RFQ_EA-133F-17-RQ-0263_Advisory_Panel_Facilitation_Services.doc

THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FAR SUBPART 12.6, AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTES ARE BEING REQUESTED AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED.

This synopsis/solicitation EA-133F-17-RQ-0263 constitutes a Request for Quotation (RFQ) and incorporates provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-95.

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Sustainable Management Division, Silver Spring, Maryland, requires professional facilitation support in accordance with the attached Statement of Work. The Period of performance for this order is April 1, 2017 through March 31, 2018 with four one-year option periods.

The Government will award a firm fixed price contract based on best value considering technical capability, past performance, and price.

This RFQ is 100% set aside for small business concerns. The associated NAICS code is 541611, Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services, with a business size standard of $15.0 million.

Please see attached Statement of Work for details. Additionally, each offeror must provide the following information with the quote:

1. The Request for Quote (RFQ) number;

2. The Name, Address, Telephone Number, and DUNS Number of the Offeror;

3. Include a statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the RFQ. Quotes that reject the terms and conditions of the RFQ may be excluded from consideration;

4. Acknowledgment of Solicitation Amendments (SF-30), if any.

5. A completed copy of FAR 52.209-11 and the representations and certifications at FAR 52.212-3 starting on page 13 of this solicitation

6. Submit no more than three past performance references similar in size and scope and completed or in progress within the last three years for meeting this requirement

7. Address technical capability in meeting the requirement per the Statement of Work.

All responsible sources may submit a quotation which shall be considered by the agency. Quotes must be submitted via electronic means (e-mail) by 11:00 A.M. Eastern on March 20, 2017; any award resulting from this RFQ will be made based on technical capability, past performance, and price. Quotes must be submitted electronically via e-mail to Kelly.Parr@noaa.gov.

All questions must be submitted in writing to Kelly.Parr@noaa.gov by 11:00 A.M. Eastern on March 15, 2017. Telephonic requests will not be honored. The anticipated award date is on or about April 1, 2017. Contractors are encouraged to register with the FedBizOpps Vendor Notification Service as well as the Interested Vendors List for this acquisition (see applicable tab within FedBizOpps where this synopsis/solicitation is posted). Quoters must be registered in the SAM database to be considered for award. Registration is free and can be completed on-line at http://www.sam.gov/.

NOAA/NMFS Office of Sustainable Fisheries

Highly Migratory Species Management Division

Statement of Work

Facilitator

BACKGROUND

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq., as amended by the Sustainable Fisheries Act, Public Law 104-297, provided for the establishment of an Advisory Panel to assist in the collection and evaluation of information relevant to the development of any Fishery Management Plan (FMP) or FMP amendment for Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS). The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) consults with and considers the comments and views of the HMS Advisory Panel when preparing and implementing FMPs or FMP amendments for Atlantic tunas, swordfish, sharks, and billfish.

NMFS generally conducts twice annual meetings of the Atlantic HMS Advisory Panel during which alternatives are considered for the conservation and management of HMS. Sometimes, an additional, shorter, meeting is necessary to consult with the HMS Advisory Panel if consultation on an FMP amendment cannot take place during the two annual meetings. The HMS Advisory Panel meetings bring together representatives from various interests including commercial fishers, recreational fishers, environmental organizations, academia, and the public who provide valuable input, advice and constituent concerns to HMS fishery managers. The topics discussed at these meetings may be as diverse as non-HMS fisheries, environmental pressures, international and domestic regulations, protected resources, and new technology with fishery management, data collections, fishing procedures or gears. All topics have the common element of affecting, or potentially affecting, the fisheries of Atlantic tunas, swordfish, sharks, and billfish.

NMFS will need professional facilitation support in running the HMS Advisory Panel meeting and ensuring all interested parties have the opportunity to provide advice and comments to the Agency.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Office of Sustainable Fisheries (OSF) is a Headquarters program office of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service. OSF works to manage fish stocks important to commercial, recreational and subsistence fisheries through guidance and support of Regional Offices and Regional Fishery Management Councils. OSF also strives to facilitate effective communication between and among constituents.

The Atlantic HMS Management Division of NMFS manages fisheries for Atlantic HMS, including tunas, sharks, swordfish and billfish. Management of HMS fisheries requires international cooperation, and rebuilding programs must reflect traditional participation in the fisheries by U.S. fishermen, relative to foreign fleets. Along with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, U.S. fisheries management must be consistent with the requirements of other laws including the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and several other Federal laws.

The HMS Advisory Panel is group of approximately 50 representatives with diverse backgrounds and interests such as fishery management, recreational and commercial fisheries, academics, and environmentalists. The potential exists for discussions to become contentious; to mitigate this, neutral third-party facilitation is utilized to better ensure a fair and inclusive multi-party deliberative process. This leads to increased stakeholder satisfaction with the process and successful team deliberations.

OBJECTIVE

The Contractor shall provide professional facilitation services for the NMFS, HMS Management Division (F/SF1) Advisory Panel meetings scheduled to be held at an as yet to be determined venue in or near Silver Spring, MD. The role of the facilitator is to remain impartial to all interests while ensuring discussions remain constructive, productive, professional, and on subject. The Contractor shall provide materials, equipment, supplies and all other items necessary to fully perform the requirements specified in this statement of work. Prior to convening meetings, the Contractor shall meet with NMFS staff to discuss the requirements of this order. The Contractor shall be required to provide informal verbal progress reports as frequently as deemed necessary by NMFS staff. The Contractor activities shall be performed in close cooperation and coordination with NMFS staff.

STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE

The contractor must have demonstrated experience and in-depth knowledge of Atlantic HMS fisheries issues, including specific knowledge of the fishing gears used, and of commercial and recreational fishing operations. The contractor must have this background knowledge to understand how changes to Atlantic HMS fishing regulations have the potential to have financial impacts to commercial and recreational fishing operations. The contractor must be able to speak intelligently to these issues and diffuse potential points of conflict to collect productive comments from the Advisory Panel in a very limited amount of time. This knowledge is also important so that the contractor can identify if points that are being brought up are relevant to the topic at hand. The contractor must be able to limit superfluous discussions and redirect quickly to the topic at hand. The contractor must also be familiar with who the members of the Advisory Panel represent (e.g., commercial and recreational fishing communities, state government, environmental organizations), what their roles are, and what their motivations are in regards to Atlantic HMS regulations. The contractor must have experience working with large (40 or more), diverse groups of people to provide a fair and inclusive environment during stressful and contentious discussions. The contractor must have experience working in smaller, breakout groups (less than 20) where very specific Atlantic HMS fisheries issues are addressed. The contractor must have demonstrated the ability to engage different personalities including engaging persons who would otherwise remain silent, and persons who are forceful and aggressive. The contractor must have demonstrated the ability to provide opportunities for all persons to express their opinions on the topic at hand, in a limited timeframe, while also keeping the discussion constructive and keeping to the meeting agenda. The contractor must have experience engaging various HMS Advisory Panel members in different fora. Also, previous experience successfully facilitating HMS Advisory Panel meetings is highly desirable.

ACTIVITIES/DELIVERABLES

The following tasks are required for all HMS Advisory Panel meetings:

· Task 1: This task is to be done at least several days before the HMS Advisory Panel meeting. Review available background materials including documents and websites. Participate in briefing discussions with NMFS staff, which generally consist of one or two conference calls that last approximately one hour each. The briefing should ensure the facilitator is aware of any potential issues with the Advisory Panel members. The facilitator should raise any questions about the background documents to ensure they understands any potentially contentious issues. Based on background materials and the draft agenda, the contractor will provide guidance on how to run the meeting in order to encourage full stakeholder participation and achieve any other goals of NMFS staff.

· Task 2: Actively facilitate each meeting (meetings are generally 2-3 days in length). This task could involve travel to and from the Silver Spring, MD metro area and lodging and per diem. The facilitator must:

· Understand the issues to be discussed with the Advisory Panel and the goal of each discussion.

· Be aware of key personalities on the Advisory Panel.

· Ensure full participation by all Advisory Panel members, including by calling on members.

· Be able to end discussions in order to maintain the scheduled agenda.

· Moderate heated discussions on contentious topics.

· Be able to summarize key themes and issues that were discussed.

· Meet informally during the meeting with NMFS staff as needed to gauge how the discussions are going and whether the schedule should be modified.

· Be able to moderate changes in the agenda as a result of discussions with NMFS staff.

· Be able to moderate discussions with Advisory Panel members, NMFS staff, or members of the public over the phone and online.

· Provide materials, equipment, supplies and all other items necessary to fully perform the requirements specified herein.

· Task 3: When requested, provide additional facilitators for part of any meeting in order to moderate any break out sessions. Additional facilitators must follow tasks 1 and 2, above, for the break out sessions.

· Task 4: After the meeting, participate in a conference call with NMFS staff. This conference call will include a discussion of significant points of the Advisory Panel meeting and changes to consider for the next meeting.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

DC Metro Area around Silver Spring, MD

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

· Spring 2017: Advisory Panel meeting will last for 3 days from approximately 8:30 am to 6:00 pm. Dates are May 9 - 11 for the Spring 2017 meeting. The dates are usually established by February, and the meeting is usually conducted sometime in March, April, or May.

· Fall 2017: Advisory Panel meeting will likely be 3 days from approximately 8:30 am to 6:00 pm. Dates are TBD; the dates are usually established by August, and the meeting is usually conducted in early to mid-September.

· Four option years that include Spring and Fall meetings over the same time periods as indicated above occurring in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Evaluation Factors – HMS Advisory Panel Facilitation

The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible Contractor whose quotation conforms best to the solicitation. The following factors will be used for the evaluation. These best value evaluation factors while relatively equal are listed in order of importance

(1) Technical Capability - Provide sufficient information to demonstrate ability to meet the Government's requirement, which includes the following:

· In-depth knowledge of commercial and recreational fisheries for Atlantic Highly Migratory Species. This includes understanding operational and logistical aspects of these fisheries and terms-of-art specific to these fisheries to be able to ask technically specific questions and conduct technically specific discussions on proposed and current fishing regulations.

· Facilitating large, non-consensus groups of over 40 people with extremely diverse opinions of Atlantic HMS fishery issues, and also smaller groups of less than 20 people on more specific Atlantic HMS fishery issues, in one meeting.

· Expertise in engaging all members of a large, non-consensus group (over 40 people) to collect constructive comments on current and proposed Atlantic HMS fishing regulations in a limited time period. This includes members that are hesitant to speak and members with strong, aggressive personalities. This also includes the ability to diffuse personal attacks, and limit superfluous discussions to keep the Advisory Panel discussion on the topic at hand and within the time limits of the meeting agenda.

· Expertise in facilitating meetings regarding proposed fishing regulations that potentially could have negative financial impacts on Advisory Panel members or the people that they represent.

(2) Past Performance - Provide a list of contacts, including phone numbers, to allow NMFS to evaluate a vendor's past performance in successfully accomplishing activities for three related/similar activities to those identified in the Statement of Work. If the Contractor has facilitated the HMS Advisory Panel meeting in the past, performance factors such as how the Contractor managed the group discussion periods, kept to the agenda timeline, and created a conducive environment for collecting relevant comments, among others, will be assessed and considered.

(3) Relational Price – The Contractor shall provide its price structure based on an hourly rate for facilitator services, including time spent preparing for the meeting and travel costs.

CONTRACT CLAUSES

The following FAR clauses are provided in full text:

FAR 52.203-99 PROHIBITION ON CONTRACTING WITH ENTITIES THAT REQUIRE CERTAIN INTERNAL CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENTS (DEVIATION 2015-02)

(a) The Contractor shall not require employees or subcontractors seeking to report fraud, waste, or abuse to sign or comply with internal confidentiality agreements or statements prohibiting or otherwise restricting such employees or subcontractors from lawfully reporting such waste, fraud, or abuse to a designated investigative or law enforcement representative of a Federal department or agency authorized to receive such information.

(b) The contractor shall notify employees that the prohibitions and restrictions of any internal confidentiality agreements covered by this clause are no longer in effect.

(c) The prohibition in paragraph (a) of this clause does not contravene requirements applicable to Standard Form 312, Form 4414, or any other form issued by a Federal department or agency governing the nondisclosure of classified information.

(d) (1) In accordance with section 743 of Division E, Title VII, of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Resolution Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235), use of funds appropriated (or otherwise made available) under that or any other Act may be prohibited, if the Government determines that the Contractor is not in compliance with the provisions of this clause.

(2) The Government may seek any available remedies in the event the Contractor fails to comply with the provisions of this clause.

(End of clause)

52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders—Commercial Items.

Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders—Commercial Items (Jan 2017)

(a) The Contractor shall comply with the following Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clauses, which are incorporated in this contract by reference, to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items:

(1) 52.209-10, Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations (Nov 2015).

(2) 52.233-3, Protest After Award (Aug 1996) (31 U.S.C. 3553).

(3) 52.233-4, Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim (Oct 2004)(Public Laws 108-77 and 108-78 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note)).

(b) The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph (b) that the Contracting Officer has indicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items:

__ (1) 52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government (Sept 2006), with Alternate I (Oct 1995) (41 U.S.C. 4704 and 10 U.S.C. 2402).

__ (2) 52.203-13, Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct (Oct 2015) (41 U.S.C. 3509)).

__ (3) 52.203-15, Whistleblower Protections under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (June 2010) (Section 1553 of Pub. L. 111-5). (Applies to contracts funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.)

xx (4) 52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (Oct 2016) (Pub. L. 109-282) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).

__ (5) [Reserved].

__ (6) 52.204-14, Service Contract Reporting Requirements (Oct 2016) (Pub. L. 111-117, section 743 of Div. C).

__ (7) 52.204-15, Service Contract Reporting Requirements for Indefinite-Delivery Contracts (Oct 2016) (Pub. L. 111-117, section 743 of Div. C).

xx (8) 52.209-6, Protecting the Government’s Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment. (Oct 2015) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).

__ (9) 52.209-9, Updates of Publicly Available Information Regarding Responsibility Matters (Jul 2013) (41 U.S.C. 2313).

__ (10) [Reserved].

__ (11)(i) 52.219-3, Notice of HUBZone Set-Aside or Sole-Source Award (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 657a).

__ (ii) Alternate I (Nov 2011) of 52.219-3.

__ (12)(i) 52.219-4, Notice of Price Evaluation Preference for HUBZone Small Business Concerns (Oct 2014) (if the offeror elects to waive the preference, it shall so indicate in its offer) (15 U.S.C. 657a).

__ (ii) Alternate I (Jan 2011) of 52.219-4.

__ (13) [Reserved] xx (14)(i) 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 644).

__ (ii) Alternate I (Nov 2011).

__ (iii) Alternate II (Nov 2011).

__ (15)(i) 52.219-7, Notice of Partial Small Business Set-Aside (June 2003) (15 U.S.C. 644).

__ (ii) Alternate I (Oct 1995) of 52.219-7.

__ (iii) Alternate II (Mar 2004) of 52.219-7.

__ (16) 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (Nov 2016) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(2) and (3)).

__ (17)(i) 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan (Nov 2016) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(4)).

__ (ii) Alternate I (Nov 2016) of 52.219-9.

__ (iii) Alternate II (Nov 2016) of 52.219-9.

__ (iv) Alternate III (Nov 2016) of 52.219-9.

__ (v) Alternate IV (Nov 2016) of 52.219-9.

__ (18) 52.219-13, Notice of Set-Aside of Orders (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 644(r)).

__ (19) 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 637(a)(14)).

__ (20) 52.219-16, Liquidated Damages—Subcon-tracting Plan (Jan 1999) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(4)(F)(i)).

__ (21) 52.219-27, Notice of Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 657 f).

xx (22) 52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Rerepresentation (Jul 2013) (15 U.S.C. 632(a)(2)).

__ (23) 52.219-29, Notice of Set-Aside for, or Sole Source Award to, Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business Concerns (Dec 2015) (15 U.S.C. 637(m)).

__ (24) 52.219-30, Notice of Set-Aside for, or Sole Source Award to, Women-Owned Small Business Concerns Eligible Under the Women-Owned Small Business Program (Dec 2015) (15 U.S.C. 637(m)).

xx (25) 52.222-3, Convict Labor (June 2003) (E.O. 11755).

__ (26) 52.222-19, Child Labor—Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies (Oct 2016) (E.O. 13126).

xx (27) 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Apr 2015).

xx (28) 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Sept 2016) (E.O. 11246).

__ (29) 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (Oct 2015)(38 U.S.C. 4212).

xx (30) 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (Jul 2014) (29 U.S.C. 793).

__ (31) 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans (Feb 2016) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

__ (32) 52.222-40, Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act (Dec 2010) (E.O. 13496).

xx (33)(i) 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (Mar 2015) (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 and E.O. 13627).

__ (ii) Alternate I (Mar 2015) of 52.222-50 (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 and E.O. 13627).

__ (34) 52.222-54, Employment Eligibility Verification (Oct 2015). (Executive Order 12989). (Not applicable to the acquisition of commercially available off-the-shelf items or certain other types of commercial items as prescribed in 22.1803.)

__ (35) 52.222-59, Compliance with Labor Laws (Executive Order 13673) (Oct 2016). (Applies at $50 million for solicitations and resultant contracts issued from October 25, 2016 through April 24, 2017; applies at $500,000 for solicitations and resultant contracts issued after April 24, 2017).

Note to paragraph (b)(35): By a court order issued on October 24, 2016, 52.222-59 is enjoined indefinitely as of the date of the order. The enjoined paragraph will become effective immediately if the court terminates the injunction. At that time, GSA, DoD and NASA will publish a document in the Federal Register advising the public of the termination of the injunction.

__ (36) 52.222-60, Paycheck Transparency (Executive Order 13673) (OCT 2016).

__ (37)(i) 52.223-9, Estimate of Percentage of Recovered Material Content for EPA–Designated Items (May 2008) (42 U.S.C. 6962(c)(3)(A)(ii)). (Not applicable to the acquisition of commercially available off-the-shelf items.)

__ (ii) Alternate I (May 2008) of 52.223-9 (42 U.S.C. 6962(i)(2)(C)). (Not applicable to the acquisition of commercially available off-the-shelf items.)

__ (38) 52.223-11, Ozone-Depleting Substances and High Global Warming Potential Hydrofluorocarbons (Jun 2016) (E.O. 13693).

__ (39) 52.223-12, Maintenance, Service, Repair, or Disposal of Refrigeration Equipment and Air Conditioners (Jun 2016) (E.O. 13693).

__ (40)(i) 52.223-13, Acquisition of EPEAT®-Registered Imaging Equipment (Jun 2014) (E.O.s 13423 and 13514).

__ (ii) Alternate I (Oct 2015) of 52.223-13.

__ (41)(i) 52.223-14, Acquisition of EPEAT®-Registered Televisions (Jun 2014) (E.O.s 13423 and 13514).

__ (ii) Alternate I (Jun 2014) of 52.223-14.

__ (42) 52.223-15, Energy Efficiency in Energy-Consuming Products (Dec 2007) (42 U.S.C. 8259b).

__ (43)(i) 52.223-16, Acquisition of EPEAT®-Registered Personal Computer Products (Oct 2015) (E.O.s 13423 and 13514).

__ (ii) Alternate I (Jun 2014) of 52.223-16.

xx (44) 52.223-18, Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (Aug 2011) (E.O. 13513).

__ (45) 52.223-20, Aerosols (Jun 2016) (E.O. 13693).

__ (46) 52.223-21, Foams (Jun 2016) (E.O. 13693).

__ (47) 52.225-1, Buy American—Supplies (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 83).

__ (48)(i) 52.225-3, Buy American—Free Trade Agreements—Israeli Trade Act (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 83, 19 U.S.C. 3301 note, 19 U.S.C. 2112 note, 19 U.S.C. 3805 note, 19 U.S.C. 4001 note, Pub. L. 103-182, 108-77, 108-78, 108-286, 108-302, 109-53, 109-169, 109-283, 110-138, 112-41, 112-42, and 112-43.

__ (ii) Alternate I (May 2014) of 52.225-3.

__ (iii) Alternate II (May 2014) of 52.225-3.

__ (iv) Alternate III (May 2014) of 52.225-3.

__ (49) 52.225-5, Trade Agreements (Oct 2016) (19 U.S.C. 2501, et seq., 19 U.S.C. 3301 note).

xx (50) 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (June 2008) (E.O.’s, proclamations, and statutes administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury).

__ (51) 52.225-26, Contractors Performing Private Security Functions Outside the United States (Oct 2016) (Section 862, as amended, of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008; 10 U.S.C. 2302 Note).

__ (52) 52.226-4, Notice of Disaster or Emergency Area Set-Aside (Nov 2007) (42 U.S.C. 5150).

__ (53) 52.226-5, Restrictions on Subcontracting Outside Disaster or Emergency Area (Nov 2007) (42 U.S.C. 5150).

__ (54) 52.232-29, Terms for Financing of Purchases of Commercial Items (Feb 2002) (41 U.S.C. 4505, 10 U.S.C. 2307(f)).

__ (55) 52.232-30, Installment Payments for Commercial Items (Oct 1995) (41 U.S.C. 4505, 10 U.S.C. 2307(f)).

xx (56) 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer—System for Award Management (Jul 2013) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

__ (57) 52.232-34, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer—Other than System for Award Management (Jul 2013) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

__ (58) 52.232-36, Payment by Third Party (May 2014) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

__ (59) 52.239-1, Privacy or Security Safeguards (Aug 1996) (5 U.S.C. 552a).

__ (60)(i) 52.247-64, Preference for Privately Owned U.S.-Flag Commercial Vessels (Feb 2006) (46 U.S.C. Appx. 1241(b) and 10 U.S.C. 2631).

__ (ii) Alternate I (Apr 2003) of 52.247-64.

(c) The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph (c), applicable to commercial services, that the Contracting Officer has indicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items:

[Contracting Officer check as appropriate.]

__ (1) 52.222-17, Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers (May 2014)(E.O. 13495).

__ (2) 52.222-41, Service Contract Labor Standards (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

__ (3) 52.222-42, Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires (May 2014) (29 U.S.C. 206 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

__ (4) 52.222-43, Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Labor Standards-Price Adjustment (Multiple Year and Option Contracts) (May 2014) (29 U.S.C. 206 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

__ (5) 52.222-44, Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Labor Standards—Price Adjustment (May 2014) (29 U.S.C. 206 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

__ (6) 52.222-51, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Maintenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment—Requirements (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

__ (7) 52.222-53, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain Services—Requirements (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

__ (8) 52.222-55, Minimum Wages Under Executive Order 13658 (Dec 2015).

__ (9) 52.222-62, Paid Sick Leave Under Executive Order 13706 (JAN 2017) (E.O. 13706).

__ (10) 52.226-6, Promoting Excess Food Donation to Nonprofit Organizations (May 2014) (42 U.S.C. 1792).

__ (11) 52.237-11, Accepting and Dispensing of $1 Coin (Sept 2008) (31 U.S.C. 5112(p)(1)).

(d) Comptroller General Examination of Record. The Contractor shall comply with the provisions of this paragraph (d) if this contract was awarded using other than sealed bid, is in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold, and does not contain the clause at 52.215-2, Audit and Records—Negotiation.

(1) The Comptroller General of the United States, or an authorized representative of the Comptroller General, shall have access to and right to examine any of the Contractor’s directly pertinent records involving transactions related to this contract.

(2) The Contractor shall make available at its offices at all reasonable times the records, materials, and other evidence for examination, audit, or reproduction, until 3 years after final payment under this contract or for any shorter period specified in FAR subpart 4.7, Contractor Records Retention, of the other clauses of this contract. If this contract is completely or partially terminated, the records relating to the work terminated shall be made available for 3 years after any resulting final termination settlement. Records relating to appeals under the disputes clause or to litigation or the settlement of claims arising under or relating to this contract shall be made available until such appeals, litigation, or claims are finally resolved.

(3) As used in this clause, records include books, documents, accounting procedures and practices, and other data, regardless of type and regardless of form. This does not require the Contractor to create or maintain any record that the Contractor does not maintain in the ordinary course of business or pursuant to a provision of law.

(e)(1) Notwithstanding the requirements of the clauses in paragraphs (a), (b), (c), and (d) of this clause, the Contractor is not required to flow down any FAR clause, other than those in this paragraph (e)(1) in a subcontract for commercial items. Unless otherwise indicated below, the extent of the flow down shall be as required by the clause—

(i) 52.203-13, Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct (Oct 2015) (41 U.S.C. 3509).

(ii) 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (Nov 2016) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(2) and (3)), in all subcontracts that offer further subcontracting opportunities. If the subcontract (except subcontracts to small business concerns) exceeds $700,000 ($1.5 million for construction of any public facility), the subcontractor must include 52.219-8 in lower tier subcontracts that offer subcontracting opportunities.

(iii) 52.222-17, Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers (May 2014) (E.O. 13495). Flow down required in accordance with paragraph (l) of FAR clause 52.222-17.

(iv) 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Apr 2015)

(v) 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Sept 2016) (E.O. 11246).

(vi) 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (Oct 2015) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

(vii) 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (Jul 2014) (29 U.S.C. 793).

(viii) 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans (Feb 2016) (38 U.S.C. 4212)

(ix) 52.222-40, Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act (Dec 2010) (E.O. 13496). Flow down required in accordance with paragraph (f) of FAR clause 52.222-40.

(x) 52.222-41, Service Contract Labor Standards (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

(xi)

52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (Mar 2015) (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 and E.O 13627). Alternate I (Mar 2015) of 52.222-50 (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 and E.O 13627).

(xii) 52.222-51, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Maintenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment-Requirements (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

(xiii) 52.222-53, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain Services-Requirements (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

(xiv) 52.222-54, Employment Eligibility Verification (Oct 2015) (E.O. 12989).

(xv) 52.222-55, Minimum Wages Under Executive Order 13658 (Dec 2015).

(xvi) 52.222-59, Compliance with Labor Laws (Executive Order 13673) (Oct 2016) (Applies at $50 million for solicitations and resultant contracts issued from October 25, 2016 through April 24, 2017; applies at $500,000 for solicitations and resultant contracts issued after April 24, 2017).

Note to paragraph (e)(1)(xvi): By a court order issued on October 24, 2016, 52.222-59 is enjoined indefinitely as of the date of the order. The enjoined paragraph will become effective immediately if the court terminates the injunction. At that time, GSA, DoD and NASA will publish a document in the Federal Register advising the public of the termination of the injunction.

(xvii) 52.222-60, Paycheck Transparency (Executive Order 13673) (Oct 2016)).

(xviii) 52.222-62, Paid Sick Leave Under Executive Order 13706 (JAN 2017) (E.O. 13706).

(xix) 52.225-26, Contractors Performing Private Security Functions Outside the United States (Oct 2016) (Section 862, as amended, of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008; 10 U.S.C. 2302 Note).

(xx) 52.226-6, Promoting Excess Food Donation to Nonprofit Organizations (May 2014) (42 U.S.C. 1792). Flow down required in accordance with paragraph (e) of FAR clause 52.226-6.

(xxi) 52.247-64, Preference for Privately Owned U.S.-Flag Commercial Vessels (Feb 2006) (46 U.S.C. Appx. 1241(b) and 10 U.S.C. 2631). Flow down required in accordance with paragraph (d) of FAR clause 52.247-64.

(2) While not required, the Contractor may include in its subcontracts for commercial items a minimal number of additional clauses necessary to satisfy its contractual obligations.

(End of Clause)

52.217-8, Option to Extend Services. (Nov 1999) The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within 5 days.

(End of Clause)

FAR 52.217-9 -- Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (Mar 2000)

(a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor within 5 days; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 10 days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension.

(b) If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this option clause.

(c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed five (5) years and six (6) months.

(End of Clause)

FAR 52.252-2, CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this address: http://farsite.hill.af.mil/.

The following contract clauses are incorporated by reference:

FAR 52.204-13, System for Award Management Maintenance (JUL 2013)

FAR 52.214-4, Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Items (MAY 2015)

FAR 52.232-39, Unenforceability of Unauthorized Obligations (JUN 2013)

FAR 52.232-40, Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (DEC 2013)

CAR 1352.201-70 Contracting Officer's Authority (APR 2010)

CAR 1352.209-73 Compliance with the Laws (APR 2010)

CAR 1352.209-74 Organizational Conflict of Interest (APR 2010) FAR 52.252-6 -- Authorized Deviations in Clauses (APR 1984)

(a) The use in this solicitation or contract of any Federal Acquisition Regulation (48 CFR Chapter 1) clause with an authorized deviation is indicated by the addition of “(DEVIATION)” after the date of the clause.

(b) The use in this solicitation or contract of any Commerce Acquisition Regulation (48 CFR 13) clause with an authorized deviation is indicated by the addition of “(DEVIATION)” after the name of the regulation.

(End of Clause)

The following CAR clauses are included in full text:

CAR 1352.201-72, Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) (APR 2010)

(a) (To be provided at time of award) is hereby designated as the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). The COR may be changed at any time by the Government without prior notice to the contractor by a unilateral modification to the contract.

(b) The responsibilities and limitations of the COR are as follows:

(1) The COR is responsible for the technical aspects of the contract and serves as technical liaison with the contractor. The COR is also responsible for the final inspection and acceptance of all deliverables and such other responsibilities as may be specified in the contract.

(2) The COR is not authorized to make any commitments or otherwise obligate the Government or authorize any changes which affect the contract price, terms or conditions. Any contractor request for changes shall be referred to the Contracting Officer directly or through the COR. No such changes shall be made without the express written prior authorization of the Contracting Officer. The Contracting Officer may designate assistant or alternate COR(s) to act for the COR by naming such assistant/alternate(s) in writing and transmitting a copy of such designation to the contractor.

(End of Clause)

CAR 1352.246-70 Place of acceptance (APR 2010)

(a) The Contracting Officer or the duly authorized representative will accept supplies and services to be provided under this contract.

(b) The place of acceptance will be:

NMFS Office of Sustainable Fisheries

HI MIG Species Mgmt Div F/SF1

1315 E-W Hwy, SSMC-3 RM 13458

Silver Spring, MD 20910

CAR 1352.270-70 Period of performance (APR 2010)

(a) The base period of performance of this contract is from April 1, 2017 through March 31, 2018. If an option is exercised, the period of performance shall be extended through the end of that option period.

(b) The option periods that may be exercised are as follows:

(c) The notice requirements for unilateral exercise of option periods are set out in FAR 52.217–9.

(End of clause) The following NOAA Acquisition Manual (NAM) clause is included in full text:

NAM 1330-52.237-70 CONTRACTOR COMMUNICATIONS

(a) A contractor employee shall be identified both by the individual’s name and the contractor’s name when:

(1) Included in NOAA’s locator, and

(2) When submitting any type of electronic correspondence to any NOAA employee or stakeholder.

(b) Any written correspondence from a contractor or any contractor employee shall be printed on company/organization letterhead or otherwise clearly identify the sender as an employee of the company or organization and shall identify the contract number.

(c) Contractors and/or contractor employees shall clearly identify themselves as such in any verbal communications, whether in informal discussion or a formal meeting.

NOAA ACQUISITION AND GRANTS OFFICE OMBUDSMAN (OCT 2016)

a. The NOAA Acquisition and Grants Office (AGO) Ombudsman is available to organizations to promote responsible and meaningful exchanges of information. Generally, the purpose of these exchanges will be to:

1. Allow contractors to better prepare for and propose on business opportunities.

2. Advise as to technologies and solutions within the marketplace that the Government may not be aware of, or is not fully benefiting from.

3. Identify constraints in transparency and process.

b. The AGO Ombudsman will objectively, reasonably, and responsibly collaborate with parties and recommend fair, impartial, and constructive solutions to the matters presented to him/her. Further, the AGO Ombudsman will maintain the reasonable and responsible confidentiality of the source of a concern, when such a request has been formally made by an authorized officer of an organization seeking to do business with, or already doing business with NOAA.

c. Before consulting with the AGO Ombudsman, interested parties must first address their concerns,issues, disagreements, and/or recommendations with the respective contracting officer for resolution. However, direct access to the AGO Ombudsman may be sought when an interested party questions the objectivity or equity of a contracting officer’s decision, or when there is a bona fide reason to believe that reasonable, responsible, and objective consideration will not be received from an assigned contracting officer.

d. There are several constraints to the scope of the AGO Ombudsman’s authority, for instance:

1. Consulting with the AGO Ombudsman does not alter or postpone the timelines of any formal process (e.g., protests, claims, debriefings, employee employer actions, activities involving A76 competition performance decisions, judicial or congressional hearings, or proposal, amendment, modification or deliverable due dates, etc.).

2. The AGO Ombudsman cannot participate in the evaluation of proposals, source selection processes, or the adjudication of protests or formal contract disputes.

3. The AGO Ombudsman is not authorized to generate or alter laws, judicial decisions, rules, policies, or formal guidance.

4. The AGO Ombudsman is not authorized to develop or alter opportunity announcements, solicitations, contracts, or their terms or conditions.

5. The AGO Ombudsman cannot overrule the authorized decisions or determinations of the contracting officer.

6. The AGO Ombudsman has no authority to render a decision that binds AGO, NOAA, the Department of Commerce, or the U.S. Government.

7. The AGO Ombudsman is not NOAA’s agent relative to the service of magistrate or judicial process and cannot be used to extend service of process to another party (whether federal, public, or a private entity).

e. After review and analysis of a filed concern or recommendation, the AGO Ombudsman may refer the interested party to another more suitable federal official for consideration. Moreover, concerns, disagreements, and/or recommendations that cannot be resolved by the AGO Ombudsman will need to be pursued through more formal venues.

f. The AGO Ombudsman is not to be contacted to request copies of forms and/or documents under the purview of a contracting officer. Such documents include Requests for Information, solicitations, amendments, contracts, modifications, or conference materials.

g. Questions regarding this solicitation and contract language shall be directed to Rafael Roman, NOAA AGO Ombudsman, at Rafael.Roman@noaa.gov.

(End of solicitation and contract language)

SOLICITATION PROVISIONS

The following solicitation provisions are provided in full text:

FAR 52.203-98, Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements—Representation (FEB 2015)

(a) In accordance with section 743 of Division E, Title VII, of the Consolidated and

Further Continuing Resolution Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235), Government agencies are not permitted to use funds appropriated (or otherwise made available) under that or any other Act for contracts with an entity that requires employees or subcontractors of such entity seeking to report fraud, waste, or abuse to sign internal confidentiality agreements or statements prohibiting or otherwise restricting such employees or subcontractors from lawfully reporting such waste, fraud, or abuse to a designated investigative or law enforcement representative of a Federal department or agency authorized to receive such information.

(b) The prohibition in paragraph (a) of this provision does not contravene requirements applicable to Standard Form 312, Form 4414, or any other form issued by a Federal department or agency governing the nondisclosure of classified information.

(c) Representation. By submission of its offer, the Offeror represents that it does not require employees or subcontractors of such entity seeking to report fraud, waste, or abuse to sign internal confidentiality agreements or statements prohibiting or otherwise restricting such employees or subcontractors from lawfully reporting such waste, fraud, or abuse to a designated investigative or law enforcement representative of a Federal department or agency authorized to receive such information.

(End of provision)

FAR 52.209-11 – Representation by Corporations Regarding Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction under any Federal Law (FEB 2016)

(a) As required by sections 744 and 745 of Division E of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L 113-235), and similar provisions, if contained in subsequent appropriations acts, the Government will not enter into a contract with any corporation that--

(1) Has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability, where the awarding agency is aware of the unpaid tax liability, unless an agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and made a determination that suspension or debarment is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government; or

(2) Was convicted of a felony criminal violation under any Federal law within the preceding 24 months, where the awarding agency is aware of the conviction, unless an agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and made a determination that this action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government.

(b) The Offeror represents that—

(1) It is [ ] is not [ ] a corporation that has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability; and

(2) It is [ ] is not [ ] a corporation that was convicted of a felony criminal violation under a Federal law within the preceding 24 months.

(End of provision)

FAR 52.212-2, EVALUATION--COMMERCIAL ITEMS (OCT 2014)

(a) 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, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: (1) Technical Capability (2) Past Performance (3) Price.

(1) Technical Capability – The Government will evaluate the offerors’ proposed method for accomplishing the tasks outlined in the Statement of Work in addition to their overall understanding of the requirements.

(2) Past Performance – The Government will evaluate an offeror’s past performance based on any of the following: 1.) The Contracting Officer’s knowledge of and/or previous experience with the offeror; 2.) Past performance questionnaires/surveys; and/or 3.) any other source. The offeror’s past performance will be evaluated based on the degree to which current and previous contract efforts indicate the probability of the offeror successfully accomplishing the requirement of the Statement of Work.

(3) Price – The Government will evaluate price for reasonableness

Technical capability and past performance, when combined, are more important than price.

(b) "Options." The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic 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).

(c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer's specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

(End of Provision) FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications -- Commercial Items. (JUL 2016) The offeror shall complete only paragraphs (b) of this provision if the Offeror has completed the annual representations and certification electronically via the System for Award Management (SAM) Web site accessed through http://www.sam.gov/portal. If the Offeror has not completed the annual representations and certifications electronically, the Offeror shall complete only paragraphs (c) through (r) of this provision.

(a) Definitions. As used in this provision--

“Economically disadvantaged women-owned small business (EDWOSB) concern” means a small business concern that is at least 51 percent directly and unconditionally owned by, and the management and daily business operations of which are controlled by, one or more women who are citizens of the United States and who are economically disadvantaged in accordance with 13 CFR part 127. It automatically qualifies as a women-owned small business eligible under the WOSB Program.

“Forced or indentured child labor” means all work or service—

(1) Exacted from any person under the age of 18 under the menace of any penalty for its nonperformance and for which the worker does not offer himself voluntarily; or

(2) Performed by any person under the age of 18 pursuant to a contract the enforcement of which can be accomplished by process or penalties.

“Highest-level owner” means the entity that owns or controls an immediate owner of the offeror, or that owns or controls one or more entities that control an immediate owner of the offeror. No entity owns or exercises control of the highest level owner.

“Immediate owner” means an entity, other than the offeror,…