Instructions_to_Offerors.docx

52.212-1 -- Instructions to Offerors -- Commercial Items (July 2013), by reference (see SF 1449, Block 27a)

Addendum to 52.212-1 General Proposal Instructions

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is being issued in accordance with procedures set forth in Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) 19.5 (Set-Asides for Small Business), 12 ( Acquisition of Commercial Items) and 15 (Contracting by Negotiation) utilizing North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code: 541611 entitled ― Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services. The U.S. Department of Education intends to award an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for technical support to perform the operations, sustainment, documentation, training, and enhancement of the Next Generation Professional Learning Portal, Content Integration and Technical Assistance requirement. This IDIQ contract will have an ordering period of five years. Any task order issued under this contract must be issued prior to the last day of the period of performance for the IDIQ contract and shall not exceed the period of performance of the IDIQ. All task orders issued under this IDIQ contract will be issued on a fixed-price basis.

At the time of award, the Government will award an IDIQ contract as well as Task Order 0001. The period of performance for Task Order 0001 is expected to be for one 12-month base year with three 12-month option years. The base year of Task Order 0001 will include all tasks included in the IDIQ contract. The Option years will include Tasks 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7. Tasks 5 and 6 will be issued as new Task Orders. The anticipated award date is September 1, 2014.

The offeror's submission shall consist of two volumes: Volume I: Technical Proposal and Volume II: Business Proposal. All information necessary to judge the technical soundness and management capabilities of the offeror will be contained in the technical proposal. The technical proposal shall NOT contain any reference to specific price, but resources information (e.g., staff hours) may be included so that the offeror's understanding of the scope of the work may be evaluated. The business proposal will contain all information related to the determination of the price associated with each of the project's tasks.

The Performance Work Statement (PWS), identified in Attachment A, provides the Government‘s overall objectives, tasks and requirements for this contract. The offeror is expected to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the performance objectives, tasks and requirements as specified in the PWS. The proposal should address the specifications in the PWS, not simply repeat the language.

Technical Proposal Instructions The Offeror shall submit documentation illustrating its approach for satisfying the requirements contained in this solicitation. Proposals must be clear, coherent, and prepared in sufficient detail for effective evaluation of the Offeror's proposal against the evaluation criteria. Proposals must clearly demonstrate how the Offeror intends to accomplish the requirements and must include convincing rationale and substantiation of all claims. Offerors should not expect the panel to make assumptions or guesses; proposals must be detailed and not vague. Unnecessarily elaborate brochures or other presentations beyond those sufficient to present a complete effective response to the solicitation are not desired. The technical proposal must disclose your technical approach in sufficient detail to provide a clear and concise presentation that includes, but is not limited to, the requirements of the technical proposal instructions. The proposal must be signed by an official authorized to bind your organization.

The technical proposal shall be limited to a maximum of 40 single-spaced pages using font size no smaller than 12 points. The page limit includes the narrative, and corresponding tables and graphics. Specifications pertaining to font and spacing do not apply to tables, figures, or exhibits. Any pages over 40 shall not be considered. The page limit excludes resumes and letters of agreements from subcontractor or partners, if any; however, resumes are limited to two pages per resume. Offerors shall follow the format and content requirements detailed below in preparing their technical proposals.

Volume I: Technical Proposal- No price information may be included in the technical volume. The technical volume shall consist of the following sections:

1. Cover sheet. Offerors shall attach a cover sheet to the outer cover of each volume, which clearly identifies each volume by volume number, volume name, and copy number (i.e., Volume I, Technical Proposal, copy 2 of 6), RFP number, date of submission, and the Offeror's name.

2. Table of Contents. The table of contents shall list sections, subsections and page numbers. Each volume shall contain a glossary of all abbreviations and acronyms used. Each acronym used shall be spelled out in the text the first time it appears in each proposal volume. The Table of Contents should provide a means of quickly accessing important points of discussion in the proposal.

3. Executive Summary. A one-page summary should be provided abstracting the proposal contents in language understandable to an informed layperson. The abstract shall indicate full acceptance of the PWS or specify any exception.

4. Technical Approach. Offerors shall describe a technical approach that demonstrates the Offeror's understanding of the requirements as specified in the PWS.

a. Describe Offeror's ability to accomplish the full scope of technical requirements anticipated to accomplish the tasks and objectives in the PWS.

b. Provide an organizational chart and proposed skills mix that clearly identifies the management, teams, and key positions to be utilized in meeting requirements under the contract.

c. Describe plan for responding to and managing multiple tasks of varying size and complexity simultaneously.

d. Demonstrate the ability to effectively team with subcontractors, teaming partners, and their clients.

e. Describe the project manager's role in the organization and indicate who on the team will have the prime responsibility for total coordination of all disciplines.

f. Describe overall corporate capabilities to accomplish the requirements and to provide best value services.

g. Describe the risks associated with the PWS and any risks associated with the Offeror's proposed technical approach; describe any techniques, methods, and actions that will be used by the offeror to mitigate the risk(s) identified in the PWS and in the offeror's proposed technical approach and provide an explanation of whether the techniques and methods identified for risk mitigation have been successfully used by the offeror.

h. SUBTASK 6.2-Y4Y Enhancements-. Offerors are encouraged to exercise independent judgment with respect to the enhancements of the current Y4Y Portal. The proposed enhancements should be innovative and ensure optional functionality, performance and reliability to enhance user experience. At the sole discretion of the Government, the offerors proposed approach to this optional subtask may be included in the contract.

5. Management Plan and Quality Control Plan. Offerors shall:

a. Provide a detailed Management Plan that will be followed during contract execution describing plans for oversight of the resultant contract. Describe procedures, processes and methods for tracing the progress of the project and interface with the Government from beginning to end.

b. Describe overall management approach with regard to organization, coordination, monitoring, and control of projects. Describe interface with on-site, home office, subcontractor operations, government project managers, contracting officials and inspectors demonstrating thorough understanding of the processes.

c. Include the proposed lines of responsibility, authority, and communication through which the tasks and deliverables as defined in the PWS will be managed.

d. Propose policies and procedures for managing and directing the effort for quality, cost control, and cost management.

e. Demonstrate a disciplined approach to the management and technical processes and procedures. Include a standard set of management and technical processes and procedures that follow an industry standard and accepted quality framework for IT management (as an example, but not limited to, ISO-9000, ITIL, CMM).

f. Describe and fully identify critical schedule and cost events correlated with the tasks and deliverables of the PWS.

g. Discuss the methods by which contract documentation will be protected and controlled.

h. Describe the planned application of essential resources to the execution of tasks and deliverables of the PWS.

i. Define the proposed organizational structure (including responsibilities and reporting structure) for the contract, how personnel will be assigned from task to task throughout the contractual period, and how the proposed project team will interface with both the offeror's corporate structure and the Government.

j. Identify the policies and procedures in place for verifying education and experience to ensure that resumes submitted for key personnel are current, complete, and accurate and the safeguards in place to ensure that personnel assigned to non-key labor categories meet the requirements of those labor categories.

k. Identify how management plans to handle surge requirements necessitating additional personnel as well as the replacement of personnel.

l. Describe the procedures to be taken to ensure quality and cost control. Describe quality control processes and methods, which will ensure only high service is accepted and provided to the Government on time.

m. Demonstrate ability to ensure consistent quality and availability of professional staff including any incentive programs in place designed to enhance employee retention.

n. Describe the tools/methods to be used to identify poor performing subcontractors and/or in-house personnel.

o. Describe frequency of inspection and how coordination with Government inspectors will be accomplished.

6. Personnel. The Contractor’s personnel shall include qualified supervisory, technical, and administrative personnel utilizing the appropriate number and type of labor categories to accomplish all work and services required by this contract within specified time frames.

Contracting staff shall be trained, qualified, certified, or licensed as required prior to starting work. The Government will not provide initial skills training to Contractor employees. The Contractor shall maintain records of training qualifications, certifications, and licenses. The Contractor shall maintain the workforce in such a manner as to ensure that the employees remain fully qualified to perform the work assigned. The Contractor shall ensure that work with team members and/or subcontractors appears seamless to the Government and fosters shared accountability and responsibility. Personnel performing under this contract shall be employees of the Contractor and not the Government.

Resumes for key personnel shall be submitted with the technical proposal. Key personnel include: Program/Project Manager, Lead Training Specialist, Lead Content Specialist, Technical Lead, Education Specialist, and Creative Lead.

Table 1 - Key Personnel Minimum Required Qualifications

· PMP (Project Management Professional) Certification or equivalent preferred.

· A minimum of five (5) years’ experience in project management.

· A minimum of five (5) years general experience in managing projects requiring the installation and integration of heterogeneous information systems platforms similar in scope to the Y4Y.

· A minimum of five (5) years of experience in managing the design, installation, and integration of IT systems.

· A minimum of three (3) years of experience coordinating and/supporting IT business processes.

· Strong Leadership, Communication & Coordination Skills to supervise activities of business analysts, design teams, developers, testers & other IT professionals throughout the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) process.

· Experience in performance based contracts.

· Program/Project Managers require scheduling and budgeting experience.

· Familiar with how adults learn, particularly through the online environment

· Familiar with the use of multiple instructional strategies that are used specifically through online and face-to-face training, education, and professional learning.

· Experience working with adults in a learning environment, both in the classroom as well as through the online environment.

· Extensive knowledge of applicable academic research.

· Familiar with current education reform efforts.

· Master’s Degree in Education or related field.

· Demonstrated experience in education program design, implementation, and management.

· A minimum of three (3) years of current experience occupying a project leader position in the software development industry.

· A minimum of five (5) years progressively responsible experience as an analyst/programmer.

· Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or related field.

· Demonstrated experience in structured design, structured programming, software testing, implementation and deployment of an application.

· Extensive knowledge of design and implementation of database systems.

· At least three years of general experience with concentrated hands-on experience in the disciplines required this PWS. The experience shall be with the equipment, software or other requirements specified in this PWS.

· Ability to provide support in less technical disciplines of IT, such as computer operations, moving and installing equipment, computer cabling, data entry and verification, media duplication, document control and software installation.

· Experience in preparing documentation including system and program specifications.

· Demonstrated written and oral communication skills.

· Works independently or as a member of a team.

· A minimum of two (2) consecutive full academic years of professional teaching experience

· A minimum of one (1) full academic year of professional administrative experience in a K-12 setting

· Demonstrated knowledge, skill and experience with uses of technology as used and applied in a K-12 setting

· Knowledge of 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants or other out-of-school time programs

· Demonstrated professional experience in planning, developing, evaluating and carrying out educational programs

· A minimum of five (5) years of experience in professional web and print design

· A minimum of two (2) years of experience in developing interactive, media rich, self-paced online courses for professional learning purposes.

· Proficiency in layout, typography, color theory and design principles

· Strong knowledge of web best practices and standards (UX/UI, site functionality, information architecture, responsive web design, technical languages, etc.).

· Experience with Learning Management Systems (LMS) and/online learning platforms.

· Basic knowledge and understanding of instructional design techniques and concepts.

Offerors shall:

a. Enumerate the personnel resources proposed. Describe minimum qualifications for each labor category included in the contract.

b. Identify key personnel and describe their qualifications, availability, company affiliation, corporate experience, roles, responsibilities, and relationships to the contract and its implementation. Provide resumes of key personnel in writing.

c. Provide a Manpower Utilization Matrix in labor category sequence by year for all personnel proposed for all labor categories in the format at Attachment B. The matrix does not count against the page limit. Subtotal the labor hours identified in the matrix for labor categories of both the prime and subcontractor(s). If an individual is proposed as a contingency hire, it must be so noted. A contingency hire is defined as an individual who has signed a commitment to work in the event that the contract is awarded to the Offeror. A new hire is defined as an unspecified person to fill a vacant position who is not identified as a current employee of the Offeror or as a contingency hire. Include all labor categories in the matrix and demonstrate an ability and present intention to provide personnel to commence work at the time of contract award.

d. Provide a signed letter of intent if the Offeror does not currently employ the proposed person.

e. Provide the following certification: I certify that each individual proposed as key personnel was contacted after the issue date of the solicitation and that each individual has confirmed that they are available for contract performance.‖ If the offeror proposes more than the number of personnel required in an individual category, the offeror should identify the percentage of effort that each person will be committed to in performance of that position under the contract and a resume shall be provided for each person proposed.

f. Ensure the following information, at a minimum, is included for each resume submitted: Education and relevant training; technical skills; professional certifications; positions held (dates); relevant work experience for the position; verifiable awards/accomplishments; security clearance level if applicable; and the percentage of time the proposed person will be dedicated to the contract.

7. Experience and Past Performance. This section should describe the offeror’s relevant past and current experience in conducting projects of a similar or comparable nature.

Brief summaries of such work should be submitted, including the names, current affiliations, and current telephone numbers appropriate references. Include also (1) vehicle number and type, (2) funding agency (DOL, HHS, etc.), (3) original dollar value and final dollar value (including options if a contract), (4) original completion date and final (or current) completion date, (5) description of the effort, (6) relevance of this work to this contract, (7) performance experience summary, (8)describe the scope of effort, (9) describe methodology and tools used, (10) describe the challenges in the effort and how they were overcome, and (11) describe why the effort is considered “successful.”

It is the responsibility of the offeror to ensure that telephone numbers and points of contact for references are current and accurate. Inability to contact references may figure negatively in any evaluation of past performance. The Government also reserves the right to obtain past performance information from other sources.

8. Use of Subcontractor and Consultants. Proposals may include plans to subcontract part of the work not to exceed 50% of the level of effort, provided that evidence is presented that any proposed subcontractor is fully capable of performing the assigned tasks, and that the offeror has effective control of the participation of the subcontractor(s) in the project. Proposal should identify the roles in which consultant should serve on this contract. Letter(s) by proposed subcontractors/consultants indicating willingness to serve, if selected, must be included with the offeror’s proposal.

Oral Presentations The oral presentation is required to be specific and relative to the evaluation criteria set forth in Section M. The presentation will not encompass price or cost. The Contracting Officer will schedule presentations with offerors as soon as possible after the determination of the competitive range. The order in which offerors will make their presentations will be determined by random selection. The Government reserves the right to reschedule presentations at the sole discretion of the Contracting Officer.

Offerors invited to give oral presentations will be provided a minimum of four (4) business days to prepare and provide their slides to ED. The offeror shall provide ED with a list of presenters, their firms, and positions at the time the slides are sent. The Program/Project Manager that the offeror proposes to assign to the Next Generation Professional Learning Portal, Content Integration and Technical Assistance Contract must be the lead presenter. All Key Personnel shall also present and be present. Other key staff members who will work on the tasks shall be present as well. The contractor understands that the orals may be videotaped or otherwise recorded by ED to be reviewed at a later time. Offerors are responsible for providing any audio-visual equipment (i.e. projectors) necessary for the presentation.

The purpose of the oral presentations is to evaluate the offeror's knowledge of the PWS requirements and the ability to fulfill them. During the oral presentation, Offerors must address the following topics in the order they are listed below. See Section M for a complete list of the technical evaluation factors.

· The Offeror's proposed solution

· The Offeror's proposed implementation plan

· The Offeror's proposed solution to the tasks identified in the technical approach

· Capabilities of Key Personnel, key staff, subcontractors and consultants

· Past Performance

Offerors will be given a two (2) hour window to perform their oral presentation to the Source Selection Evaluation Board (SSEB). This time limit shall be strictly enforced. After the presentation there shall be a break, during which the SSEB shall develop questions regarding the presentation. Following the break, offerors shall answer questions from the SSEB. The time required for questions and answers shall be in addition to the offeror's two (2) hour presentation.

Offerors must submit (7) copies of the slides, on 8 1/2 by 11-inch paper, that shall be used during the oral presentations. Offerors may not change their slides after the submission. The purpose of this restriction is to reassure offerors with regard to the integrity of the oral presentation process. The maximum number of slides an offeror may use is limited to sixty (60). The Department of Education shall not evaluate the slides as stand-alone documents.

The slides are intended to be strictly visual aids for the oral presentation. What the presenters say shall take precedence over what is contained on the slides.

Volume II: Business Proposal- It is anticipated that the Government shall only issue fixed price task orders under this IDIQ contract. Offerors to this solicitation shall structure their business proposal in a manner that will allow for a fair and equitable business evaluation of each discrete task and subtask across the IDIQ contract for the entire five year ordering period. The business proposal shall be submitted as a separate document from the Technical Proposal. It shall contain complete information in sufficient detail for the Government to make a fair and reasonable price determination. The Contracting Officer may reject a proposal if a negative determination is made, or if proposed prices are found not to be reasonable.

At the time of award, the Government will award an IDIQ contract as well as Task Order 0001. The period of performance for Task Order 0001 is expected to be for one 12-month base year with three 12-month option years. The base year of Task Order 0001 will include all tasks included in the IDIQ contract. The Option years will include Tasks 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7. Tasks 5 and 6 will be issued as new Task Orders, therefore, Tasks 5 and 6 shall only be proposed as fixed price for the Base Year of Task Order 0001 and as proposed Labor Categories with their prospective labor rates for all additional Task Orders.

The Business Proposal shall include:

1. The business proposal shall contain a section entitled “Pricing Schedule” that shall include a chart showing labor categories and loaded labor rates for each year of the IDIQ contract.

2. The business proposal shall provide a detailed cost build-up (including direct costs, indirect costs, labor categories, level of effort, labor rates, and profit/fee) . The cost build-up shall be presented by tasks and subtasks and shall include any applicable assumptions used to formulate the cost build-up. The business proposal shall contain a budget narrative that provides details and explains the justification for the composition of all proposed costs, direct and indirect, so that the Department can verify that the pricing proposed is fair and reasonable.

3. If subcontractors are proposed, a separate cost-build up should be submitted for each proposed subcontractor by task and subtask. These costs should also be included in the prime's total firm-fixed price. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.219-14(c)(1) requires that “At least 50 percent of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the concern.” The small business primary contractor must perform at least 50% of the labor, as measured by dollars (not hours). Please ensure that the Prime is proposing to do at least 50% of the labor, and subcontractors doing less than 50%. The business proposal shall include a chart showing labor costs for Prime and subcontractors

4. A spreadsheet describing labor rates of key personnel and number of hours proposed. The titles and rates of personnel proposed to work on this project should be provided. The labor mix and labor categories proposed should be consistent with the personnel proposed in the Technical Proposal.

5. The Business Proposal shall list the names and telephones numbers of persons authorized to conduct negotiations, and a statement to the effect that the offer submitted is firm for a period of at least 60 calendar days from the due date for proposals specified by the Government.

6. A proposed payment schedule based on contract deliverables.

Pricing for Optional Task 1.2.3 Execute Phase-Out Plan Offerors shall submit a complete price build-up to include the identification of proposed labor categories by named individuals, their functional category, level of effort, effective hourly rate, extended labor price, other direct costs (including the identification of any applicable indirect cost and how it is applied to other direct costs), and profit/fee to execute the phase-out whether the system is being transferred to a successor contractor, transferred to the Government, or whether the system is being retired.

Because the Government does not yet know when it will award this optional task, offerors shall provide a price for execution of the phase-out plan to begin at any time during the periods of performance. Specifically, the offeror shall provide a separate price with the expressly required detailed price build-up for transition during the Base Period, Option Year 1, Option Year 2, and Option Year 3. The Government will only be awarding one of these transition periods.

Pricing for Optional Task 6.2 Y4Y Enhancements Offerors provide a separate price build-up for this task to be consistent with the innovative approach provided in the technical quote. The complete price build-up for this task shall include the identification of proposed labor categories by named individuals, their functional category, level of effort, effective hourly rate, extended labor price, other direct costs (including the identification of any applicable indirect cost and how it is applied to other direct costs), and profit/fee. The price shall include any applicable assumptions used to formulate the price build-up.

Cost Information for Meetings, Conferences and Invitational Travel (Subtasks 4.1 and 4.2) Offerors shall submit a complete cost build-up for each meeting set forth in the PWS to include all planning costs, travel, any lodging and/or meal costs, all logistic support costs and post meeting costs. This cost build-up shall include the labor costs directly associated with each of the identified meetings as well as the itemized other direct costs (including the identification of any applicable indirect cost and how it is applied to other direct costs).

Offerors shall submit a completed draft payment schedule. The payment schedule shall separate the payments for each deliverable by PWS task for each performance period.

Conflict of Interest Plan The offeror shall submit a Conflict of Interest Plan, providing details on its policies and procedures to identify and avoid potential organizational or personal conflicts of interest (or apparent conflicts of interest). The Plan should also address procedures taken to neutralize or mitigate such conflicts, if they have not been or cannot be avoided. The Plan should indicate that such policies and procedures are operative throughout the period of performance of the contract or task order. The policies should address, at a minimum, gifts, outside activities financial interests, or other significant connections or identifications that would establish, or give the appearance of establishing, a conflict of interest. A method for periodically reviewing financial interests of employees, subcontractors and consultants, and their immediate families, in order to assess actual or apparent conflicts of interest should be included in the plan. In this clause, the term "potential conflict" means reasonably foreseeable conflict of interest. The thoroughness, completeness and effectiveness of the Plan shall be evaluated as part of the offeror‘s overall proposal. The Plan will be incorporated into the contract or task order awarded to the successful offeror. Offerors and all proposed subcontractors/consultants shall complete EDAR 3452.209-70 Conflict of Interest Certification and include in their business proposal.

Instructions for Submitting Proposals Proposals and any modifications or revisions, are due on July 16, 2014, no later than 12:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, at the Government‘s office designated in the paragraph below.

Proposals may be withdrawn by written notice received at any time before award. Offerors shall submit five (5) CD ROMS, which contains all three volumes and one (1) hard copy of each volume.

You must submit your CD-ROMS and hard copy proposal to:

U.S. Department of Education Contracts and Acquisitions Management ATTN: Elizabeth Price, Contract Specialist U.S. Department of Education OCFO/Contracts and Acquisitions Management PCP - 550-12th Street, SW Suite #7160 Washington, DC 20202

Hand-carried proposals must be delivered by entering the building and stopping at the Guard's Desk. Offerors are directed to call Contract Specialist Elizabeth Price (202) 245-6185 or Gabriella McDonald 202-245-6188, the Contracting Officer responsible for receiving proposals. Hand-carried proposals will not officially be received until they are in the CS or CO’s possession. The CS or CO must be in possession of the proposals prior to the due date and time in order to be considered timely.

Questions Offerors must submit all clarification questions concerning this solicitation to the Contracting Officer. Questions may be submitted via E-Mail to:

Elizabeth Price Email: Elizabeth.Price@ed.gov Phone: (202) 245-6185 Fax: (202)245-6278

AND

Gabriella McDonald Email: Gabriella.Mcdonald@ed.gov Phone: (202) 245-6188 Fax: (202) 245-6278

Clarification questions regarding this solicitation should be sent by e-mail to Elizabeth Price (Elizabeth.Price@ed.gov), with a copy to Gabriella McDonald (Gabriella.McDonald@ed.gov), no later than 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time, on July 1, 2014. After this date, ED does not guarantee that a response will be given. Oral explanations or instructions given by the Government before the award of the contract shall not be binding. Any information given to a prospective offeror concerning a solicitation will be furnished promptly to all other prospective offerors as an amendment to the solicitation, if that information is necessary in submitting offers or if a lack of it would be prejudicial to any other prospective offerors.

(End of Addendum)