sam.gov for establishing the unique entity identifier.

(k) Reserved.

(l) Debriefing. If a post-award debriefing is given to requesting offerors, the Government shall disclose the following information, if applicable:

(1) The agency's evaluation of the significant weak or deficient factors in the debriefed offeror's offer.

(2) The overall evaluated cost or price and technical rating of the successful and the debriefed offeror and past performance information on the debriefed offeror.

(3) The overall ranking of all offerors, when any ranking was developed by the agency during source selection.

(4) A summary of the rationale for award;

(5) For acquisitions of commercial products, the make and model of the product to be delivered by the successful offeror.

(6) Reasonable responses to relevant questions posed by the debriefed offeror as to whether source-selection procedures set forth in the solicitation, applicable regulations, and other applicable authorities were followed by the agency.

***Addendum to FAR 52.212-1***

1. QUOTE SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

1.1. Submission Due Date. The offeror must ensure its quote, in its entirety, reaches the required destination before the date and time set for closing of the solicitation. The submission due date for this solicitation is as stated on the header for this Request for Quotes in SAM.gov.

1.1.1. The lateness rules for submitted quotes are outlined in FAR 52.212-1 "Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items," and are incorporated into this solicitation.

1.2. Submission. The quote submitted in response to this solicitation shall be formatted as stated below and furnished electronically to kathleen.b.oneill.civ@army.mil and Contract Specialist (CS), kimberly.a.swasey.civ@army.mil. The quote shall only be submitted as described.

1.3. Quote Compliance. The Government must have received from the offeror a fully compliant quote. The quote is compliant when it conforms to all of the requirements, terms, and conditions of the solicitation, including the Performance Work Statement (PWS).

1.4. Quote Acceptance. FAR 52.212-1(c) is hereby tailored for this solicitation: The contractor shall specify a quote acceptance period in the quote Summary of not less than 30 days from the date of the solicitation closing. This date may be extended by mutual agreement. The contractor shall make a clear statement in the quote as to the expiration date of the quote and the stated expiration date shall be valid for all proposed subcontractors as well.

1.5. Quote Retention. In accordance with FAR Subpart 4.8, Government Contract Files, the Government will retain one copy of all unsuccessful quotes.

1.6. Single Quote Submission. FAR 52.212-1 is hereby tailored to remove subparagraph (e) which does not apply to this solicitation. Offerors are limited to submitting one quote with one approach to meeting all the requirements of this solicitation. Quotes that contain alternative terms and conditions will be considered as taking exception to the requirements of the solicitation.

1.7. All or None. FAR 52.212-1(h) is hereby tailored for this solicitation: Offers in response to this solicitation must be submitted for all the requirements identified in the solicitation. Offers submitted for less than all the requirements called for by this solicitation may be rejected or ineligible for award.

1.8. Mark the title page with the following legend:

This quote includes data that shall not be disclosed outside the Government and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed -- in whole or in part -- for any purpose other than to evaluate this quote. If, however, a contract is awarded to this offeror as a result of -- or in connection with -- the submission of this data, the Government shall have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent provided in the resulting contract. This restriction does not limit the Government’s right to use information contained in this data if it is obtained from another source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction are contained in sheets [offeror shall insert numbers or other identification of sheets]; and

1.9. Mark each sheet of data it wishes to restrict with the following legend:

Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the restriction on the title page of this quote.

2. QUOTE FORMAT

2.1. This section provides guidance to the offeror for preparing a quote in response to the solicitation. The offeror’s quote shall include all data and information required by this solicitation and submitted in accordance with these instructions. Any contract resulting from this effort shall be required to meet United States Government regulations and statutory requirements. In addition, the offeror is expected to ensure compliance with all laws, regulations, standards, and any other constraints specifically identified in the solicitation.

2.2. The quote submitted in response to the solicitation shall be formatted as stated below and furnished as stated herein. The acceptable electronic formats for quotes shall be compatible with MS Office 2013, specifically MS Word and MS Excel; PDF format is acceptable for the Technical quote and price narrative. The price quote must be in MS Excel format. All quote volumes shall be labeled with the solicitation number W912LN-22-Q-0019, as well as the name, address, and telephone number of the Offeror. All volumes shall be electronic files and not be password protected.

2.3. Minimum type size shall be 12 point Time New Roman standard font with single spacing (not to exceed 46 lines per page). Typesetting, font compression, or other techniques to reduce character size or spacing are not permitted and are considered a deliberate attempt to circumvent the page limitations. Prohibited techniques include setting the paragraph line spacing, a feature of MS Word, “exactly at 12 point.”

2.4. Offerors shall scan all files for computer viruses prior to submission to the Government.

3. QUOTE CONTENT AND ORGANIZATION

3.1. The offeror shall prepare the quote as set forth in Table 1, Quote Organization Table and Table 2, Quote File Name Matrix.

3.2. The quote shall not contain citations for, or active links to live Internet sites or pages. All linked information shall be contained within the electronic quote. Any linked information that is not contained in the quote will not be accepted.

3.3. Each volume shall be written or presented on a standalone basis. Information required for quote evaluation that is not found in its designated volume or presentation will be assumed to have been omitted from the quote and will not be considered.

3.4. Pages that exceed the required page limitations set forth in Table 1, Quote Organization table, will not be evaluated by the Government.

TABLE 1 QUOTE ORGANIZATION TABLE

Quote Summary – Not Evaluated Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) – Not Evaluated

(Past performance, PWS, and SOWs do not count towards the page limit)

3.5. All electronic files must be submitted using the file names in Table 2, Quote File Name matrix, below.

TABLE 2 QUOTE FILE NAME MATRIX

4. QUOTE DOCUMENTS

4.1. Quotes shall be clear and concise and include sufficient detail for effective evaluation. The offeror shall not simply rephrase or restate the Government’s requirements but shall provide convincing rationale to address how the offeror intends to meet those requirements. The offeror should assume the Government has no prior knowledge of its capabilities and experience. The Government will base its evaluation on the information presented in the offeror’s quote in response to this solicitation, except as stated in the past performance evaluation section.

4.2. Quotes are to be structured in accordance with the Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) structure set forth in the solicitation.

4.3. QUOTE SUMMARY, Volume 1, shall include:

· Solicitation No. W912LN-24-Q-0011

· Date submitted

· Offeror’s name

· Offeror’s address, CAGE code, and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov

· Offeror contact information for quote POC(s)

· All proposed subcontractor(s) (as applicable)

· Quote Acceptance Period

· OCI Plan or negative affirmation

4.4. Signature Actions/offeror Fill-Ins. Offerors shall submit a copy of all completed fill-ins for provisions and clauses requiring contractor provided information, and (if applicable) a signed copy of all amendments to the solicitation. System for Award Management (SAM) certifications need not be separately submitted; however, all offerors must be successfully registered and valid in SAM prior to award.

4.5. Where certifications and approved systems are required for an offeror, if the quote is being submitted by a Joint Venture, certifications and approved systems for the principals (partners) of the joint venture will be considered as valid for that offeror providing the necessary documentation from all principals (partners) is provided with the quote.

4.5.1. Joint Venture (JV): To be recognized as a JV and eligible for award, the membership arrangements of the JV must be identified and the company relationships fully disclosed in the offeror's quote IAW FAR 9.603. A copy of the agreement establishing the JV must contain the signatures of all of the members comprising the JV.

4.6. Statement of Acknowledgement. Any exceptions taken to the attachments, exhibits, enclosures, or other solicitation terms, conditions, or documents may be grounds for the Contracting Officer to reject the quote from further consideration in the source selection process.

4.7. Assumptions. The offeror shall consolidate and identify all offeror's generated "assumptions" contained anywhere in the quote. Also, the offeror shall include a statement that none of the "assumptions" contradict or take exception to any terms, conditions, or requirements of the solicitation. Any exceptions taken to the attachments, exhibits, enclosures, or other solicitation terms, conditions, or documents may be grounds for the KO to reject the quote from further consideration in the source selection process.

5. TECHNICAL CAPABILITY, Volume 2, shall include:

5.1. An express statement that the offer does or does not intend to subcontract all or part of the work to be performed under the resulting contract. If the offeror does intend to subcontract, the offeror shall provide the following for each subcontractor:

5.1.1. Name

5.1.2. Address

5.1.3. A point of contact including name, address, email address, and phone number

5.1.4. CAGE code and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) if the company is registered in SAM.gov,

5.1.5. A description of the work to be subcontracted; and

5.1.6. A letter of intent to subcontract if the offeror is awarded this contract.

5.2. The Technical Capability section of the quote shall present relevant information articulating the offeror’s proposed approach to meeting the PWS requirements. This section shall clearly demonstrate the offeror’s understanding by providing a clear description of the proposed approach to performing the work. The offeror’s description should include a clear description of all processes and procedures employed. Offerors shall provide relevant experience (for this purpose, experience refers to what an offeror has done, not how well it was accomplished) in performing proposed processes and procedures. This section shall not include any pricing data. The offeror’s quote information will be evaluated to assess the risk that the offeror will timely meet contract requirements.

5.3. Factor 1: Conference space & equipment. Offerors shall describe, in detail, their capabilities to provide the requested conference spaces, breakout rooms and requested equipment in accordance with PWS paragraph(s) 4.0 thru 4.1.3, 5.1.1.1, and 5.1.2.

5.4. Factor 2: Meal Service. Offerors shall describe, in detail, their proposed menu and approach to provide the meals and meal components in accordance with PWS paragraph(s) 5.2.1 thru 5.2.4

6. PAST PERFORMANCE, Volume 3, shall include:

6.1. The offeror shall submit information for a total of up to three recent contract past performance references that were performed by the offeror as the prime contractor, which the offeror considers to have relevance. These may include foreign, federal, state, local and private industry contracts.

6.1.1. While the Government may elect to consider data obtained from internal and external sources other than the quote, the burden of providing thorough and complete past performance information remains with the offeror. It is the offeror's responsibility to submit detailed and complete information so the Government may evaluate its Past Performance.

6.1.2. The Government does not assume the duty to search for data to cure problems it finds in quotes.

6.2. The below instructions are provided to advise offerors as to the information required by the Government to assess the contractor's Recent and Relevant past performance. Since this information constitutes a basis of the Government's review, it is imperative that the offeror present its past performance in a clear and complete manner.

6.2.1. Failure to provide the information requested below may result in an assessment that the offeror does not possess a record of Recent and Relevant past performance.

6.2.2. Recent contracts are those performed within three years of the date of issuance of this solicitation

6.2.3. Relevant contracts are those comparable in scope and magnitude of effort and complexity to the PWS requirement(s).

6.2.4. Contract Information: The offeror's quote shall substantiate what distinct effort was required and actually performed under each of the contract(s) included in the quote.

For each Contract(s) submitted, provide the following information:

· Prime Contractor name and address;

· Point of contact for Performance Evaluation, with name, title, email address, and phone number, verified as current within the last month.

· Contract Number (and task order/contract number if applicable);

· Contract Type;

· Total Value of the Contract (beginning & ending value);

· Delivery or Performance Schedule;

· Contract period of performance;

· Government or private industry contracting activity address, telephone number and e-mail;

· Procuring Contracting Officers (PCO) and/or Contract Specialist's name, or point of contact for private industry entity responsible for signing or administering the Contract, telephone number and e-mail;

· Government (DCMA) or private industry administrative contracting officer (ACO), contracting officers representative (COR), performance certifier, and/or quality assurance representative (QAR), name, telephone number and email;

6.2.5. Provide a brief narrative describing the similarities between the relevant work performed under the cited contract(s) and the requirements described in paragraph(s) 4.0 thru 4.1.3, 5.1.1.1, and 5.1.2 5.2.1 thru 5.2.4 of the Performance Work Statement for this Solicitation.

6.2.6. Provide a brief self-assessment of contract performance.

6.2.7. Provide a copy of the complete performance work statement (PWS) or statement of work (SOW) for each of the submitted contracts.

6.2.7.1. If the proposed Contract was issued under or in connection with a related written instrument (e.g. IDIQ, BOA, BPA, FSS) and the details of the distinct effort actually performed needed to establish relevancy on the proposed contract are further defined within the terms and conditions (e.g. statement of work) of that related written instrument, provide that information and any other information necessary to establish this instrument's relationship to the proposed contract. (These documents can be submitted as stand-alone attachments with the quote).

6.3. The Government will conduct an evaluation of all recent performance information to determine how closely the services performed under those contracts relate to the management and technical requirement(s). Consideration will be given to similar service, similar complexity of the effort, breadth and depth of skills, similar contract scope and type, and schedule. In addition, consideration will be given to any quality awards or certifications that indicate the offeror has a high-quality process for developing and producing the services required by this acquisition.

6.4. The offeror may provide a copy of its most recent CPARS evaluation, if applicable, showing the overall rating(s) for each of the past performance references provided in the quote.

6.5. For any subcontractor that the offeror intends to use to perform the requirements set forth in paragraph(s) 4.0 thru 4.1.3, 5.1.1.1, and 5.1.2 5.2.1 thru 5.2.4 of the Performance Work Statement for this Solicitation, the vendor must state what portion of the work will be subcontracted to them and may submit up to three past performance references including the same information set forth in paragraphs 6.1 through 6.5 above.

7. PRICE, Volume 4, shall include:

7.1. Price Quote Format.

7.1.1. Electronic spreadsheet files (Workbooks) shall be sent in MS Excel 2013 compatible format, and include all formulas, functions, macros, computations, or equations used to compute the proposed amounts. There can be no cell references to data or files which are not included in the Price Volume. For each Workbook, all Rows, Columns, Cells and Worksheets must be Visible (object.Visible=True). Zero height/Zero width rows/columns in Worksheets are not acceptable. Worksheet cells formatted with the Font color equal to the Fill color are unacceptable. Workbooks or Worksheets shall not be password protected. Print image files or pictures (for example a picture of an Excel spreadsheet embedded in a word document) or files containing only values are not acceptable.

7.1.2. Supporting narrative, including Basis of Estimate (BOE) sheets, shall be provided in files that are MS Excel 2013 or MS Word 2013 compatible. BOEs may not be submitted as pictures. Text or spreadsheets used as supporting rationale within a BOE may not be included as a picture.

7.1.3. Under no circumstances is price information and documentation to be included elsewhere in the quote.

7.2. The price quote shall contain:

7.2.1. The offeror shall submit data substantiating the price proposed to complete the requirements identified in the solicitation. The offeror’s price quote shall contain sufficient factual information to establish that the proposed price is reasonable and complete. The offeror shall submit a narrative BOE to substantiate the price quote.

7.2.2. The offeror shall provide: The total price for each CLIN in the solicitation. For any CLIN providing more than one item, the offeror shall also provide the price for each item.

7.2.3. Subcontractor Price Submission. Subcontractor price quote information should be submitted and included as part of the prime offeror’s quote submission.

7.3. In accordance with FAR 13.106-3(a), in addition to the information requested above, the Government reserves the right to request additional or more detailed information to support its evaluation of price reasonableness.

8. ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST

8.1. The provisions of FAR 9.5, OCI, apply to any award under this solicitation. Potential offerors should review their current and planned participation in any other Government contracts, subcontracts, consulting, or teaming arrangements where they may be in a position of actual or perceived bias or unfair competitive advantage. A common example with the potential for OCI is where an entity performs work both as a system contractor/subcontractor and as a Government support contractor for Government offices involved in supporting program efforts or related programs.

8.2. All offerors shall make a preliminary disclosure to the PCO, at the time of its quote, of any Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) issues it has identified or provide an affirmative statement that the offeror does not have an Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) as it applies to this solicitation.

8.2.1. An offeror failing to submit an OCI plan that it is later determined should have been submitted, could cause the quote to be rejected and no longer be considered for award. Offerors shall include in its plan where its employees are located and the total of employees in the location(s).

8.3. Offerors should disclose any potential OCI situations to the PCO as soon as identified including prior to quote submission. The disclosure should include the facts and an analysis of the actual or perceived conflict and a recommended approach(s) to neutralize or mitigate the potential conflict. The preferred approach to potential conflicts is to negate/obviate the conflict. Mitigation is considered only if it is not practical to negate/obviate the conflict. The PCO will promptly respond to resolve any potential conflicts.

(End of provision)

52.212-2 EVALUATION--COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES (NOV 2021)

(a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the 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 offers:

EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

1. The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the 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 offers:

1.1. Technical Proposal

1.2. Past Performance

1.3. Price

2. Basis for Award

2.1. The Government intends to award a single Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) Contract as a result of this solicitation.

2.2. Per FAR 9.103, the contract will be placed only with an offeror that the Contracting Officer determines to be responsible, that is, those who can satisfactorily perform the necessary tasks and deliver the required services on time. Prospective offerors, in order to qualify as sources for this acquisition, must be able to demonstrate that they meet standards of responsibility set forth in FAR 9.104. In addition, the Government may assess the offeror’s financial ability to meet the solicitation requirements. No award can be made to an offeror who has been determined to be not responsible by the Contracting Officer.

2.3. Consistency. Each section of the offeror’s quote shall be consistent within the quote.

2.4. Completeness. The Government’s ability to evaluate a quote may depend on the level of detail and supporting documentation provided. Insufficient supporting documentation or detail in a quote may prevent the Government from evaluating a quote.

2.5. The Government will assess the offeror’s quote on three factors: (1) Technical Capability, (2) Past Performance and (3) Total Price (TP).

3. EVALUATION OF TECHNICAL CAPABILITY

Evaluation of this factor will assess the offeror's proposed approach and understanding of the requirements and risk of unsuccessful performance of the proposed approach to technical capability in accordance with the following factors and related PWS paragraphs: Factor 1) Conference space & equipment (PWS paragraphs 4.0 thru 4.1.3, 5.1.1.1, and 5.1.2) and Factor 2) Meal Service (PWS 5.2.1 thru 5.2.4).

Failure to clearly address the Factors identified…