WCMBP_Section_L_-_Instructions_Conditions_and_Notices_to_Offerors_AMD_5.doc

United States Department of Labor

(DOL)

Workers’ Compensation Medical Bill Process (WCMBP)

Section L:

Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors Revised July 1, 2014 Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP)

L.1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS Incorporation

This solicitation incorporates FAR provisions in Section I (Contract Clauses), several of which require the Offeror to complete blocks of text.

The offeror shall complete the following FAR provision blocks of text and submit them as part of the Price Volume:

FAR 52.209-5, Certification Regarding Responsibility Matters (April 2010) (cited in Section K) FAR 52.219-28, Post-Award Small Business Program Representation (Apr 2009) (cited in Section I) FAR 52.227-15, Representation of Limited Rights Data and Restricted Computer Software (Dec 2007) (cited in Section K) FAR 52.203-2, Certificate of Independent Price Determination (April 1985) (cited in Section I) FAR 52.204-8, Annual Representations and Certifications (July 2013) (cited in Section K) The full text of any solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at https://acquisition.gov/far/current/pdf/FAR.pdf L.2 Notices L.2.1 Type of Contract

FAR 52.216-1, Type of Contract (April 1984)

The Government contemplates award of a Fixed Price type contract with a one (1) year base period, up to four (4) one-year options and performance incentives including up to two (2) one-year award terms resulting from this solicitation.

L.2.2 Incurring Costs

The Government will not be obligated to pay any cost incurred by the Offeror in the preparation and submission of a proposal in response to this solicitation. The Offeror is advised that the CO is the only person who can legally obligate the Government for the expenditure of public funds in connection with this procurement.

L.2.3 Statistical Estimates Current and projected statistical estimates provided by the Government are for information purposes only. The Government makes no representation whatsoever concerning the accuracy of this information. The projections are for proposal preparation purposes only and not a warranty or representation which can form the basis of the contract. Offerors are required to exercise their own diligence in evaluating the projections.

L.2.4 Proposal Acceptance

The proposal acceptance period is specified SF 33 of the solicitation. The Offeror shall make a clear statement in the proposal of the date of its validity.

L.3 Proposal Preparation Instructions This section provides guidance to the Offeror for the preparation and submission of a proposal in response to this solicitation. The Offeror shall submit its proposal in accordance with these instructions. The Offeror shall include in its proposal, all data and information required by this section. Proposal information must be included in the appropriate proposal volumes. The Department of Labor will not evaluate information included in the incorrect volume (ie., pricing information located in the technical volume).

*Note: The Offeror shall ensure all pricing information is provided in Volume IV (under separate tab) including submission of Small Business Subcontracting Plan.

FAR 52.215-1, Instructions to Offeror - Competitive Acquisition (Jan 2004), Alternate II (OCT 1997)

“(c)(9) Offerors may submit proposals that depart from stated requirements. Any deviations from the requirements in the solicitation - as well as the comparative advantage to the Government - shall be clearly identified, explicitly defined, linked to the specific requirement(s) it addresses or obviates in the Proposal Compliance Matrix, and explain why acceptance of the proposal would be advantageous to the Government. The Government reserves the right to amend the solicitation to allow all Offerors an opportunity to submit revised proposals based on the revised requirements. Non-conformance with the instructions of this solicitation may result in an unfavorable proposal evaluation.”

Instruction for requesting offeror codes

Interested Offerors should contact the Contract Specialists, Ms. Myla Gale at gale.myla@dol.gov and Mr. Elvis Colbert at Colbert.elvis.r@dol.gov to obtain an offeror code. This code is to be used throughout your proposal in lieu of your company name or logo and must be clearly identified on Volume 1: Technical of your proposal. Redacted for the purpose of this solicitation is defined as removal of corporate identifiers such as address, logo, names of key personnel, and all other identifiable information that can be traced to the identity of the company.

L.3.1 Solicitation Responses

FAR 15.207(c), Handling proposals and information

FAR 15.306(a)(2), Clarification and awards without discussion

This section provides guidance on the electronic format and application software to be used for solicitation responses. Use of the software and procedures described in this section reduces the time and effort required by the Government to receive and handle solicitation responses, leading to a more efficient evaluation of a solicitation response. The information regarding particular software products below should not be construed as a Government endorsement of these products. Efforts by the Government to clarify and install electronic proposals will not be considered discussions.

L.3.1.1 Content

The Offeror shall construct the proposals using the instructions in the following subsections.

The following general instructions apply:

The Offeror’s proposal shall be comprehensive, concise, factual, and complete in order to provide a sound basis for evaluation by the Government.

The Offeror’s proposal shall be conformant with format instructions in this section (Section L) and the evaluation factors described in Section M.

L.3.1.1.1 writing style The Offeror shall write clearly and concisely and include sufficient detail for effective evaluation. The Offeror shall provide a convincing rationale to address how the Offeror intends to meet these requirements (not simply rephrase or restate the Government’s requirements). The Offeror shall assume the Government has no prior knowledge of its capabilities and experience, and that the Government will base its evaluation solely on the information presented in Offeror’s proposal.

L.3.1.1.2 Proposal Production

The Offeror shall avoid the use of elaborate brochures or documentation, binding, detailed artwork, animation, special effects, or other embellishments for document, spreadsheets, presentations, etc. Such embellishments are unnecessary and are not desired by the Government.

The Government will not accept nor evaluate sound or video files.

L.3.1.1.3 Embedded Graphics

The Offeror shall simplify graphics embedded into documents, spreadsheets, or presentations as much as possible. Complex graphics require longer periods for the computers used in the evaluation system to draw and redraw these figures, and scrolling through the document is slowed significantly. When considering graphics, use the following guidelines:

· Limit colors to 256 colors at 1024 X 768 resolutions; avoid color gradients.

· Simplify the color palette used in creating figures.

· Be aware of size for graphics files. Large files are discouraged.

· Avoid scanned images.

L.3.1.1.4 Page Limitations

The Offeror shall prepare proposals within the page limitations specified in Table 1. The Government will not read or consider pages in excess of the limits in the evaluation of the proposal.

In determining page limits, the Government will count pages that:

· Display printed material on both sides of a sheet as two (2) pages

· Contain foldout pages as two (2) pages

· Contain less than a full page of information as a full page

Page limits do not apply to those volume components in Table 1 that show “None” under the “Page Limit” column.

L.3.1.1.5 Page Size

The Offeror shall use the following standards:

· Page size of 8.5 by 11 inches, except for foldouts.

· Margins no less than one inch on top and bottom and both sides.

· Single spacing (not to exceed 46 lines per page).

· Pages numbered sequentially by proposal volume.

The Offeror shall not use typesetting, font compression, or other techniques (such as the MS Word feature of setting the paragraph line spacing to “exactly at 12 point”) to reduce character size or spacing. The Government will consider these techniques a deliberate attempt to circumvent the page limitations.

L.3.1.1.6 Graphics

The Offeror may use legible tables, charts, graphs, and figures wherever practical to depict organizations, systems and layout, implementation schedules, etc.; however the Offeror shall limit these displays to 11 by 17 inches in size. Foldout pages may be used for large tables, charts, graphs, diagrams, and schematics, but the Offeror shall avoid the use of foldout pages for pages of text.

L.3.1.1.7 Text Size

Offeror shall format text, headings, lists, tables, charts, graphs, figures, and captions such that the text is no smaller than:

· Arial 12 point for paragraph text.

· Arial 12 point bold with initial capitalization for paragraph heading text.

· Arial 10 point for bulleted, numbered, or lettered, lists of text.

· Arial 8 point for the content of tables, graphs, charts, or figures.

· Arial 12 point bold with initial capitalization for the captions of tables, graphs, charts, or figures.

L.3.1.1.8 Proprietary Data:

FAR 52.215-1(e), Restriction on disclosure and use of data

If an Offeror includes data in their proposals that they do not want disclosed to the public for any purposes or used by the DOL except for evaluation purposes, the Offeror shall:

· Mark the cover page with the following legend:

“This proposal 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 proposal. If, however, a contract is awarded to this Vendor 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.”

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

“Use or disclosure of data contained in this sheet is subject to the restriction on the title page of this proposal.”

The Government will assume no liability for disclosure or use of unmarked data and may use or disclose such unmarked data for any purpose. Unless restricted, information submitted in response to its request may become subject to disclosure to the public pursuant to the provision of the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 551).

L.3.1.2 Media

The Offeror shall submit their proposals and related data on high quality CD-DVD media (in Windows format only) with an estimated shelf life of at least 7 years. The Offeror shall ensure that all submission media are write-protected. The Offeror shall include the following information on each submission:

· Offeror’s name (unredacted copies)

· Offeror’s code (unredacted and redacted copies)

· Releasing Government agency and office (USDOL OWCP)

· Name of effort (Workers’ Compensation Medical Bill Process)

· Solicitation number

· Date of proposal submission

· Proposal volume number(s) and name(s)

· Classification level

· Media Label: “<MediaNumber> of <MediaTotal>” (e.g., 1 of 3)

The Offeror shall ensure that subcontractor submissions, if provided, include the same information as above and additionally include the name of the prime contractor.

The Offeror shall screen all submissions for computer viruses and malware prior to submittal to the Government. There is no limit to the number of submissions, as long as the page limitations for each proposal volume are met.

L.3.1.3 Delivery

ELECTRONIC COPIES OF PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED VIA EMAIL.

Offerors shall submit one (1) redacted CD-DVD copy of Volume 1: Technical and one(1) unredacted CD-DVD copy of Volume 1: Technical, Volume 2: Prior Experience, Volume 3: Past Performance and Volume 4: Pricing.

Offerors shall submit ten (10) redacted hard copies of Volume 1: Technical and one (1) unredacted hard copy of Volume 1: Technical, Volume 2: Prior Experience, Volume 3: Past Performance and Volume 4: Pricing.

The following are methods for delivering offers:

1) EXPRESS MAIL/COMMON CARRIERS: Offers submitted by express mail services (FEDEX, UPS, DHL, etc.) shall be submitted to:

Ms. Myla Gale and Mr. Elvis Colbert U.S. Department of Labor

OASAM-OPS, Room S-4307

200 Constitution Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20210

NOTE: Because of tightened security measures, this method of delivery may cause uncertain delays. Delivery of express mail services at the DOL is not reliable and usually arrives one to two days AFTER the schedule delivery date. If the offeror intends to use express mail service, it is recommended to have delivery scheduled for one to two days BEFORE the RFP closing date.

2) U. S. POSTAL SERVICE CHANNELS (Highly discouraged): Offers submitted through US Postal Service shall be mailed to the following address:

Ms. Myla Gale and Mr. Elvis Colbert U.S. Department of Labor

OASAM-OPS, Room S-4307

200 Constitution Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20210

NOTE: Because of tightened security measures, this method of delivery is strongly discouraged. Packages arriving through postal service are screened and are opened prior to receipt at OPS. These actions and other uncertain delays are probable and outside the control of OPS.

Any package received by OPS through postal channels after the due date will be returned to the offeror in the same condition in which it was received. The contents will not be evaluated and therefore, be ineligible for award.

3) HANDCARRIED PROPOSALS.

Hand carried proposals must be addressed to Ms. Myla Gale and Mr. Elvis Colbert Room S-4307, and received by the U.S. Department of Labor, Francis Perkins Building, Office of Procurement Services, located at 200 Constitution Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20210. The package used to submit the Offeror’s proposal must show the time and date specified for receipt, the Solicitation Number, and the name and address of the offeror.

Offerors are cautioned that the U.S. Department of Labor, Francis Perkins Building has visitor control procedures requiring individuals not affiliated with the building to obtain a visitor pass prior to entrance. SOME DELAY SHOULD BE ANTICIPATED WHEN HANDCARRYING PROPOSALS. Offerors should allow sufficient time to obtain a visitor pass, if necessary, and arrive at the Office of Procurement Services PRIOR to the time specified for receipt. Late proposals may not be considered.

For a mail delivery, the Offeror shall enclose the submission in sealed packages and mark the packages as specified below. For each proposal package, the Offeror shall cite the following information on the outside of each package:

· Mailing Address

· Solicitation Number:

· Offeror’s Name

· Offeror’s Contracting Officer or designated procurement authority

· Offeror’s Company

· Offeror’s Address

· Offeror’s Code

· Marking

· Package ___ of _____ (e.g., 1 of 3 total packages submitted)

Mark the package with the following instruction:

”DO NOT OPEN IN MAIL ROOM; TO BE OPENED BY PROCURING CONTRACTING OFFICER ONLY”

NOTE: Failure to so mark the outer cover could result in the Offeror’s proposal package being misdirected and received after the due date at the required destination.

L.3.2 Proposal Organization

The Offeror shall structure the proposal as defined in Table 1. Each non-shaded row of this table identifies a volume component, e.g. the Glossary is component six of volume 1. In its proposal, the Offeror shall use the titles, contents, quantities, and page limits of the volume components, as defined in Table 1. Note that the total page count for both Section 1.9 (Technical Narrative) and Section1.10 (Management Narrative), when added together, is not to exceed (NTE) 180 pages.

Table 1 Proposal Organization Structure

Technical Volume

Narrative

Prior Experience

Volume

Past Performance

Volume

Price

Volume

Schedule of Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs

L.3.2.1 Volume I – Technical Volume

This volume contains non-price information about the proposal submitted by the Offeror. The offeror must include a section in this volume listing the offeror’s assumptions and constraints.

The Offeror shall not include any price information in the Technical Volume.

This volume contains information submitted with the proposal that will be incorporated into the resultant contract.

L.3.2.1.1 Cover Letter

The cover letter is considered the first page of the proposal.

The Offeror shall provide a cover letter that contains the following information:

Certification

The Offeror shall include the following statements:

“I hereby certify that the proposal provided with this letter contains an accurate recording of [Company Name]’s response to Request for Proposal and includes information sufficient to reproduce the original document, including signatures and other written and graphic images, completely, accurately, and clearly.

I further state that the proposal is firm for not less than 180 days from the proposal due date.”

Compliance

The Offeror shall provide a statement of compliance indicating either complete compliance with the solicitation or a detailed analysis of any objections, exceptions, or contingencies to the terms of the solicitation. This statement may reference the Proposal Conformance Matrix or the Proposal Compliance Matrix for details. The contractor must comply with the following: “The Government reserves the right to amend the scope and modify the contract throughout the entire contract period to include additional related tasks and deliverables should the need arise due to a change in business or technical requirements.

Business Address

The Offeror shall provide:

· The complete business address of the Offeror

· The corporate name to be used on any resultant contract; if this name does not identify a "parent company" or sponsoring "corporation" name, also provide such identity, as appropriate.

· The remittance address if different from that above.

Signature

An appropriate company officer of the Offeror shall sign the cover letter. The Offeror shall submit the completed Cover Letter as part of the Technical Volume (see Table 1).

L.3.2.1.2 Proposal File Matrix

The Offeror shall provide a master table of contents for the entire proposal, in the form of the Proposal File Matrix, which provides a cross-reference from the proposal volume component structure (described in Table 1) to the softcopy files on the submitted media. The Offeror shall prepare the Proposal File Matrix using the template from Section J.

The Offeror shall store proposal volume components in the folders on the submitted media. Components of the same volume should be contained on the same media, but may span media for capacity reasons.

The Offeror shall use a row of the template for each file that comprises a volume component (see the highlighted rows of the example in Table 2).

For each proposal volume component, the Offeror shall insert the media label of the media on which it is located, the folder name in which it is located, and the filename(s) that constitute the component into the “Media Label”, :Folder”, and “Filename(s)” columns in the Proposal File Matrix.

Table 2 demonstrates the use of the Proposal File Matrix.

Table 2 Proposal File Matrix Example

The Offeror shall submit the completed Proposal File Matrix as part of the Technical Volume (see Table 1).

L.3.2.1.3 Proposal Conformance Matrix

A conformance matrix is a table that correlates each of the instructions of Section L to sections of the Offeror’s proposal.

Instructions are identified by the phrase “(the) Offeror […] shall” in a sentence.

The Offeror shall prepare the “Proposal Conformance Matrix” using the “Proposal Conformance Matrix Template” of Section J. The Offeror shall insert a proposal section and / or page reference(s) into the “Proposal Reference” column of each row of the matrix to indicate where the given instruction is satisfied.

The Offeror shall submit the completed Proposal Conformance Matrix as part of the Technical Volume (see Table 1).

L.3.2.1.4 Proposal Compliance Matrix

A compliance matrix is a table that provides references from each of the requirements of Sections B, C, D, E, F, G, and H to sections of the Offeror’s proposal.

The Offeror shall prepare the “Proposal Compliance Matrix” using the “Proposal Compliance Matrix Template” in Section J. The Offeror shall insert a proposal reference(s) into the “Proposal Reference” column of each row of the matrix to indicate where the given requirement is satisfied. The Offeror shall ensure that these references are as specific as possible, using section heading numbers, bullet list references, and/or page number, respectively in order of preference.

The Offeror shall also provide references to projects that demonstrate prior experience by inserting the “Unique Project Identifier” of such projects into the “Project Reference” column of any row of the matrix to which the prior experience applies (see Prior Experience, below).

The Offeror shall submit the completed Proposal Compliance Matrix as part of the Technical Volume (see Table 1).

L.3.2.1.5 Glossary

The Offeror shall provide a section containing a glossary of significant terms and all abbreviations and acronyms used, with an explanation for each. The Offeror shall alphabetically sort the contents of the glossary.

The Offeror shall submit the completed Glossary as part of the Technical Volume (see Table 1).

L.3.2.1.6 Review Item Location Matrix

The “Review Item Location Matrix” is a table that indicates where, in the Offeror’s revised proposal (if there is one), each of the following Government review items is addressed: clarification requests, deficiency notices, significant weakness assessments, and weakness assessments.

The Offeror shall prepare the “Review Item Location Matrix”, when submitting a revised proposal, using the “Review Item Location Matrix Template” in Section J. The Offeror shall insert a proposal reference(s) into the “Proposal Reference” column of each row of the matrix to indicate where the given review item is addressed. The Offeror shall ensure that these references are as specific as possible, using section heading numbers, bullet list references, and/or page number, respectively in order of preference.

The Offeror shall submit the completed Review Item Location Matrix, when submitting a revised proposal, as part of the Technical Volume (see Table 1).

L.3.2.1.7 Required Incumbent artifacts In its proposal, the Offeror shall provide a list of all artifacts, required from the incumbent contractor within 30 days of contract award, that are necessary to begin implementation activities for the purposes of assuming operations.

L.3.2.1.8 Technical Narrative The Technical Narrative discusses the Offeror's understanding of the requirements of this acquisition and provides a description of the proposed functional and architectural approach to performing the work. The Offeror shall submit the Technical Narrative as part of the Technical Volume (see Table 1). The Offeror shall organize the Technical Narrative by the subsections of Section C; addressing all requirements in a way that communicates the Offeror’s:

· Understanding of the requirements

· Approach in satisfying the requirements.

Certain capabilities specified in Section C are of particular interest to the Government. In its Technical Narrative and for each topic of particular interest to the Government below, the Offeror shall discuss its technical solution to satisfy the following requirements.

The Offeror shall identify its responses to the topics of particular interest to the Government so that they may be easily referenced by the Government. The Government will evaluate the extent to which the Offeror responds to these topics of particular interest to the Government:

a. All assumptions, constraints, and exceptions regarding the offeror’s proposed solution to meet all requirements.

b. An effective and efficient phased approach for transitioning to WCMBP full operational capability.

c. A comprehensive approach to capturing Government requirements, identifying gaps in Offeror’s solution, and satisfying Government requirements.

d. A comprehensive and formal testing program

e. A discussion of the Offeror’s understanding of "Accepted Conditions", as a means to establish claimant eligibility.

f. A reasonable solution for how the Offeror will address the linkage between provider (group) billing and individual provider billing (i.e. when a provider is part of a group, how both the group and individual provider are simultaneously tracked).

g. A sound plan to promote the use of Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) by providers who currently do not implement this technology.

h. The indexing capabilities and volume capacities of any proposed imaging and indexing solutions.

i. A discussion of the Offeror’s Fraud and Abuse Detection solution.

j. A discussion of the Offeror’s user interface approach to maximize ease of learning, ease of use, and user assistance.

L.3.2.1.9 Management Narrative The Management Narrative discusses the Offeror’s capabilities (people, facilities, processes, and others) to meet project management requirements in the PWS, the Offeror’s approach to manage and execute day-to-day program operations, staff qualifications and experience, ability to apply consistent and repeatable processes and ability to manage the project in a coherent and integrated manner. The Offeror shall submit the Management Narrative as part of the Technical Volume (see Table 1). The Offeror shall organize the Management Narrative by the subsections of Section C; addressing all requirements in a way that communicates the Offeror’s:

· Understanding of the requirements

· Approach in satisfying the requirements.

Certain capabilities specified in Section C are of particular interest to the Government. In its Management Narrative and for each topic of particular interest to the Government below, the Offeror shall discuss its management approach to ensure the successful implementation of the requirements.

The Offeror shall identify its responses to the topics of particular interest to the Government so that they may be easily referenced by the Government. The Government will evaluate the extent to which the Offeror responds to these topics of particular interest to the Government:

k. A realistic schedule that meets the government's need for an implementation date based on a prioritized, time-phased approach.

l. Key personnel that meet all PWS requirements. If applicable, Offerors should indicate which proposed key personnel worked on which prior experience projects listed on the Prior Experience Reference List.

m. A realistic work breakdown structure that meets the government's need for transparent cost accounting.

n. A realistic staffing plan, including ramp-up and training schedule, to support WCMBP project phases.

o. A process for recruiting and retaining a team of qualified and experienced medical professionals, managers, customer service staff, technologists, and medical billing domain experts throughout the life of the contract in the face of turnover, attrition, and competing contract needs.

p. A management process to control and report risk and performance against cost and schedule, including the use of corrective action plans in the event of project variances.

q. A sound approach to notifying and assisting providers during transition from the incumbent’s operation.

r. A teaming approach that minimizes the inherent risk to the Government by minimizing the number of teaming partners. If teaming is proposed, an integrated management approach that provides a common and consistent set of processes and procedures applied across all team members with a single team interface to the Government.

s. A corporate organization chart and project organization chart that clearly delineate lines of authority, accountability, and responsibility, as well as a discussion of any applicable Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) or International Standards Organization (ISO) accreditations for the business unit proposing the WCMBP solution.

t. A discussion of project team’s access to corporate resources and the breadth and depth of resources available to the team.

u. The proposed location of operational sites and proposed work schedule are consistent with WCMBP requirements.

v. A discussion of the proposed, tested state-of-the art quality control processes.

L.3.2.1.10 Key Positions

The Offeror shall identify and discuss Key Positions, as defined by the requirements of Section C. For key positions in which the Government requests staffing during both the Implementation and Operations phases, the Government may assess more risk to those positions for which the Contractor does not maintain continuity of staff between the two phases.

The Offeror shall include the following information as part of the Technical Volume (see Table 1).

L.3.2.1.11 Key Position Resumes

For each Key Position, the Offeror shall provide a resume, using the “Key Position Resume Template” in Section J.

The Offeror shall clearly describe the individual’s relevant experience and qualifications for the position and should amplify the information in the matrices with current and relevant information on the candidate’s skills and experience. The Offeror shall include the names and phone numbers of contacts for similar contracts for which proposed employees have worked in the past three years.

The Offeror shall submit a “Key Position Resume” for each Key Position, as part of the Technical Volume (see Table 1).

L.3.2.1.12 Key Position Letter of Commitment

For any proposed individual that is not currently employed by the Offeror, the Offeror shall provide a letter offering employment to the individual (signed by an authorized corporate officer or representative having legal authority to bind the Offeror for performance of the WCMBP contract) and a signed acceptance letter from the individual—this may be a single letter with both signatures. This letter shall include:

· The date of availability of the proposed individual

· The length of commitment of the individual to the WCMBP Project

If, after submission of the Offeror’s proposal but prior to award, an individual designated as Key Position becomes unavailable, the Offeror shall promptly notify the Contracting Officer and update the proposal accordingly. In such a situation and at the Contracting Officer’s discretion, the Offeror may be allowed to offer a substitute of equal or greater merit.

L.3.2.1.13 Project Schedule The Offeror shall provide a project Gantt chart, derived from the WBS, with accompanying narrative that explains all major project and Offeror approach activities and milestones.

L.3.2.1.14 Subcontract Management Plan The Offeror shall prepare a "Subcontract Management Plan" to describe the contractor's approach to subcontractor management. At a minimum, the plan shall include: vendor org chart showing subcontractors; roles and responsibilities; mapping of WCMBP functional elements to the vendor team; work distribution; subcontractor schedule management, subcontractor management practices; risk management; change management; work effort integration; interfaces between prime and subcontractors; interfaces among subcontractors; work authorization; team building; progress reporting; reviews; meetings; quality assurance; deliverable acceptance; configuration management; training; security; and problem resolution. The Government will include the plan as part of any resultant contract. The Offeror shall submit the "Subcontract Management Plan" in the form of their choosing, as Section 1.14 of the Technical Volume (see Table 1). The Government will include the plan as part of any resultant contract.

L.3.2.1.15 Transition In Plan The Offeror shall prepare a Draft "Transition In Plan", which is the top-level management plan that guides the team in their project start-up activities, and defines the process and methods used to begin the project activities. These activities include project start-up, management plan definition, identification of necessary data, process definition and other associated start-up tasks, and any additional transition activities/issues the Government will need to ensure a successful initiation of contract activities. The Offeror shall submit the "Transition In Plan", using Section J Attachment 33, as part of the Technical Volume (see Table 1). After award the Contractor will submit the final plan for Government review and approval. The Government will include the approved plan as part of any resultant contract.

L.3.2.1.16 Transition OUT Plan The Offeror shall prepare a Draft "Transition Out Plan", which is the top-level management plan that details the transition of all Government owned equipment, data, software, service, security certificates and maintenance activities to a new Contractor during the last 24 months of the contract. These activities include but are not limited to a proposed approach for the turnover of operations, all tasks for the turnover of operations, a turnover of operations schedule reviewed and approved by the Government, documentation of all WCMBP production data, program libraries, and documentation, including documentation update procedures for the turnover of operations, and any additional transition activities/issues the Government will need to ensure a successful transition from the incumbent to the follow-on contractor. The Offeror shall submit the "Transition Out Plan" , using Section J Attachment 32,as part of the Technical Volume (see Table 1). After award the Contractor will submit the final plan for Government review and approval. The Government will include the approved plan as part of any resultant contract.

L.3.2.2 VOLUME II – Prior Experience

The Government will use information provided by the Offeror in response to this solicitation, and the information the Government may independently obtain from other sources, to evaluate Prior Experience against the requirements of Section C. Prior Experience information provided by the Offeror and verified with the Offeror’s provided references is used to assess relevant experience of the Offeror, key position, or proposed subcontractor(s) on similar projects and / or services.

The Offeror shall identify and discuss prior experience of both the Contractor organization and key personnel on Government and non-Government contracts that would qualify the Offeror and any proposed subcontractors to perform the work defined in Section C.

Prior experience will be considered relevant when the work performed demonstrates the Offeror’s ability to successfully fulfill requirements that were of similar type, size, complexity, and scope to the requirements included in this solicitation. Relevant experience may include performance of key personnel with relevant experience; subcontractor(s) that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirements; work performed as a subcontractor; and work performed by predecessor companies of its current organization.

The following sections describe the submissions for the Prior Experience Volume (see Table 1).

L.3.2.2.1 Prior Experience Reference List

The Offeror shall prepare a “Prior Experience Reference List”, using the “Prior Experience Reference List Template” in Section J. The Offeror shall provide information for all fields specified in the “Prior Experience Reference List”. The Offerors shall ensure that all items listed in their “Prior Experience Reference List” are also listed in their “Past Performance Reference List”. All references must be similar to the size, scope and complexity of the PWS requirements.

The Offeror shall include projects that demonstrate relevant experience, including the last five (5) federal, state, or local government or commercial on-going or completed contracts within the last (5) years.

If no relevant past or ongoing corporate experience information exists, the Offeror shall check the box at the bottom Attachment 9 located in Section J.

For each project reference on the list, the Offeror shall provide a “Unique Project Identifier” and use this “Unique Project Identifier” in all subsequent references to that project. The Offeror shall construct the “Unique Project Identifier” for a Corporate Experience project in the format “PEnnnn”, where ‘nnnn’ is a sequentially increasing integer starting with “0001”. The Offeror shall use the “Unique Project Identifier” in the names of all electronic files related to a given project.

Prior Experience references may be for the Offeror or proposed major subcontractor(s). A major subcontractor is defined as a subcontractor who will provide 20% or more of the total proposed contract value. The Offeror shall sort the reference list in descending order of relevancy (i.e. the most relevant contract listed first).

The Offeror shall fill in the “Unique Project Identifier” in the “Project Reference” column of the “Proposal Compliance Matrix” (see L.3.2.1.4,”Proposal Compliance Matrix”), when a reference project demonstrates prior experience for a given requirement row of the matrix.

The Offeror shall provide contact information for each project referenced as specified. The Offeror shall submit the “Prior Experience Reference List” as part of the Prior Experience Volume (see Table 1).

L.3.2.2.2 Prior Experience Project Description

The Offeror shall prepare a “Prior Experience Project Description” for each project referenced in the “Prior Experience Reference List“, using the “Prior Experience Project Description Template” of Section J.

The Offeror shall provide information for all fields specified in the “Prior Experience Project Description Sheet”.

The Offeror shall submit a “Prior Experience Project Description” for each project referenced in the “Prior Experience Reference List”, as part of the Prior Experience Volume (see Table 1).

L.3.2.3 VOLUME III – Past Performance

The Offeror shall identify and discuss Past Performance on Government and non-Government contracts that are relevant to the work defined in Section C.

Past Performance will be considered relevant when the work performed demonstrates the Offeror’s ability to successfully complete projects that were (are) of similar type, complexity, and scope to the project described in this solicitation. Past Performance may include performance of key position with relevant experience; subcontractor(s) that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirements; work performed as a subcontractor; and work performed by predecessor companies of its current organization.

The following sections describe the submissions for the Past Performance Volume (see Table 1).

L.3.2.3.1 Past Performance Reference List

The Offeror shall prepare a “Past Performance Reference List”, using the “Past Performance Reference List Template” in Section J. Past performance references shall be listed for all prior experience. Additional past performance references up to the allowable limit may be considered. The Offeror shall include projects that demonstrate relevant experience, including the last five (5) federal, state, or local government or commercial on-going or completed contracts within the last (5) years. The allowable limit is up to five (5).

If no relevant past or ongoing Past Performance information exists, the Offeror shall check the box at the bottom of Attachment 11 located in Section J.

For each project reference on the list, the Offeror shall provide a “Unique Project Identifier” and shall use this “Unique Project Identifier” in all subsequent references to that project. The Offeror shall construct the “Unique Project Identifier” for Past Performance projects in the format “PPnnnn”, where ‘nnnn’ is a sequentially increasing integer starting with “0001”. The Offeror shall use the “Unique Project Identifier” in the names of all electronic files related to a given project.

The Offeror shall sort the reference list in descending order of relevancy (i.e. the most relevant contract listed first).

Past Performance references may be for the Offeror or proposed major subcontractor(s). A major subcontractor is defined as a subcontractor who will provide 20% or more of the total proposed contract value.

The Offeror shall submit the “Past Performance Reference List” as part of the Past Performance Volume (see Table 1).

L.3.2.3.2 Past Performance Contact Sheet

The Offeror shall prepare a “Past Performance Contact Sheet” for each Past Performance reference, using the “Past Performance Contact Sheet Template” in Section J.

The Offeror shall provide information for all fields specified in the “Past Performance Contact Sheet”.

The Offeror shall submit a “Past Performance Contact Sheet” for each project referenced in the “Past Performance Reference List”, as part of the Past Performance Volume (see Table 1).

L.3.2.3.3 Past Performance Questionnaire

The Offeror shall prepare “Past Performance Questionnaires”, using the “Past Performance Questionnaire Template” in Section J.

The Offeror shall complete blocks 1-17 in the “Past Performance Questionnaire”. The customer referenced in the “Past Performance Questionnaire” shall complete the remaining blocks.

The Offeror shall submit a completed “Past Performance Questionnaire” for each past performance reference listed in the Past Performance Volume (see Table 1).

L.3.2.3.4 Past Performance Subcontractor Consent Letter

For each proposed subcontractor, the Offeror shall provide a “Past Performance Subcontractor Consent Letter” (signed by the subcontractor), using the “Past Performance Subcontractor Consent Letter Template” provide in Section J.

If there is an issue with the proposed subcontractor’s Past Performance information and there is no written consent, the Offeror will be notified of the issue and be given the opportunity to provide a written explanation.

The Offeror shall submit a “Past Performance Subcontractor Consent Letter” for each subcontractor referenced in any “Past Performance Questionnaire”, as part of the Past Performance Volume (see Table 1).

L.3.2.4 Volume IV – Price volume The Offeror shall submit data substantiating the pricing proposed to implement the requirements of Section C. The Offeror shall provide sufficient factual information to establish the fairness, reasonableness, realism and balance of the proposed price. The Offeror shall provide price data only in the Price Volume. The Offeror shall use trade-off information, work-hour estimates, and material kinds and quantities in other volumes only as appropriate for presenting rationale to support a technical or management position, or unless otherwise specified in this section.

The Offeror shall include the following information in the Price Volume (see Table 1).

L.3.2.4.1 Schedule of Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs The Offeror shall propose a fixed price for all CLINs and a total price for the Base Year and all Option Years. In order to produce comparable pricing across proposals, the Offeror shall use the Volume-Sensitive Operational Data table of Section B as a basis for the pricing of its WCMBP solution. The Offeror shall prepare price build-up information to communicate the cost of requirements satisfaction for each CLIN.

The Offeror shall prepare one “Schedule of Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs” using the “Attachment 1 - Schedule of Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs Template” in Section J. The offeror shall include a labor mix for every CLIN. This information is required for informational purposes only. The offeror’s price proposal shall include a detailed pricing table, with the labor hours by skilled category that will be applied to the completion of the PWS tasks. The Offeror shall submit price build-up information for each CLIN in the price build-up tab of Attachment 1, associated with that CLIN. The Offeror shall use the predefined fields and formulas in the price build-up tab for each CLIN. The Offeror shall verify that all submitted prices link properly to all CLIN grand totals and the Summary tab.

The Offeror may add additional fields and formulas to any CLIN price build-up tab, but shall link these into an “Other Primary Cost Component” or “Other Secondary Cost Component” field in a CLIN price build-up tab. The Offeror may freely use the space in each tab below the line that reads “Cells below this line may be edited”. The Offeror shall enter a number into each predefined price field in each CLIN price build-up tab. If any predefined field is zero, the Offeror shall affirm that zero is intended in the “Comment” field associated with the predefined field.

The Offeror shall submit the “Schedule of Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs” as part of the Price Volume (see Table 1).

L.3.2.4.2 Basis of Estimate Narrative

The Offeror shall prepare a Basis of Estimate (BOE) Narrative, identifying all assumptions, constraints, and exceptions along with the price rationale and the build-up by pricing group by CLIN. This narrative should provide sufficient information for the DOL to understand the reasoning for the proposed prices, and be able to assess the realism, reasonableness, and completeness of the pricing being proposed.

The Offeror shall submit the BOE with dollar values as part of the Price Volume (see Table 1).

L.3.2.4.3 Small Business Subcontracting Plan The Small Business Subcontracting Plan required by FAR 52.219-9 - Small Business Subcontracting Plan must be submitted by the apparently successful Offeror, unless the Offeror is a small business concern under the NAICS code identified on page 1 of this solicitation. Per FAR 19.702(a)(1) “In negotiated acquisitions, each solicitation of offers to perform a contract or contract modification, that individually is expected to exceed $650,000 ($1.5 million for construction) and that has subcontracting possibilities, shall require the apparently successful Offeror to submit an acceptable subcontracting plan. If the apparently successful Offeror fails to negotiate a subcontracting plan acceptable to the contracting officer within the time limit prescribed by the contracting officer, the Offeror will be ineligible for award.”

Where applicable, the Offeror shall include a subcontracting plan that separately addresses subcontracting with small business (SB), veteran-owned small business (VOSB), service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB), HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business (SDB), and women-owned small business (WOSB) concerns. If the Offeror is submitting an individual contract plan, the plan must separately address subcontracting with SB, VOSB, SDVOSB, HUBZone small business, SDB, and WOSB concerns, with a separate part for the basic contract and separate parts for each option (if any). Offeror shall submit plan using the “Small Business Subcontracting Plan template” in Section J.

Plan must address requirements of FAR Part 19.704, demonstrate the value of the planned subcontracting effort to small businesses, and, if available, a listing of those Small Businesses that the Offeror anticipates using under the contract. The incorporation of letters or agreements with those Small Businesses identified will be considered more binding.

For the fiscal year 2014, the Department of Labor’s subcontracting goals are as follows:

(Table 3 Subcontracting Category Percentage Goals

Note: Subcontract dollars may be attributed to as many categories as are applicable. (Example: WOSB & SDB also count as SB). The contractor shall decide how much opportunity will be available for subcontractors, then apply the small business goal percentile against the overall total subcontracting opportunity.

The table…