Enclosure No. 1 Instructions for Preparation of Proposal and Notices to Offerors.doc

RFP No. 4-P131-P-00098-00

ENCLOSURE NO. 1

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 4-P131-P-00098-00

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARATION OF PROPOSALS

AND

NOTICES TO OFFERORS

I.

Proposal Submission Format:

The proposal shall be in three (3) parts (as three separate submittals): Part I - Technical Proposal, Part II –Business Management Proposal, and Part III - Price Proposal for evaluation based on Best Value/Trade-off methodology. Each part shall be separate and complete in itself so that evaluation of one may be accomplished independently of and concurrently with evaluation of the others. In no instance shall Part I, Part II, or Part III be bound together or presented in such manner as to make them not severable. The Technical Proposal shall not contain any reference to price. It 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 presentations beyond those 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 and expensive visual and other presentation aids are neither necessary nor wanted. Proposals should be prepared with maximum economy, consistent with this particular 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, Price, and Business Management Proposals. Submissions not conforming to all the requirements of this solicitation may result in rejection of your offer.

Offerors should indicate on the forepage 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 14-15 for more information regarding proprietary markings. Argonne 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:

Part I of your proposal should address the manner in which your firm proposes to perform the requirements established in Appendix "B" - Statement of Work. It should include, at a minimum, the following sections.

In order to facilitate review of proposals, the information presented shall follow the same format and arrangement sequence as outlined below:

I.

Technical Proposal Instructions

1) Technical Approach A. Discuss how your firm intends to implement the services, including assessment approach, in Appendix “B”, Statement of Work, dated January 30, 2024.

B. Through relevant examples, demonstrate significant commercial experience across commercial project development of similar size and complexity (e.g., $1B in value or above) that encompass the portfolio strategy services such as hydrogen, commercial nuclear power, industrial decarbonization, etc.

C. The offeror should demonstrate access to benchmarking and performance data across relevant capital projects.

2) Past Performance A. Discuss and demonstrate your firm’s ability to apply commercial experience in conducting work similar to Appendix “B”, Statement of Work, dated January 30, 2024, including performance assessments of major capital projects within the US Department of Energy (DOE) and capital projects receiving DOE funding (e.g., Loan Program Office).

B. Discuss and demonstrate your firm’s technical knowledge and breadth of experience interacting with major, private-sector companies to understand incentives for major, private industries to invest in large-scale commercial projects.

In addition to any other information your firm shall provide to allow Argonne to evaluate your firm’s capability to successfully perform the requirements stated in the RFP, furnish with your firm’s proposal the following information: references from at least three clients for whom your firm has provided similar services within the previous two years, preferably clients with whom you have contracted personnel with similar experience as specified in Appendix “B”, Argonne National Laboratory, Statement of Work, dated January 30, 2024. References may be commercial or government customers provided the work performed was comparable in scope.

Include for each reference the following information:

· company name

· address

· telephone number

· point of contact

· contract number

3) Depth of Qualified Personnel A. Discuss your firm’s ability to supply qualified personnel, including those provided for federal governmental entities and contractors or commercial entities and who possess the required experience and skills to perform and complete the project.

B.

Provide resumes for the proposed project team (key personnel) and discuss the amount, relevance (for example, with a list of relevant recent commercial experience across commercial project developments of similar size, complexity and technology; as well as a list of relevant government support activities), and quality of their experience, along with relevant certifications of the personnel you propose to furnish in response to requirements as specified in Appendix “B”, Argonne National Laboratory, Statement of Work, dated January 30, 2024. C. Discuss and demonstrate your firm’s project team’s broad range of expertise including, but not limited to, emerging technology development and/or maturation pathways, scale up risk identification and management, knowledge and experience in state of the art project management principles and best practices, planning and implementation of large scale First of a Kind (FOAK) energy infrastructure projects, integrated technical and project risk management for such projects, investment decision support, and experience advising senior leadership teams of Fortune 50 companies on successful management of multi-billion dollar investments in complex infrastructure projects.

4) Timely Response Discuss approach to timely response as follows:

A.

The approach to completing deliverables on time and on a compressed schedule.

B.

The proposed project schedule in a comprehensive and detailed format of the milestone schedule of the key activities.

5) Sample Report Provide an example template of or a redacted final report deliverable prepared by your firm similar to the report anticipated in this project.

II.

Risk Matrix and Mitigation Plan

To assist in our assessment of Proposal Risk, offerors shall provide a risk matrix and mitigation plan detailing what your firm perceives to be the biggest risks for delivering on the project, and how such risks will be handled.

B.

Part II - Business Management Proposal:

This section describes the minimum information which must be included for a responsive Business/Management Proposal. Proposals failing to provide sufficient information to qualify for a passing score for any factor may be eliminated from any further evaluation.

Offerors should present their Business Management Proposal following the same format and arrangement sequence as outlined below:

a.

Provide a narrative history and description of your firm which includes:

i. corporate structure, location of corporate headquarters and regional offices

ii. listing of officers

iii. number of years in business

iv. historical background for providing such services

v. nature and size of your business; total number of customers/clients

vi. total value of contracts over the last three (3) years

vii. familiarity with special requirements of Federal Government clients

viii. primary client market (academic, corporate, government)

ix. future development plans b.

Financial Capability. Contractor shall provide their most recently completed quarterly or yearly set of financial statements, inclusive of notes to the consolidated financial statements, in addition to any other supporting documentation that supports the financial health or viability of offeror’s organization. Financial statements should contain prior period(s) information. Audited Financial Statements are preferred, but not required. Unaudited financial statements may result in additional inquiry and/or required supporting evidence.

c.

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.

d.

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.

e.

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

f.

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).

g.

Small Business Subcontracting Plan. If you are representing a large business and any subcontracting opportunities are anticipated, they shall be identified (Enclosure No. 2F). The Laboratory will examine the plan to determine its acceptability. The accepted plan will be included in any resultant contract.

h.

Organizational Conflicts of Interest. Review Enclosure No. 6, “Organizational Conflicts of Interest Disclosure/Representation” and provide a disclosure/representation, as appropriate, and a statement of any past (within the past 12 months), present or currently planned financial, contractual, organizational, or other interests relating to the performance of work outlined in Enclosure No. 2.C. (Statement of Work).

C.

Part III - Price Proposal:

Each offeror shall submit a firm fixed price proposal as detailed in Enclosure No. 3 – Contract Pricing Proposal Form.

Provide a fixed price for each of the five tasks outlined in Appendix B – Statement of Work. Please include as an exhibit to your pricing proposal a breakdown of each task’s price, including fully loaded direct labor rates and the number of hours proposed for each labor category along with any other direct costs included in your proposed price. Rates shall not be specified by named personnel, nor shall a range of rates for any category be specified. Failure to adhere to this pricing requirement may result in rejection of your offer.

Additionally, provide estimates for two (2) trips, consisting of two (2) nights each, to Washington DC for three (3) people per trip. Expected travel dates would be around project kick-off and wrap-up. Please utilize the table provided to break down the cost and include substantiating information (screenshots, quotes, GSA travel allowances, etc).

Travel expenses to and from the Laboratory within 50 miles from the contractor’s base are not compensable.

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 close of business, Wednesday, May 1, 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 Offers and amendments thereof shall be submitted via email. An electronic copy shall be received on or before 3:00 P.M., local prevailing time, Wednesday, May 8, 2024:

Attention:

Cully Johnston Procurement Specialist III Procurement Department

Email: cjohnston@anl.gov Reference:

RFP No. 4-P131-P-00098-00 Facsimile, mailed, and hand-delivered offers will not be accepted.

Your proposal should be effective for a period of one hundred twenty (120) days from due date for proposals. All communications or questions of a contractual nature related to this RFP should be directed only to Argonne’s Procurement Official at the email address provided above. Technical questions will be forwarded by appropriate Argonne Procurement Personnel to cognizant Argonne Technical Personnel.

C.

Definitions:

As used herein:

“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 nest working day.

D.

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).

E.

Submission, Modification, Revision, and Withdrawal of Proposals:

1.

Proposals and modifications to proposals shall be submitted electronically (EMAIL) (i) addressed to the Procurement Specialist specified in the solicitation, and (ii) showing the solicitation number, and the name and address of the offeror.

2.

The first page of the proposal must show—

(i) The solicitation number 4-P131-P-00098-00

(ii) The name, address, telephone number, and email address 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.

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

4.

Offerors may submit modifications to their proposals 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.

5.

After the solicitation closing date, offerors may submit revised proposals only if requested or allowed by the Laboratory Procurement Official.

6.

Proposals may be withdrawn by electronic written notice to the Laboratory Procurement Official received at any time before award.

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