Addendum_to_52.212-1_Instructions_to_Offerors.docx

ADDENDUM TO FAR 52.212-1

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS (ITO) – COMMERCIAL ITEMS

GROUNDS MAINTENANCE HILL AFB, UT

SOURCE SELECTION

PROGRAM STRUCTURE AND OBJECTIVES

The Government intends to select one HUB-Zone small business contractor for the Grounds Maintenance Services Contract at Hill AFB. However, the Government reserves the right to award no contract if the Source Selection Authority (SSA) determines it is in the Government's best interest. The SSA will consider the Government's expected volume of work, available funding, adequate competition, and the availability of best value proposals. The Government reserves the right to award contracts without discussions.

Budget/Funding Information – Funding will be obligated on each task order awarded under the basic contract.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

This section provides general guidance for preparing proposals as well as specific instructions on format and content. The offeror's proposal shall include all data and information requested and shall be submitted in accordance with these instructions. Any offeror who submits an incomplete package may be considered non-responsive and eliminated from the competition. The offer shall be compliant with the requirements as stated in the Performance Work Statement (PWS), and Model Contract. Non-conformance with these instructions may result in an unfavorable proposal evaluation.

The proposal shall be clear, concise, and shall include sufficient detail for effective evaluation and for substantiating the validity of stated claims. The proposal shall 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 that the Government has no prior knowledge of their facilities and experience, and will base its evaluation on the information presented in the proposal.

Elaborate brochures or documentation, binding, detailed artwork, or other embellishments are unnecessary and are not desired.

The proposal acceptance period is specified in Blocks 6 and 8 of the SF 1449. Offerors providing less than the specified calendar days for Government acceptance after the date offers are due may be considered non-responsive and may be eliminated.

In accordance with FAR Subpart 4.8 (Government Contract Files), the Government will retain one copy of all unsuccessful proposals. Unless the offeror requests otherwise, the Government will destroy extra copies of such unsuccessful proposals.

Point of Contact – The Contracting Officer (CO) is the sole point of contact for this acquisition. Address any questions or concerns you may have to the CO. Written requests for clarification may be sent to the CO at the address below:

OL:H/PZIOC

Attn: Adam Townsley 6038 Aspen AVE, Bldg 1289 NE Wing Hill AFB, UT 84056 Office (801) 777-4625 Adam.Townsley@hill.af.mil

Pre Award Debriefings - The CO will promptly notify offerors of any decision to exclude them from the competitive range, whereupon they may request and receive a debriefing in accordance with FAR 15.505. At the offeror’s request this debriefing may be delayed until after award.

Post Award Debriefings - The CO will notify unsuccessful offerors in the competitive range of the source selection decision in accordance with FAR 15.506. Upon such notification, unsuccessful offerors may request and receive a debriefing. Offerors desiring debriefing must make their request in accordance with the requirements of FAR 15.505 or 15.506, as applicable.

Discrepancies – If an offeror believes that the requirements in these instructions contain an error, omission, or are otherwise unsound, the offeror shall immediately notify the CO in writing with supporting rationale. The offeror is reminded that the Government reserves the right to award this effort based on the initial proposal, as received, without discussions.

Electronic Reference Documents – All referenced documents for this solicitation are available on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website at http://www.fedbizopps.gov. Potential offerors are encouraged to subscribe for real-time e-mail notifications when information has been posted to the website for this solicitation.

Oral Presentation – Oral presentations will not be allowed.

Amendments to Solicitation – If this Request for Proposal (RFP) is amended, all terms and conditions that are not amended remain unchanged. Offerors shall acknowledge receipt of any amendment to this request by the date and time specified in the amendment(s) by signing and returning the front page of each.

Submission, Modification, Revision, and Withdrawal of Proposals

Proposals and modifications to proposals shall be submitted in both paper and electronic media (as delineated in Table 1) to the address located in paragraph 2.6 of this document, showing the time and date specified for receipt, the solicitation number, and the name and address of the offeror. Late proposals will only be considered IAW FAR 15.208.

Acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at the Government installation includes the time/date stamp of that installation on the proposal wrapper, other documentary evidence of receipt maintained by the installation, or oral testimony or statements of Government personnel.

Proposals may be withdrawn by written notice received at any time before award. Proposals may also be withdrawn in person by an offeror or an authorized representative, if the identity of the person requesting the withdrawal is established and the person signs a receipt for the proposal before award.

Organization/Number of Copies/Page Limits

The title page of each volume must show:

Solicitation Number

Company name, address, cage code and DUNS

Primary point of contact name, telephone number and email address

Volume number and name (e.g. Volume I, Price) and copy number (i.e. Original, copy 1, copy 2, etc.)

The offeror shall prepare the proposal as set forth in the Proposal Organization table below. The titles and contents of the volumes shall be as defined in this table, all of which shall be within the required page limits and with the number of copies specified. The volumes identified in the table shall be separately bound in three-ring, loose-leaf binders. The contents of each proposal volume are described in the ITO paragraph as noted in the table below.

Table 1 - Proposal Organization

IV

6.0

Unlimited

and 2 CDs

and 2 CDs

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. Page limitations may be placed on responses to Evaluation Notices (ENs) if applicable. The specified page limits for EN responses will be identified in the letters forwarding the ENs to the offerors. Each page shall be counted except the following: blank pages, title pages, tables of contents, tabs, glossaries, Cross Reference Matrix, and those noted in the Proposed Organization Table as “Unlimited.”

Pricing Information – All pricing information shall be addressed ONLY in the Price Volume.

Cross Referencing

Each volume shall be written on a standalone basis so that its contents may be evaluated without cross-referencing to other volumes of the proposal. Information required for proposal evaluation that is not found in its designated volume will be assumed to have been omitted from the proposal. Cross-referencing within a proposal volume is permitted.

The offeror shall fill out a cross reference matrix in the format below, indicating the proposal reference information as it relates to the Section L – Instructions to Offerors, and Section M - Evaluation Factors for Award. This shall be included in the Technical Volume (Volume II). The cross reference matrix addresses each requirement within the PWS and subfactors. The offeror shall fill in each section independently labeled with the appropriate paragraph number or page number from their proposal that addresses the requirement or subfactor.

Table 2 – Sample Cross Reference Matrix

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.

Include an indexed list of Tables and Figures. Tables and Figures will count against the page limitations for their respective volumes.

Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms – Each volume shall contain a glossary of all abbreviations and acronyms used, with an explanation for each. Glossaries do not count against the page limitations for their respective volumes.

Page Size and Format

A page is defined as each face of a sheet of paper containing information. Page size shall be 8.5 x 11 inches, not including foldouts, and printed on both sides. Sheets shall be double-sided which will count as two pages. Except for the reproduced sections of the solicitation document, the text shall be Times New Roman and font size shall be no less than 12 points and lines shall be single spaced. Tracking, kerning, and leading values shall not be changed from the default values of the word processing or page layout software. Use at least 1 inch margins on the top, bottom, and side. Pages shall be numbered sequentially by volume. These page format restrictions shall also apply to responses to ENs if applicable. These limitations shall apply to both electronic and hard copy proposals.

Legible tables, charts, graphs and figures shall be used wherever practical to depict organizations, systems and layout, implementation schedules, plans, etc. These displays shall be uncomplicated, legible and shall not exceed 11 by 17 inches in size. Foldout pages shall fold entirely within the volume, be printed only on one side, and count as a single page. Foldout pages may only be used for large tables, charts, graphs, diagrams and schematics; not for pages of text. For tables, charts, graphs and figures, the text shall be no smaller than 10 point. These limitations shall apply to both electronic and hard copy proposals.

Binding and Labeling – Each volume of the proposal should be provided separately in black or white three-ring loose-leaf binders large enough to permit the volume to lie flat when open. Staples shall not be used. The outside of each binder shall include a cover sheet, clearly marked as to volume number and title, copy number, solicitation identification and the offeror's name. The same identifying data should be placed on the spine of each binder. Be sure to apply all appropriate markings including those prescribed in accordance with FAR 52.215-1(e), Restriction on Disclosure and Use of Data, and 3.104-4, Disclosure, Protection, and Marking of Contractor Bid or Proposal Information and Source Selection Information.

Electronic Offers – The content and page size of electronic copies must be identical to the hard copies. In the event there is a discrepancy between the hard copy and electronic copy, the hard copy shall take precedence. For electronic copies, indicate on each CD the volume number and title. Use separate files for each volume to permit rapid location of all portions, including subfactor required plans, exhibits, annexes, and attachments, if any. The offeror shall submit all Volumes in electronic format, using read only CDs (i.e. CD-R). Re-writable CDs (i.e. CD-RW) shall NOT be used. Each volume shall be on a separate CD. If files are compressed, the necessary decompression program must be included. The electronic copies of the proposal shall be submitted in a format readable by Microsoft (MS) Word 2007, MS Excel 2007, MS-Project 2007 and MS-Power Point 2007, as applicable. PDF formats shall NOT be used.

Distribution – The "original" proposal shall be identified. Proposals shall be addressed to the Contracting Officer and mailed or hand-delivered to:

OL:H/PZIOC

Attn: Adam Townsley 6038 Aspen AVE, Bldg 1289 NE Wing Hill AFB, UT 84056 Office (801) 777-4625

VOLUME I – PRICE

General Instructions

The price evaluation criteria of completeness, reasonableness, and Total Evaluated Price (TEP) as defined in FAR 52.212-2 EVALUATION – COMMERCIAL ITEMS, as supplemented, will be assessed from the information provided in this volume. Offerors should review the FAR 52.212-2 criteria to ensure the minimum requirements are met.

Total Evaluated Price

Section B (Bid Schedule). The offeror shall complete Section B (Bid Schedule) of this RFP. For each ordering period a unit price, rounded to two decimal places, shall be proposed and inserted for Firm Fixed Price (FFP) Contract Line Item Numbers. The extended amount for each CLIN must equal the unit price multiplied by the quantity of units. The proposed prices shall be based on the offeror’s own technical approach submitted in the Technical Proposal (Volume II) and the Government’s Performance Work Statement (PWS) requirements as set forth herein.

Cost or Pricing Information Requirements – In accordance with FAR 15.402, 15.403-1(b) and 15.403-3(a), “information other than certified cost or pricing data” may be required to support price reasonableness. If after receipt of proposals, the CO determines that there is insufficient information available to determine the reasonableness of the proposed pricing, the offeror may be required to submit additional information other than certified cost or pricing data. If, during the source selection process, the CO determines that adequate competition no longer exists, then certified cost and pricing data may be required.

Pricing Assumptions - Summarize all significant pricing assumptions, scope limitations and/or qualifications of the Price proposal.

Estimating Techniques and Methods – Offerors shall use generally accepted estimating techniques to develop their estimates for the category rates in the TEP.

VOLUME II – TECHNICAL CAPABILITY

The Technical Capability Volume shall be specific and complete. Legibility, clarity and coherence are very important. Your responses will be evaluated against the Technical Subfactors defined in FAR 52.212-2 EVALUATION – COMMERCIAL ITEMS, as supplemented. Offerors should review criteria in FAR 52.212-2 to ensure the minimum requirements are met. Provide as specifically as possible the actual methodology you would use for accomplishing/satisfying each subfactor. It is imperative that you fully describe how you will meet the subfactor requirements. Do not simply copy and paste, rephrase or restate PWS/Technical Order language for the technical volume.

1.1. Subfactor One: Grounds Maintenance Management Plan

Submit a sufficient Management Plan. The plan shall include key personnel and a description of how the offeror would expect to maintain grounds in accordance with the PWS during a typical growing season.

1.2. Subfactor Two: Quality Control Plan

Submit a sufficient Quality Control Plan. The Quality Control Plan shall be a general description of how the offeror intends to maintain quality workmanship, continuously improve processes, and correct deficiencies as required. The Quality Control Plan shall describe how the offeror intends to identify and prevent non-performance, and how the offeror plans to respond to deficiencies and prevent continual repetition of defective services.

1.3. Subfactor Three: Sample Schedule

Submit an initial sample schedule to accomplish all items in the PWS, Appendix A – Grounds Description/Workload Estimates, broken down by days of the week and areas to be maintained.

1.4. Subfactor Four: List of Equipment

Submit a list of tools and equipment (quantity and type) which will be used to accomplish the requirements of the PWS.

2. VOLUME III – PAST PERFORMANCE

Offerors may submit recent, relevant contracts as defined in FAR 52.212-2 EVALUATION – COMMERCIAL ITEMS, as supplemented. The government will consider this information, along with information obtained from other sources (e.g. Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS), customer interviews, etc.).

Offerors are encouraged to address any performance problems/issues that the Government may identify and explain corrective action taken and current status. The Government will consider this information in determining the offerors past performance rating.

An offeror’s failure to address performance problems/issues within this volume does not preclude the government from using such information in determining a past performance rating.

3. VOLUME IV – CONTRACT DOCUMENTATION

Model Contract/Representations and Certifications – Provide copies in the formats and quantities identified in Table 1.

Complete blocks 12,17a, 26, 30a, 30b, 30c of the RFP, Standard Form 1449. In doing so, the offeror agrees to the contract terms and conditions as written in the RFP. These sections constitute the model contract. All necessary clause fill-ins shall be completed in the Representations, Certifications and Other Statements of Offerors. If using the annual representations and certifications electronically via the Online Representations and Certifications Application (http://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM), the offeror shall ensure that all RFP requirements have been met.

Exceptions to Solicitation Requirements – Offerors are required to meet all solicitation requirements, such as terms and conditions, representations and certifications, and technical requirements, in addition to those identified as evaluation factors or subfactors. Failure to meet a requirement may result in an offer being ineligible for award. Offerors must clearly identify any exception to the solicitation terms and conditions and provide complete accompanying rationale. Each exception shall be specifically related to each paragraph and/or specific part of the solicitation to which the exception is taken. Provide rationale in support of the exception and fully explain its impact, if any, on the performance, schedule, cost, and specific requirements of the solicitation. This information shall be provided in the format and content of Table 3.

Table 3 – Solicitation Exceptions

SOLICITATION

Document Page/ Paragraph Requirement/ Portion Rationale

3.1. Other Information Required

Authorized Offeror Personnel – Provide the name, title, telephone number, and email address of the company/division point of contact responsible for negotiating with the Government.

Ability to obtain resources – Submit acceptable evidence that your company possesses adequate financial resources to perform the contract. This information will be used as part of the Contracting Officer’s determination of responsibility IAW FAR 9.104.

In accordance with FAR 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting, at least 50 percent of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the concern. Submit evidence that your company will be able to comply with the limitations on Subcontracting.

Small businesses who intend to count the performance of other small businesses in meeting the 50 percent requirement, must include in their Contract Documentation Volume III, evidence of a formal/informal joint venture.

Submit your Total Case Incident Rate (TCIR) and Days Away, Restricted and/or Transferred (DART) rates, or, injury and illness rates for the past three years for North American Industrial Classification Systems (NAICS) code 811219. For newly formed entities or other Offerors that do not possess three years of consecutive recording data, submit this information for the time period you do possess. You may also submit other comparable data from a recognized agency, such as workers compensation, insurance rates, etc, for the same time period as well.

Plans Required by Regulation or Policy: Submit the following plans in accordance with applicable FAR/DFARS or PWS Parts. These plans shall be placed in individual binders that are subtitled (e.g. Volume III, Contract documentation, Property Management Plan). Provide copies in the formats and quantities identified in Table1.

Property Management Plan - IAW FAR 45.201(c)(4) and 52.245-1(f)(1) establish, implement and submit a property management plan.

Safety and Health Plan - Submit a Safety Plan IAW Appendix E of the PWS.

7. Site Visit

7.1 AN ORGANIZED SITE VISIT HAS BEEN SCHEDULED AT 0900 MST, 17 July 2013. OFFERORS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO INSPECT THE SITE WHERE THE WORK WILL BE PERFORMED. PARTICIPANTS WILL MEET AT THE HILL AFB MUSEUM. RSVPs ARE REQUIRED FOR THE SITE VISIT TO ALLOW FOR THE SCHEDULING OF ADEQUATE TRANSPORTATION. RSVPs SHALL INCLUDE THE ATTENDEE’S FULL LEGAL NAME, GENDER, DATE OF BIRTH, DRIVERS LICENSE NUMBER AND STATE OF ISSUE, COMPANY, AND TELEPHONE NUMBER. FAILURE TO PROVIDE ALL OF THE REQUIRED INFORMATION BY 11 July 2013 AT 4:00 PM MST WILL RESULT IN A FAILURE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SITE VISIT. RSVPs SHALL BE E-MAILED TO THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS: adam.townsley@hill.af.mil.