Encl No. 4 RFP Instructions.doc

RFP No. 4-P124-P-00244-00

ENCLOSURE NO. 4

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 4-P124-P-00244-00

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARATION OF PROPOSALS

AND

NOTICES TO OFFERORS

July 11, 2024 I.

Proposal Submission Format:

The proposal shall be in three (3) parts: Part I - Technical Proposal, Part II – Business/Management Proposal, and Part III - Cost/Price Proposal. Each of the parts shall be separate and complete so that evaluation of one may be accomplished independently of and concurrently with evaluation of the other. In no instance shall Part I, Part II, and Part III be bound together or presented in such manner as to make them not severable. The Technical Proposal and Business Management Proposal shall not contain any reference to cost. The Technical Proposal must disclose your project approach in as much detail as possible including, but not limited to, the requirements of the Technical Proposal instructions.

Unnecessarily elaborate brochures or other presentations beyond that sufficient to present a complete and effective proposal are not desired and may be construed as an indication of the offeror's lack of cost consciousness. Elaborate artwork, expensive paper and bindings, and expensive visual and other presentation aids are neither necessary nor wanted. Proposals should be prepared with maximum economy, consistent with this procurement, to ensure that the resources of both offerors and Laboratory evaluators are efficiently utilized. The signed proposal shall be submitted electronically to jpatton@anl.gov for evaluation. The email shall contain separate attachments for the Technical Proposal, Business/Management Proposal, and the Cost/Price Proposal. Submissions not conforming to all the requirements of this solicitation may result in rejection of your offer.

Offerors should indicate on the fore page and on each subsequent page of their proposal those pages, sections, paragraphs, or areas which they consider to be proprietary. Offerors should refer to the enclosure entitled “Pre-Award Information and Booklet of Representations and Certifications,” for more information regarding proprietary markings. Argonne National Laboratory assumes no liability for disclosure or use of unmarked data and may use or disclose such data for any purpose.

A.

Part I - Technical Proposal:

Enclosure No. 5 identifies the criteria that will be used to evaluate the merit of the proposals in response to the statement of work. While the Cost Proposal may not be the controlling factor for award, it will be a significant part of the Laboratory’s selection decision. The proposal costs will be evaluated for reasonableness in light of the statement of work requirements and instructions, including completeness/conciseness and clarity of the material presented.

B.

Part II - Business Management Proposal:

a.

Financial Capability: Provide audited or reviewed financial statement (if available) for the prior full year including balance sheet and income statement with supporting documentation indicating the financial capability of your organization for the previous three (3) years.

b.

Acceptance Period of Proposal: Provide a statement that the proposal will remain valid for acceptance for a minimum period of one hundred twenty (120) days after the closing date set for receipt of proposals.

c.

Authorized Representatives: Provide the names, titles, and telephone numbers of the persons authorized to negotiate on behalf of the offeror with the Laboratory.

d.

Pre-Award Information: Include a fully completed and signed “Pre-Award Information and Booklet of Representations and Certifications” with your proposal. A copy of the Booklet is included as Enclosure No. 2 to this Request for Proposal (RFP). Additionally, ensure your firm has completed the Representations and Certifications on the System for Award Management (www.SAM.gov).

e.

Exceptions and Deviations: Provide comments describing whether or not you accept proposed contract, its schedule articles, statement of work and general/specific terms and conditions. The exceptions, deviations, or conditional assumptions taken must contain sufficient amplification and justification to permit evaluation(s). Such exceptions, deviations or conditional assumptions will not of themselves automatically cause a proposal to be deemed unacceptable to the Laboratory. However, a large number of exceptions or one or more significant exceptions not providing benefit to the Laboratory may result in rejection of your proposal(s) as unacceptable.

C.

Part III – Cost Price Proposal:

Each offeror is requested to submit a cost/price proposal and shall utilize Enclosure No. 3 Pricing Schedule.

II.

Notices to Offerors:

A.

Explanation to Prospective Offerors

Any prospective offeror desiring an explanation or interpretation of the solicitation, statement of work, etc. must request it in writing by 5:00 P.M., local prevailing time, Thursday, July 25, 2024, to allow a reply to be provided to all prospective offerors. Any information given to a prospective offeror concerning a solicitation will be furnished promptly to all prospective offerors as written amendments to the solicitation if such information is necessary for submission of an offer, or if the lack of the information would be prejudicial against any other prospective offeror. Oral explanations or instructions given before the award of a contract will not be binding.

B.

Submission of Offers 1.

Offers and amendments thereof shall be submitted to the email specified below and shall display the date and time set for closing for receipt of proposals, the solicitation number, and the name and address of the offeror. A signed proposal shall be submitted via e-mail to jpatton@anl.gov on or before 5:00 P.M., local prevailing time, August 8, 2024:

Reference:

RFP No. 4-P124-P-00244-00 Facsimile and hardcopy offers will not be accepted.

C.

Selection and Award 1.

Proposal may be eliminated from consideration if the proposal is so grossly and obviously deficient as to be totally unacceptable. For example, if it does not represent a reasonable initial effort to address itself to the essential requirements of the RFP, or clearly demonstrates that the offeror does not understand the requirements of the RFP.

2.

Offerors should be prepared to respond to requests by the Laboratory Procurement Official for oral presentations or written discussions, or both, facility surveys, and other information as may be necessary to assist in the detailed evaluation process. The Laboratory reserves the right, however, to 1) make a selection without discussion with any of the offerors; 2) reject any and all offers; and 3) waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received. It is, therefore, emphasized that each initial offer should be submitted on the most favorable terms to the Laboratory that the offeror can submit.

3.

The Laboratory may solicit, from available sources, experience data concerning an offeror’s past performance and will consider such information in its evaluation.

4.

The Laboratory intends to award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose proposal conforms to this RFP and represents the best value after evaluation in accordance with the evaluation criteria stated in Enclosure No. 5.

5.

If the Laboratory Procurement Official determines that the number of proposals that would otherwise be in the competitive range exceeds the number at which an efficient competition can be conducted, the Laboratory Procurement Official may limit the number of proposals in the competitive range to the greatest number that will permit an efficient competition among the most highly rated proposals.

D.

Definitions:

As used below:

“Discussions” are negotiations that occur after establishment of the competitive range that may, at the Laboratory Procurement Official’s discretion, result in the offeror being allowed to revise its proposal.

“In writing” or “written” means any worded or numbered expression which can be read, reproduced, and later communicated, and includes electronically transmitted and stored information.

“Proposal modification” is a change to a proposal made after the solicitation closing date, at the request of or as allowed by a Laboratory Procurement Official as the result of negotiations.

“Time,” if stated as a number of days, is calculated using calendar days, unless otherwise specified, and will include Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. However, if the last day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, then the period shall include the next working day.

E.

Amendments To Solicitation:

If this solicitation is amended, all terms and conditions that are not amended remain unchanged. Offerors shall acknowledge receipt of any amendment to this solicitation by the date and time specified in the amendment(s).

F.

Submission, Modification, Revision, and Withdrawal of Proposals:

1.

Proposals and modifications to proposals shall be submitted via email to jpatton@anl.gov and must include the solicitation number and the name and address of the offeror.

2.

The first page of the proposal must show—

(i) The solicitation number;

(ii) The name, address, telephone number, and any preferred primary contact email addresses of the offeror; and

(iii) Name, title, and signature of person authorized to sign the proposal. Proposals signed by an agent shall be accompanied by evidence of that agent’s authority unless that evidence has been previously furnished to the issuing office.

3.

Late Proposals and revisions.

A proposal received at the office designated in the solicitation after the exact time specified for receipt of offers might not be considered unless it is received before award is made and it is determined by the Argonne National Laboratory to be in the best interest of the Laboratory.

4.

Offeror may submit modifications to its proposal at any time before the solicitation closing date and time, and may submit modifications in response to an amendment, or to correct a mistake at any time before award.

Offeror may submit revised proposals only if requested or allowed by the Laboratory Procurement Official.

6.

Proposals may be withdrawn by written notice submitted via email to jpatton@anl.gov at any time before award. Proposals may be withdrawn in person by any offeror or an authorized representative if the representative’s identity is made known and the representative signs a receipt for the proposal before award.

G.

Options:

A total Proposal Amount is being requested as well as a breakout of the proposal into separate prices for Base year and Optional years as follows:

1.

Base Year:

Base year work includes all labor and materials necessary to complete all work as delineated in the statement of work entitled, Telecommunications Operations and Support Services, dated May 1, 2024.

2.

Option Year No. 1:

Optional year work includes all labor and materials necessary to complete all work as delineated in the statement of work entitled, Telecommunications Operations and Support Services, dated May 1, 2024.

3.

Option Year No. 2:

Optional year work includes all labor and materials necessary to complete all work as delineated in the statement of work entitled, Telecommunications Operations and Support Services, dated May 1, 2024.

4.

Option Year No. 3:

Optional year work includes all labor and materials necessary to complete all work as delineated in the statement of work entitled, Telecommunications Operations and Support Services, dated May 1, 2024.

Option Year No. 4:

Optional year work includes all labor and materials necessary to complete all work as delineated in the statement of work entitled, Telecommunications Operations and Support Services, dated May 1, 2024.

Evaluation of Options

The Laboratory will evaluate cost proposals by adding the Optional Prices and Base Price. Evaluation of the Options does not obligate the Laboratory to exercise the Options.

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