Section_L_Attachment_9_-_Proposal_Preparation_Instructions_Rev1.pdf

RFP: FA8773-16-R-8002 Section L Attachment 9

DCRIOS

L-1 PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

A. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

1. The offeror’s proposal must include all data and information requested by these proposal preparation instructions and must be submitted in accordance with these instructions. The offer shall be compliant with the requirements as stated in the Performance Work Statement (PWS), Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL), and Request for Proposal (RFP). Non-conformance with the instructions provided in these Proposal Preparation Instructions may result in an unfavorable proposal evaluation. Alternate proposals will not be accepted.

2. 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 that 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.

3. Elaborate brochures or documentation, binding, detailed art work, or other embellishments are unnecessary and are not desired.

4. The proposal acceptance period is specified in Section A of the solicitation. The offeror shall make a clear statement in Section A of the proposal documentation volume that the proposal is valid through this date.

5. IAW FAR Subpart 4.8 (Government Contract Files), the Government will retain one copy of all unsuccessful proposals. After contract award, the Government will destroy extra copies of such unsuccessful proposals.

B. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Points of Contact (POC). The CO and/or Contract Specialist (CS) are the only POCs for this acquisition.

Address any questions or concerns you may have to the CO or CS specified in Blocks 10a through 10c of the Standard Form (SF) 33. Written requests for clarification (questions) may be sent to the CO and CS to the e-mail address located in Block 10c of the SF 33. Late requests may not be considered.

2. Authorized Offeror Personnel. Provide the name, title, e-mail address, voice and fax telephone numbers, street and mailing address (if a PO Box is used) of the primary and alternate company/division POC regarding decisions made with respect to Offeror’s proposal and who can obligate Offeror’s company contractually. Also, identify those individuals authorized to negotiate with the Government.

3. 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 (IAW) FAR 15.505 or FAR 15.506. Offerors excluded from the competitive range may request either a pre-award debriefing or post-award debriefing. Offerors excluded from the competitive range are entitled to no more than one debriefing for each proposal.

4. 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 and CS in writing with supporting rationale as well as the remedies the offeror is asking the CO to consider as related to the omission or error. The offeror is reminded that the Government reserves the right to award this effort based on the initial proposal, as received, without discussion so it is the responsibility of the offeror to ensure the initial proposal conforms to the solicitation requirements.

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

6. Communications. The CO will control exchanges of source selection information between Government and offerors. The Government may use email to transmit such information to offerors only if the email can be sent and received encrypted and includes “Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 & FAR 3.104” in the Subject line. Otherwise, the Government will transmit source selection information via U.S. Postal Service, or commercial carrier.

7. Reading Library. A Reading Library containing a list of Exhibits has been established at Lackland Air

Force Base (AFB), TX. The single POC for access is Steve DeLoach who can be reached at (210) 925- 2105 or steven.deloach@us.af.mil. Instructions for the library are included in the request for proposal (RFP) as Attachment 8 to Section L. Reservations shall be made in advance not later than 3:00 PM CT on 27 May 16. The Library will be open 2 June 16 from 9:00 AM CT to 3:00 PM CT.

8. Questions: All questions related to this solicitation must be submitted to anthony.owens.7@us.af.mil and donna.williams.6@us.af.mil no later than 10 June 2016. Late requests will not be considered.

C. ORGANIZATION.

1. Number of Copies/Page Limitations. Prepare the proposal as set forth in the Proposal Table (Table 1 and 2 below). The titles and content of each volume shall be within the required page limits and the number of copies, defined in Table 1. Page limitations shall be treated as maximums. If exceeded, the excess pages will not be read or considered in the evaluation of the proposal. Each page shall be counted except the following: cover pages, table of contents, matrices, glossary, and the organizational structure change history (see Section E, para 7). Proposal change pages are customarily subject to same page limitations stated in the table below; however, deviated page limitations may be required on responses to Evaluation Notices (ENs).

2. The response shall consist of four (4) separate volumes: Volume I – Technical Proposal, Volume II –

Present/Past Performance Information (PPI), Volume III – Price Proposal, and Volume IV – Contract Documentation. The content of each proposal binder is described in detail as follows:

TABLE 1 – PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION (within binders)

VOLUME VOLUME TITLE COPIES PAGE LIMIT

I Technical Proposal 5 50 II Present/Past Performance 5 50 Information III Price Proposal 2 No Limit (See paragraph F) IV Contract Documentation 1 No Limit (See paragraph G)

TABLE 2 – BINDER ORGANIZATION (within binders)

VOLUMES TO INCLUDE:

ORIGINAL I, II, III, IV

COPY 1 I, II, III

COPY 2 I, II

COPY 3 I, II

COPY 4 I, II

BINDER SIZE LIMITATIONS: Binders shall not exceed 2”. Reproduction of the entire RFP is unnecessary (and unwanted).

3. Page Size and Format.

a. 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 8.5 x 11 inches, not including foldouts. Pages shall be single-spaced and at least double-spaced between paragraphs and factors or sub-factors. Except for the reproduced sections of the solicitation document, the text size shall be no less than 12-point, Times New Roman, Arial or Courier type.

Tracking, kerning, and leading values shall not be changed from the default values of the word processing or page layout software. Use at least one-inch margins on all sides. Pages shall be numbered sequentially by volume. These page size and format restrictions shall apply to EN responses.

b. Legible tables, charts, graphs and figures may 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, and shall count as two pages. Foldout pages may only be used for large tables, charts, graphs, diagrams and schematics and not for pages of text. For tables, charts, graphs and figures, the text shall be no smaller than ten-point, Times New Roman, Arial or Courier type. These limitations shall apply to both electronic and hard copy proposals.

4. Cross Referencing.

a. The offeror shall fill out the Cross-Reference Matrix at Attachment 1 of this Section L-1, Proposal

Preparation Instruction indicating the proposal reference information as it relates to the PWS, CLIN numbers, and CDRL references found therein and the corresponding proposal paragraph.

The Cross Reference Matrix shall be included in the Volume 1, Technical Proposal, following the Table of Contents.

b. To the greatest extent possible, each volume shall be written on a stand-alone basis so that its contents may be evaluated with a minimum of cross referencing to other volumes of the proposal.

Cross referencing within a proposal volume is permitted where its use would conserve space without impairing clarity. Information required for proposal evaluation which is not found in its designated volume will be assumed to have been omitted from the proposal.

5. Indexing. Tab indexing shall be used to identify volumes.

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

7. Binding and Labeling. Each volume of the proposal shall be separately bound in two-inch, three-ring, loose leaf binders permitting the binders to lie flat when open. Staples shall not be used. A cover sheet shall be bound in each binder, clearly marked with the title, copy number, solicitation identification, and the offeror’s name. The same identifying data shall be placed on the spine of each binder. If needed, offerors should apply all appropriate markings including those prescribed IAW FAR 52.215-1(e), Restriction on Disclosure and Use of Data, and FAR 3.104-4, Disclosure, Protection, and Marking of Contractor Bid or Proposal Information and Source Selection Information.

8. Electronic Proposals. The content and page size of electronic proposal must be identical to the hard copies. The offeror shall submit proposal volumes I, II, III, & IV) via email in a format readable by Microsoft (MS) Office Word 2010, MS Office Excel 2010, and MS Office Power Point 2010, as applicable. Adobe pdf format is acceptable for portions of the proposal submissions not required to use MS Excel. Each volume shall be submitted as a separate attachment to an email addressed anthony.owens.7@us.af.mil. If there are any discrepancies between the hard copies and the electronic copies of the proposal, the hard copies will be used for evaluation.

D. Volume I – TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

1. The Technical Volume should be specific and complete. Legibility, clarity, and coherence are very important. Offeror’s responses will be evaluated against the Technical subfactors defined in Section M, Evaluation Factors for Award. Using the instructions provided below, provide as specifically as possible the actual methodology Offeror would use for accomplishing/satisfying these subfactors. All the requirements specified in the solicitation are mandatory. By Offeror’s proposal submission, Offeror is representing that Offeror’s firm will perform all the requirements specified in the solicitation. It is not necessary or desirable for Offeror to tell us so in Offeror’s proposal. Do not merely reiterate the objectives or reformulate the requirements specified in the solicitation.

2. Identify submitted material by corresponding factor, subfactor, and paragraph/element herein. If an offeror is subcontracting/teaming with another vendor, the prime shall clearly identify work to be performed by each specific subcontractor within the appropriate factors in the prime’s proposal. The technical proposals shall provide a clear distinction of functions to be performed by the prime and subcontractor to include the following: the nature of work, criticality of the work, and the percentage of overall effort performed by each subcontractor in each area of service provided based upon the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel (See FAR52.219-14 (b)(1) -- Limitations on Subcontracting, Services). Failure to provide a technical volume that includes the requirements of this paragraph shall render Offeror’s proposal non-responsive and unacceptable.

3. Format and Specific Content. Address a proposed approach to meeting the performance or capability requirements of each Technical Proposal subfactor as follows:

a. SUBFACTOR 1 – MANAGEMENT PLAN/STAFFING PLAN. Present an approach to organizational structure, staffing, training, and replacing personnel and ensuring compliance with security requirements IAW with PWS sections 2.3.3, 3, and 4.

b. SUBFACTOR 2 – MISSION OPERATIONS. Present mission operations implementable approach to the following two scenarios that complies with policy and guidance identified in the PWS pertaining to Defensive Cyberspace Operations (DCO) for Cyber Vulnerabilities Assessment (CVA) and Cyber Protection Team (CPT) Operations requirements IAW PWS Section 3.2.3 and 3.2.4.

Scenario 1: A CVA has been dispatched to assess a Global Positioning System (GPS) Ground

System being developed. The team consists of a government lead and the rest are contracted support.

(1) Describe an effective methodology for conducting vulnerability assessments and penetration testing of government systems

(2) Identify key elements contained in a vulnerability assessment report and describes a strategy on remediating vulnerabilities

Scenario 2: A CPT has been tasked to provide Defensive Cyber Operations and Mission Assurance to its supported Combatant Command. The nature of support will require the full capabilities of the CPT. The CPTs have not fully matured their operational processes and will be looking to your team for support in executing the mission.

(1) The CPT must first identify the key cyber terrain to be defended. The mission partner gives you a network diagram. You know there is more to it than this. Describe a process to obtain the necessary information from the mission partner and describe how the key cyber terrain would be presented to the CPT and the mission partner.

(2) Evaluating existing defensive capabilities is another critical step in CPT operations.

This step not only includes hardware/software capabilities but also the human factor and the accompanying processes and procedures. Describe an effective methodology, approach, or technique(s) for evaluating existing defensive capabilities.

(3) The CPT has successfully completed the first two steps listed above. The CPT must now develop and implement a threat response/risk mitigation plan. Describe your understanding of what comprises a successful threat response/risk mitigation plan.

(4) Despite the CPT’s best efforts an adversary has exploited vulnerability and gained access to the network. Describe your concept on how to perform active surveillance/detection efforts to identify, and characterize threats to a network.

(5) After successfully identifying, characterizing and removing the threat, the CPT must now mitigate the vulnerable areas of the network. There are numerous hardware and software misconfigurations on the mission partner’s network. Describe the strategy you would take in mitigating multiple hardware/software vulnerabilities.

(6) The CPT has mitigated the identified vulnerabilities. One of the causes identified is poor cyber policy and procedure compliance. Identify a methodology a unit could employ to better adhere to proper cyber policy and procedure compliance.

c. SUBFACTOR 3 – MISSION SUPPORT. Present an approach that explains how Configuration

Management, System Evolution and Integration, Unit Line Maintenance, Information Protection/Certification and Accreditation, Document Control and Tracking, Training Development, Standardization/Evaluation, and Weapons and Tactics will be performed IAW PWS Sections 3.1.1- 3.1.7.

E. VOLUME II – PAST PERFORMANCE.

1. General. Submit a past performance volume with its proposal, containing Past Performance Information (PPI) IAW the format contained in Attachment 2 that contains instructions for use of the PPI Tool.

Offerors are cautioned that the Government will use data provided by each offeror in this volume and data obtained from other sources in the evaluation of past performance. Each offeror shall submit PPI.

Past performance of either party in a joint venture counts for the past performance of the entity.

2. New Corporate Entities. New corporate entities may submit data on prior contracts involving officers, employees, and key personnel who have relevant experience and/or data of efforts that will depict performance of major or critical aspects of the requirement. Discuss the roles and responsibilities of personnel involved in the prior contracts cited.

3. Early Proposal Information. Each offeror is requested to submit the information shown in paragraph 6 below for each relevant contract 14 days prior to the date set for receipt of proposals. Failure to submit early proposal information will not result in offeror disqualification.

4. Relevant Contracts. Submit PPI on no more than five total recent contracts that offeror considers most relevant in demonstrating ability to perform the proposed effort. The total includes any subcontractors or teaming partners; however, no more than three of recent contracts shall be submitted on your teaming partners and/or significant subcontractors that you consider most relevant in demonstrating their ability to perform the proposed effort. Do not duplicate a contract reference for prime and subcontractor but rather explain the role each played within the contract reference itself. Include rationale supporting your assertion of relevance. For a description of the characteristics or aspects the Government will consider in determining recency and relevance, see Section M-I, Paragraph D 1. and 2..

5. PPI Questionnaire.

a. The offeror shall send out, and confirm receipt and submission of the PPI Questionnaire (Section

L, Attachment 3), from each of the offeror’s, critical subcontractors’, teaming contractors’ and/or joint venture partners’ (i.e., each entity’s) POCs identified in the PPI Questionnaire Tracking Record (Section L, Attachment 4). The responsibility to send out the PPI Questionnaires rests solely with the offeror. For each questionnaire, complete and sign a letter containing substantially the same information as in the Sample Questionnaire Cover Letter (Section L, Attachment 5). Cover letters should be printed on company letterhead. The offeror shall exert its best effort to ensure that a current POC, per relevant contract, submits a completed PPI Questionnaire directly to the Government not later than the proposal due date. Each of the offerors’ POCs shall e-mail the completed PPI Questionnaire directly to Mr. Anthony Owens at anthony.owens.7@us.af.mil. Please instruct POC to call Mr. Anthony Owens (405)734-9637 with any questions.

b. Questionnaires shall be sent directly to the Government from at least one of the following POCs:

Program/Project Manager or equivalent, Contracting Officer/Contract Administrator or equivalent, or Contracting Officer Representative (COR). Once the PPI Questionnaires are completed by the POCs, the information contained therein shall be considered sensitive and shall not be released to the offeror.

6. Specific Content. Offerors are required to explain what aspects of the contracts are deemed relevant to the proposed effort and to what aspects of the proposed effort they relate. This may include a discussion of efforts accomplished by the offeror to resolve problems encountered on prior contracts as well as past efforts to identify and manage program risk. Merely having problems does not automatically equate to a limited or no confidence rating, since the problems encountered may have been on a more complex program, or an offeror may have subsequently demonstrated the ability to overcome the problems encountered. The offeror is required to clearly demonstrate management actions employed in overcoming problems and the effects of those actions in terms of improvements achieved or problems rectified. This may allow the offeror to be considered a higher confidence candidate. For example, submittal of quality performance indicators or other management indicators that clearly support that an offeror has overcome past problems is required.

7. Organizational Structure Change History. Many companies have acquired, been acquired by, or otherwise merged with other companies, and/or reorganized their divisions, business groups, subsidiary companies, etc. In many cases, these changes have taken place during the time of performance of relevant past efforts or between conclusion of recent present/past efforts and this source selection. As a result, it is sometimes difficult to determine what present/past performance is relevant to this acquisition.

To facilitate this relevancy determination, include in this proposal volume a "roadmap" describing all such changes in the organization of offeror’s company. As part of this explanation, show how these changes impact the relevancy of any efforts the offeror identifies for present/past performance evaluation/performance confidence assessment. Since the Government intends to consider PPI provided by other sources as well as that provided by the offeror(s), offeror’s "roadmap" should be both specifically applicable to the efforts offeror identifies and general enough to apply to efforts on which the Government receives information from other sources.

8. Consent Letters. Submit a consent letter, executed by any potential subcontractors, teaming partners, and/or joint venture partners. The consent letter authorizes release of adverse PPI to the offeror so the offeror can, in turn, respond to such information. For each identified effort for a commercial customer, the Offeror shall also submit a client authorization letter, authorizing release to the Government of requested information in the Offeror’s performance. A sample letter follows:

mailto:anthony.owens.7@us.af.mil

SAMPLE

Contracting Officer:

We are participating as a (subcontractor/teaming partner) with (prime contractor or name of entity providing proposal) in responding to the 38 CONS/LGCC, Tinker Air Force Base Request for Proposal FA8773-16-R-8002 for the contract at 92nd COS primary location JBSA-Lackland AFB, TX.

We understand the Government is placing increased emphasis on past performance in order to obtain best value in source selections. In order to facilitate the performance confidence assessment process we are signing this consent letter to allow you to discuss our past and present performance information with the prime contractor during the source selection process.

(Signature, printed name, and title of individual who has the authority to sign for and legally bind the company) Company Name:

Address:

9. Client Authorization Letters. PPI concerning private sector contractors, subcontractors and joint venture partners cannot be disclosed to the Government without their consent. Client authorization letters are required for each identified effort for a commercial customer. This letter will authorize release to the Government of requested information on the offeror’s performance. The Government will need the consent before contacting commercial customers to assess the offeror’s past performance. In an effort to assist the evaluators in assessing offeror’s past performance relevancy and confidence, the Government requests the following client authorization letter be completed for any commercial customers identified in offeror’s proposal. Offeror shall include the completed client authorization letter(s) within the Present/Past Performance Volume II.

SAMPLE

“Client:”

We are responding to the 38 CONS/LGCC, Tinker Air Force Base Request for Proposal FA8773-16-R-8002 for the contract at 92nd COS primary location (JBSA-Lackland AFB, TX).

The Government is placing increased emphasis on past performance as a source selection factor. The Government requires entities responding to their solicitation to identify clients and requests client participation in the evaluation process. You are hereby authorized to respond to those inquiries if the contracting office contacts you for information on work performed by our firm.

We have identified ______ of your organization as the point of contact based on his/her knowledge of our work.

We appreciate your cooperation. You may direct any questions to: _____

10. Reference Data. The Government reserves the right to contact and use information provided by the references and any other sources. The Government will also obtain and consider information about other contracts not mentioned in the Offeror’s proposal, but which the Government believes to be similar to the proposed effort. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to ensure all reference data is current and correct so that the Government can properly evaluate PPI.

F. VOLUME III – COST/PRICE PROPOSAL

1. Volume III Organization. The price volume shall consist of the following sections:

Section 1:

a. Table of Contents; summary descriptions of estimating, purchasing, and accounting systems and invoicing processes and practices.

b. Cost/Price Notes and Methodology: Provide data Other Than Certified Cost or Pricing information and supporting data for CPFF burdened labor rates, to include estimating methodology. Offerors are expected to use their customary calculations consistent with their normal accounting practices to develop the burdened labor rates for the CPFF Labor Rate Tables. To support reasonableness, prime and teaming partners shall describe the basis of their estimate for the proposed direct and indirect rates and factors and provide narrative support for all elements. The Professional Compensation Plan Narrative is to be included here.

c. Cost/Price Assumptions and Exceptions: Identify any assumptions and exceptions taken to the pricing requirements stated in this solicitation. Provide complete rationale for each assumption and exception. Do not cross reference to/from Volume IV, Contracting Documentation. Annotate “none,” if no assumptions or exceptions apply. Information provided for exceptions and assumptions will assist the price evaluation team in determining completeness, reasonableness, cost realism, balance and affordability.

Section 2:

a. CPFF Labor Rate Tables and Pricing Model (included in Section J Attachment 2 and as Section

L Attachments L-7 and L-7.1): All Microsoft Excel spreadsheets shall be submitted in Microsoft Excel format (no PDF). Do not password protect any Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.

Note: Offerors shall follow the “Instructions for filling in the CPFF Labor Rate Tables and Pricing Model worksheets” as provided in the Tab denoted as “Instructions” in the Pricing Model, Attachment 7.1.

b. Task Order (TO) Pricing Table: (included as Section J Attachment 2 to the solicitation). The offeror shall follow the instructions at paragraph 5 below.

2. General Instructions

a. This section is to assist the Offeror in submitting information other than cost or pricing data that is required to evaluate the Completeness, Reasonableness, Cost Realism, Balance, and Affordability of the offeror’s proposed cost/price. Compliance with these requirements is mandatory and failure to comply may result in rejection of Offeror’s proposal. Offers shall be sufficiently detailed to demonstrate their completeness, reasonableness, cost realism, balance, and affordability. The burden of proof for credibility of proposed costs/prices rests with the offeror at the time of proposal or during subsequent discussions (if any are held). An Offeror’s Total Evaluated Price (TEP) is defined as the CPFF Pricing Model TEP plus the total proposed price for the FFP Task Order (TO) Pricing Table.

b. Cost/Price Information. The cost/price proposal shall not include information beyond that required by this instruction unless the offeror considers it essential to document or support offeror’s position. All information relating to the proposed cost/price, including all required supporting documentation or assumptions of the proposal must be included in the section of the proposal designated as the Cost/Price Volume. Under no circumstances shall this information and documentation be included in the Technical or Past Performance volumes.

c. Adequate Price Competition. The Government 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 cost information 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 information to the extent necessary to determine the reasonableness of the price.

d. Rounding. All dollar amounts (unit and extended prices and other price factors) provided shall be rounded to the nearest penny (two decimal places only). This includes base period and out-year (option) prices. Failure to round unit prices to no more than two decimals may result in rejection of the proposal. Rounding errors caused by Government formulas will be corrected during evaluation to round to the nearest penny.

e. Affordability: The Government will evaluate whether each Offeror’s price proposal is affordable by comparing the total price proposed per FY for the TO Pricing Table, to the budgetary information included below.

DCRIOS budget Estimate for Task Order #001: $61.6M

DCRIOS Budget Estimate (Includes all CLINs):

$99.9M

f. Professional Compensation Plan. As part of the price proposal, offerors shall provide a narrative total compensation plan for the professional employees who will work under the contract IAW FAR 52.222-46 -- Evaluation of Compensation for Professional Employees (Feb 1993). Offerors shall provide Section L Attachment 6 – Offeror Compensation Spreadsheet setting forth salaries and fringe benefits proposed for professional employees as prescribed in the instructions below:

“ Professional Employee Compensation: In accordance with FAR Subpart 22.11 and FAR Provision 52.222-46, Evaluation of Compensation for Professional Employees, the offeror and subcontractors/teaming partners/joint venture partners shall submit a total compensation plan, setting forth the salaries and fringe benefit package proposed for the prime’s professional employees. The prime Offeror should instruct its subcontractors to submit their total compensation plan directly to the contracting officer. The prime Offeror shall also submit a list of the subcontractors to include points of contact and phone numbers who will be submitting professional employee compensation packages to the Government. The total compensation plan submitted in the proposal will not become a part of the awarded contract.

Total Compensation Plan: Provide the planned compensation for all professional employee labor categories proposed to perform the effort IAW the format contained in Section_L_Attachment_6_-_Offeror_Compensation_Spreadsheet. Delineate which employees are considered professional employees and which employees are covered under the Service Contract Labor Act. Describe the job skills and qualification requirements associated with each identified labor category. The labor categories shall be identified by geographic location of contract performance. Provide the corresponding salary and quantified fringe benefits for each labor category and skill level. The fringe benefit data shall also include a description of the benefits offered, and to which professional employee category(ies) the fringe benefits would apply.

Note: An unrealistic total compensation plan for employee labor could result in a professional compensation plan that is unrealistically low or not in reasonable relationship to various job categories, may impair the offeror’s ability to attract and retain competent professional service employees, and may be viewed as evidence of failure to comprehend the complexity of the contract requirements.

Surveys and Studies: Provide the recent surveys and studies from professional, public, and private organizations (e.g., Watson & Wyatt, Economic Research Institute, Bureau of Labor Statistics, etc.) used to support the proposed salaries and fringes. Identify the source with the provided surveys and studies. If not using one of the sources listed above, explain the credibility of the source providing the surveys and studies.”

Professional employees as defined in 29 CFR Part 541 are compensated at a rate not less than $27.63 for hourly personnel or $455 per week for salaried personnel.

3. CPFF Labor Rate Tables (Attachment L-7) (one (1) attachment shall be submitted for prime and each teaming partner performing under the CPFF CLIN):

a. Labor Rate Tables are provided for use in proposing burdened labor rates. Proposed FEE percentage shall be entered in the appropriate cell on the Roll Up tab and Section B (CLIN X003) of the RFP. Offeror shall complete and submit Labor Rate Tables for the Prime and all teaming partners/subs performing under the CPFF CLIN. Labor Rate Tables for prime and teaming partners will be incorporated into the basic contract should Offeror be awarded a contract.

Proposed rates and the FEE percentage in Section B (CLIN X003) of the RFP will be utilized to evaluate award of future CPFF task orders. Task orders will not be awarded with rates higher than the rates in the Labor rate tables. If needed teaming partners may submit their Labor Rate Tables and labor rate backup/support documentation directly to the CO.

b. Spreadsheet columns that require data inputs are Grey color coded.

c. Failure to propose rates will render the proposal incomplete, and the entire proposal will be subject to rejection.

d. Fully Burdened Labor Rates:

i. The following provides guidelines for the major cost/price elements normally associated with the buildup of burdened labor rates and required support documentation. Offerors shall submit supporting documentation for base labor rates and all indirect costs to facilitate cost analysis on the burdened rates submitted in the Labor Rate Tables.

ii. Burdened labor rates shall be submitted for each of the fiscal years contained in the Labor Rate Tables (Attachment L-7). Each FY is the same as the Government’s Fiscal Year: 1 October through 30 September.

iii. Base Labor Rates: Show base labor rates associated with each labor category for each fiscal year. Base rates are the hourly rates that the employees will be paid for performance under the basic contract. The most common basis for a proposed base rate is the actual rate the employee is currently being paid. If an individual in a particular labor category is currently not employed, a verifiable method used to establish the reasonableness of proposed rate must be provided, e.g.

Payrolls, Salary.com, quotes, etc.

iv. Base Labor Rate Escalation: Current rates will require adjustment for annual cost of living increases. Base rates for contract out-years will require escalation adjustments to reflect what employees will receive for those periods.

v. Indirect Rates: Common indirect rates are Labor Overhead, Fringe Benefits, General & Administrative (G&A), and Facilities Capital Cost of Money (FCCOM). To support cost reasonableness, describe the basis of estimate of the proposed direct and indirect rates and factors and provide narrative support for all elements. The allocation base is the cost category that the rate is multiplied by to calculate the indirect dollars. An example is a labor overhead rate applied to direct labor dollars; the latter being the allocation base. If current Forward Pricing Rate Agreements (FPRAs) or approved provisional billing rates are available, provide a copy of the FPRAs or approved provisional billing rates in addition to identifying the cognizant Administrative Contracting Officer (ACO) and his/her location. If a current FPRA or approved provisional billing rates are not available, provide the name and address of any Government audit agency or independent audit firm that has conducted an audit and include a copy of said audit in the cost/price proposal. If no such audit exists, so state.

e. The Labor Rate Tables include cells for entering the ODC and Subcontractor Indirect Rates per Fiscal Year. Enter ODC and Subcontractor indirect rates (normally G&A rates) for each FY.

4. Pricing Model

a. The Pricing Model consists of the Labor Rate Tables Attachment L-7 and the Pricing Model

Attachment L-7.1. Offerors shall transfer the labor rates from the average column of the Labor Rate Tables to the Pricing Model for the Prime and each Teaming Partner according to the instructions tab of the Pricing Model. Labor Rates for the Prime and all Teaming partners will be automatically averaged to develop one rate for each labor category. All averaged labor rates will be totaled to develop the TEP for the Pricing Model. Specific instructions for filling in the Pricing Model and Labor Rate Tables are on the first page of the Pricing Model Attachment L-7 (instructions tab). Proposed burdened rates and the Fee percentage on the Labor Rate Tables will be incorporated into the basic contract. Teaming partner Labor Rates Tables may be submitted directly to the CO. Prime and Teaming partner Labor Rate Tables will be incorporated into the basic contract.

b. All labor categories identified in the Labor Rate Tables shall be covered and proposed collectively by the prime and/or teaming partners for Burdened Rates. These rates may be proposed by the prime, teaming partner(s), or a blend.

5. TO Pricing Table (Section J Attachment 2)

a. Offerors will complete the TO Pricing Table with proposed Firm Fixed Price (FFP) ceiling labor rates and annual labor hours per labor category in accordance with each Contract Line Item Number (CLIN). Price CLINs 0001 and X002. Unit prices will be rounded to two decimal places. If Offeror is providing a CLIN to the Government at no additional charge, “$0.00” must be entered for that item. The dollar value of CLINs X005 and X006 are amounts established by the Government and shall not be altered by the Offeror. Option to Extend Services, CLIN 5002, will be automatically populated using ½ (one half) of the proposed labor hours times the option 4 labor rate using established formulas on the TO Pricing Table.

b. Spreadsheet columns that require data inputs are Grey color coded.

c. The TO Pricing Table shall be submitted in Microsoft Excel format (no PDF). Do not password protect any Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.

d. Electronic Media Submission of the Labor Rate Tables, Pricing Model and TO Pricing Table:

The Pricing Model, Labor Rate Tables and TO Pricing Table of this solicitation are electronic files, presented as Excel for Microsoft Office spreadsheet/workbook format. Submit both a hard copy and electronic copies using the exact file provided by the Government without changing the format of the files.

e. Description of TO Pricing Table File:

i. Summary Sheet: Contains cells for the entry of unit prices for CLINs 0001and 0002, and calculates extended prices for the Option to Extend Services CLINs.

ii. Option to Extend Services, CLIN 5002 will be automatically populated IAW clause 52.217-8.

While it is not the Government’s intent to utilize this option CLIN, it is included to facilitate the extension of services if it is deemed necessary at the end of the base or any option period.

G. VOLUME IV - CONTRACT DOCUMENTATION

1. Contract Document Sections. The purpose of this volume is to provide information to the Government for preparing the contract document and supporting file. The offeror's proposal shall include a signed copy of the SF 33 and SF 30 for any subsequent amendments issued. The offeror shall complete and submit “ONLY” the contract document sections as follows:

Section A - Solicitation/Contract Form. Complete Blocks 12 through 18 (including original signature and date) of the SF 33. Signature by the offeror on the SF 33 constitutes an offer, which the Government may accept. The "original" copy should be clearly marked and should contain each volume identified in the above Table 2 - BINDER ORGANIZATION. Copy 1, Copy 2, Copy 3, and Copy 4 should each be clearly marked and should contain each volume identified in Table 2 -

BINDER ORGANIZATION.

Section B - Supplies or Services and Costs/Prices. Do not include. This section will be populated by the Government at contract award from data provided on Section J, Attachment 2, Pricing Table.

Section C, E, and F. Do not include. These sections are not modifiable by the offeror and are redundant to include with the proposal submission.

Section G - Contract Administrative Data. Do not include. This section is not modifiable by the offeror and is redundant to include with the proposal information.

Section I - Contract Clauses. Submit RFP Section I pages for only clauses which require offeror fill-ins. Other pages in this section shall not be included with the submission.

Section J – Attachments. Do not include. This section is not modifiable by the offeror and is redundant to include with the proposal submission.

Section K –

a. System for Award Management (SAM) (Representations, Certifications, and other Statements of Offerors). Completed SAM representations, certifications, acknowledgments and statements shall be included with submission. Ensure SAM is current, complete, and accurate at the time of proposal. SAM representations and certifications must include those specified within Section K of this RFP. SAM can be accessed at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/#1. Offeror shall be eligible for award under the specified NAICS code, 541512, and as a SDVOSB at the time of their proposal submission.

SAM will be verified again prior to award of the contract to ensure there are no exclusions.

Offerors are required to maintain an active registration in the SAM database at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ (see FAR 52.204-7).

b. Joint Venture Agreements. If contemplating a joint venture on this project, offeror must meet the requirements of FAR 52.219-27 and 13 CFR 125.15.

c. Submit RFP Section K pages for clauses which require offeror fill-ins.

d. Prime offerors shall provide their CMMI Institute provided appraisal number and certificate in order to substantiate current status.

Section L – Do not include. This section is not modifiable by the offeror and is redundant to include with the proposal submission with exception of DFARS provision 252.237-7024, Notice of Continuation of Essential Contractor Services. Offeror shall include, in Volume IV, the Mission Essential Services Plan, as required by DFARS provision 252.237-7024(b). There is no page limitation for this document, and it is not included in the overall page limitation. Additionally, the submitted document will be incorporated into the contract by reference IAW DFARS 252.237-7023.

Section M - Do not include. This section is not modifiable by the offeror and is redundant to include with the proposal submission.

2. Exceptions and/or Assumptions. 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, price, and specific requirements of the solicitation. This information shall be provided in the following format and content:

Solicitation Exceptions

Solicitation Document Reference PWS, Solicitation, Section L, etc.

Page/Paragraph Provide applicable page and paragraph numbers and/or clause/provision numbers

Requirement/Portion Identify the requirement or portion to which exception is taken

Rationale Describe why the requirement can/will not be met