Attachment 1 ITO_SDS_FA701425R0004 Updated.pdf

Solicitation#: FA701425R0004 SAF/AAIE Software Development Services

1 Attachment 1

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

FAR Addendum 52.212-1

Instructions to Offerors (ITO)

1.0 This contract is a small business competitive set-aside on General Services Administration (GSA) 8(a) STARS III IT Professional Services. This is a Technical/Price tradeoff source selection conducted in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 12 Commercial Items and Part 8 Required Sources of Supplies and Services as supplemented by the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and the Air Force Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (AFFARS).

2.0 ITO – Commercial Support Services

2.1 The Offeror’s proposal must include all data and information requested by this ITO and must be submitted in accordance with these instructions. The proposal shall be clear, concise, and shall include sufficient detail for effective evaluation and for substantiating the validity of stated claims. The proposal should not simply rephrase or restate the Government's requirements but rather shall provide convincing rationale to address how the Offeror intends to meet these requirements. Offerors shall assume the Government has no prior knowledge of their facilities, capabilities, and experience and will base its evaluation on the information presented in the Offeror’s proposal. Unnecessarily elaborate brochures or other presentations beyond those sufficient to present a complete effective response to the solicitation are not desired.

2.1.2 System for Award Management (SAM): Offerors will not be eligible to receive a contract award from a Department of Defense (DoD) activity unless they are registered in SAM. Offerors must be registered in the SAM Database prior to award of any contract. Firms must register on a one-time basis and annually confirm accuracy and completeness of registration information.

Online registration and instructions can be accessed at https://www.sam.gov/SAM.

2.1.3 DD Form 254 Contract Security Classification Specifications: The Offeror shall complete blocks 6a – c, (and if applicable, blocks 7a – c, and 8a – c or a continuation sheet) of the DD Form 254 (Attachment 7). Complete the form and submit with Factor 1 - Volume 1:

Technical Proposal. These pages are not included in the page count.

2.1.4 The positions on this TO are SECRET: Personnel performing work on this TO are required to have and maintain a valid secret clearance. Interim secret clearances are acceptable;

however, all key personnel identified in the PWS shall have a completed valid clearance upon award of the TO.

2.1.5 Facility Security Clearance (FCL): Due to the clearance requirements, all prospective PRIME Offerors shall possess a SECRET Facility Security Clearance (FCL). The FCL shall be approved/issued by the Defense Security Service (DSS) and FCL must be posted in the DSS Industrial Security Facility Database (ISFD). A verifiable SECRET FCL level must exist in the ISFD at time of proposal submission. Offeror’s FCL level will be assessed as “responsive/non-https://www.sam.gov/index.html.

https://www.sam.gov/SAM.

https://www.sam.gov/index.html.

2 Attachment 1 responsive” at proposal submission as part of Step 1 of the evaluation process. Offerors without the required Secret FCL will be deemed “non-responsive.” Offerors shall have an approved facility clearance NLT 06 December 2024.

2.2 Points of Contact: The Contracting Officer (CO), Hannah Dent is the sole points of contact for this acquisition. All questions or concerns on this requirement should be e-mailed to the CO by 4:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on 06 Dec 2024. The CO may be reached via e-mail at: hannah.dent.1@us.af.mil

2.3 PROPOSAL VOLUME REQUIREMENTS

The proposal shall be accompanied by a cover letter prepared on the company’s letterhead. The cover letter shall identify all enclosures being transmitted and shall be used only to transmit the proposal and shall include no other information with the exception of acknowledging amendments as an attachment. If there are amendments to the RFP, provide, as an attachment to the cover letter, acknowledgment of any amendments. The attachment to the cover letter will only be allowed to address amendments. Only proposals submitted in accordance with these instructions will be accepted. This cover letter is not included in the page count.

2.3.1 Instructions for how proposals shall be received are detailed below in Table 1. Proposals must be e-mailed.

DEADLINE: Proposals are due 06 Dec 2024 between the hours of 4:00 pm Eastern Time.

Late proposals will be processed in accordance with FAR Provision 52.212-1(f) Late Submissions, Modifications, Revisions and Withdrawals of Offers.

2.4 Communications: Communication of source selection information between Government and Offerors will be controlled by the CO. E-mail will be used to transmit such information to Offerors. The Government intends to send answers to questions by amendment to the solicitation and post to GSA. The Offerors shall submit all communications via email to the CO identified above.

2.5 Amendments to Solicitation: Offerors shall acknowledge receipt of any amendment to this request for proposal by the day and time specified in the amendment(s). A single memo attached to the cover letter acknowledging all amendments is the preferred method of acceptance. This memo is not included in the page count. Failure to acknowledge any amendment(s) could result in the Offerors being excluded from award.

2.6 Steps for Submission and Evaluation: Interested Offerors shall email their proposals to the contracting team.

• Step 1 – Submission of the DD254 with Factor I – Volume I: Technical Approach.

Validation of the FCL of Secret will be conducted. If the Offeror has the appropriate FCL

3 Attachment 1 clearance level, its proposal will be deemed responsive, it will be notified in writing, and Offeror’s proposal will move on the Step 2, Evaluation of the Technical Approach. If the Offeror does not have the appropriate FCL level, its proposal will be deemed non-responsive, it will be notified in writing, and the proposal will not be further evaluated nor will the Offeror’s proposal move to Step 2, Evaluation of the Technical Approach.

• Step 2: Evaluation of Factor I – Volume I: Technical Approach.

The Government will require for Factor I – Volume I: Technical Approach. Technical Approach to include topics identified in section 2 of the PWS. Offerors shall email Ms.

Hannah Dent NLT 4:00 pm on 06 Dec 2024 Factor I – Volume I: Technical Approach.

• Step 3: Past Performance: Once Step 2 is completed, only those proposals rated at

Good, or Outstanding on the aggregated rating at the Factor I – Volume I: Technical Approach level will then proceed to step 3.

• Step 4: Price Evaluation: Once Step 3 is completed, only those proposals rated at

Good, or Outstanding on the aggregated rating at the Factor I – Volume I: Technical Approach level will then proceed to step 4.

2.7 Period of Acceptance of Offers: The Offerors agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm for 120 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers.

2.8 Federal Holidays: The following Federal Legal Holidays are observed:

• New Year’s Day

• Martin Luther King Day

• President’s Day

• Memorial Day

• Juneteenth National Independence Day

• Independence Day

• Labor Day

• Columbus Day

• Veterans Day

• Thanksgiving Day

• Christmas Day

3.0 Preparation Instructions to Offerors:

3.1 Introduction: The purpose of these instructions is to prescribe the format of proposals and describe the approach for the development and presentation of proposal data. They are designed to ensure the essential information required for evaluation of proposals is submitted. Offerors are cautioned to follow the detailed instructions fully and carefully, as the Government intends to make an award based on initial offers received without interchanges.

4 Attachment 1

3.2 Organization/Number of Copies/Page Limits: To assure timely and equitable evaluation of the proposal, the Offeror must follow the instructions contained herein. The proposal must be complete, self-sufficient, and respond directly to the requirements of this solicitation. Using three

(3) separate volumes, the response shall consist of Factor I - Volume I: Technical Approach, Factor II - Volume II Past Performance and Factor III - Volume III: Cost/Price.

3.2.1 The Offeror shall prepare the proposal as set forth in the Proposal Organization Table (Table 1 below). The titles and contents of the volumes shall be as defined in the table, all of which shall be within the required page limits.

3.2.2 The content of each proposal volume is described in the ITO paragraph as noted in the table 1 below:

Table 1 – Proposal Organization

VOLUME ITO

Paragraph

PAGE LIMIT

Factor I - Volume I: Technical Approach 4.1

Max 25 pages that will include the identified Personnel and resumes

Text Omitted Omitted

Completed DD254 showing Prime and all subcontractors (Use continuation sheet for all subcontractors) that meets the FCL Level of Secret IAW the DD254.

Completed and submitted with technical volume. Excluded from page count.

Factor II – Volume II Past Performance

4.2 Unlimited

Factor III - Volume III: Cost/Price

5.0 Unlimited

3.3 Specific Instructions.

3.3.1 Page Limitations: Page limitations shall be treated as maximums. If exceeded, the excess pages will not be read or considered in the evaluation of the proposal. Blank pages, title pages, cover pages, table of contents, tab indexing, glossaries, list of tables and figures, and subcontractor consent letter(s) are not included in page limitation. Legible tables, charts, graphs and figures may be used to depict organizations, systems and layout, implementation schedules, plans, etc.

5 Attachment 1

3.3.2 Page Size and Format: A page is defined as each face of a sheet of paper containing information. When both sides of a sheet display printed material, it shall be counted as two pages.

Page size shall be 8½ x 11 inches. Pages shall be single-spaced and typed, except for displays and the reproduced sections of the solicitation document. The font shall be Times New Roman and no less than 12 point in size. Use at least 1-inch margins on the top and bottom. Pages shall be numbered sequentially by volume. When text is included within displays/graphics, it may be no smaller than 8 point, but must be clearly legible without magnification, as determined solely by the CO. The size of these displays shall not exceed the page size as defined above. Fold out pages are accepted for Volume III – Price Proposal. These limitations shall apply to both

3.3.3 Cross-Referencing: The proposal volumes shall be written on a stand-alone basis so that its contents may be evaluated without cross referencing to another volume. Information required for proposal evaluation which is not found in its designated volume will be assumed to have been omitted from the proposal.

3.3.4 Title Page (not included in the page count): Each volume must include a title page.

The title pages must show:

• Solicitation Number

• Name, address, telephone numbers and e-mail address of the Offerors (only one copy for all required volumes)

• Cage/UEID (Unique Entity ID)

• Contract Number

• Acknowledgement of any amendments as an attachment

3.3.5 Indexing: Each volume shall contain a detailed table of contents to delineate the subparagraphs within that volume. Tab indexing shall be used to identify sections and will not count against page limitations IAW paragraph 3.3.1 above.

3.3.6 Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms: Each volume submitted electronically shall contain a glossary of all abbreviations and acronyms used, with an explanation for each. As stated above in paragraph 3.3.1, glossaries do not count against the page limitations for their respective volumes.

3.3.7 Compliant: Documents submitted in response to this solicitation must be fully compliant to with the terms and conditions of the solicitation or may result in being rejected as non-compliant and not being evaluated.

4.0 Proposal Volume Instructions: The following details the specific instructions for each volume.

4.1 Volume I Factor I - Technical Approach:

4.1.1 Technical: The Technical proposal should be specific and complete. Legibility, clarity, and coherence are very important. The proposal should not merely reiterate or rephrase the

6 Attachment 1 objectives or reformulate the Government’s requirements specified in the solicitation but shall provide convincing rationale to address how the Offeror intends to meet these requirements.

Offerors shall assume the Government has no prior knowledge of their facilities and experience and will base its evaluation on the information presented in the Offeror’s proposal. The Offeror shall demonstrate an understanding, approach, and methodology to complete tasks IAW the PWS.

4.1.2 Subfactor a: Commercial (Private and Public Sector)/Corporate Experience: The Offeror shall demonstrate commercial and corporate experience in accomplishing the same or similar efforts that would be leveraged in meeting the Government’s requirements as outlined in the PWS. The Offeror shall provide a listing of the same or similar Government or non- Governmental efforts to include contact information of the project leads. Offerors shall provide no more than of five (5) awards, relevant projects or efforts which correlate to the specific tasks of the PWS and are considered recent (within the last three (3) years). The Prime Offeror shall provide at least two (2) of the five (5) awards, relevant projects or efforts with similar scope and contract value as this requirement to demonstrate their commercial (private and public sector)/Corporate experience.

4.1.3 Subfactor b: Management/Staffing Plan: The Offeror shall demonstrate a plan to monitor its employees at their facility, including subcontractors, to continuously meet the Government’s requirements as outlined in the PWS. The Offeror’s proposal should demonstrate a sound management plan and discuss their established procedures/processes to manage employees and complete all required tasks IAW PWS requirements. The Offeror shall demonstrate the process for safeguarding all data and documents pertaining to this task order while performing the work at their facility.

4.1.4 Each Offeror will identify personnel other than the program manager to meet this requirement IAW the PWS for the Management/Staffing Plan: Offerors shall provide a cross reference matrix that assigns proposed labor categories and FTEs IAW the PWS task areas along with completing the Attachment 5 PECP Worksheet. The Offeror will also provide in its plan all personnel resources and skill sets to fulfill the full scope of the PWS requirements through a matrix table or chart that clearly identifies the proposed staff, qualifications and skillsets as well as any certifications (if applicable) of the proposed personnel.

4.1.5 Subfactor c: Transition Plan. The Offeror shall provide a Transition Plan to meet with the current contractor for a smooth transition that provides continuity of current support and any pending actions to facilitate a smooth transition and a lower risk for mission failure during transition phases. The Offeror shall provide the FTEs and labor categories that the Offerors is proposing to meet the full requirement of the PWS. The Offeror’s Transition Plan shall address the proposed actions or process for a transition period of approximately fourteen (14) days. For planning purposes, the current incumbent is USmax Corporation, Contract#: FA701420F0046.

4.1.6 The Transition Plan shall at a minimum address the following items:

i. Key transition personnel

ii. Schedule of activities for onboarding

7 Attachment 1

iii. Minimizing disruption to ongoing projects and mitigating any potential disruptions

iv. Staffing projects, including retention of existing staff

v. Communication with key stakeholders (e.g., incumbent/successor Offerors management and staff, COR and PCO)

vi. Project management reporting and tracking

4.2 Factor II - Volume II: Past Performance

4.2.1.1 Past Performance: In order for past performance to be considered, the past performance must include previous or current requirements that are similar and fall within the scope of this requirement. A minimum of two (2) examples and a maximum of five (5) examples of past performance are required.

4.2.2 Recent and Relevant Contracts: Offeror shall provide past performance information on no more than five (5) contracts/work efforts. The scope and magnitude of this requirement can be broadly defined by the tasks in the PWS. To be recent, the contract (or subcontract) must have been performed within the past five (5) years from the date of issuance of this solicitation and for a minimum of a six (6) month period. Past Performance outside this given timeframe will not be evaluated. Offeror’s proposal shall provide examples of past performance that indicates a high expectation that the Offeror will successfully perform the required effort. The evaluation of past performance information will take into account past performance information regarding predecessor companies or subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement when such information is relevant to the acquisition.

4.2.2.1 Offeror shall furnish the following information for each contract submitted:

4.2.2.1.1 Company/Division name

4.2.2.1.2 Description of service and a detailed explanation of relevance to this requirement

4.2.2.1.3 Contracting Agency/Customer point of contact or reference having knowledge of contract performance

4.2.2.1.4 Contract Number

4.2.2.1.5 Contract Type and Dollar Value (per year cost and life cycle cost)

4.2.2.1.6 Period of Performance

4.2.2.1.7 Completion Date

4.2.2.1.8 Verified, up-to-date name, address, & telephone number of the Contracting Officer

4.2.2.1.9 Comments regarding compliance with contract terms and conditions

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

4.2.2.2 Offerors are cautioned to ensure respective past performance information submitted is RECENT (recency definition provided in 4.2.1) from the date of issuance of the solicitation. Any past performance information submitted over the maximum five (5) contracts will be disregarded in its entirety.

8 Attachment 1

4.2.3 Quality of Past Performance: The Government reserves the right to obtain information relative to present and past performance on its own, in addition to information provided by the Offeror. The quality of an Offeror’s past performance may be reviewed and evaluated through the use of systems such as the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS), Contract Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), Electronic Subcontract Reporting System (eSRS), questionnaires tailored to the circumstances of this acquisition, or other sources or databases known to the Government. Interviews may be conducted with Program Managers, Contracting Officers, Fee Determining Officials, Defense Contract Management Agency or other sources known to the Government.

5.0 Volume III, Factor III: Price Proposal:

5.1 The Offeror shall include a fully completed Attachment 4 CLIN Structure Price Sheet and submit prices on attached SF 1449. Insert proposed unit and extended prices for each Contract Line Item, including all option periods. Offerors travel is an estimated amount specified in the pricing worksheet for the period of performance by the Government. Do not change the total for travel. Any Offeror, which fails to cite a price for each item, or fails to make an entry, which indicates that work will be provided at no charge, will be rejected as non-compliant to this solicitation.

5.1.1 The services requested will require professional employees, as such, Offerors shall submit for evaluation a total compensation plan(s) setting forth proposed salaries and fringe benefits for professional employees working on the contract. Offerors shall submit a realistic Compensation Plan. Compensation plans must provide supporting cost data in order to be evaluated in accordance with FAR Provision 52.222-46 - Evaluation of Compensation for Professional Employees (Feb 1993). Salaries and fringe benefits must be submitted for each performance location.

5.1.2 Professional Employee Compensation Plan (PECP). This contract is expected to exceed $700,000 and the services to be provided will require meaningful numbers of professional employees, as such, Offerors shall submit for evaluation a total compensation plan(s) setting forth proposed salaries and fringe benefits for professional employees working on the contract. Compensation plans must provide supporting cost data in order to be evaluated in accordance with FAR Provision 52.222-46 -- Evaluation of Compensation for Professional Employees (Feb 1993). The compensation plan(s) will be evaluated to determine if the compensation level proposed is unrealistically low or not in reasonable relationship to the various labor categories for the Washington, D.C. area.

Failure to comply with the requirements in FAR Provision 52.222-46 may constitute sufficient cause to justify rejection of the proposal. Offerors shall include the tables below (or similar) to meet this requirement:

Salary/Fringe Benefits able (Example)

9 Attachment 1

Task Area/Labor Category Unburdened Rate Per Hour

Fringe Percentage or Amount applied to the unburdened rate

Junior Task Manager $57.00 32% Fringe ($27.00 per hour) IT Manager $42.00

A table showing Unburdened Salary Range may also be provided as long as the fringe percentage or a summary of calculating fringe or benefits provided is outlined in the pricing proposal.

Benefits Table (Example)

List of Benefits Description of Benefits Paid time off (PTO) 30 days per year Holidays 11 paid holidays per year Short-Term Disability

Long-Term Disability

Life & Personal Accidental Insurance

401K / IRA Plan Medical and Pharmacy Benefits Dental Benefits

Vision Benefits Flex spending account

Health Care Spending Account Educational Assistance

Pays 75% tuition

Employee Referral Bonus

5.1.3 The Offeror must map the labor categories proposed to their awarded GSA 8(a) STARS III Schedule awarded labor categories. The Offerors must then designate the labor categories they deem professional.

5.1.4 All first tier subcontractors are to provide their PECP Prime for submission (emailed only) proposals per Table 1 – Proposal Organization. Each PECP submitted must have the following information on the front page.

a. Company Name and full address

b. UEID and CAGE code

c. POC for the company

d. Name of Prime

10 Attachment 1

e. Solicitation Number

f. Factor II - Cost/Price PECP

5.1.5 Period of Performance for Pricing Purposes:

5.1.4.1 The period of performance (PoP) for this requirement consists of a twelve (12) month base period plus four (4) one (1)-year option periods and an additional 6-months extension. The anticipated full performance start date is on or about 31 January 2025. The anticipated Period of Performance is as follows:

Period of Performance STARTS ENDS

Base Period 31 Jan 2025 30 Jan 2026 Option Period 1 30 Jan 2026 31 Jan 2027 Option Period 2 31 Jan 2027 30 Jan 2028 Option Period 3 30 Jan 2028 31 Jan 2029 Option Period 4 31 Jan 2029 30 Jan 2030 Option Period 5 (6-Month Extension)

31 Jan 2030 28 Aug 2030

6.0 General Information:

6.1 Discrepancies: If an Offeror believes that the requirements in these instructions contain an error, omission, or are otherwise unsound, the Offerors shall immediately notify the CO in writing with supporting rationale as well as the remedies the Offerors is asking the CO to consider as related to the omission or error. The Offerors is reminded that the Government reserves the right to award this effort based on the initial proposal, as received, without discussion. Accordingly, Offerors are advised to submit initial proposals that are well defined and clearly acceptable without additional information, additional or substitute pages.

6.2 Debriefings: Offerors excluded at any time during the source selection process will be afforded the opportunity to request a post-award debriefing in accordance with FAR 52.212-1(l) Debriefing. Information relating to other Offerors proposals will not be disclosed.