Attachment 7 - Section L Instructions to Offerors.pdf

Section L – Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

Section L provides general guidance for preparing proposals, specific instructions on the format and content of the proposals. Throughout this section, the term “offeror” means the prime contractor submitting the proposal. The offeror’s proposal must include all data and information requested and must be submitted in accordance with (IAW) these instructions. Any offeror who submits an incomplete package may be considered non-responsive. The offer shall be compliant with the requirements as stated in the Request for Proposal (RFP). A proposal that is sufficiently documented to support cost/price and technical requirements in a complete, orderly, and specific detailed manner will enable the Government to perform a thorough and fair evaluation.

Noncompliance with the instructions and RFP may result in an unfavorable proposal evaluation and may be grounds to eliminate the proposal from considerations for contract award.

1. Type of Acquisition: This requirement is a competitive Section 8(a) set aside. Only offers from 8(a) companies will be accepted. Failure to meet any requirement of this RFP may result in ineligibility. This is a Subjective Tradeoff source selection conducted in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Parts 12, 15, and 16, Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and Air Force FAR Supplement (AFFARS). Award will be made based on the Best Value, meaning the Government seeks to award to an offeror who provides the greatest confidence that they will meet the Government’s requirements affordably. The Best Value technique chosen for this acquisition will be Subjective Tradeoff, where technical and past performance, when combined, are significantly more important than price.

2. Discrepancies and Ambiguities: If an offeror believes the requirements in these instructions contain an error, omission, ambiguities, or are otherwise unsound, the offeror shall immediately notify the Contracting Officer in writing with supporting rationale no later than 10 calendar days after the RFP release.

3. Postponement of Proposal Closing Date: If a determination is made to postpone a proposal closing date, an amendment will be posted to beta.sam.gov.

4. Sections K, L, and M apply to the solicitation phase only; therefore, they will not be a physical part of the resulting contract.

5. Due to COVID considerations and concerns, there is no anticipated site visit for this requirement. Should the Contracting Officer determine the need for a site visit, the RFP will be modified to include that information. Offerors are encouraged to respond to the RFP within the allotted timeframe with any questions or requests they may have.

PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

1. Submit signed and dated offers no later than the date and time provided in Block 8, page 1 of the SF1449 to:

a. 97CONF.PKA.Contracting@us.af.mil

b. Jennifer.Blaser_Kay.2@us.af.mil

c. Jillian.Waski@us.af.mil

d. Lori.Clinton@us.af.mil

2. The offeror agrees to hold the prices and discount percentages in its offer firm until 28 February 2021.

3. Offerors are responsible for submitting electronic offers by the solicitation due date and time. Offer received after the solicitation due date and time are considered late and will be handled in accordance with FAR 15.208.

4. Only electronic versions of proposals will be accepted. Paper copies will be rejected and not considered for award. Offers may be submitted in one of the following three ways:

a. Submit offers electronically to the Government to:

97CONF.PKA.Contracting@us.af.mil, Jennifer.Blaser_Kay.2@us.af.mil, Jillian.Waski@us.af.mil, and Lori.Clinton@us.af.mil. All documents shall be submitted in .pdf format. The title of the documents shall include the volume number and offeror’s CAGE code (i.e. “Vol 1 Price CAGE #”).

b. Hand carry/deliver offers in the form of CDs/DVDs containing electronic files.

All documents shall be submitted in .pdf format. The title of the documents shall include the volume number and offeror’s CAGE code (i.e., “Vol 1 Price CAGE #”). Contractors shall request base access for hand carried proposal deliveries NO LATER THAN 24 hours prior to the proposal due date/time by sending an email request to 97CONF.PKA.Contracting@us.af.mil, Jennifer.Blaser_Kay.2@us.af.mil, Jillian.Waski@us.af.mil, and Lori.Clinton@us.af.mil identifying the company name and list of individuals requesting access to Altus AFB, Oklahoma.

c. Mail offers in the form of CDs/DVDs containing electronic files to the:

97th Contracting Flight Attn: PKA Contracting / Lori Clinton 308 North 1st Street, Suite 2301 Altus AFB, Oklahoma 73523-5003

All documents must be in .pdf format. The title of the documents shall include the Volume Number and the offeror’s CAGE code (i.e. “Vol 1 Price CAGE #”).

If offers will be mailed, please send an email to 97CONF.PKA.Contracting@us.af.mil, Jennifer.Blaser_Kay.2@us.af.mil, Jillian.Waski@us.af.mil, and Lori.Clinton@us.af.mil.

d. All offers shall be complete, clearly presented, and contain sufficient detail for effective evaluation as detailed in this solicitation. Offers shall be neat, indexed (cross-indexed as appropriate) and assembled in an orderly manner. Elaborate artwork, expensive visual, and other presentation aids are neither necessary nor desired. Offers shall only contain information that is relevant to this solicitation.

i. Page Size, Format, and Limit:

1. A page is defined as each face of an 8 ½” x 11” document containing information. Page limitations shall be treated as maximums and shall apply to all electronic files no matter how the offer was submitted. Pages in excess of the maximum page limited defined below will not be evaluated.

2. For the purpose of formatting, font size shall not be less than 12 pitch.

3. Pages shall be numbered sequentially in each volume and identify the solicitation number.

4. Page limits shall be considered maximums. Pages in excess of the maximum will not be read or evaluated. If Evaluation Notices (ENs) are necessary, the Government will issue them by electronic means to prospective offerors. Page limitations may be placed on responses to ENs and such limitations will be provided at the time the EN is issued.

5. Indexing – Electronic files should be located in appropriately labeled files so as to easily discern each volume. Each volume shall contain a detailed table of contents, identifying the subparagraphs within that volume. The table of contents is not included in the maximum page limitation.

5. OFFER PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS: To assure timely and equitable evaluation of the offers, the offeror must follow the instructions contained herein.

Offerors are required to meet all solicitation requirements, including format, terms and conditions, representations and certifications, and technical requirements, in addition to those identified as evaluation factors. Failure to meet a requirement may result in an offer being ineligible for award. Offerors are cautioned to follow the detailed instructions fully and carefully, as the Government reserves the right to make an award based on initial offers received, without discussions, of such offers. Non-responsive offers will not be evaluated. The response shall include four parts to be eligible for award:

a. Cover Page

b. Volume I – Price

c. Volume II – Technical

d. Volume III – Past Performance

e. Volume IV – Other Ancillary Information

The content of each part is discussed below.

6. COVER PAGE: The Cover Page shall not exceed one page.

a. Solicitation Number

b. Solicitation Date and Time specified for receipt of offers

c. Company Name

d. Company address and remit to address if different than mailing address

e. Company point of contact(s)

f. Company point of contact(s) e-mail address

g. Company point of contact(s) telephone numbers

h. SAM registration expiration date

i. CAGE code

j. DUNS number

k. Registration confirmation for NAICS 517311

l. Offer Acceptance Period

7. VOLUME I – PRICE: Volume I must contain a completed Attachment 2, either in

Excel or PDF format. Any additional information that the vendor wishes to submit for Volume I shall not exceed a total of 10 pages. Offers shall submit the following information in Volume I:

a. A statement the offeror accedes to the contract terms and conditions as written in the solicitations in its entirety. Offerors shall clearly identify any exceptions to the solicitation and provide accompanying rationale.

b. Complete block 17a of the SF1449.

c. A statement acknowledging all solicitation amendments, if any were issued.

d. Completed Attachment 2, Pricing Table. The following is a brief explanation of

Attachment 2, Pricing Table.

i. Tab 1 – Summary & CLIN 0001

1. Complete the Unit Price for 0001AA O&M Base BTS and 0001AB O&M Hospital BTS. Unit prices are needed for Ordering Periods 1 through 5. Total prices will automatically calculate based on a 12 month year.

ii. Tab 2 – A&B (CLINs 0002-3)

1. Complete the Purchase Price and Install Price for each Product ID for Ordering Periods 1 through 5. The totals will automatically calculate and populate on the Summary CLIN tab.

e. Contractor shall provide a copy of their letter from the Small Business Administration (SBA) showing proof of Section 8(a) status.

f. Completed representations and certifications

g. Teaming Arrangement Documentation (if applicable). If Teaming Arrangements are contemplated they must comply with the appropriate Federal Regulations (13 CFR Part 121 (Size Regulations), Part 124 (8(a) & SDB) and Part 125 (Government Contracting Programs)). Offerors shall provide the following information not later than the date and time proposals are due:

i. Signed Teaming Agreement

ii. Clearly establish roles of each party (the prime and subcontractor responsibilities for tasks, contract administration, proposals, work management, etc.).

iii. Subcontractor past performance cannot be disclosed by the prime offeror without the subcontractor’s consent. Include a letter from all subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement consenting to the release of their past performance information to the prime contractor, only if it is being used as part of the past performance evaluation.

iv. Identify each member’s share of the prospective contract, 50/50, 51/49, etc.

v. Include exclusivity that the team member will not be replaced for the duration of the contract, any exceptions should be identified and assurance that the team members are not teaming with another firm for the same procurement.

vi. Include a statement of acknowledgment that the prime contractor is responsible for adhering to contract terms and conditions and daily management. The prime contractor is obligated to negotiate in good faith and responsible for conveying mandatory Government terms and conditions to subcontractors.

vii. Include a statement of acknowledgement that the prime contractor shall remain fully responsible for contract performance, regardless of any teaming agreement between the prime contractor and its subcontractors.

8. VOLUME II – TECHNICAL: The Technical Volume shall be clear, concise, and include sufficient detail for effective evaluation and for substantiating the validity of stated claims. Legibility, clarity, and coherence are very important. Your responses will be evaluated against the Technical Factor as defined in Section M of this solicitation.

Proposals shall not simply rephrase or restate the Performance Work Statement or contain general statements such as “Standard procedures will be employed.” Proposals shall provide convincing rationale addressing how the technical portion of the offer meets solicitation requirements. Offerors shall assume the Government has no prior knowledge of the offeror’s experience. The Government will base its evaluation on the information presented in the offer. Statements that the Offeror understands, can, or will comply with the Performance Work Statement (including referenced publications, technical data, etc.);

paraphrasing the Performance Work Statement or parts thereof (including applicable publications, technical data, etc.); and phrases such as “standard procedures will be employed” or “well known techniques will be used”, etc., will be considered unacceptable and will negatively impact the Offeror’s rating under the Technical Factor.

Elaborate artwork, expensive visual, and other presentation aids are neither necessary nor desired.

The Technical Volume shall address the following factors and will not be more than 10 pages in length.

a. Contractor’s plans for Security+ certified on site

b. Contractor’s plans for CCNA Collaboration certified (on site)

i. Will there be CCNA Collaboration certification not on site, or via a 3rd party Gold Partner

c. Contractor’s years of experience operating outside plant

d. Contractor’s years of experience operating inside plant

e. Contractor’s plans for providing a Certified Fiber Optic Splicer

f. Contractor’s plans for BICSI Installer Certification

i. For both Copper and Optical Fiber

g. Contractor’s years of experience in telephony

9. VOLUME III – PAST PERFORMANCE: The Past Performance Volume is limited to no more than two pages per contract listed. The complete volume will not exceed ten pages in total. Offerors shall submit contracts for the same or similar requirements described in the Performance Work Statement.

a. Offerors shall submit past performance information on no more than five recent and relevant contracts performed for Federal agencies or commercial customers where offerors performed as the prime contractor that demonstrate offerors’ ability to successfully perform the scope and breadth of the requirements described in the Performance Work Statement of this solicitation. Past performance information submitted in excess of the first five contracts will not be evaluated.

i. Recent and relevant will be defined as contracts completed in the past three years from the date of the issuance of the solicitation for work that is similar in scope and magnitude of effort and complexities as this solicitation requires. Include rational supporting your assertion of relevance and identify aspects of the contracts deemed relevant and how they relate to the proposed effort.

ii. Offerors may explain corrective actions taken in the past for any substandard performance.

iii. Information may be provided in the following forms, letters, metrics, customer surveys, independent surveys, etc.

iv. The following information will be submitted for each contract

1. Company/Division Name

2. Product/Service Provided

3. Contracting Agency/Customer

4. Contract Number

5. Contract Dollar Value

6. Period of Performance

7. Verified, up-to-date name, address, email address, and telephone number of the Contracting Officer

8. Comments regarding compliance with contract terms and conditions

9. Comments regarding any known performance deemed unacceptable to the customer, or not in accordance with the contract terms and conditions

b. Offerors with no same or similar past performance shall include this information in their past performance volume.

c. If a teaming agreement/Joint Venture is contemplated for this solicitation, offerors shall submit any recent and relevant performance information on previous teaming arrangements/Joint Ventures with the same partner or as the same CAGE in this Solicitation. If this is a first time joint effort, each party to the arrangement must provide past performance information on no more than five contracts each.

d. Subcontractor Consent. Past Performance information pertaining to a subcontractor cannot be disclosed to the prime offeror without the subcontractor’s consent. Offerors shall submit in their Past Performance Volume a signed consent letter from all proposed subcontractors consenting to the release of their past performance information to the prime contractor.

10. VOLUME IV – OTHER ANCILLIARY INFORMATION: The Other Ancillary Information is intended to provide the offeror to submit the required information discussed below. The complete volume will not exceed ten pages in total.

a. Offer will complete all SF30, SF33, and RFP fill-in information relating to the offeror and the offer as it is required in the RFP.

b. Offeror will provide an authorization letter with the names, job titles, and contact information of the individuals at the company who can authorize the offeror to complete a contract with the Government.

c. Offeror will provide a statement of compliance for all Wage Determinations that are attached to the RFP.