Section_L_Fuels_28_January_2016.pdf

SECTION L-Instructions to Offerors

PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

A. To assure timely and equitable evaluation of proposals, offerors must follow the instructions contained herein. Offerors are required to meet all solicitation requirements, including terms and conditions, representations and certifications, and technical requirements, in addition to those identified as evaluation factors or subfactors. Offerors must clearly identify any exception to the solicitation, terms and conditions, and provide complete accompanying rationale. Proposals shall be submitted in electronic format such as *.PDF, MS Office Format, and paper copies as identified herein. The required number of proposals, both electronic and paper will be identified in each section below. The response shall consist of four (4) separate parts; Part I - Price Proposal, Part II - Technical Proposal, Part III - Past Performance Information and Part IV – Contract Documentation.

Documents submitted in response to this RFP must be fully responsive to and consistent with the following:

1. Requirements of the RFP, to include all attachments, and government standards and regulations pertaining to the Purchase Specification (PS).

2. Evaluation Factors for Award in Section M of this RFP.

3. Any limitation on the number of proposal pages. Pages exceeding the page limitations set forth in this Section L will not be read or evaluated, and will be removed from the proposal.

4. Format for proposal Parts II and III shall be as follows:

(a) The proposals will be 8 1/2” x 11” paper except for fold-outs used for charts, tables, or diagrams, which may not exceed 11” x 17”. These sizes also apply to proposals submitted electronically.

(b) A page is defined as one face of a sheet of paper containing information.

(c) Except for the reproduced sections of the solicitation document, the text size shall be

Times New Roman font and no less than 12 point. Use at least 1-inch margins on the top and bottom and ¾-inch side margins.

(d) Elaborate formats, bindings or color presentations are not desired or required.

5. 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 block 14 of the RFP Section A, SF33 and returning the front page of each.

B. The contracting officer has determined there is a high probability of adequate price competition in this acquisition. Upon examination of the initial offers, the contracting officer will review this determination and if, in the contracting officer's opinion, adequate price competition exists no additional data will be requested and certification under FAR 15.406-2 will not be required. However, if at any time during this competition the contracting officer determines that adequate price competition no longer exists; offerors may be required to submit cost data to the extent necessary for the contracting officer to determine the reasonableness and affordability of the price.

C. Specific Instructions:

1. PART I – PRICE PROPOSAL – Unlimited page count. Submit original and one (1) copy (both electronic and paper)

(a) Insert proposed unit and extended prices in Section B for each Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) or Sub CLIN (SCLIN), including all option periods. The extended amount must equal the whole dollar unit price multiplied by the number of units.

(b) In accordance with FAR 15.403-1(b) and 15.403-3(a), data other than certified cost or pricing data may be required to support a determination of price reasonableness. Data shall be provided IAW FAR 15.403-5, Instructions for Submission of Certified Cost or Pricing Data and Data other than Certified Cost or Pricing Data. If, after receipt of proposals, the PCO determines that there is insufficient data available to determine price reasonableness and none of the exceptions in FAR 15.403-1, Prohibition on Obtaining Certified Cost or Pricing Data (10 U.S.C.

2306a and 41 U.S.C. 254b) apply, the offeror shall be required to submit additional cost or pricing data.

2. PART II – TECHNICAL PROPOSAL - Limited to no more than 100 pages. Submit original plus three (3) copies (both electronic and paper).

(a) Subfactor 1 – Design Requirements: The Offeror shall provide their approach and capabilities that demonstrates the basic design requirements as they perceive them along with any supporting documentation explaining their planned design. This may include text, diagrams, illustrations, or any other printed method of conveying their conceptual design and understanding of the design requirements. The approach shall demonstrate how the equipment will operate as a system to meet the performance of the specification. Also, the Offeror shall provide 1-3 page data sheets for at least 3 of the most comparable test equipment design/build projects completed by your company within the last 10 years. The pages for these projects will not count towards the 100 page limit for the Technical Proposal. Each data sheet shall provide at a minimum a picture of the equipment, a list and brief description of the unit(s) tested and type of test(s), description of major test equipment components and interfaces, a description of the automation level of the equipment, the project completion date, the name of the customer and any other information that demonstrates experience with the requirements outlined in the Purchase Specification.

(b) Subfactor 2 – Software Requirements: The Offeror shall provide information that defines and demonstrates their proposed approach and capabilities for developing a versatile and adaptable software solution to meet the test requirement of the units listed in section 2 of the purchase specification along with the requirements listed in sections 3.4 and 3.8. The Offeror may include screenshots of previously developed software. The Offeror shall demonstrate their understanding of designing software to support universal type pieces of test equipment.

(c) Subfactor 3 – Safety Requirements: The Offeror shall define and identify safety concerns with designing a test solution that meets the requirements of the purchase specification.

The Offeror shall describe their proposed approach for ensuring the safety of personnel and protection of equipment.

(d) Subfactor 4 – Technical Manual Requirements: The Offeror shall provide a description of their approach and capabilities in providing the required technical documentation which shall illustrate their understanding of the requirements outlined in CDRL# A003. Also, demonstrate your company’s approach to producing a Standard Generalized Markup Language SGML formatted Technical Order. The Offeror may include an example of a technical order previously developed by their company (this shall be separate and not included in the 50 page limit, see note below).

Note: Any submitted Technical Orders under Subfactor 4 must be identified clearly as not to disqualify pages of the technical proposal unnecessarily.

(e) Subfactor 5 – Technical Drawing Requirements: The Offeror shall provide a description of their approach and capabilities to technical drawings which shall demonstrate their understanding of the requirements outlined in CDRL# A004. The Offeror may include a portion (20 sheets maximum) of a technical drawing package previously developed by their company (this shall be separate and not included in the 50 page limit, see note below). If the drawing package was developed under different requirements provide an outline of the basic differences.

Note: Any submitted drawings under Subfactor 5 must be identified clearly as not to disqualify pages of the technical proposal unnecessarily.

(f) Subfactor 6 – Program Management/Schedule: The Offeror shall provide information that defines and demonstrates how their company or team members propose to manage this program. The proposal should represent the Offeror's approach to overall program management to meet all of the PS requirements. The proposal shall include all of the PS requirements with more detail for following components:

Scheduling, cost control, and performance measures

Management of resources

Customer involvement at key decision points impacting delivery of the service or deliverable; conflict resolution

(g) Subfactor 7 – Lifecycle Sustainment Requirements: The Offeror shall provide information (reference Purchase Specification paragraphs 3.1.19 and 3.9) that demonstrates how their company and/or team members’ approach allows the Government to competitively select service providers for repairs without involving the original manufacturer of the test stands. The Offeror shall also describe how their approach will utilize common, commercially available, competitively priced components to reduce the lifecycle cost and minimize downtime of the test stands.

3. PART III – PAST PERFORMANCE INFORMATION - Limited to no more than 3 pages per contract listed. Only references for relevant past efforts/contracts are desired.

Submit original plus three (3) copies.

(a) Quality and Satisfaction Rating for Contracts Completed in the Past Five Years:

Provide any information currently available (letters, metrics, customer surveys, independent surveys, etc.) which demonstrates customer satisfaction with overall job performance and quality of completed product for relevant past efforts/contracts (similar in scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this solicitation requires). In addition, explain corrective actions taken in the past, if any, for substandard performance and any current performance problems such as cost overruns, extended performance periods, numerous warranty calls, etc.

(b) Performance Surveys: The government will evaluate the quality and extent of offeror's performance deemed relevant to the requirements of this RFP. The government will use information submitted by the offeror and any other sources of information available to the Government to assess past performance. Provide a list of no more than five (5), of the most relevant contracts performed for Federal agencies and commercial customers within the last five

(5) years. The evaluation of past performance information will take into account past performance information regarding predecessor companies, key personnel who have relevant experience, or subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement when such information is relevant to the instant acquisition. Furnish the following information for each contract listed:

(i) Company/Division name

(ii) Product/Service

(iii) Contracting Agency/Customer

(iv) Contract Number

(v) Contract Dollar Value

(vi) Period of Performance

(vii) Verified, up-to-date name, address, email & telephone number of the contracting officer

(viii) Comments regarding compliance with contract terms and conditions

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

If a teaming arrangement is contemplated, provide complete information as to the arrangement, including any relevant and recent past performance information on previous teaming arrangements with same partner. If this is a first time joint effort, each party to the arrangement must provide a list of past relevant contracts.

Note: For small business set-aside solicitations, the prime contractor must perform at least 51% of the work.

(c) Subcontractor Consent: Past performance information pertaining to a subcontractor cannot be disclosed to the prime offeror without the subcontractor’s consent. Provide with the proposal 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.

4. Part IV-CONTRACT DOCUMENTATION - Submit original and one (1) copy (both electronic and paper)

(a) Complete blocks 13, 15, 16, 17 and 18 of the RFP Section A, SF33. In doing so, the offeror accedes to the contract terms and conditions as written in the RFP Sections A through K.

These sections constitute the model contract. Signature by the offeror on the SF33 constitutes an offer, which the Government may accept. The "original" copy should be clearly marked under separate cover and should be provided without any punched holes.

(b) Complete the necessary fill-ins and certifications in Sections I through K. Section K shall be returned in its entirety. For Sections C through I, the offeror shall submit only those pages that require a fill-in.

(c) If applicable, provide a copy of the letter from the Small Business Administration

(SBA) showing proof of Section 8(a) status.

(d) 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 the table below.

Solicitation Exceptions

SOLICITATION

Document Page/

Paragraph Requirement/

Portion

Rationale

PS, ITO, Evaluation Criteria, etc.

Applicable Page and Paragraph Numbers

Identify the requirement or portion to which exception is taken

Describe why the requirement can/will not be met

(e) Other Information Required: Authorized Offeror Personnel – Provide the name, title, email address, and telephone number of the company/division point of contact regarding decisions made with respect to your proposal and who can obligate your company contractually.

Also, identify those individuals authorized to negotiate with the Government.

Company/Division Address, Identifying Codes, and Applicable Designations – Provide company/division’s street address, county and facility code; CAGE code; DUNS code; and size of business (large or small).