SECTION_L_M_(11.07.16).pdf

November 7, 2016

SECTION L – INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

Key Activity Due Dates RFP Section

Delivery Format

Volume 1 (Past Performance), Volume 2 (Key Personnel), Volume 3 (Small Business Subcontracting Plan), and Volume 4 (Price Proposal), and Volume 5 (Mission Suitability)

12:01 PM Eastern Time, On or around February 16, 2017

L.1 See section L.1 – Proposal Response

Oral Presentation of Volume 5 Starting the week of on or around February 27, L.2 Oral Presentation of Volume 5

*All dates proposed are subject to change at the sole discretion of the CBP.

The sections below provide additional detail to the key activities listed.

L.1 Proposal Response As stated in the RFI, the Government is using a two‐step approach to evaluate offers under FAR 15.202.

Presolicitation Notice (Step 1) - that provides a general description of the scope or purpose of the acquisition and invites potential offerors to submit information that allows the Government to advise the offerors about their potential to be viable competitors.

Step 1, the Government will conduct an initial evaluation of the following self-assessments:

Factor 1 (Federal Contract Experience) Factor 2 (Prime Experience) Factor 3 (Relevant Revenue)

The agency shall evaluate all responses in accordance with the criteria stated in the Presolicitation Notice, and shall advise each respondent in writing either that it is likely to be competitive, or unlikely to be a viable competitor.

Step 2, those participating vendors shall submit Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the RFP response. The rating scheme for each of these factors will be rated as low, high, or medium in confidence of contributing to successful contract performance.

Volume 1: Past Performance Current/Past Performance Information (PPI) shall be voluntarily submitted no later than the date and time for submission of offers. Offerors must include information sufficient to identify and describe their current and previous experience in industry or Government (Federal, State, or local) in similar projects, such that the following criteria can be evaluated. Past performance information is comprised of two elements:

1. A brief narrative statement provided by the offeror for each reference of how the example demonstrates a favorable experience for the customer, how the past performance is relevant, and how it is an indication of expected quality on this requirement. The Offeror shall fully describe the past performance. The proposal shall include:

- Customer satisfaction

- Quality of product or service

- Timelines of performance

- Teaming Arrangements

The offeror shall identify no more than three (3) contracts or subcontracts performed in the last three

(3) years which required work in comparable areas (similar size and scope) to those described herein.

The list should be in chronological order, beginning with the most recent project and continuing backwards. Offerors that are newly formed entities without prior contracts should list contracts and subcontracts as required for all key personnel. Projects shall be identified with the name(s) of individuals who worked on them. Identify each contract by type, age, and dollar amount. Provide the following information for each contract:

(1) Project or contract title

(2) Contract number

(3) Contract type

(4) Date of contract award, period of performance, and place of performance

(5) Total contract value (including options)

(6) Contracting agency or firm, with address, facsimile and telephone numbers

(7) Address, facsimile number and telephone number of the contracting officer and contracting officer's technical representative

(8) List of major subcontractors on the project ($700,000 or more)

(9) List of major problems/corrective action(s), if any.

(10) Quality certifications/award (Identify appropriate office receiving award)

(11) If this is a subcontract, please provide the name of the prime contractor and the name of the contract administrator with address, telephone, and facsimile numbers

The Government will make an assessment of the past performance information obtained on each task order reference to determine if it is recent. To be recent, the effort must be ongoing or must have been performed during the past three (3) years from the date of issuance of this solicitation. Past performance information that fails this condition will not be evaluated. If an offeror does not have a record of relevant past performance or past performance information is either unavailable or so sparse that no meaningful rating can be reasonably assigned, the offeror may not be rated favorably or unfavorably. Page limitation for Past Performance shall not exceed six (6) pages in length.

2. A minimum of three (3) Completed Past Performance Interview/Questionnaire Forms (Attachment

C) shall be submitted directly to the Government Contracting Officer by the Offeror’s references.

These forms, submitted directly by the Offeror’s references, are not part of Volume I and are therefore excluded from the page limits for Volume I – Past Performance.

The Government will consider past performance in the aggregate in addition to on an individual task order basis when determining a Past Performance rating. In conducting the Past Performance evaluation, the Government reserves the right to use both the information provided in the offeror’s Past Performance proposal volume and information obtained from other sources available to the Government, to include, but not limited to, the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS), Contract Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), Electronic Subcontract Reporting System

(eSRS), or other databases; interviews with Program Managers, Contracting Officers and Fee Determining Officials; the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), and commercial sources.

Volume 2: Key Personnel The Offeror’s proposal shall include a resume for each key personnel. The resumes shall demonstrate the experience and functional and educational qualifications of each Key Personnel for each of the Offeror’s Labor Categories and demonstrate an ability to successfully implement the Offeror’s proposed solution.

Each resume is limited to two (2) pages, using MS Word format. Please submit only one resume for each position.

The Offeror shall submit a signed letter of commitment for all contingent hire key personnel.

Volume 3: Small Business Subcontracting Plan As a part of their proposals, all Prime Offerors (that are not small businesses under NAICS 541512) shall prepare and submit a small business subcontracting plan, as prescribed in FAR 52.219-9. CBP will evaluate subcontracting plans to determine if prime contractor will use its best efforts to subcontract with small business (SB), HUBZone small business (HUBZone), small disadvantaged business (SDB), women-owned small business (WOSB), veteran-owned small business (VOSB), and service disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB). All large businesses shall use the Small Business Subcontracting Plan format provided as Attachment 3.

Volume 4: Price Proposal The Offeror’s Price Proposal shall be complete and accurate in all respects and provide all pricing data to demonstrate Offeror’s ability to satisfactorily perform the work called for in the solicitation. The Price Proposal must be aligned with the Offeror’s technical proposal to permit the Government to perform a complete evaluation of the proposed prices. The Price Proposal shall include:

(1) A completed and signed Page 1 of the SF33 with the Contractor’s Tax Payer Identification number (TIN) and DUNS number typed.

(2) The Tax Identification Number (TIN) of the Offeror.

(3) The Offeror’s representation and certifications must be attached or a statement made that they are available from System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov.

(4) A Fixed Price proposal that includes labor categories and rates for the Transition period. The Offeror shall assume a Transition Period of four (4) months for evaluation purposes.

(5) A Fixed Price Time and Materials (T&M) proposal that includes on-site and off-site hourly rate for each labor category for Base Period year 1. For subsequent years, starting Base Period Year 2 and all option periods thereafter, any annual rate adjustment will be based on the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Cost Index (ECI) for Civilian Labor (DOL ECI – Civilian Labor). Since the ECI index for future dates is not available today, the CBP will use the Base Period year 1 rates for evaluation purposes in all subsequent years. Current staffing level and On-site and Off-site Hourly Rates should be based on a Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) with 1,880 hours and Place of Performance as cited in PWS.

The Price Proposal containing pricing shall be submitted in a separate volume from the Technical

Proposal. The Offerors shall submit pricing by completing Attachment 4 – Pricing Support Sheet.

Failure to complete the Pricing Sheet will result in exclusion of the Offeror for consideration of award.

Volume 5: Mission Suitability The Offeror’s oral presentation shall include the response for the oral presentation based on the response to detailed scenarios, as described in Attachment 1. Areas of RFP Non-Compliance to include exceptions, deviations, assumptions, and contingencies. The Offeror shall identify and explain any exceptions, deviations taken, or conditional assumptions made with respect to the Proposal versus the requirements of the contract. Any exceptions, etc., taken shall contain sufficient amplification and justification to permit evaluation. All benefits to the CBP shall be explained for each exception, etc. taken. Offeror is cautioned that ANY exceptions, deviations taken, and/or conditional assumptions may render its Proposal unacceptable and not be considered for award; therefore the basis for any such exceptions, deviations, and/or assumptions, must be submitted to the Government as questions for resolution prior to submission of its proposal.

The Oral Presentation Slides must be submitted and subsequently presented in MS PowerPoint format not to exceed twenty (20) (10) letter sized (8.5x11 in.) pages with a font size no smaller than ten (10) points, excluding the cover page but including all appendix material.

L.2 Mission Suitability Using Oral Presentations The Government requires Offerors to participate in oral presentations to the Government evaluation team.

The oral presentations will be scheduled starting the week of February 27, 2017. The oral presentations shall be delivered by the Program Manager and only Key Personnel proposed by the Offeror – no substitutions will be permitted and any Offeror in violation of this aspect of the source selection process will be eliminated as a candidate for award. The detailed requirements for the oral presentation are provided in Section L.1, Attachment 1 and Attachment 2. Offerors will receive a minimum a five (5) calendar day advance notice prior to the requested date and time for presentation.

As part of Step 2, Offerors will be required to make an oral presentation on Mission Suitability and the Government will provide at least five (5) calendar days advance notice of the date, time, and location to the offering contractor. The oral presentations will be held at a CBP office within the Washington D.C.

area. he order in which offerors arescheduled will be randomly selected by the Government and all portions of the presentationswill be recorded with the exception of the caucus amongst the offering contractor in the first hour and the Government caucus in the third hour.

The Offeror’s attendees at the oral presentation may include up to three (3) persons, two (2) of which must be current employees of the prime contractor (not a proposed subcontractor or consultant) who will be involved in performance or oversight of the work after award. The offering contractor’s attendees shall adhere to the Oral Presentation Ground Rules, as described in Attachment 2. The Government requires at least one of the persons intended to function as key personnel will participate in the oral presentation.

Within two (2) calendar days of notice that the offering contractor has been invited to provide an oral presentation, the offering contractor shall provide the Contracting Officer with the names of the individuals who will attend the presentation, their current employer, and their intended roles on the contract, and whether they are proposed as key personnel. An Offeror will be invited to no more than one oral presentation, regardless of the number of portfolios for which it is being considered.

The Government will provide a white board, paper, and writing materials for the Offerors invited to deliver an oral presentation. The Offeror can expect the presentation will be conducted in a conference room with a table of sufficient size to accommodate the offering contractor’s three (3) participants, and Government attendees. The Offeror shall not bring any computers, tablets, or smart phones into the oral presentation room, and shall not bring or distribute any written or electronic materials. The Government requires the oral presentation to proceed as follows:

(1) First Hour. The Government evaluators will share a standard set of management/technical questions and a problem statement to the offering contractor involving issues the offering contractor should reasonably expect on a Data Center Support Services contract. The Government evaluators will leave the room to allow the Offeror’s attendees to caucus among themselves to review the information. The Offeror may prepare notes during this time for its own use during the second hour.

(2) Second Hour. The Offeror shall share its answers and problem resolution with the Government evaluators.

(3) Third Hour. The Government will caucus for up to a half-hour to identify any clarifications it deems necessary to understand the presentations. The final half-hour will be for any follow-up clarifications the Government will ask any of the Offeror’s attendees.

The offering contractor’s attendees shall not reach back by telephone or e-mail to any other personnel for assistance during the 3-hour timeframe established for the oral presentation.

SECTION M – EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

M.1 Evaluation of Proposals

a. Step 1:As stated in the Pre-Soliciation Notice, the Government is using a two‐step approach to evaluate offers under FAR 15.202. Under Step 1, the Government conducted an initial evaluation of Factor 1 (Federal Contract Experience), Factor 2 (Prime Experience), Factor 3 (Relevant Revenue) to establish which offerors were deemed viable competitors to participate in step 2. No adjectival ratings will be used for Step 1.

b. To be accepted and eligible for evaluation, Proposals must be prepared in accordance with this solicitation and must comply with the instructions given in this solicitation and must meet all solicitation requirements.

c. Step 2: For those Offerors who elected to participate in Step 2, the Technical factors in M.2 are listed in decending order of importance. Technical evaluation factors combined are significantly more important than price. However, as technical proposal ratings become more equal, price becomes more important. The CBP may award to other than the lowest priced Offeror or highest technically rated Offeror when in the best interest of the Government.

d. The CBP reserves the right to award the contract based on initial Technical and Price Proposals received without discussions or negotiations of such Proposals. Therefore, it is critically important that each Proposal be fully responsive to the RFP. The CBP also reserves the right to establish a competitive range after the Oral Presentations and to conduct discussions, if later determined to be necessary, with Offerors making the competitive range. The CBP reserves the right to limit the competitive range to the greatest number that will permit an efficient competition among the most highly rated proposals.

e. The CBP reserves the right to waive minor irregularities and doiscrepancies in offers received and to make an award base don the initial offers submitted, without negotiation of=r soliciting revised offers.

f. The CBP also reserves the right to review and/or contact any necessary data sources to obtain information for evaluation purposes. The CBP’s sources of information for evaluating may include, but are not limited to, any and all information provided by the Offeror, inquiries of owner representative(s), any other known sources not provided by the Offeror, and retrieval of information from other Contractor performance evaluation databases.

M.2 Technical Evaluation Factors for Award As stated in the Pre-Soliciation Notice, the Government is using a two‐step approach to evaluate offers under FAR 15.202. Under Step 1 the Government conducted an initial evaluation of Factor 1 (Federal Contract Experience), Factor 2 (Prime Experience), Factor 3 (Relevant Revenue) to establish which offerors were viable to participate in step 2.

CBP will evaluate the Offeror’s remaining Step 2 Technical Proposal for each of the following factors:

Technical Factor 1 – Mission Suitability Using Oral Presentations CBP will evaluate each Offeror’s oral presentation and accompanying material on the extent to which it demonstrates the Offeror’s likelihood of successfully meeting or exceeding the contract objectives and requirements, including consideration of its proposed solutions for the scenarios required in the oral presentation.

Technical Factor 2 – Key Personnel The CBP will evaluate the extent to which the proposed key personnel’s qualifications and experience demonstrate an ability to successfully implement the Offeror’s proposed solutions and perform the contract. Both resumes and key personnel participation in the oral presentation will be considered in the Key Personnel evaluation.

Technical Factor 3 – Small Business Subcontracting Plan The CBP will evaluate the extent to which the Offeror’s proposed Small Business Subcontracting Plan demonstrates the Offeror’s likelihood of successfully meeting the CBP’s small business utilization goals as shown in Section L.1.

Technical Factor 4 – Past Performance Past performance will be evaluated based on the offeror’s demonstrated recent and relevant record of performance based on the evaluation factors described for contracts of similar size, scope and complexity.

M.3 Price .

A price analysis will be conducted in order to make a best value decision. The evaluation of the Price Proposal will include accuracy, completeness, and reasonableness. Price will not be scored.

Offers that are unbalanced as to prices, may be rejected. An unbalanced offer is one, which is based on prices significantly less than prices for some work, and prices, that are significantly overstated for other work of a similar nature. Prices which are unrealistically low or unreasonably high may be indicative of the Offeror’s lack of understanding of the work effort or the ability to perform the contract and may be cause for rejection of the Offer.

The Government reserves the right to request additional information to support the price proposed by the Offeror.

M.4 Number of Contracts to be awarded

CBP anticipates awarding one (1) contract as a result of this Solicitation.