DRAFT Attachment 4_Section L_SETA.pdf

844CG SYSTEM ENGINEERING & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (SETA)

Section L - Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors

SECTION L – INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

L.1.0 Instruction to Offeors:

L.1.0.1 The Government contemplates award of a single-award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with Firm Fixed Price (FFP) and Time & Materials (T&M) line items with NACIS code 541513, Computer Facilities Management Services. This is a competitive source selection conducted in accordance with (IAW) Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 15.3 and set-asdie to Small Businesses.

L.1.0.2 All claimed capabilities to meet the requirements shall be realistic and are subject to verification by the Government. Non-conformance with these instructions may result in rejection of the proposal or an unfavorable proposal evaluation or being deemed ineligible for award. The Government will select the proposal which conforms to the RFP requirements (to include all stated terms, conditions, representations, certifications, and all other information required by the submission instructions), and is judged, based on the evaluation factors, to represent the best value to the Government. The Government seeks to award to the Offeror who is best suited to fulfill the Air Force requirements. This may result in an award to a higher rated, higher priced Offeror, where the decision is consistent with the evaluation factors, and the CO reasonably determines that the past performance of the higher priced Offeror outweighs the price difference.

L.1.0.3 The Government Points of Contact

Agatha W. Hebbe Contracting Officer (CO)

AFDW/PK

Phelicha D. Silva Contract Specialist (CS)

AFDW/PK

L.1.0.4 Offerors must clearly identify any exception to RFP terms and conditions and must provide complete supporting rationale. The Government reserves the right to determine whether any such exceptions are acceptable. Any exceptions determined unacceptable by the Government may result in the Offeror’s proposal being determined unacceptable and ineligible for award. This information shall be provided in the format and content of the table below within the Offerors proposal cover letter. If no exceptions are taken, include a statement stating so within the proposal cover letter.

RFP Exceptions

RFP

Document

Page/ Paragraph

Requirement/ Portion Rationale

PWS, Section L (ITO), Section M (Evaluation Factor), etc.

Applicable Page and Paragraph Numbers

Identify the requirement or portion to which exception is taken

Describe why the requirement can/will not be met

L.1.0.5 The proposal shall be clear, concise, and shall include sufficient detail for effective evaluation and for substantiating the validity of stated claims. The proposal should not simply rephrase or restate the Government's requirements but, rather, shall provide convincing rationale to address how the Offeror intends to meet these requirements. Offerors shall assume that the Government has no prior knowledge of their facilities or experience and will base its evaluation on the information presented in the Offeror's proposal.

L.1.0.6 Discrepancies. If an Offeror believes that the requirements in these instructions contain an error, omission, or are otherwise unsound, the Offeror shall immediately notify the CO and CS via email with supporting rationale as well as the remedies the Offeror is asking the CO to consider as related to the omission or error.

L.1.0.7 Use of Non-Government Advisors. Offerors are advised that technical and cost/price data submitted to the Government in response to this RFP may be released to non-Government advisors for proposal review and analysis. All non-Government advisors have signed non-disclosure statements. The non-Government advisors support will be provided (if used) by Peridot Solutions (CAGE Code: 4XGY2;

Address: 7927 Jones Branch Drive, Ste 2150, McLean, VA 22102). Offerors shall complete paragraph (2) below, or provide written objection to disclosure as indicated in paragraph (1) below, if the Offeror objects to disclosure of a portion of the proposal, the consent in (2) should be provided for the remainder of the proposal. Include either paragraph (1) or (2) below, completed as applicable, within the proposal cover letter.

(1) Any objection to disclosure:

(i) Shall be provided in writing to the CO within ten (10) calendar days of RFP issuance; and

(ii) Shall include a detailed statement of the basis for the objection. The detailed statement shall identify the specific portions of the proposal the Offeror objects to disclosure to non-Government advisors.

(2) I understand technical and price data submitted to the Government in response to this RFP may be released to non-Government advisors. I consent to release of any (unless objection is provided in (1) above) proprietary, confidential, or privileged commercial or financial data provided by the firm(s) named below in response to this solicitation, to non-Government advisors for review and analysis:

Firm:

Name (individual authorized to commit firm):

Title:

Date of Execution:

L. 1.0.8 Each Offeror shall submit proposals as instructed below.

The written submission of the proposal shall include:

(1) Volume I – Technical Capability; (2) Volume II – Past Performance; and (3) Volume III – Price and supporting spreadsheets.

All proposals shall be received by the contracting team in paragraph L.1.0.3 by 10:00 am Eastern Time on DD Month 2023. The entire and complete proposal, comprised of Volumes I through III, shall be submitted electronically viae-mail to AFDW.PK.SETAFollow-On@us.af.mil. . We recommend you submit our proporal prior to the closing date, allowing enough time to ensure entire proposal is received on time to be considered for award. It is the responsibility of the offeror to verify receipt of proposals with mailto:AFDW.PK.SETAFollow-On@us.af.mil the CO or CS. Late proposals will be processed in accordance with FAR Provision 52.212-1(f) Late Submissions, Modifications, Revisions and Withdrawals of Offers.

L.1.1 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

Offerors submitting a proposal in response to this RFP shall submit in accordance with the following:

L.1.1 Page Format.

L.1.1.1 Page Limitations:

Page limitations shall be treated as maximums. A page is defined as each face of a sheet of paper containing information. If exceeded, the excess pages will not be read or considered in the evaluation of the proposal. Blank pages, title pages, cover pages, table of contents, tab indexing, glossaries, list of tables and figures, subcontractor consent letter(s), security clearance documentation (DD Form 254), and Cross Reference Matrix, and Resumes do not count against the page count limitation. Legible tables, charts, graphs, and figures may be used to depict organizations, systems and layout, implementation schedules, plans, etc.

L.1.1.2 Page Size and Format:

Page size shall be 8½ x 11 inches. Pages shall be single-spaced and typed, except for displays and the reproduced sections of the solicitation document. The font shall be Times New Roman and no less than 12 point in size. Use at least 1 inch margins on the top and bottom. Pages shall be numbered sequentially by volume. When text is included within displays, it may be no smaller than 10 point, but must be clearly legible without magnification. The size of any displays shall not exceed the page size as defined above.

The page size and format restrictions shall also apply to responses to Proposal Revisions.

L.1.1.3 Electronic Copies of Proposal:

Text and graphics portions of the electronic copies shall be in a format readable by Microsoft (MS) Word version 2007 or later and/or Adobe Acrobat. The Offeror must ensure that the submission is readable in the format specified in the RFP, and has been verified free of computer viruses. Prior to any evaluation, the Government will check all files for viruses and ensure that all information is readable. In the event that any files are corrupted or unreadable, the Government may request the Offeror to resubmit the electronic media.

Volume III Price proposal shall be in read-or-write format with MS Excel spreadsheets unlinked to any other spreadsheets or other files. Price data shall be submitted using Attachment 3. All spreadsheets used for the Price Volume must be unlocked with all formulas included and visible. Each volume shall be in a different file. One electronic copy of the proposal shall be submitted in the following formats: Microsoft (MS) Word, MS Excel, or Portable Document Format (PDF), as applicable.

Offerors must ensure that pricing information is only included in Volume III. Do NOT include any Pricing information in Volume I or Volume II. All unit and extended prices provided shall be rounded to the nearest whole penny. Extended prices must be divisible by the number of units proposed. All loaded labor rates shall be rounded to the nearest penny.

L.1.1.4 Cross-Referencing:

The proposal volumes shall be written on a stand-alone basis so that its contents may be evaluated without cross referencing to another volume. Information required for proposal evaluation which is not found in its designated volume will be assumed to have been omitted from the proposal.

L.1.1.5 Indexing:

Each volume shall contain a detailed table of contents to delineate the subparagraphs within that volume.

Tab indexing shall be used to identify sections and will not count against page limitations IAW Table 1 below.

L.1.1.6 Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms:

Each volume shall contain a glossary of all abbreviations and acronyms used, with an explanation for each. As stated above in paragraph L.1.1.1, glossaries do not count against the page limitations for their respective volumes.

L.1.1.7 Fully Compliant:

Documents submitted in response to this solicitation must be fully compliant to and consistent with the terms and conditions of the solicitation or may result in the offeror’s proposal being rejected as not fully compliant and not being evaluated.

L.1.1.8 Cross Reference Matrix:

Offerors shall identify the specific location of the proposal requirements and verify that full compliance has been achieved and that the Compliance Matrix is complete and accurate.

L.1.1.9 Proposal Cover Letter:

Each volume shall have Cover letter that shall include Offerors’ name, RFP number, small business status/categories, company primary and alternate points of contact with email/phone and who is authorized to contractually obligate the company, CAGE Code, UEI number, a statement that the company understands the requirements specified and will meet the performance standards and requirements therein, a statement that the company does or does not take exception to any of the requirements of this RFP, acknowledges use of non-Government advisors (if applicable) and/or specific information if proposing a teaming arrangement.

L.1.2 Proposal Format Table 1 – Proposal Organization

Volume Section L

Paragraph Page Limit Volume I, Technical Capability: Subfactor 1, Technical Approach

L 2.1 20 pages total

Volume I, Technical Capability: Subfactor 2:

Staffing/Management Plan Volume II: Past Performance L 2.2 40 pages Volume III: Price L 2.3 Unlimited

L.2.0 PROPOSAL VOLUME INSTRUCTIONS

L.2.1 VOLUME I: Technical Capability.

Offerors shall submit a written technical proposal. Volume I shall not exceed the page count shown in Table 1: Proposal Organization. The written technical proposal shall be clear, concise, and include all the information required by this provision in sufficient detail for effective evaluation. The proposal should not simply rephrase or restate the Government’s requirements, but rather shall provide convincing rationale to address how the offeror intends to meet these requirements. Offerors shall assume the Government has no prior knowledge of their capabilities, work processes, facilities, and experience and will base its evaluation on the information presented in the offeror’s technical proposal.

L.2.1.1 Volume I, Subfactor 1: Technical Approach.

The following information shall be provided in the written technical proposal and will be evaluated to assess the proposed technical approach and associated technical risk in accordance with Section M-2, Evaluation Factors and Rating Methodology for Mission Essential Services. The written technical proposal shall address the offeror’s proposed approach to performing the requirements set forth in PWS

6.7 Mission Essential Services (MES). For each MES, the offeror shall identify risks, if any, associated with the proposed approach and actions the offeror will take to mitigate the identified risks. If no risks/mitigations are identified in the offeror’s proposal, it indicates the offeror does not consider there to be any risk associated with their proposed approach.

L.2.1.2 Volume I, Subfactor 2: Staffing/Management Plan.

Staffing/Management Plan will be incorporated into the contract and applied to the staffing levels for the duration of the contract POP. The staffing plan shall include details of recruitment and retention of qualified and certified Key Personnel, and Emergency Support Staffing. A plan to recruit, hire, train, maintain and retain qualified staff from contract start and throughout the period of performance to meet all PWS requirements. This plan shall also specifically address bench strength and obtaining and retaining any required security clearances, certifications, and/or licenses.

L.2.2 VOLUME II: Past Performance.

The Government will review up to four (4) total contractor's past/present performance submitted by the Offeror in two categories: up to two (2) contracts for the prime contractor and a maximum of two (2) contracts for major subcontractors that will be performing key or critical portions of the effort and/or performing greater than or equal to 30% of the proposed effort based on the total proposed price. Any submission over the maximum stated above will be disregarded and will not be evaluated. The contractor shall use Attachment 6, Past Performance Information Form to provide past performance information to be evaluated. Past performance information will be evaluated as received; as such, offerors are cautioned to ensure that Attachment 6 is filled out completely and that the information is current and accurate with respect to the listed points of contact.

To be recent, the effort must have at least 12 months of continuous active contract performance within the last five (5) years from the date of issuance of this solicitation. Offerors shall submit information on contracts deemed relevant in demonstrating the ability to perform the full range of capabilities of the PWS. The offeror’s proposal shall provide examples of past performance that indicates a high expectation that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort.

Offerors will send out the Attachment 6, Past Performance Questionnaire (excluded from page limitation) electronically to each reference identified in the Past Performance Volume. However, CPARS report(s) is/are preferred as a response, if available, and a copy may be provided as a substitute for a response in lieu of a PPQ. The Offeror should make its best effort to send out a sufficient number of past performance questionnaires to reasonably expect the CO will receive at least one questionnaire on each cited contract/work effort. The responsibility to send out the Past Performance Information Questionnaires rests solely with the Offeror. References will return completed questionnaires via email directly to the CO and CS no later than 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on DD Month 2023. The proposal due date has not changed. The information contained in completed questionnaires will be considered sensitive and will not be released to the Offeror. The Government reserves the right to contact the references provided by the Offeror and any other references generated by the Government to discuss the Offeror’s past performance.

Subcontractor past performance information cannot be disclosed to the Prime Offeror without the subcontractor’s consent. Provide a letter (Ref. Attachment 7) in the Past Performance Volume from all Subcontractors consenting to the release of their past performance information to the Prime contractor (letters do not count towards page count). The written consent(s) should be submitted as part of the Past Performance Volume. Should the Offeror not submit consent, the Government will only discuss present/past performance information directly with the prospective subcontractor or teaming partner that is being reviewed. If there is an issue with the proposed subcontractor’s or teaming partner’s present/past performance, the Offeror can be notified but no details may be discussed without the subcontractor’s/teaming partner’s permission.

In the event that commercial contracts are presented as sources of information, the Offeror will issue a client authorization letter with the request to complete a Past Performance Questionnaire. A sample client authorization letter is provided as an (Ref. Attachment 8) to the RFP.

If a contractor teaming arrangement is contemplated, provide a summary as to the overall arrangement, including any relevant and recent past performance information on previous teaming arrangements with the same partner. The teaming arrangement summary shall be included in Volume II Past Performance.

L.2.3 VOLUME III: Price.

The offeror shall submit pricing information to support the completeness and reasonableness of their proposed prices for all CLINs with the exception of the CLINs X002 (Large Projects), X003 (Materials/ODCs), and X004 (Travel/Training). The pricing information submitted should fully support the PWS requirements for each major functional element specified in the PWS. A breakdown shall be provided which shows the skill mix, labor categories, labor rates and position descriptions. Information shall be segregated by the performance periods, individual performance locations, and the total price for each CLIN as specified in the solicitation. Information shall also show the consolidated total price for performance.

A rate table listing a schedule of rates for each job category proposed shall be provided. The rate table shall include Surge rates in a separate section.

Additionally, the Offeror must submit labor hours IAW the Internal Single Award IDIQ, that shall identify labor categories, the fixed hourly rates to include, unburdened hourly rates, burden rates, overtime rates, and profit. LH rates shall be honored for the duration of the Task Order (TO) Period of Performance (POP). Any surge labor hour rates shall not exceed the labor hour rates negotiated for this Task Order.

The price proposal must include prices for all five (5) one-year ordering periods and additional 6-month option period pursuant to FAR 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract. Each of the five (5) ordering period will become the negotiated total price for the yearly operation and maintenance (O&M) task orders (TO). Yearly O&M task order Period of Performance will be as follows:

Year 1 (TO 01): 22 April 2024 through 21 April 2025 Year 2 (TO TBD): 22 April 2025 through 21 April 2026 Year 3 (TO TBD): 22 April 2026 through 21 April 2027 Year 4 (TO TBD): 22 April 2027 through 21 April 2028 Year 5 (TO TBD): 22 April 2028 through 21 April 2029 Period 6 (TO TBD): 22 April 2029 through 21 Oct 2029

The Government will provide Ceiling amounts for the base and option years for CLINs X002 (Large Projects, FFP), X003 (Materials/ODCs, T&M), and X004 (Training/Travel, T&M). Therefore, the Offeror shall use the established Ceiling amounts in the development of the final proposed price. Price data will clearly identify unburdened and fully burdened rates

FAR 52.222-46, Evaluation of Compensation for Professional Employees, will be incorporated into the contract. Offerors are advised to review the clause and provide sufficient data to satisfy the Government’s price realism analysis for the proposal evaluation of the Professional Employee Compensation Plan (PECP). Compliance with the instructions herein is mandatory and failure to comply may result in rejection of the proposal. Price proposals should be sufficiently detailed to support the CO’s determination of reasonableness and balance.

In accordance with (IAW) FAR 52.222-46, provide a total compensation plan explaining how your rates comply with this clause. Your total compensation plan shall include unburdened rates with supporting information data such as recognized regional compensation surveys. Your total compensation plan should clearly show that your proposed price is in compliance with the aforementioned clause. The employee compensation plan will be evaluated for realism.

The offeror shall include the table below (or similar) to meet this requirement (for the base year only).

(Note: subcontractor/teaming partner(s), if applicable, shall submit this information directly to the Government points of contact identified in this RFP.

Salary/Fringe Benefits Table (Example)

Task Area/Labor Category Unburdened Salary/Rate & Fringe/Percent Junior Task Manager (example) $120,000.00/year, $xx.xx/hour; 33% (example)

END OF SECTION L