Section_L_Proposal_Requirements.docx

L-900. Proposal Requirements I. Proposal Format

A. General: The following instructions cover the preparation and submittal of the offeror’s proposal for this solicitation. Offerors must follow the instructions contained herein. Offerors are cautioned that any noncompliance with the terms and conditions of the RFP may cause their proposal to be determined not eligible for award. If a joint venture arrangement exists for this acquisition, the offeror shall provide a copy of the joint venture agreement that is signed and dated by all joint venture members as part of the proposal submission. Offerors shall submit only one proposal for the HH-60G Degraded Visual Environment System (DVES) as the Government will review only one proposal per offeror. Proposals must be received by AFLCMC/WIUKB, 235 Byron Street, Suite 19A, Robins AFB 31098-1670, Attention: Leigh Ann Taylor, leigh.taylor.3@us.af.mil, and William Walton, william.walton.2@us.af.mil, no later than the date and time specified in Block 8 on the face page of the RFP. However, offerors are requested to submit Volume III, Past Performance Information, so that it is received ten (10) calendar days prior to the required due date for proposals. Failure to submit Volume III by the earlier date will not result in offeror disqualification.

B. Communications: Exchanges of source selection information between the Government and offerors will be controlled by the Contracting Officer through the Contracting Specialist. Email may be used to transmit such information, only if the email can be sent encrypted, and must include “Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104” in the subject line of the email. Otherwise, source selection information will be transmitted via direct mailing or facsimile. In order to facilitate the sending and receiving of encrypted emails, offerors must use MS Outlook email configured to support encryption or a different email product that is S/MIME compatible and configured to support encryption. If you intend to submit your source selection information via encrypted email, you will need to contact the Buyer/Contracting Officer indicated on the face page of the solicitation prior to that first submittal in order to exchange certificates used for encryption. To ensure the process is working correctly, send a test encrypted message first (without including any source selection information). Otherwise, source selection information will be transmitted via direct mailing or AMRDEC SAFE at https://safe.amrdec.army.mil/safe/guide.aspx. When submitting source selection information via email, file suppression utilities, to include but not limited to zip files, will not be accepted.

The Government intends to award without discussions, but reserves the right to conduct discussions if determined necessary. Any discussions will be conducted in accordance with FAR 15.306. Proposals received are subject to the requirements specified in FAR 52.215-1, unless otherwise tailored in the Addendum to the solicitation. Proposals must be received by AFLCMC/WIUKB, 235 Byron Street, Suite 19A, Robins AFB 31098-1670 no later than 3:00PM, Eastern Daylight Time on 30 July 2018.

II. Volume Organization

A. General: Proposals shall be submitted to the Government in five (5) separate volumes as set forth below:

* Page limit for Total Compensation Plan submitted in Volume I is six (6) pages.

**Written Technical Proposal shall be submitted in written form (2 copies) and CD-R or DVD-R (write once/read only) (10 copies) that is “closed” so that no further writes can be made to the media. CD-R/W or DVD-R/W media types are not acceptable. Media must be virus scanned by the offeror prior to submitting to the Government.

***Past Performance and Small Business Participation shall be submitted in written form (2 copies) and CD-R or DVD-R (write once/read only) (3 copies) that is “closed” so that no further writes can be made to the media. CD-R/W or DVD-R/W media types are not acceptable. Media must be virus scanned by the offeror prior to submitting to the Government. Offerors shall use the instructions set forth in the RFP Attachment 2, Past Performance Information (PPI) for Offerors, to electronically submit the Past Performance information into the PPI Tool. The link to the PPI Tool is attached, as a link, to the solicitation posting. The offeror is also required to submit a hardcopy Past Performance Volume III,that includes an RFP Attachment 3, Relevancy Assessment.

****Cost/Price proposal information shall be submitted in written form (1 copy) and CD-R or DVD-R (write once/read only) (1 copy) that is “closed” so that no further writes can be made to the media. CD-R/W or DVD-R/W media types are not acceptable. Media must be virus scanned by the offeror prior to submitting to the Government.

In addition to the page limitations set forth above, proposal volumes shall comply with the following format:

1. The sealed package used to submit the proposal package must show the time and date specified for receipt. Each volume shall be marked with the RFP number and the offeror’s name and address, and the number of the Volume, i.e. I, II, III, etc. Proposals shall be in the English language and all monies shall be proposed in United States dollars.

2. Print shall be no smaller than a font size of 12 and in either Times New Roman. Paper size shall be 8 1/2” X 11,” excluding any drawings, diagrams, and/or supporting illustrations, spreadsheets, etc. Charts, graphs, drawings, diagrams, supporting illustrations, or spreadsheets shall not be greater than 8 1/2” x 14.” Each volume within the proposal notebook shall be separately tabbed and identified. Margins shall be no smaller than one (1) inch and each page within a volume shall be numbered consecutively. Elaborate formats, bindings, color presentations are not desired or required. In order to verify the font size and margins utilized, the offeror shall provide an electronic copy of the technical proposal in Word format and searchable PDF format.

3. The page limitation for Volume II, Written Technical Proposal is 80 pages. The page limitation for Volume IV, Small Business Participation, is 10 pages. The page limitations include any cover page, charts, graphs, drawings, diagrams, supporting illustrations, spreadsheets, etc., but excludes any table of contents or list of acronyms (if utilized). Offerors are cautioned that any pages that exceed the page limitations shall not be read but shall be removed and either retained in the contract file without being considered in the evaluation, or, sent back to the offeror.

4. Page limitations may be placed on responses to Evaluation Notices (ENs), if issued. The specified page limits for EN responses will be identified in the letters forwarding the ENs to offerors or on the EN form itself.

5. Each page containing proprietary information should be so marked.

6. Each page should contain the following legend at the bottom of each sheet:

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION--SEE FAR 2.101 and 3.104

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

7. Submission of the initial proposal packages via electronic mail will not be accepted. Initial proposal packages shall either be mailed or hand-delivered. Offerors are cautioned that Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex has visitor control procedures requiring individuals not affiliated with the installation to obtain a visitor pass prior to entrance. Some delay should be anticipated when hand-delivering proposal packages. Offerors should allow for sufficient time to obtain a visitor pass and arrive at the specified office PRIOR to the time specified for receipt of proposals.

B. Volume I, Completed RFP

1. General: Volume I, Completed RFP and clauses shall consist of the completed and signed RFP, to include any amendments issued, with a cover letter delineating any exceptions taken to the RFP terms and conditions with accompanying rationale. However, offerors are cautioned that any noncompliance with the terms and conditions of the RFP may cause their proposal to be determined not eligible for award. Offerors shall ensure that all clauses and provisions that require “fill-in” information are appropriately completed, including the proposed prices associated with the contract line items in the Schedule of the RFP.

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.

2. Total Compensation Plan: The total compensation plan required by FAR 52.222-46 shall be submitted as a part of Volume I and shall be no more than 6 pages. The plan shall set forth salaries and fringe benefits proposed for professional employees and include supporting information to enable the Government to review the proposed salaries and fringe benefits in accordance with FAR 52.222-46. Note: The compensation plan pertains to the offeror only. However, if a populated joint venture is formed (a joint venture in which the employees are employed by the joint venture itself and not by any individual joint venture partner), the joint venture must submit the total compensation plan for the joint venture. If an unpopulated joint venture is formed, each individual joint venture partner must submit its own total compensation plan.

3. Cross Reference Matrix: The offeror shall fill out the cross reference matrix at RFP Attachment 1 indicating where in its proposal the information can be found as it relates to the RFP. The cross reference matrix will be utilized as a tool to show critical interrelationships and dependencies among the technical requirements documents (System Requirements Document (SRD), Performance-Based Work Statement (PWS)), the Contract Line Item Number (CLIN), the Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL), Section L (Proposal Requirements), and Section M (Evaluation Basis for Award). The cross reference matrix will help an offeror ensure it has responded to all the evaluation criteria and proposal submittal requirements identified in the solicitation. If the matrix conflicts with any other requirement, direction, or provision of this solicitation, the other reference shall take precedence over the matrix. Additionally, to the extent the matrix discloses details as to the manner by which the Government intends to evaluate the offeror’s proposals for award, Section M references in the matrix are for informational purposes only, and the Government shall be obligated to evaluate proposals solely in conformance with Section M of the solicitation.

C. Volume II, Written Technical Proposal

1. General: The written technical proposal shall be clear, concise, and include all the information required by this provision in sufficient detail for effective evaluation. 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 capabilities, work processes, facilities, and experience and will base its evaluation on the information presented in the offeror’s technical proposal.

2. Format and Specific Content: The following information shall be provided in the written technical proposal and will be evaluated to assess the proposed technical approach and associated technical risk in accordance with Section M-900, Evaluation Basis for Award. The written technical proposal shall address each of the following subfactors to describe the offeror’s proposed approach to performing the requirements set forth in the PWS and SRD. For each subfactor, the offeror shall identify risks, if any, associated with the proposed approach and actions the offeror will take to mitigate the identified risks. If no risks/mitigations are identified in the offeror’s proposal, it indicates the offeror does not consider there to be any risk associated with their proposed approach. The proposal shall provide a detailed narrative and supporting documentation that illustrates the offeror's understanding of, approach to, and current and planned capability for all of the following technical subfactors.

a. Subfactor One: Sensor Performance Under this sub-factor, the offeror’s ability to meet the sensor-based landing zone assessment threshold/objective requirements as outlined in Section 3.2.4 of the System Requirements Document (SRD), as well as the en route obstacle awareness objectives outlined in Section 3.2.5, will be evaluated on the bases of technical merit, maturity, and risk. At a minimum, the offeror shall provide the following:

i. The design of the modes and functions of the sensor system in addressing the threshold/objective requirements through the stages of landing zone assessment described in SRD Section 3.2.4.

ii. The performance of the sensor in terms of resolution and observation ranges for the representative targets defined in SRD Section 3.2.4. Sensor performance will be evaluated on the basis of stated capabilities, the technical soundness of the supporting analysis, and the degree to which stated capabilities have been verified through experiments and flight tests in operationally representative environments. The offeror shall explain their method for estimating performance capabilities and state all assumptions and system specifications necessary to verify the analysis.

iii. The ability of sensor processing hardware/firmware/software to ensure that imagery is accurate and timely in accordance with the display and latency requirements in SRD Section 3.2 and 3.9.2. This includes its ability to maintain and manage collected data to fulfill threshold/objective assessment requirements in SRD Section 3.2, and to ensure its imagery is free from artifacts arising from the DVE conditions defined in SRD Section 3.6.1. Evaluation will be based on stated capabilities and the degree to which stated capabilities have been verified through experiments and flight tests in operationally representative environments.

b. Subfactor Two: Integration Approach This sub-factor evaluates the offeror’s ability to perform the services to achieve the required performance thresholds and/or objectives as described in the SRD. Describe the approach and process, to include subcontracts with original equipment manufacturers, to add the required capabilities while preserving existing systems functions as described in SRD paragraph 3.2.3. At a minimum, the following areas shall be address:

i. The software integration approach necessary to meet the requirements in the SRD, including paragraphs 3.2.8, 3.2.9, 3.3.1, 3.3.2, 3.3.3, 3.3.4, and 3.3.4.1. Include a system diagram which describes all new and existing software interfaces used, and software modifications/additions to each block in the system.

ii. The hardware integration approach necessary to meet the requirements for housing, mounting, and connecting the hardware on the HH-60G platform, including SRD paragraph 3.2.3 and section 3.3. Include an integrated block diagram which describes all new and existing hardware interfaces used, highlighting hardware modifications/additions to each block in the system.

iii. The system design approach to spatially and temporally georegister a unified presentation (imagery, symbology, and elevation data) and present it to the pilot, relative to SRD paragraphs specifying georegistered information presentation (SRD paragraphs 3.2.6.2 and 3.2.9.4) and pilot interface requirement (SRD paragraph 3.9.2).

c. Subfactor Three: Weight and Power This sub-factor evaluates the offeror’s ability to meet the threshold and/or objective weight and power requirements as outlined in section 3.8 and associated subparagraphs of the System Requirements Document (SRD). At a minimum, the following areas shall be addressed:

i. Weight: The offeror shall describe system components and total system weight in accordance with SRD Section 3.8.1 and an assessment of system weight and balance IAW the Performance Work Statement (PWS) paragraph 3.8.7.

ii. Power: The offeror shall describe DVE system power interface and all power requirements for individual system components. Describe total system current and power draw in accordance with appropriate subparagraphs in SRD Section 3.8 and an initial assessment of electrical loads IAW PWS paragraph 3.8.8.

d. Subfactor Four: Sustainment This sub-factor evaluates the offeror's approach to sustainment features of the DVES materiel solution. At a minimum, the following areas shall be addressed:

i. The design approach allowing for software sustainment including the ability and ease of implementing future software enhancements, security updates, and applying bug fixes.

ii. The engineering processes to address material shortages, component obsolescence, and counterfeit parts.

iii. The design approach to meet Reliability and Maintainability requirements as listed in Sections 3.7.1 and 3.7.2 of the SRD.

iv. The design approach to Maintainer Vehicle Interface (MVI) requirements as listed in Section 3.9.3 of the SRD.

D. Volume III, Past Performance

1. General: The offeror shall utilize the Past Performance Information (PPI) Tool in order to submit Volume III, Past Performance. The offeror shall submit present and past performance information for itself and any joint venture member, as well as each proposed critical subcontractor in accordance with the format contained in the PPI Tool, RFP Attachment 2, Relevancy Assessment, and the following paragraphs. A critical subcontractor is defined as an entity (subcontractor and/or teaming contractor), other that the offeror itself, that will perform more than 30 percent of the overall effort, based on the sum of the price proposed for each contract line item and/or possesses the business license the prime contractor is relying on to perform the effort of the Performance Work Statement (PWS) and SRD. The evaluation of the offeror’s/joint venture member’s present/past performance WILL include the present/past performance of any subcontractor(s), vendor(s)/supplier (s) even though they may perform major or critical aspects of this requirement.

2. Past Performance Format: The requested present and past performance information shall be provided in a separate volume (i.e., 3-ring binder) labeled "Volume III - Past Performance". A summary page shall be provided for this acquisition, describing the proposed role of the offeror, any joint venture member and critical subcontractor (nature of work and percentage of overall work). Summary page information must clearly communicate that proposed critical subcontractor(s) meet the definition of a critical subcontractor established above. Efforts submitted for proposed critical subcontractors not meeting the established definition will not be evaluated. Each offeror/joint venture member and critical subcontractor shall utilize the PPI Tool to complete information for three (3) active or completed efforts in the past five (5) years from the issuance date of the RFP that the offeror/joint venture member and critical subcontractor considers relevant in demonstrating its ability to perform the proposed effort. If the total number of such contracts exceeds three (3), each offeror/joint venture member shall address its three (3) most recent and relevant contracts. Please note that the offeror/joint venture member shall be the party to submit all performance information in the PPI Tool. The offeror's/joint venture member’s or critical subcontractor’s present and past performance information may include data on efforts performed by other predecessor companies, affiliates, other divisions or corporate management if such was provided for evaluation and if the offeror’s past performance volume demonstrates the company, affiliate, or division will provide the offeror with resources for the instant proposed effort, such as workforce, management, facilities, or other capabilities demonstrating direct and meaningful involvement in the performance of the instant proposed effort. The information in the PPI Tool shall clearly indicate the division or corporate organization that performed or is presently performing the contract. Contracts listed may include those with the Federal Government, state and local governments or their agencies, and commercial customers.

3. Ordering Type Contracts Submission: If the contract you are submitting is an ordering type contractual vehicle (for example, including but not limited to an Indefinite Delivery “D” type contract per FAR 16.5), only after issuance of a delivery/task order does performance occur. Given this, an individual order (or series of orders) under the basic ordering contract shall be submitted, in lieu of just the basic ordering contract itself. All information provided to the Government, for an ordering type contractual vehicle, shall be at the order level (i.e. a delivery/task order).

When submitting an individual order (or series of orders) under an ordering type contractual vehicle, it is important that the offeror’s past performance information be submitted in the correct format. There are specific places for submission of this information in the PPI Tool and the RFP Attachment 3, Relevancy Assessment. Please ensure the information submitted, in the PPI Tool and the RFP Attachment 2, Relevancy Assessment, is for each order (or series of orders), in lieu of just the basic ordering contract itself. This includes but is not limited to information such as the Dollar Value and Period of Performance.

When determining what order (or series of orders) to submit for evaluation, please reference Section M, Paragraph II.D. for details on how the Government will evaluate each effort for recency, relevancy, and quality. If the information is not submitted in the correct format, the Government will not be able to evaluate the recency, relevancy, and quality for the effort.

4. Key Personnel: Offerors, joint venture members, or critical subcontractors that are newly formed entities (in existence less than three (3) years from the issuance date of this solicitation) who either have no prior contracts or do not possess relevant corporate past performance, but have key personnel with relevant past performance while employed by another company, may demonstrate the performance of such key personnel by submitting information for three (3) of their most recent and relevant contracts under which such key personnel performed the same role currently being proposed on the instant acquisition and this performance occurred during the past five (5) years from the issuance date of this solicitation. This past performance information should be submitted in the PPI Tool and the RFP Attachment 3, Relevancy Assessment. However, please note that the quality of the key personnel’s performance under the submitted contract must be able to be verified by the Past Performance Team in order to be considered in the assessment of confidence. Any such key personnel must already be employed by the offeror /joint venture member, or in the case of a critical subcontractor, must already be employed by the critical subcontractor; a letter of intent to hire does not constitute employment.

5. Subcontractor/Teaming Member Consent Form: In addition to the information provided in the PPI Tool and the RFP Attachment 3 Relevancy Assessment for each entity as required above, the offeror must submit a consent letter executed by each of its proposed teaming member(s) and/or critical subcontractors authorizing release of adverse past performance information to the prime offeror to allow the prime offeror an opportunity to respond. A sample Subcontractor/Teaming Partner Consent Form is attached to this RFP (see RFP Attachment 4). The consent form should be completed by the team member(s) and/or critical subcontractors identified in your proposal. The completed consent forms should be submitted as part of your Past Performance Volume III.

6. Small Business Compliance in Past Performance Efforts: On the three (3) contracts submitted in Volume III, Past Performance, include relevant information in the PPI Tool concerning the offeror’s/joint venture member’s (and critical subcontractor’s, if applicable) compliance with FAR 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns or FAR 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan, if these clauses are or were contained in the contract. (Please note that FAR 52.219-8 does apply to ALL businesses, whereas FAR 52.219-9 only applies to large businesses.) When subcontracting possibilities existed on the contracts submitted by the offeror/joint venture member and critical subcontractor, address whether or not the offeror/joint venture member and critical subcontractor awarded subcontracts to small business concerns, veteran-owned small business concerns, service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns, HUBZone small business concerns, small disadvantaged business concerns, and women-owned small business concerns to the fullest extent consistent with efficient contract performance. If none of the submitted contracts included these clauses, whenever subcontracting possibilities existed in the performance of these contracts, address whether or not it was the offeror/joint venture member and critical subcontractor’s policy to utilize small business concerns, veteran-owned small business concerns, service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns, HUBZone small business concerns, small disadvantaged business concerns, and women-owned small business concerns to the fullest extent consistent with efficient contract performance.

7. PPI Tool and Relevancy Assessment Attachment: The offeror/joint venture member or critical subcontractor (if applicable) must submit information for each past performance effort in the PPI Tool and the RFP Attachment 3, Relevancy Assessment. The offeror/joint venture member or critical subcontractor (if applicable) shall focus its responses in the PPI Tool and RFP Attachment 3, Relevancy Assessment so that they clearly correlate present and past performance with the requirements of this RFP. The information must clearly describe the relevance of the effort to the work proposed. Provide the most current information for the Points of Contact (POCs) identified in the PPI Tool.

(a) Procuring Contracting Officer/Contract Negotiator or equivalent

(b) Program/Project Manager, or equivalent

(c) Administrative Contracting Officer/Contract Administrator or equivalent

(d) Other (As specified on the PPI Tool)

If problems were encountered during the performance of the identified contracts, provide evidence of the ability to isolate the root causes of problems and actions taken to resolve those causes in the information provided in the PPI Tool for each contract identified for evaluation. Problems not addressed in the PPI Tool, but found by the Government during the evaluation of the information in this volume, will be assumed to still exist. Note: In the case of Contractor Performance Assessment Report System (CPARS), if your input has already been provided and the rationale/circumstances have not changed, DO NOT repeat them here.

8. Past Performance Questionnaire: The Present/Past Performance Questionnaire (see RFP Attachment 5) will be one of the means used by the Government to obtain present/past performance information. The Government reserves the right to change, alter, and/or supplement the questionnaire without further notice to the offeror(s). The offeror shall send out – and track the completion of - the Present/Past Performance Questionnaires (See RFP Attachment 5) to each of the offeror’s, joint venture member’s and/or critical subcontractors’ (i.e., each entity’s) Points of Contact (POCs) identified in each PPI Tool. The responsibility to send out and track the completion of the Present/Past Performance Questionnaires rests solely with the offeror - i.e., it shall not be delegated to any other entity. The Transmittal Letter (see RFP Attachment 6) shall be used by the offeror in sending out the Present/Past Performance Questionnaires. Exert your best effort to ensure that at least two POCs per relevant contract submit a completed Present/Past Performance Questionnaire directly to the Government not later than the date established in the RFP for receipt of proposals. POCs may submit their completed Present/Past Performance Questionnaire either electronically or by mail ). If sending electronically, follow the procedures outlined in paragraph (B) above), Communications, and email to william.walton.2@us.af.mil or leigh.taylor.3@us.af.mil or amanda.hammonds@us.af.mil. If mailing, the POCs may return the completed questionnaires via mail directly to:

AFLCMC/WIUKB

ATTN: William V. Walton/Leigh Ann Taylor 235 Byron Street, Suite 19A Robins AFB, GA 31098-1670

If mailing, the outside envelope must be marked as follows:

NOTE: TO BE OPENED BY ADDRESSEE ONLY

The completed questionnaires should be contained in a second envelope marked with the mailing address and the following legend:

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION - See FAR 2.101 and 3.104

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

Once the Present/Past Performance Questionnaires are completed by your POCs, the information contained therein shall be considered source selection sensitive and shall not be released to you, the offeror/joint venture member. Therefore, any exchange/contact between the offeror/joint venture member and/or critical subcontractor and its own POCs in regards to comments made on the questionnaire is not permitted.

9. Client Authorization Letter: In the event that commercial contracts are presented as present/past performance sources of information, a client authorization letter shall be issued to those commercial POCs requesting/authorizing them to complete a Present/Past Performance Questionnaire. A sample client authorization letter is attached to this RFP (see RFP Attachment 7). The offeror/joint venture member is required to send the client authorization letter(s) with the Present/Past Performance Questionnaire(s) to each POC on commercial contracts. A separate copy of client authorization letter(s) for each commercial contract shall be included in the offeror’s Present/Past Performance submission for the Government’s use in case additional questionnaires need to be sent by the Government after the RFP due date.

10. Follow-up Discussions: The Government may conduct follow-up discussions with any of the people identified in the PPI Tool or in the offeror’s Present/Past Performance Volume. The Government is not limited to review of the information provided in the offeror’s/joint venture member’s Past Performance Volume. Pursuant to FAR 15.305(a)(2)(ii), the Government may obtain other information by sending out additional questionnaires and through other sources, other than those listed in the PPI Tool. Past performance information shall be obtained from the Government’s Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) and may be obtained from the Past Performance Information Retrieval system (PPIRS). The Government reserves the right to use past performance from other sources such as the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), Fee Determining Officials, or commercial sources.

11. RFP Attachment Legend: RFP Attachments #3 and #5 (Relevancy Assessment and Present/Past Performance Questionnaire) must include the following legend at the top and bottom of the page:

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION - See FAR 2.101 and 3.104

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

E. Volume IV, Small Business Participation

1. General: The Small Business Concern Participation proposal is required from all offerors, including small businesses and companies with Master, Individual, commercial subcontracting plans and/or comprehensive subcontracting plans. The offeror/joint venture member and each proposed critical subcontractor shall include only the first tier of subcontractors for this effort. Offerors are advised that the Small Business Participation proposal is not the same as the Small Business Subcontracting Plan required by FAR 52.219-9. Large business offerors shall not utilize the Small Business Subcontracting Plan in the place of the Small Business Participation proposal.

2. Format and Specific Content: The offeror shall submit a Small Business Participation proposal for itself and any joint venture member, as well as each proposed critical subcontractor in a separate volume (i.e., 3-ring binder) labeled “Volume IV – Small Business Concern Participation”. The Small Business Participation proposal shall address each of the following elements in the proposed performance of this resultant contract:

The extent of participation of proposed Small Businesses (SB) when subcontracting possibilities exist, including the company names with CAGE codes the offeror plans to use in the performance of this resultant contract; and, The description of the subcontracted work these proposed firms are to perform; and, The associated goals expressed in terms of percentages of the total planned subcontracted dollars. If limited or no subcontracting possibilities exist for these socio-economic entities, provide rationale for such. Offerors are cautioned against only acknowledging a goal is not met, if applicable. Rather, adequate rationale includes specific reasons why a goal is unmet and any actions being taken to increase any unmet goals. Additionally, if the offeror/joint venture member/critical subcontractor is a small business concern, it should include the work it will be performing when calculating the goals for your Small Business Concern Utilization information.

F. Volume V, Cost/Price Proposal

1. Volume V, Cost/Price Proposal.

The Offeror shall submit the following with its Volume V, Cost/Price Factor Proposal Submission:

1. CLIN cost/price Excel spreadsheets as provided in RFP Attachment 8 and Total Resources Volume as provided in RFP Attachment 9.

2. Cost model for CLINs 0001, 0002, 0003, 0005, and 0006. (live, working price/cost model in Microsoft Excel including formulas with notional numbers for all elements of cost. For all indirect costs, factors, CERs, etc. include all bases and calculations to arrive at computed amounts). Format for Cost Model is supplied in RFP Attachment 8. Contractors must use this cost model to provide the requested cost and pricing information. Cost or Pricing Data Requirements can be found in Section 10 below.

3. Detailed table of contents.

4. Glossary of all abbreviations and acronyms used, with an explanation for each.

5. Definitions as necessary.

6. List identifying each major/minor subcontractors and vendors, reflecting the estimated total price, by CLIN, for each. Subcontractor information will be required for CLINs 0001, 0002, 0003, 0005, and 0006.

7. Date of current FPRA/FPRR for Prime, and all subcontractors with a proposed value equal to or greater than $2Million (hereinafter referred to as major subcontractors) for CLIN(s) 0001, 0002, 0003, 0005, and 0006. Rates and factors shall be supplied for Prime, and all major subcontractors. If an FPRA/FPRR is not available, refer below to Number 10. Cost and Pricing Data Requirements.

8. Names, addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses of the Offeror’s (and the Offeror’s subcontractors and teaming partners) cognizant Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) administrative contracting officers (ACO) and cognizant Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) offices. Included Cage Codes with this submission.

9. Synopsis of Current Estimating, Purchasing, Cost Accounting Standards, Disclosure Statement, Accounting Systems, and Adequacy Determination for the Prime Contractor:

The Offeror shall provide a summary description of the Offeror’s standard estimating system or methods, current policies, and/or new policies. The Offeror shall state whether the estimating system and new policies have been reviewed by the Government and shall provide evidence of review and/or Administrative Contracting Officer approval. The Offeror shall provide any known/cited estimating system deficiencies and identify any deviations from the Offeror’s established/standard estimating procedures used in preparing this proposal. For known/cited estimating system or methods non-compliances, provide a schedule and description of corrective actions the offeror is taking to eliminate the non-compliance issues.

The Offeror shall provide a summary description of the Offeror’s purchasing system or methods. The Offeror shall state whether the purchasing system has been reviewed by the Government and provide evidence of review and/or Administrative Contracting Officer approval. The Offeror shall provide any known/cited purchasing system deficiencies and identify any deviations from the Offeror’s established/standard purchasing procedures used in preparing this proposal. For known/cited purchasing system or methods non-compliances, provide a schedule and description of corrective actions the Offeror is taking to eliminate the non-compliance issues.

In accordance with FAR 16.301-3(a) (3) and 9.104-1(e), the Offeror shall utilize an accounting system that is adequate for determining costs applicable to the contract. The Offeror shall provide a summary description of the Offeror’s accounting system and state whether it is compliant with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. The Offeror shall also state whether the accounting system has been reviewed and approved by the Government and provide evidence of the review and approval by DCAA / DCMA. The Offeror shall provide any known/cited accounting system deficiencies and identify any deviations from the Offeror’s standard procedures in preparing this proposal. For known/cited accounting system or methods non- compliances, provide a schedule and description of corrective actions the Offeror is taking to eliminate the non-compliance issues.

The Offeror shall provide a summary description of the Offeror’s current Cost Accounting Standards disclosure statement. The Offeror shall state whether the current Cost Accounting Standards disclosure statement has been reviewed by the Government and provide evidence of review and/or Administrative Contracting Officer approval. The Offeror shall provide any currently known/cited Cost Accounting Standards non-compliances and identify any deviations from the Offeror’s Cost Accounting Standards disclosure statement used in preparing this proposal. For known/cited Cost Accounting Standards non-compliances provide a schedule and description of corrective actions the Offeror is taking to eliminate the non-compliance issues.

10. Cost or Pricing Data Requirements It is anticipated that pricing of this action will be based on adequate price competition; therefore, Offerors are not required to submit certified cost or pricing data. However, if after receipt of proposals it is determined that adequate price competition does not exist, certified cost or pricing data (see FAR 15.406-2, Certificate of Current Cost or Pricing Data) shall be required.

Elemental Cost Breakouts Irrespective of the presence of adequate price competition, breakouts by individual cost elements shall be provided for proposed unit costs applicable to CLINs 0001, 0002, 0003, 0005, and 0006, for the Prime offeror and all major subcontractors, to assist in the determination of realism. Elemental cost breakouts shall be provided as part of the offeror’s proposal, and shall be in .xls file format (with live working formulas) as provided in the “Format A” worksheet contained within RFP Attachment 8. Any other type of file format will not be accepted. Offerors should refer to the format indicated in Table 15-2 of FAR 15.408 for instructions on submitting acceptable elemental cost breakouts.

NOTE: Certified Cost or Pricing Data is Not Required unless it is determined that adequate price competition does not exist.

In support of the elemental cost breakouts, all offerors (Prime and major subcontractors) who have neither a FPRA nor a FPRR shall submit the following items/information as part of their proposal. If any of the items/information is not available for a particular offeror, it shall be noted in the offeror’s response to the RFP.

1) Previous three years’ actual historical rates for each individual cost element used in developing the proposed unit costs

2) Breakout of actual expenses included in the indirect cost pools and respective bases, from the previous three years

3) Breakout of the budgeted forecasts for the indirect pools and bases used in developing the proposed unit costs, covering the entire contract period (Basic and Options)

4) Certified payroll verification with current labor rates, cross-referenced to the respective proposed labor categories shall be provided in support of the proposed direct labor rates for year one. If year one proposed rates are not supported by current labor, offeror shall provide assumptions for hiring individuals, and labor rates that will be offered.

All information submitted in support of items 1-3 above shall be in .xls file format with live working formulas. Any other type of file format will not be accepted for items 1-3, but is acceptable for item 4. It is the offeror’s/joint venture member’s responsibility to review all proposals submitted by any major subcontractor for accuracy and format. It is also the offeror’s/joint venture member’s responsibility to submit all major subcontractor proposed unit costs, major subcontractor elemental cost breakouts, and major subcontractor documentation in support of the elemental cost breakouts, as part of the offeror’s/joint venture member’s proposal. For any of the above referenced information that a major subcontractor may not be willing to provide directly to the offeror/joint venture member, the offeror/joint venture member shall instruct the major subcontractor to provide that information directly to the Government in accordance with the terms and conditions of this solicitation.

In accordance with (IAW) FAR 15.404-1(d), cost realism analysis shall be performed on cost- reimbursement contracts. All offerors and subcontractors valued at equal to or greater than $2Million (for the entire effort to include Options) shall provide data other than certified cost and pricing data using spreadsheet Cost Formats A, B, and C (see RFP Attachment 8) along with accompanying schedules, lists, and narratives to substantiate the cost realism for CLIN(s) 0001, 0002, 0003, 0005, and 0006. Offerors shall include roll-up cost data on Cost Formats A and C. If necessary, the Contracting Officer may request additional minor subcontractor cost data during discussions.

The Offeror’s cost proposal shall contain the proposed cost to the Government for performing the work described in the Performance Work Statement (PWS) and the attached CDRLs. The Offeror’s proposal is presumed to represent its best effort in response to the solicitation. Any inconsistency, whether real or apparent, between promised performance and cost shall be explained in the proposal. Any significant inconsistency, if unexplained, raises a fundamental issue with the Offeror’s understanding of the nature and scope of work required, and ability to perform the contract, and may be grounds for rejection of the proposal. The burden of proof as to the credibility of the cost proposal rests with the Offeror.

Price Reasonableness and Cost Realism The Offeror shall provide sufficiently detailed proposals to demonstrate price reasonableness and cost realism. The burden of proof for cost realism of proposed costs rests with the Offeror. The Offeror is responsible for ensuring that the proposed unit cost and fixed fee for each contract period (basic and options) shown in the “Format A” tab of RFP Attachment 8 matches the proposed unit cost and fixed fee for each corresponding CLIN in the “Format C” tab.

Cost Formats A, B, C, and D The Cost Format worksheets (see RFP Attachment 8) shall contain the required information to complete a cost realism analysis. “Format A” shall be linked to “Format B”, i.e., every cell in “Format A” containing a rate (to include fixed fee) or factor, shall pull that rate or factor directly from “Format B”. “Format A” shall be linked to “Format C”, i.e., the proposed unit cost and proposed fixed fee for CLIN(s) 0001, 0002, 0003, 0005, and 0006. in “Format C” shall be pulled directly from the respective CLIN in “Format A”. “Format A” shall be linked to “Format D”, i.e, the subcontractors proposed price shall feed into the prime offerors cost roll up.

Cost Format A: “Format A” is a detailed cost breakdown by cost elements, showing the details of the proposed labor hours, labor rates, indirect rates and costs, and proposed fee by year. The offeror must show a summary of labor hours by labor categories, costs by each separate cost element, and proposed fee. The “Format A” worksheet shall be linked to the “Format B” and “Format C” worksheets. The labor categories in Format A are notional and shall be adjusted by the offeror. The labor categories proposed by the offeror in Cost Format A shall match those proposed in the Total Resources Volume.

Cost Format B: A single worksheet, using the example format provided shall be the source document for direct rates, indirect rates, material add-on factors, and fee. This worksheet shall be linked to the “Format A” worksheet. The “Format B” worksheet shall include all proposed direct and indirect rates, estimating factors, fee and etc. for each year. The purpose for linking the single “Format B” worksheet to the “Format A” worksheet is to facilitate the government’s evaluation of the proposed rates and to make Most Probable Cost (MPC) adjustments more straightforward.

Cost Format C: “Format C” shall be used to roll up all proposed prices, including the CLINs subject to cost realism and those not subject to cost realism. “Format C” will calculate the Total Proposed Price as referenced in Section M-900. The “Format C” worksheet shall be linked to the “Format A” and “Format B” worksheets.

Cost Format D: “Format D” is for subcontractor/sub-tier vendor cost/price summary information. This information shall be provided by the Prime and any major subcontractor (both hereinafter referred to as “Offeror” in the remainder of this paragraph) in the format provided. If there are differences between costs/prices quoted by subcontractors/sub-tier vendors to the Offeror and costs/prices proposed by the Offeror, the Offeror shall provide a complete justification and explanation of the amount proposed by the Offeror. Specifically address why the Offeror’s amount should be considered by the Contracting Officer to be more realistic than the amount of the subcontractor/sub-tier vendor quote. Major subcontractors are required to provide RFP Attachment 8 as part of their proposal.

To substantiate the Cost Formats the offeror shall, in an accompanying narrative (Word Document), provide supporting data and contractor rationale for the costs proposed, including subcontractor/vendor costs. The information should be sufficiently detailed to demonstrate the realism and reasonableness of proposed costs. This information shall at a minimum:

· State whether proposed direct labor rates and indirect rates are covered by a Forward Pricing Rate Agreement (FPRA). If covered by a FPRA, provide the date of the agreement.

· If a FPRA is not in place, provide the date of the applicable Forward Pricing Rate Proposal (FPRP), with supporting rationale addressing the basis for the proposed rates with your proposal. If there is no FPRA or FPRP applicable, provide the complete rationale addressing the basis for all proposed rates, to include time sheets for each labor category bid and how the average rate is calculated, and pool and base costs for each indirect rate or Cost Estimating Relationship (CER), showing how the rate was calculated. Each of these items shall be provided for the past three years and the forward projected average labor rates and pools/bases for FY19 – FY22. This information shall also be provided for any major subcontractors that do not have a FPRA or FPRP.

· Address the rationale and approach to subcontracting and teaming arrangements.

11. Total Resources Volume Total Resources General This submission shall fully support all hours proposed in support of CLINs 0001, 0005, and 0006. It will be available to support the evaluations of proposals by the Technical and Cost/Price evaluators. This submission shall provide a clear depiction of all hours proposed regardless of whether these hours are provided by the Prime Offeror or any tier of subcontractor. The Prime Offeror is responsible for demonstrating in this submission that the appropriate hours are being proposed to meet the RFP requirements.

The electronic copy of this volume shall be in Microsoft Excel as referenced in the Total Resources Volume in Attachment 9 to aid in the evaluation. PDF or other format is NOT acceptable. All formulas used in the worksheets shall be clearly visible in the individual cells and verifiable. The use of external links of any kind is prohibited. This submission shall not contain macros or hidden cells. The BOE Summary shall not be locked/protected or secured by passwords.

Labor categories proposed…