Section M_Amendment 000001.pdf

DTFAWA-17-R-00014

Amendment 000001

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PART IV - SECTION M

EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

M.1 PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

This screening information request (SIR), incorporates by reference the provisions listed below with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Offerors may obtain the full text at http://conwrite.faa.gov.

3.2.4-31 Evaluation of Options (April 1996) 3.3.1-30 Progress Payments Not Included (November 1997) 3.11-50 No Evaluation of Transportation Costs (April 1999)

M.2 INFORMATION AND CONSIDERATIONS AFFECTING VENDOR PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS

(a) This acquisition will employ best practices and procedures for competitive negotiated procurements as authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration Acquisition Management System (AMS).

(b) All offers will be screened initially to determine if they are in compliance with the Screening Information Request (SIR) procurement response instructions described in Section L. These instructions include the requirement that Offerors only respond to one Service Area specific SIR as a prime contractor. The FAA reserves the right to eliminate all offers submitted by an Offeror if these instructions are not followed or if the Offeror does not clearly demonstrate understanding of the requirements of the SIR. In the event a proposal is rejected, a notice will be sent to the Offeror stating the reason(s) that the proposals will not be given further consideration. This Section M provides the criteria by which Offerors’ proposals will be evaluated.

(b) Each proposal will be evaluated on the basis of its written submissions and price information described in Section L. Separate technical and price proposals are required as described in Section L.

(c) All offers will be subjected to a detailed evaluation by the Combined Evaluation Team (CET).

(1) Volume 1, Offer, Other Documents, and Pricing. Price proposals will be evaluated in accordance with SIR Section M.6 and the Price Evaluation.

(2) Volume 2, Management, Technical, and Past Technical Performance will be subjected to a detailed evaluation by the Technical Evaluation Team (TET) that will rate proposals in accordance with Section M.5 Technical Evaluation.

(d) Technical proposals will be evaluated and rated in accordance with pre-established evaluation factors. These factors are listed in M.5.1.

(e) The Price Evaluation Team (PET) will not have access to technical proposals during the initial detailed evaluation. Likewise, the technical evaluation team will not have access to price proposals during the initial detailed evaluation. After completion of the initial detailed evaluation, the technical and price evaluation teams may have access to the other team’s proposals only as authorized by the Contracting Officer. At this time a consolidated PET and TET team will evaluate Best Value as indicated in M.4.a below.

(g) The offer that provides the overall best value to the FAA will be selected. The successful offer may not necessarily be the lowest priced offer. Management, Technical, and Past Performance are significantly more important than price. If total Offerors’ technical factor ratings are close together, price will become more important. The FAA will also consider risk in its determination of best value. Subjective judgment on the part of the FAA is implicit in the evaluation process.

(h) Because several proposals are anticipated, uniformity of proposals is essential to assure a fair and accurate assessment of each offer. All proposals must be submitted in accordance with Section L and must conform to all the terms and conditions of the SIR. Failure to conform to all requirements expressed may be cause for rejection without further evaluation or discussion.

http://conwrite.faa.gov/

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(i) Additional information may be requested from the Offeror whose proposal the FAA considers to represent the overall best value. The information may clarify or supplement, but not basically change the proposal as submitted. The FAA reserves the right to award a contract based on initial offers received, without discussions or negotiations. For this reason, each initial offer should be submitted on the most favorable terms from the standpoint of technical approach and price.

(j) In accordance with clause 3.2.2.3-19 of this SIR, the FAA reserves the right to limit Offerors participating in the competition to only those most likely to receive a contract award. Vendors will be notified if a down-selection decision results in their elimination from further consideration for award.

M.3 EVALUATION OF OFFERS

(a) The Offeror must provide adequate and specific information in their proposal. A proposal may be eliminated from further consideration if the proposal is so grossly and obviously deficient as to be unacceptable without further evaluation. Some examples of proposal deficiency are as follows: failure to sign Standard Form 33;

missing any segments, volumes, or certifications; submittal does not represent a reasonable effort to address all elements of the SIR or clearly demonstrate that the Vendor understands the requirements of the SIR.

(b) Tiered Evaluation: In order to provide opportunities for small businesses and to ensure that FAA requirements are met, the acquisition strategy for this procurement is anticipated to use a tiered evaluation of Offerors with the following tiers:

I. SEDB/8(a) Business II. Small Businesses III. Other Than Small Businesses

(1) Tiered evaluation of offers is a process by which FAA promotes small business participation while providing FAA a means to continue the procurement if small business participation is insufficient.

(2) The FAA may use tiered evaluation of offers to promote competition in each tier of small business concerns while still allowing other than small business to participate without issuing another SIR.

With the exception of joint ventures, all business classifications will be encouraged to submit offers for this SIR.

The FAA will proceed with the evaluation of Offerors and award within the lowest tier found to contain adequate competition among technically acceptable offers. Adequate competition exists when two or more responsible Offerors, competing independently, submit priced offers that satisfy the Government’s expressed requirement. If only one proposal is received in a lower tier, this offer from a lower tier may compete with higher tiered submissions in order to achieve adequate competition.

Each Offeror may be considered as a prime contractor for only one Service Area award but have the ability to pursue subcontracting opportunities on other Service Area awards without restriction. The FAA will only recognize one Prime Contractor per offer. Under the first two tiers, Small Business Offerors are reminded that in accordance with AMS clause 3.6.1-7 Limitations on Subcontracting, at least 50% of the work must be performed by employees of the Prime contractor. Under the third tier, in accordance with Section I Clause 3.6.1-4 Small, Small Disadvantaged, Women-Owned and Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Subcontracting Plan (August 2012) (c) the offeror, upon request by the Contracting Officer, shall submit and negotiate a subcontracting plan, where applicable, that separately addresses subcontracting with small business, small disadvantaged business, women-owned small business and service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns.

(c) Alternate proposals will not be evaluated. In the event a proposal is rejected a notice will be sent to the Offeror stating the reason(s) that the proposal will not be given further consideration.

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M.4 SUMMARY OF OVERALL EVALUATION AND DOWN-SELECT PROCESS

(a) Proposal Price, Management, Technical, and Past Technical Performance factors are evaluated as set forth herein. The CET, a combined team consisting of both Price Evaluation Team (PET) and Technical Evaluation Team (TET) members, will consider tradeoffs between technical factors and price, keeping in mind that non-price factors are significantly more important than price in determining the overall Best Value to the FAA. The CET will not meet until the PET and TET team have completed their respective evaluations.

(b) Management, Technical, and Past Technical Performance Evaluation. The Management, Technical, and Past Technical Performance volume will henceforth be referred to as the Technical proposal/volume. Technical proposals will be reviewed by the TET in order to determine whether the minimum requirements of the Statement of Work (SOW) have been met. Technical proposals that have been evaluated to meet the minimum requirements as identified in the SOW will then be further evaluated and rated according to their ability to exceed the requirements identified in the SOW and the evaluation factors listed in Section M.5.1. Technical ratings are then ranked in preparation for a Best Value determination. Technical proposals that have been evaluated and determined to not meet the minimum requirements as identified in the SOW will be eliminated from further consideration.

(c) Risk Assessment. The Government will assess the risk associated with conducting business with each Offeror.

This risk assessment will be completed after the technical evaluation. The risk assessment will be used to help determine best value for the government.

(d) Price Evaluation. The Price Evaluation Team (PET) will evaluate offers in accordance with M.6 below.

Unlike technical proposal submissions, price proposals will not be rated.

(e) Best Value Determination. Using the results from the TET and the PET, the CET will select for award the offer that provides the greatest overall value to the FAA. A tradeoff between technical and price may be made, in which case, the lowest total evaluated price offer may not provide the greatest overall value to the Government.

(f) To be eligible for award, the Offeror must be determined to be financially viable and found to be responsible by the Contracting Officer (CO) prior to the award of any resultant contract (refer to Section L.5.1.5).

M.5 TECHNICAL EVALUATION

M.5.1 Evaluation Factors

(a) The evaluation factors listed below are intended to determine the vendor's capabilities to effectively and efficiently provide Security Officer Services to the FAA.

(1) Factor 1 – Management Proposal:

(i) Sub-Factor 1.1 – Management Approach This sub-factor will be evaluated on the degree to which the proposed management approach, subcontracting arrangements, and Offeror organization will effectively and efficiently oversee guard services. Similarly, the degree to which the Offeror proposes efficient and effective management efforts regarding day-to-day, as well as emergency or contingency operations, will be evaluated. The Offeror’s Management Plan, as required in Section C.17.1, L.6.1.1.1 and L.6.1.1.1, will also be evaluated under this sub-factor.

(ii) Sub-Factor 1.2 – Transition This sub-factor will be evaluated based on the degree to which the proposed transition methodology, timeline, staffing, and staff qualifications and training will ensure a timely, effective, and efficient transition of guard services. The Offeror’s Transition Plan, as required in Section C.17.2, L.6.1.2.1, L.6.1.2.2, L.6.1.2.3, and L.6.1.2.4 will also be evaluated under this sub-factor.

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(2) Factor 2 – Technical Proposal:

(i) Sub-Factor 2.1 – Staffing This sub-factor will be evaluated based on the degree to which the Offeror’s proposed staffing processes and procedures effectively and efficiently satisfy the requirements stated in Section C.5, C.6, L.6.2.1.1, L.6.2.1.2, L.6.2.1.3, and L.6.2.1.4. Proposed measures regarding temporary additional staffing, maintenance of staff certifications and records control will also be evaluated here for effectiveness and efficiency.

(ii) Sub-Factor 2.2 – Quality Assurance This sub-factor will be evaluated based on the degree to which the Offeror proposes strategies for effectively and efficiently ensuring that the quality of service provided under the contract is of the highest level according to Section C.18, L.6.2.3.1, and L.6.2.3.2. Proposed measures regarding the supervision of security officers and quality control will also be evaluated here for effectiveness and efficiency.

(3) Factor 3 – Past Technical Experience and Performance:

(i) Sub-Factor 3.1 – Relevant Past Experience and Performance In accordance with L.6.3.1, this sub-factor will be evaluated based upon the completed L.1 attachments and the receipt of attachment L.2 questionnaires completed by customers, assessing the performance of the Offeror on relevant contracts that are similar in size, scope, and complexity to this SIR. The contracts selected by the Offeror must demonstrate that the Offeror has an understanding of the work to be performed. The Government will determine the relevance of a past performance project/contract by analyzing the following and comparing it to the SIR:

(a) “Scope” by considering the type of service provided (i.e., “Is the project/contract for security officer services?”);

(b) “Magnitude” by considering various measures such as, but not limited to, any or all of the following: number of productive hours per year, number of CSO personnel to support the effort, and total contract value; AND

(c) “Complexity” by considering various measures such as, but not limited to, any or all of the following: whether or not CSOs are armed; type of CSO qualifications and training requirements;

type of permit, licensure and certification requirements in performance of the effort; typical duties/responsibilities required of security force; type of protection required (e.g. interior and exterior building protection vs. exterior-only protection and gate access control); and the number and geographic dispersion of service sites under a single project.

(ii) Sub-Factor 3.2 – Related Information This sub-factor will be evaluated based on the Offeror’s related information (awards, certifications, etc.) that complements the services required under this SIR in accordance with L.6.3.2. If there is no related information, the Offeror must affirmatively state that it possesses no related information and provide detailed information on how the program will be managed. No related information will result in a satisfactory rating for this sub-factor. The relative importance for each of the technical evaluation factors is as follows:

(1) Technical Proposal (Factor 2) is more important than Past Technical Experience and Performance (Factor 3). Past Technical Experience and Performance (Factor 3) is more important than Management Proposal (Factor 1). Technical Proposal (Factor 2), Past Technical Experience and Performance (Factor 3), and Management Proposal (Factor 1) are collectively more important than Price. To the extent that two (2) or more Offerors are rated comparably in those sections, the Price factor becomes more significant. Under Management Proposal (Factor 1), Transition (Sub-factor 1.2) is more important than Management Approach (Sub-factor 1.1).

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(2) Under Technical Proposal (Factor 2), Staffing (Sub-factor 2.1) is considerably more important than Quality Assurance (Sub-factor 2.2).

(3) Under Past Technical Experience and Performance (Factor 3), Relevant Past Experience and Performance (Sub-factor 3.1) is substantially more important than Related Information (Sub-factor 3.2).

M.5.2 Evaluation Ratings

(a) Factors will be rated by the evaluation team on the rating scale shown below.

Excellent Good Satisfactory Marginal Unsatisfactory

(b) The ratings relate to the following definitions:

TECHNICA RATING

Excellent

The offeror’s response to the topic is comprehensive and demonstrates the capability to perform the full range of requirements and work effort. Few, if any, areas for improvement can be cited. The combined impact of strengths far outweighs the combined impact of any weaknesses.

Good

The offeror’s response to the topic is fully acceptable and appropriately responds to the full range of requirements and work effort. A few minor weaknesses are noted. The combined impact of the strengths outweighs the combined impact of the any weaknesses.

Satisfactory

The offeror’s response to the topic is appropriate and addresses adequately the full range of requirements and work effort. Although there may be some weaknesses and areas in need of improvement, these are offset by strengths in other areas.

Marginal

The offeror’s response does not respond adequately to the full range of requirements and work efforts. Offeror’s response is deficient in several areas with no corresponding offset in other areas. The combined impact of weaknesses and deficiencies outweighs the combined impact of any strengths.

Unsatisfactory

The offeror’s response to the topic is inadequate and does not demonstrate a satisfactory understanding of the requirements and work efforts. The proposal does not demonstrate the capability to support the Government’s needs. The combined impact of the weaknesses and deficiencies far outweighs the combined impact of any strengths.

M.5.2 Evaluation Definitions The following definitions are applicable:

(a) Deficiency - An aspect of the proposal, such as a descriptive statement, or the lack of requested information, demonstrating that the proposal fails to meet the requirements of this solicitation.

(b) Clarification - Normally used to eliminate minor irregularities or apparent clerical mistakes in the proposal or presentation. Clarification of apparent clerical mistakes includes correction of statements within the offer; it does not include the providing of additional information not previously contained within the proposal.

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(c) Strength - An aspect of the technical proposal that has a positive impact on the Government. An example would be an especially thoughtful, innovative, or unique solution or approach to an evaluation area. Likewise, strength may also be a unique solution, approach, or process to a technical or management problem or requirement that saves time, material, and could potentially reduce cost.

(d) Weakness – An aspect in the proposal that, if the Offeror was selected, would have a negative impact on the Government.

(e) Substantiated - Competent, documented evidence that supports or otherwise verifies proposal claims, approaches, and contents.

M.6 PRICE EVALUATION

The FAA anticipates that proposed prices received in response to this SIR will be determined fair and reasonable based on adequate price competition. Therefore, the FAA will conduct price analysis but reserves the right to conduct price realism. The PET will evaluate proposed pricing for reasonableness and review proposals for completeness. Additionally, the PET will verify that the Offeror’s proposed base labor rates (wages) and fringe benefit (Health & Welfare) dollars are no less that the applicable prevailing rates for the applicable DOL Wage Determinations.

For evaluation purposes, the Total Evaluated Price (TEP) will be calculated by adding the total price for the base and all options. The evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the options. The TEP will be the sum of:

1) CLINs XXXX1A Transition. The FAA specified NTE amounts. The value, identified on Attachment J.6, Section B Input worksheet, per site will be applied to all offers in order to equally evaluate Transition Prices.

2) CLINs XXXX1B, Basic Services. The Offeror’s proposed price for each contract period and location.

3) CLINs XXXX2, TAS. The extended price for 80 hours of Temporary Additional Services per site per contract year will be applied to all offers in order to equally evaluate the potential for Temporary Additional Services.

4) CLINs XXXX3, ESS. The extended price for 16 labor hours of Emergency Security Services per site per contract year will be applied to all offers in order to equally evaluate the potential for Emergency Security Services.

5) CLINs XXXX4A, Other Security Officer Services. The extended price for 16 labor hours of Other Services per site per contract year will be applied to all offers in order to equally evaluate the potential for Other Services.

6) CLINs XXXX4B, Travel. The FAA specified NTE amounts. A value of $600-$676 for Travel per site per contract year will be applied to all offers in order to equally evaluate possible Travel expenses.

7) CLINs XXXX5, Training. The extended price for 80 labor hours of Training per site per contract year will be applied to all offers in order to equally evaluate possible Training expenses.

8) CLINs XXXX6, Random Screening. The Offeror’s proposed price for each contract period and location.

The extended price for each T&M CLIN (XXXX2, XXXX3, XXXX4A and XXXX5) will be calculated by multiplying the government specified hours by the Offeror’s proposed fully burdened rate for each applicable CLIN. The specified hours are for evaluation purposes only and do not represent a commitment from the FAA.

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M.7 RISK ASSESSMENT

(a) A risk assessment will be accomplished at the conclusion of the overall evaluation process (i.e., evaluation of Factors 1 through 3,). The risk assessment is intended to aid the source selection process by adding more information to the best value determination.

(b) The risk assessment will be conducted the TET Lead. Members of the TET who identify potential risks are to communicate those risks to their respective team lead for consideration and inclusion in the assessment. Risks may be identified by any team or evaluator throughout the evaluation process.

(c) Risks will be evaluated both as to their potential impact on the Offeror’s ability to successfully perform the contract and the likelihood of the risk occurring. This analysis will evaluate risks in terms of their potential impact on cost, schedule, and work performance while simultaneously addressing the probability of undesirable impacts.

Risks may be identified within any aspect of the Offeror’s proposal, or from any additional sources of information.

(d) The risk assessment will determine what overall level of risk the entire proposal includes. Determining the overall level of risk is not a numeric average or summation of the number of risks identified. Rather, the level of overall risk associated with a proposal depends on the types of risks identified and the likelihood of their occurrence. For example, the team could conclude that a proposal with many risks has an overall low level of risk because those risks will have little impact on the Offeror’s ability to perform. On the contrary, the team could find a single risk whose impact is so large that it jeopardizes the Offeror’s ability to perform.

(e) Categories to be used in assessing risk to the Government are:

Categories Description

Low Risk Limited potential to cause decreases in performance or increases in schedule. Normal contractor effort and normal Government monitoring will probably be sufficient to overcome difficulties.

Moderate Risk

Could potentially cause some decreases in performance or increases in schedule. However, increased contractor emphasis and increased Government monitoring may be able to overcome difficulties.

High Risk Likely to cause significant decreases in performance or increases in schedule even with increased contractor emphasis and increased Government monitoring.

M.8 BEST VALUE DETERMINATION

(a) The offer(s) that provide the greatest overall value to the FAA will be selected for award. A tradeoff between technical factors and price will be made. However, the lowest total evaluated price offer may not provide the greatest overall value to the Government. Technical evaluation factors are significantly more important than cost/price. The risk assessment is intended to aid the source selection process by adding more information to the best value determination. If total factor ratings are close together, price will become more important. Best value will be based on the following:

• Technical Evaluation results and ranking of Offerors

• Price Evaluation

• Risk Assessment

(b) To arrive at a best value decision, the PET will integrate the evaluation of the specific criteria described above.

While the FAA source selection evaluation team will strive for maximum objectivity, the source selection process, by nature, is subjective and professional judgment is implicit throughout the entire process.

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M.9 NON-GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL PARTICIPATION

Offerors are hereby notified that the FAA may have proposals or other written information provided in response to this acquisition reviewed by personnel from various support contractors who may serve as advisors to FAA evaluation personnel during the evaluation phase of this acquisition. All non-Government personnel and their corporations have signed a non-disclosure and conflict of interest statements. The exclusive responsibility for source selection, however, will remain with the FAA. The FAA has plans to use support contractors to take part in the source selection process. These support contractors are:

• BPA Services, LLC.