Enclosure 1 - RFP Instructions.doc

RFP No. 3-B148-P-00280-00

ENCLOSURE NO. 1

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 3-B148-P-00280-00

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARATION OF PROPOSALS

AND

NOTICES TO OFFERORS

07/12/2023 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 cjohnston@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,” second page “Notice,” and pages 14-16 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. 4 identifies the criteria that will be used to evaluate the merit of the proposals in response to the statement of work. Please ensure that all evaluation criteria are addressed in your technical proposal.

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 ninety (90) 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. 5 to this Request for Proposal (RFP).

f.

Exceptions and Deviations.

Provide comments describing whether or not you accept the proposed contract, its schedule of articles, statement of work, and general/specific terms and conditions. Any 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 Proposal Form to do so.

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.

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 via email to cjohnston@anl.gov by 3:00 P.M. CDT, Wednesday, 07/19/2023, to allow a reply to be provided to all prospective offerors and posted on SAM.gov. 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 cjohnston@anl.gov on or before 5:00 P.M., CDT, Wednesday, 7/26/23.

Reference:

RFP No. 3-B148-P-00280-00 Facsimile and hardcopy offers will not be accepted.

C.

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).

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