Evaluation_(5).pdf

FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation – Commercial Items (OCT 2014)

Pre-requisite

The Government will only consider proposals from prime contractors who ONLY have active “ELITE” Level partnership status with Interactive Intelligence at the time of proposal submission.

Evaluation Factors for Award

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, Technical and other factors considered.

The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

(1) Technical

(2) Past Performance

(3) Price

Basis of Award

Best Value

The non-price evaluation factors, when combined, are significantly more important than price. Technical is more important than Past Performance and, Past Performance is more important than Price. Obtaining superior technical features is most important to the Government; however, the Government will not make an award at a significantly higher overall price to achieve slightly superior technical features.

In accordance with FAR 52.215-1(f) the Government anticipates awarding the Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

Support contract to a single offeror whose proposal represents the best value to the Government and whose offer conforming to the solicitation is most advantageous to the Government, based on the best overall offer and that is determined to be the most beneficial to the Government with appropriate consideration given to all the evaluation factors. All Subfactors under Volume I, Technical are of equal importance.

Quality and Adherence

Offerors are responsible for ensuring that information they provide is thorough, accurate, and complete. All information shall be confined to the appropriate volume and in the specified location. Failure to submit information in the appropriate volume and specified location may result in finding that the proposal is NOT acceptable.

Rejection of Unrealistic Proposals

Offerors are placed on notice that any proposals that are unrealistic in terms of technical commitment, or unrealistically low in price, will be deemed reflective of an inherent lack of competence, or indicative of failure to comprehend the complexity associated with the DOL IVR support requirements. This may be grounds for rejection of the proposal.

Options

The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the base requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). The total price offered (base year, option period(s), will be used as the overall evaluated price.

Discussions

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 it is 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 and/or waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received.

Competitive Range

Pursuant to FAR 15.306(c) the Contracting Officer may establish a competitive range comprised of all of the most highly rated proposals, unless the range is further reduced for reasons of efficiency. Pursuant to FAR 52.215-1(f)

(4), the Contracting Officer may limit the number of proposals in the competitive range to the number that will permit an efficient competition among the most highly rated proposals. Those proposals not included in the competitive range will receive no further consideration.

Evaluation

Factor 1: Technical

Subfactor 1: Understanding the Requirement

The Government will evaluate the offeror’s understanding of the work to be performed, described in the SOW, demonstrated understanding of the work described in this solicitation and the extent to which potential risks are identified and mitigated.

Subfactor 2: Staffing and Recruiting Approach

The Government will evaluate the offeror’s overall management approach and staffing plan, including the proposed management structure for personnel with responsibilities for this contract by task area, and their explanation of how that structure will work in ensuring successful task performance, and compliance with all requirements of the SOW.

The contractor shall include discussion of the use of and management of any subcontractors, as applicable. The

Government will evaluate the extent to which the offeror’s approach includes an effective management structure, responsibility descriptions, successful task performance/requirements completion checks, and the experience of management personnel in conducting similar operations with relevant backgrounds, training, and education as well as the appropriate level of experience in all aspects required by the Government IVR support contract.

Subfactor 3: Key Personnel

The Government will evaluate the offeror’s proposal regarding the experience and qualifications of all key personnel. The offeror’s TECHNICAL Volume V shall include REDACTED resumes for key personnel.

Accuracy of Resumes:

The offeror shall provide resumes of key personnel and certify the accuracy of all resumes proposed for assignment on the Task Order award, and/or for future assignment of personnel to the award.

Failure to provide detailed documents outlining qualifications, education, board certifications, hours of practice, place of practice, copy of license, to include a copy of the proposed candidates valid certifications

(for applicable candidates) will result in a finding that the offer is not acceptable.

Subfactor 4 – Corporate Experience and Qualifications

The Government will assess the offerors description of its qualifications and detail of its specific experience conducting work of the same and/or similar nature of that described in Section C of the RFP. The Government will assess the extent of the offerors experience in providing creative, innovative solutions for the customer’s benefit.

The Government will evaluate the offeror’s corporate capability to provide effectively the required services. The attributes comprising such capability include, among others, corporate and financial stability, corporate processes, corporate organization, quality assurance processes, and employee attrition and retention rates. These capabilities also include experience with similar projects and access to staff with the knowledge, education and experience required to successfully meet the IVR requirements.

The prime contractor must be appraised at CMMI Maturity Level 3 within 12 months of the contract effective date.

Subfactor 5: Transition-In /Transition-Out

The Government will evaluate the Transition-In Plan to determine if it offers a reasonable, effective and realistic approach to quality control for assuming full contractual responsibility without disruption or degradation of performance. The plan will be evaluated on whether it identifies risk, proposes appropriate mitigation strategies, and proposes a realistic, achievable and affordable start-up schedule and staffing plan. The plan will be evaluated on whether it ensures sufficient resources are on hand and available to begin work under this requirement. It shall include a statement that the personnel proposed are available, trained, and qualified to perform the work under this effort. In addition the government will evaluate the Transition-Out Plan on whether it provides a smooth transition to replacement services when the contract period of performance ends.

Technical Volume(s) will be evaluated using the following scale:

Technical Capability Evaluation Standards and Definitions

Rating Adjective Standard

Exceeds

Proposal demonstrates excellent understanding of requirements and an approach that exceeds performance or capability standards. It has strengths that will significantly benefit the Government. The offeror’s proposed approach is likely to cause minimal or no disruption of schedule or degradation of performance, and will require a low level of offeror emphasis and Government monitoring to overcome difficulties.

Acceptable

Proposal demonstrates acceptable understanding of requirements and an approach that meets performance or capability standards. It has few or no strengths and may have some minor weaknesses. The offeror’s proposed approach is likely to cause a moderate disruption of schedule or degradation of performance, and will require a medium level of offeror emphasis and Government monitoring to overcome difficulties.

Unacceptable

Fails to meet performance or capability standards. Requirements can only be met with major changes to the proposal. The offeror’s proposed approach is likely to cause significant disruption of schedule or degradation of performance, and will require a high level of offeror emphasis and Government monitoring to overcome difficulties.

Factor 2: Past Performance

The Offeror’s proposal will be evaluated to determine the extent to which their past performance demonstrates the likelihood of successful performance as the IVR support contract holder in delivering high quality service and solutions within scope of Section C of the RFP.

The Government will evaluate the Past Performance Elements specified in the Past Performance Questionnaire, Attachment 2 Offeror's shall distribute the questionnaire included in the solicitation as an attachment to their references so the form can be completed and submitted directly to the Government. The Government will evaluate past performance of three (3) previous contracts for current relevancy (3 years), provided via the attached questionnaire, each with at least one (1) previous or current contract with relevancy within the past 12 months based on how well the offeror performed on projects of similar dollar value, scope, and complexity.

As provided in FAR 15.608(a) (2), past performance information may also be obtained from other sources known to the Government.

Past Performance will be evaluated using the following scale:

Past Performance Risk Assessment

ADJECTIVAL DESCRIPTION

Low Risk Little doubt exists on the Offeror’s performance record, that the Offeror can perform the proposed effort.

Moderate Risk Some doubt exists, based on the Offeror’s performance record, that the Offeror can perform the proposed effort.

High Risk Significant doubt exists, based on the Offeror’s performance record that the Offeror can perform the proposed effort.

Unknown Risk Little or no relevant performance record identifiable; equates to an unknown risk rating having no favorable or unfavorable evaluation significance.

Offerors are advised that the Government may use past performance information obtained from centralized past performance databases and sources other than those identified by the offeror and the information obtained may be used for both the responsibility determination and the best value decision. The absence of past performance data will be rated neither favorably nor unfavorably. Contracts listed may include those entered into with Government agencies or private sector firms. For offerors with no relevant corporate past performance, the Government may take into account information regarding the past performance of predecessor companies, key personnel with relevant past performance.

Past performance references for offerors that performed work as a subcontractor to a prime contractor will be accepted provided that the work is relevant and distinguishable from the work performed by the prime.

Offerors may be asked to clarify certain aspects of their proposal (for example, the relevance of past performance information) or respond to adverse past performance information to which the offeror has not previously had an opportunity to respond. Communication conducted to resolve minor or clerical errors would not constitute discussions and the CO reserves the right to award a contract without the opportunity for proposal revision. The Government intends to evaluate the proposals and award a contract, without discussions with the offerors, unless discussions are determined to be necessary.

Subcontractor Consent: Past performance information pertaining to a subcontractor cannot be disclosed to the prime offeror without the subcontractor’s consent. Provide with the proposal a letter from all subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement, consenting to the release of their past performance information to the prime contractor.

Factor 4: Price

Price will be evaluated in terms of completeness. Offerors shall complete the Supplies or Services/Prices page(s) in Attachment 1, of the solicitation with pricing for the base and each option period. DOL requires that a Labor rate is quoted for each labor category identified and or proposed, for the base and each option period.

Evaluation of Options: Except when it is determined not to be in the Government’s best interests, the Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the base requirement. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise option periods.

No adjectival ratings will be used to evaluate Price.