14. EC2 Ordering Guide.docx

This ordering guide sets forth the procedures for issuing task orders against the EC2 contract to fulfill Requiring Activities’ (RA) cyber requirements.

Contents

BACKGROUND

ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT AND INTEGRATION CENTER (AMIC)

· With an acquisition portfolio of more than $20 billion, AMIC provides services acquisition solutions for Air Combat Command (ACC), the largest of the Air Force’s major commands (MAJCOMs).

· Using a process-oriented approach, AMIC personnel integrate as multi-functional teams (MFTs) offering expertise in the areas of program management; contracting; quality; acquisition support; resource management; legal support; civil engineering; logistics; and communication, surveillance, and cyber systems.

MISSION

· Our mission is to deliver responsive, cost effective, mission-focused, acquisition solutions to maximize joint warfighter capabilities.

· Responsive: Our mission partners are actively engaged in operations around the world; therefore, AMIC’s response greatly effects the warfighter’s support in real time.

· Cost-Effective: Our mission partners are fighting wars on multiple fronts and in multiple domains; therefore, AMIC’s ability to utilize efficiencies greatly reduces costs, allowing mission partners to be more effective with their resources.

· Mission-Focused: Our mission partners are focused on winning our nation’s wars; therefore, AMIC provides a unique and critical capability that allows everyone to stay focused on doing what they do best.

VISION

· To be the joint warfighter's acquisition provider of choice.

VALUES

· In addition to our Air Force core values, the following values support our approach to integrated acquisition management:

· Respect: People are our most precious resource, and we are committed to treating each other accordingly with forthright dignity. It’s what professionals do.

· Diversity: We are committed to creating an inclusive workforce. Our strength lies in the demographic, social, and cultural differences of our people, and we embrace it. Diversity brings us together, empowers us to connect, and enables us to deliver innovation and creativity.

· Collaboration: The inner workings of our multi-functional teams have built our foundation and are paving the road to its bright future. Together, we recognize “integration” is the ‘I’ in the AMIC team.

· Innovation: We are creative thinkers and informed risk-takers, focused on delivering the ever-evolving mission sets needed by our warfighters of today and tomorrow. We boldly adapt the new, and are transforming the now to empower the mission.

ENTERPRISE CYBER CAPABILITIES (EC2) MULTIPLE AWARD CONTRACT (MAC)

INTRODUCTION

· The EC2 MAC is a $5.3B multiple award, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) de-centralized (Air Force-wide) contract vehicle with a ten (10)-year ordering period (five (5) year base, with five (5) single year options).

· All EC2 MAC Contractors are pre-vetted with extensive experience covering the broad technical scope of the EC2 MAC.

· Task Orders (TO) placed on the EC2 MAC contract follow FAR 16.505 -- Ordering.

TASK ORDER FEATURES

· Implements agile and scalable contracting services that are fast, flexible, and low cost

· Allows incremental funding for severable orders

· Provides up to a five year (60 month) period of performance

· Requires no minimum or maximum ceiling

· Allows for all contract types, including hybrids (i.e., CPFF, FFP, FFP-LOE)

· Accommodates Classified and Unclassified services (up to Top Secret, compartmented and collateral)

· Accommodates CONUS and OCONUS requirements (including in-theater and contingency operations areas)

· Complies with Federal Government law and regulation compliance regarding small business contracting

· Utilizes a primarily Tradeoff/Best Value method for source selection

· Provides flexible terms to allow adding new teaming partners at the TO level, with Rule of Two applied at TO level.

BENEFITS

· Built from the ground up using the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Cyber Framework.

· NIST's mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.

· The mission of NICE is to energize, promote, and coordinate a robust community working together to advance an integrated ecosystem of cybersecurity education, training, and workforce development.

· The NICE Framework has been developed to help provide a reference taxonomy—that is, a common language—of the cybersecurity work and of the individuals who carry out that work.

· The EC2 Cyber Framework removes all inherently governmental functions, Categories, and Specialty Areas (SA).

· Enables customers to “execute at the speed of Cyber” by expeditiously building, operating, supporting, defending, extending, and engaging in cyberspace

· Provides users with a common lexicon that can be used to improve processes and practices around identifying, recruiting, developing, and retaining cybersecurity talent.

· Available to Air Force commands at all levels

· Reduces costs through leveraging economies of scale

· Leverages the entire Cyber Framework as defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE)

CONTRACT TYPE

· The EC2 MAC is an IDIQ contract, designed for performance-based contracting. The awarded TOs are predominantly Firm Fixed Price (FFP) due to the type of work required; however there may be requirements that result in Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) or Firm Fixed Price Level-of-Effort (FFP LOE) TOs.

OBJECTIVES

· Provide for the rapid, efficient, and low-cost acquisition of the entire Cyber Framework for Air Force commands.

· Reduces Air Force Cyber acquisition time-frames from years to months

· Conduct and/or support a wide range of studies, evaluations, and analysis of methods to address the Air Force’s most pressing Cyber challenges.

TECHNICAL SCOPE

This contract seeks to organically leverage economies of scale and reduce the Air Force’s overall IT footprint. As a MAC IDIQ contract, EC2 will provide an avenue to conduct services acquisitions from a strategic perspective, leveraging the buying power of the Air Force Cyber enterprise. The broadly defined cyber work will minimize the time needed to painstakingly defined requirements documents through use of TOs issued against the basic contract. EC2 enables the use of FAR Part 16 ordering procedures to greatly streamline the process for getting requirements on contract. Additionally, an EC2 ordering guide will be developed to ensure task orders are executed in strict accordance with the contract ordering procedures. This will enable requirements to be executed within 60-90 days vs. the current two to three-year time frame for cyber services acquisitions.

The EC2 enables Air Force customers to build, operate, support, defend, extend, and engage in cyberspace, thus ensuring US warfighters maintain the information advantage over our adversaries. Moreover, the impending EC2 vehicle supports and enables the entire cyber framework, including C2, cyber operations, cyber planning, cyber security, cyber analysis, full spectrum testing, TTP development, modeling and simulation, cyber mission essential support, threat assessment support, targeting and analysis support, real time operation and integration activities, software and tool development, vulnerability research, intrusion detection and prevention support, cyber qualification training, and strategic management support.

Specific examples of the types of support and tasks the Contractor may perform under TOs are listed below. This list is not all inclusive but representative of typical TOs tasks. Each TO may require one or more tasks.

BREADTH OF SUPPORT

As threats that exploit vulnerabilities in our cyberinfrastructure grow and evolve, an integrated cybersecurity workforce must be capable of designing, developing, implementing, and maintaining defensive and offensive cyber strategies. An integrated cybersecurity workforce includes technical and nontechnical roles that are staffed with knowledgeable and experienced cyber professionals. An integrated cybersecurity workforce can address the cybersecurity challenges inherent to preparing their commands/organizations to successfully implement aspects of their missions and business processes connected to cyberspace.

Throughout this document, the combined terms “cybersecurity workforce” is shorthand for a workforce with work roles that have an impact on an organization’s ability to protect its data, systems, and operations. Included are new work roles that have been known traditionally as information technology (IT) security roles. Those roles have been added to this workforce framework to highlight their importance to the overall cybersecurity posture of an organization. Additionally, some of the work roles described herein include the shorter term cyber to be inclusive of sectors where cyber has become the conversational norm for this field. A cybersecurity workforce includes not only technically focused staff, but also those who apply knowledge of cybersecurity when preparing their organization to successfully implement its mission. A knowledgeable and skilled cybersecurity workforce is needed to address cybersecurity risks within an organization’s overall risk management process.

FOUNDATIONS:

TECHNICAL COMPETENCE

The EC2 MAC IDIQ was designed from the ground up to be the Air Force’s single Contractor-employee cyber staffing resource, which defines the Air Force’s cybersecurity workforce, including professionals whose primary focus is on cybersecurity as well as those who need specific cybersecurity-related knowledge and skills in order to assist the Government in managing risks to the enterprise. This contract will enable Air Force commands to:

· Identify critical gaps in cybersecurity staffing and the establish cyber position descriptions consistent with international language.

· Inventory and track their cybersecurity workforce to gain a greater understanding of the strengths and gaps in Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities and Tasks performed.

· Identify training and qualification requirements to develop critical Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs), Tasks and Capability Indicators to perform cybersecurity activities required to safeguard Air Force Information Systems (IS).

· Improve existing IT and/or cyber contracts by selecting relevant KSAs and Tasks, using pre-defined work roles, tasks, and capabilities.

· Enable Offerors to identify the most relevant work roles and develop career paths to guide staff in gaining the requisite skills for those roles; and

· Establish a shared terminology between hiring managers and human resources (HR) staff for the recruiting, retention, and training of a highly-specialized workforce.

SERVICES NOT ALLOWED ON EC2 MAC TASK ORDERS

· Personal services as defined in FAR 37.104(a)

· Inherently governmental functions as defined in FAR 7.503(a)

· Services that are outside the scope of the EC2 MAC basic contract

CATEGORIES, SPECIALTY AREAS AND AWARD POOLS

EC2 CYBER FRAMEWORK

The EC2 Framework is comprised of the following components:

· Categories (7) – A high-level grouping of common cybersecurity functions

· Specialty Areas (31) – Distinct areas of cybersecurity work

· Work Roles (49) – The most detailed groupings of cybersecurity work comprised of specific KSAs to perform tasks in a Work Role on subordinate TOs.

Table 1- EC2 Cyber Framework

Operate and Maintain (O&M)

Data Analyst

Communications Security (COMSEC) Manager

Cyber Policy and Strategy Planner

Cyber/IT Project Manager

Product Support Manager

Cyber/IT Investment/Portfolio Manager

Cyber/IT Program Auditor

Cyber Instructor

All-Source Analysis

All-Source Analyst

Mission Assessment Specialist

Target Network Analyst

All Source-Collection Requirements Manager

Cyber Ops Planner

Partner Integration Planner

Cyber Defense Forensics Analyst

Secure Software Assessor

Security Architect

Systems Developer

Amplifying Information:

· RFP Attachment 1 - EC2 IDIQ PWS is the authoritative resource for the EC2 Cyber Framework and it provides more in-depth details of the Framework.

· RFP Attachment 17 - EC2_Labor_Cats maps the Categories and SAs to specific Work Roles and associating KSAs and Tasks.

· NOTE: This document is intended as a guide only, additional Work Roles can be added as required at the TO level, and can nest within the existing Categories and/or SAs.

AWARD POOLS

Pools will not be established for this contract. It's in the Government's best interest to award the IDIQ's on an unrestricted basis and conduct SB set-asides at the TO-level, to the maximum extent practicable.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

AMIC EC2 PMS

AMIC has responsibility for all aspects of EC2 related acquisitions and ensures DoD policies and processes are applied consistently throughout the lifecycle of the EC2 MAC and each resulting TO. AMIC will assist customers from the Air Force in defining and analyzing requirements for award on, and execution through, the EC2 MAC. AMIC Program Management Support (PMS) Division, through Program Management Reviews, In-Progress Reviews (IPRs), and other venues, ensures that the work being performed by EC2 MAC Contractors is in accordance with current DoD policies and processes and the scope defined in the EC2 MAC Basic Contract and the resulting TOs.

The AMIC PMS Division offers two-levels of support and management at the IDIQ level, those being Program Managers (PMs) and Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). A COR shall also be established at the TO-level and Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) annual assessments shall be performed at the TO-level.

Program Manager (PM)/COR (IDIQ-LEVEL)

· Assess awarded TO for cost, schedule, and performance execution by examining, but not limited to, the following:

· Rate of expended funds compared to period of performance

· Quality/quantity of STI delivered to the government

· Timeliness of contract deliverables

· Leads the evaluation of Contractor performance in CPARS, and serves as liaison with the Contracting Office on contract-level matters.

· Participates in pre-award reviews and post-award orientation/kick-off meetings

· Receives and responds to Contractor correspondence, and coordinates with the Contracting Office as necessary Alternate Contracting Officer’s Representative (ACOR) (TO-Level)

· Performs overall oversight, surveillance, and documentation of Contractor performance

· Works with all stakeholders to resolve issues. (e.g., funding, options, deliverables, closeout, etc.)

· Reviews weekly and monthly Contractor reports (as required by the TO).

· Performs functions as delegated in writing by the Ordering Office CO and obtains ACOR refresher training in accordance with Air Force COR policies necessary to maintain ACOR’s qualifications (includes COR Training, Combatting Trafficking in Persons Training, and Ethics Training).

· Ensures Contractor is not performing work that is out of scope, personal services, or inherently governmental.

· Provides performance assessments on Contractors, as stated in the Quality Assurance and Surveillance Plan (QASP), to the COR for the purpose of drafting the annual CPARS report.

· Provides technical support to COR and/or CO on TO issues

· Reviews and approves Contractor invoices in Wide Area Workflow (WAWF)

· Brings any TO legal or contractual matters to the attention of the CO, PM, and COR.

· Monitors Contractor expenditure of funds relative to the TO obligated funding and TO ceiling to prevent gaps in funding.

· Receives and reviews deliverables from the Contractor

· Submits de-obligation requests to the CO, PM, and COR.

· Assists the CO in preparing necessary documentation for TO modifications, TO contract closeout, or other required TO post-award contract administration requirements.

CONTRACTING OFFICE

AMIC Det 2

· Maintains the master list and tracks all TOs issued against the contract.

· Maintains the EC2 electronic files of contracts, contract modifications, TOs, and TO modifications received from the Contracting Office.

· Provides contractual oversight of the EC2 MAC including all TOs it awards.

· Provides advice and guidance to stakeholders regarding contract scope, acquisition regulation requirements, and contracting policies.

· Ensures compliance with contract terms and conditions.

· Represents the CO’s position at various contract-related and program meetings.

· Appoints contract-level CORs and TO level ACORs.

· Reviews each TO requirements package.

· Prepares FOPRs.

· Provides evaluation training to stakeholders.

· Receives and evaluates (in conjunction with RA) Contractor proposals.

· Leads source selection team and prepares award documentation.

· Awards TO and obligates initial funding.

· Administers TO post-award.

· Coordinates with the CORs and ACORs to ensure inspection and acceptance of all TO services and deliverables.

· Executes TO modifications, including obligating incremental funding.

· Performs TO closeout.

REQUIRING ACTIVITY (RA):

· Defines performance-based requirements suitable for competition among contract holders and prepares complete TO requirements packages as guided by the PM, COR, and CO.

· Nominates a qualified and trained ACOR (in accordance with Air Force COR policies) and financial point of contact

· Notifies the EC2 COR and CO if the ACOR can no longer perform their duties and nominates a qualified and trained replacement.

· Funds the TO (i.e., committing funds) and certifies funds meet bona fide need, and are appropriate for the TO as per funding purpose, time, and amount.

· May be asked to respond to industry questions on released FOPRs or draft FOPRs.

· Identifies the technical proposal evaluation team responsible for the creation of technical evaluation documents.

· Performs quality assurance, inspection and acceptance of TO-level Contractor services and deliverables in accordance with the TO QASP.

· Ensures Contractor compliance with TO requirements.

· Monitors Contractor expenditure of funds relative to the TO obligated funding and TO ceiling to prevent gaps in funding.

· Provides technical support to COR and/or CO on TO issues.

· Assists the CO in preparing necessary documentation for TO modifications, TO contract closeout, or other required TO post-award contract administration requirements.

FAIR OPPORTUNITY ORDERING PROCEDURES (FOPR)

When the Government has a TO requirement, the Contracting Officer (CO) will issue a FOPR to all Contractors IAW Fair Opportunity procedures, unless an exception applies.

Pools will not be established for this contract. It's in the Government's best interest to award the IDIQ's on an unrestricted basis and conduct SB set-asides at the TO-level, to the maximum extent practicable. The Government will perform market research and shall set aside the requirement for SB if the contracting officer determines there is a reasonable expectation of obtaining offers from two or more responsible small business concerns that are competitive in terms of fair market prices, quality, and delivery IAW FAR 19.502-2, 19.504(a) & 19.504(c)(1)(ii). Additionally, task order RFPs can be further restricted to better support SB Contracting Goals IAW 16.505(b)(2)(i)(F). Any requirements contemplated going to the OTSBs will require separate/individuals SF 2579's, Small Business Coordination Record approvals.

The standard method of Government transmission for a FOPR will be via e-mail. The Government may provide advance notice to the Contractor of upcoming solicitations via a Heads-Up Memo (HUM) which will include an attached draft Performance Work Statement (PWS).

The FOPR does not obligate the Government to award the TO under the EC2 IDIQ, nor does it authorize the Contractor to perform any work. If the Government does not have adequate funding, the Government will notify the Contractor(s) of the FOPR cancellation. All TOs are subject to the availability of funds

FOPR CONTENT

As a standard FOPRs will include the following:

· Task Name

· Customer identified name that should easily distinguish the TO effort from other efforts.

· Anticipated TO Performance Start Date

· The TO performance start date is driven by pre-established milestones that as a standard, allow approximately thirty (30) days between contract award and performance start. There may be occasions where mission-critical requirements or funding release timelines mandate a shorter acquisition timeline resulting in as little as one (1) day between TO award and TO performance start.

New or Existing Requirement

· The Government will state whether the requirement under solicitation is new work or if it is a re-competition for existing work. If it is a re-compete for existing work, the Government will provide the contract number and name of the Contractor performing the work.

· Contract Type

· The Government will specify the type of contract required per FAR Part 16, Types of Contracts, so ID/IQ Contractors can propose accordingly. TO contract type options under this ID/IQ include any of or a combination of the following contract types:

· Firm Fixed Price (FFP) - See FAR 16.202

· Firm Fixed Price Level of Effort (FFP-LOE) - See FAR 16.207

· Cost Reimbursable (CR) - See FAR 16.3

· CLIN Structure

· The TO and contract type may vary based on the requirement and will be identified in the FOPR. The CLIN structure for each TO will be consistent with the IDIQ, but the CO reserves the right to vary CLIN structure based on requirements so long as the structure is within scope of the IDIQ contract.

· Incentive Fee CLIN

· The Government reserves the right to use an Incentive Fee at the TO level. An Incentive Plan will be provided should the Government decide to utilize this option. The total Incentive Fee is determined by the Government and will be a Not To Exceed amount based on a sliding scale of total value for the Contract Year in which the performance period is being evaluated. The Incentive Plan will detail how the Contractor earns the fee.

· Travel Estimate

· If travel is predicted for the TO requirement, the Government may provide a travel estimate, which primes shall use in TO proposals; provide anticipated locations of travel when the Government cannot reasonably predict the frequency and length of travel required, with a 'Not to Exceed' amount for the TO; and/or state that travel is required to support the effort and base awarded travel on the awardee's proposed approach. The Government may take alternate approaches to those listed here, but will provide the information available at the time of solicitation and endeavor to provide as much information as possible for each TO requirement. Estimates will be derived from the Joint Travel Regulations.

· Materials Estimate

· If materials are predicted for the TO requirement, the Government may provide a materials estimate, which primes shall use in TO proposals; provide the materials necessary for completion of the TO requirement and base awarded materials on the awardee's proposed costs/prices; or provide the anticipated end state of the requirement and base awarded materials on the awardee's proposed approach. The Government may take alternate approaches to those listed here, but will provide the information available at the time of solicitation and endeavor to provide as much information as possible for each TO requirement.

· Contractor Personnel Requirements

· The Government may specify the number of Contractor personnel required and / or those deemed "Key Personnel" to performance of the TO requirement. The Government may also specify the minimum qualifications required for some or all positions.

· Basis of Award

· Each FOPR will contain the Government's Basis of Award for that TO requirement. TO proposals may contain language such as, "Offerors are cautioned to strictly comply with all instructions within this solicitation to ensure submission of a complete proposal. Failure to furnish a complete proposal at the time of proposal submission may result in an unacceptable proposal that the Government eliminates from consideration for award."

· Source Selection Methodology

· The source selection methodology will be specified in the FOPR. The FOPR will provide details related to proposal submissions and evaluation criteria for each factor / sub-factor, as applicable, in compliance with current (at the time of TO solicitation) FAR, DFARS and AF FAR Supplement (AFFARS) and any other applicable Federal, DoD or Air Force guidance. Task order evaluation factors may include criteria to facilitate Government evaluation of Contractor’s performance.

· Trade-Off

· The Government may evaluate and trade-off among Technical, Past Performance, and Cost/Price factors, as specified in the FOPR.

· Terms and Conditions

· The FOPR will outline any additional terms and conditions. Offerors are required to meet all TO FOPR requirements, such as terms and conditions, and technical requirements, in addition to those identified as factors or sub-factors. Failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the TO FOPR may result in the Offeror being found unacceptable. By submission of its offer, the Offeror accedes to all solicitation requirements, including terms and conditions and technical requirements (of both the basic IDIQ contract and the TO), in addition to those identified as evaluation factors or sub-factors.

· Contract Clauses

· All contract clauses in the IDIQ contract will apply at the TO level, as applicable. Any unique clauses that may apply to an individual TO may be included in the TO as determined by the procuring contracting officer (PCO).

· Site Visits

· The FOPR may also provide information regarding any anticipated pre-proposal/ pre-award site visits or conferences. Such visits will be considered a cost of doing business unless otherwise specified at the TO level.

· Deadline for Any Inquiries or Concerns Regarding the FOPR

· The Government will also provide a deadline for addressing any inquiries or concerns regarding the FOPR. This gives the Government time to react to and inform Offerors of any changes prior to the final proposal due date, or extend the proposal due date should it become necessary.

· Proposal Submission, Due Date and Time

· The Government will primarily require electronic submission of proposal specify how and where to deliver proposals. The Government will specify the exact due date and time for all TO proposals. The Government standard will be thirty (30) business days from FOPR release to proposal due date. Mission critical requirements may require fewer days. More importantly, the proposal due date will be a reflection of the requirement's dollar value, complexity and uniqueness, such that the Government thoroughly considers these dynamics when determining proposal response time and subsequently, the proposal due date (i.e., higher dollar value, more complex/unique requirements will result in longer response times).

· No-Bid Statement

· The FOPR will include language specifying that if a prime elects not to submit a proposal for a TO requirement, that Contractor shall submit a "no bid" statement to the Contracting Officer, as specified in the TO solicitation, on or before the TO proposal due date. The Contractor shall provide (within three business days) its rationale for not bidding in the "no bid" statement. If a Contractor fails to submit at least one (1) responsive proposal within the first three years of the ordering period, the Government reserves the right to the unilateral Off-Ramp of that Contractor.

· Exceptions

· If an Offeror finds it necessary to take exception to any of the requirements specified in the TO FOPR (to include the PWS and attachments), Offerors shall clearly identify each exception along with a complete explanation of why the exception was taken and the resulting benefit to the Government. The Government may consider any included assumptions as an Offeror taking exception to the Government’s requirements, which may result in the Government finding the proposal unacceptable.

CONTRACTOR’S FOPR PACKAGE SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

All Contractors are highly encouraged to submit a proposal for every FOPR that they are qualified and eligible to submit for under this contract. If not submitting a proposal, within three (3) business days of FOPR issuance, the Contractor must acknowledge receipt and submit a brief written statement formally stating that no proposal is being submitted.

Any questions pertaining to the FOPR package shall be submitted to the CO in writing no later than the date and time specified in the FOPR. In the event issues pertaining to a FOPR package cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of the CO, the CO reserves the right to withdraw or cancel the proposed FOPR package. In such event, Contractors will be notified, via letter or email, of the CO's decision, and the decision shall be final and conclusive and shall not be subject to the "Disputes" clause or the "Contract Disputes Act".

If not otherwise specified in the FOPR, requests for site visits must be submitted to the CO in writing within three (3) business days of the issuance of the FOPR. Site visits will be scheduled at the CO’s discretion and solely at the Contractor’s expense.

Contractors electing to compete for a TO requirement shall submit TO proposals no later than the date and time specified in the FOPR. If a TO proposal does not reach the Government on time, the burden of proof lies with the Contractor to show that delays were out of its control (e.g. Government server issues affected receipt of TO proposal sent via e-mail, etc.). The CO will consider late TO proposals on a caseby-case basis.

Pricing on task order submissions shall be valid for 120 calendar days after the required submission date, unless stated otherwise within the FOPR.

Proposals shall strictly comply with all instructions in the FOPR, and Contractors shall ensure submission of a complete proposal as the Government may make a final determination as to whether the Offeror's proposal is awardable based solely on the initial proposal. Accordingly, Offerors are advised to submit initial proposals that are fully and clearly acceptable without additional information. Offerors' proposals shall demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the nature and scope of work required. The Government will not search for data to cure problems or address inconsistencies in an Offeror's proposal.

Proposals shall be clear, concise, and shall include sufficient detail for effective evaluations. Proposals should not simply rephrase or restate the Government's requirements; rather, they shall provide convincing rationale to address how the Contractor intends to meet TO requirements. Contractors shall assume that the Government has no prior knowledge of their facilities, personnel and experience as the Government will base evaluations solely on information presented in the TO proposal. Therefore, proposals shall be orderly, sufficiently documented, and easy to understand, which will allow for a thorough, efficient and fair evaluations.

Proposals shall include all information requested in the FOPR and its attachments and shall be submitted in the format and within the page limitations specified in the FOPR. Failure to include all information requested may adversely affect the evaluations and result in removal from consideration for award. A complete proposal shall consist of a proposal for each of the factors applicable to the source selection.

The Contractor’s proposal shall include the following information, as well as any additional information requested in the FOPR package:

· Technical approach for meeting the requirements of the PWS.

· Pricing for each CLIN specified in the FOPR package. This price shall not exceed the ceiling prices established in the IDIQ.

· Contractors may be required to submit past performance information in response to a FOPR, if the CO has determined that past performance data will be evaluated.

Technical Proposal

· The Technical proposal shall be specific, detailed, and complete to clearly and fully demonstrate that Offerors have a thorough understanding of requirements. Statements that Offerors understand, can, or will comply with the PWS (including referenced AF publications, etc.); statements paraphrasing the PWS or parts thereof (including applicable AF publications, etc.); statements referencing previous work without an explanation of the approach that will be utilized for the requirement; and phrases such as "standard procedures will be employed" or "well known techniques will be used," etc., will be considered unacceptable. Offerors should note that data submitted prior to the proposal submission will not be considered in the Government's evaluations; therefore, such data should not be relied upon or incorporated in the Technical proposal by reference.

· Where labor is included in a requirement, Offerors shall include a qualification summary for proposed personnel/positions (to include labor for the prime and all subContractors/ teaming partners) as specified in the FOPR. As a standard, proposed qualification summaries shall include, by position or function, a brief description and/or evidence of duties, experience, education level, security clearance, and any licenses or certifications required by the position, as applicable. The FOPR may provide additional parameters. Additionally, proposed labor categories shall appropriately compliment the capabilities identified in the TO PWS and proposal.

· The Contractor shall clearly identify any key personnel, whether Government- identified or Contractor-proposed, in the technical proposal.

Cost/Price

· The Cost/Price proposal shall contain a complete TO Cost/Price Proposal, using the template provided by the Government with the FOPR, when applicable. Cost/Price proposals shall include the following, as specified in the FOPR:

Direct labor

· The Cost/Price proposal shall include the Contractor's proposed labor category(ies) and associated level(s), for the prime and all subContractors/ teaming partners, deemed appropriate to meet TO requirements. These shall be the labor categories and levels that meet the specifications (to include years of experience) of the TO requirement and not labor categories with parameters that exceed those requirements in order to get to a higher rate.

· Each proposed labor category shall include number of personnel per labor category, level, hours, rates, total labor cost for each proposed labor category, and total overall labor cost for each performance period. This information should tie directly to the approach proposed in the technical proposal.

· Contractors may propose alternate labor categories and rates, but must fully justify the new category(ies) and rate(s). It is up to the Government whether or not the alternately proposed category(ies) and associated rate(s) will be deemed acceptable.

· The current labor anticipated under this IDIQ includes both professional employees and non-professional employees. Requirements for Service Contract Act (SCA) Wage Determinations and clauses will be determined at the task order level, and rates will be competed at that time.

Back-up Documentation

· Proposals shall include any backup (supporting) documentation requested in the FOPR or later by the Contracting Officer.

TO PROPOSAL EVALUATION TECHNIQUES.

Guidance

· The Government will evaluate proposals as specified in each FOPR and in compliance with FAR 16.505 Ordering.

Technical

· Contractors' TO proposals shall demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the nature and scope of work required. The Government will not search for data to cure problems or address inconsistencies in Offerors' TO proposals. The Government also will not evaluate proposals based on what is known or perceived about the Contractor and will only evaluate the information provided in the proposal. A TO proposal that merely and solely reiterates or promises to accomplish the requirements of the PWS will be considered unacceptable. The Government reserves the right to incorporate all or parts of the Contractor's proposal into the resulting TO, but may include only the portions of the TO proposal that are of benefit to the Government, contributed to the award decision (such as qualifications of proposed personnel), and/or are negotiated with the Contractor for inclusion.

Technical Acceptable/Unacceptable (LPTA)

· Described in FAR 15.101-2. The LPTA process is appropriate when best value is expected to result from selection of a technically acceptable proposal with the lowest evaluated price. Evaluation criteria are of a pass/fail nature.

· If the FOPR uses LPTA, each subfactor will be evaluated on an Acceptable/Unacceptable basis and assigned a rating based on whether the TO proposal meets the basic PWS requirements and standards, and satisfactorily addresses the subfactor evaluations criteria identified in the FOPR. Extra consideration will not be assigned for exceeding the Acceptable/Unacceptable subfactor criteria. A rating of "Acceptable" or "Unacceptable" will be assigned for each Technical subfactor. A rating of "Acceptable" will be required in all subfactors to be eligible for award.

Technical (Trade-off)

· Described in FAR 15.101-1. This process allows for a tradeoff between non-cost factors and cost/price, allowing the Government to accept other than the lowest priced proposal or other than the highest technically rated proposal to achieve an overall best-value contract award. For the purposes of these ordering procedures, non-cost factors will be significantly more important than cost/price.

· If the FOPR uses a Trade-Off, each subfactor will be evaluated and assigned a rating specified in the FOPR based on whether the TO proposal meets the basic PWS requirements and standards, and satisfactorily addresses the subfactor evaluations criteria identified in the FOPR. Proposed capabilities that exceed subfactor criteria may be a basis for a trade-off decision. A rating of "Acceptable" or the otherwise stated minimum acceptable rating specified in the FOPR will be required in all subfactors to be eligible for award.

Cost/Price

· The Government intends to award TOs with fair and reasonable costs/prices that provide reasonable fees/profit to Contractor's for their risk. The Government will establish an estimate before soliciting for each TO, with the estimate serving as an initial baseline against which to measure proposed costs/prices. A price analysis and/or cost analysis will be conducted IAW FAR 15.404-1, Proposal Analysis Techniques, as applicable to the TO requirement. Price reasonableness will be determined based on a comparison of Offerors' total overall evaluated prices, which consist of all labor and travel and/or material with associated indirect rates, as applicable for the basic TO contract period and any options.

· The Government will evaluate proposed prices to determine whether prices are consistent with the skill sets required for the work to be performed, reflect a clear understanding of the TO requirement, and are consistent with the various aspects of the TO proposal, as specified in the FOPR.

· Comparison of proposed prices received in response to a FOPR is the preferred and intended cost/price analysis technique. Other techniques and procedures, if deemed necessary, may be used to ensure a fair and reasonable price and realistic cost, to include, but not limited to, the following: comparison of previously proposed costs/prices and previous Government and commercial contract costs/prices with current proposed costs/prices for the same or similar service/items; comparison with competitive market prices of similar indexes; GSA Schedule(s) or Department of Labor wage/salary indexes; or comparison of proposed prices with the Independent Government Estimate.

· Exceptionally or unrealistically low prices or unrealistic costs, initially or subsequently, may be grounds for eliminating a TO proposal from competition either on the basis that the Contractor does not understand the requirement or the Contractor has provided an unreasonable and/or unrealistic proposal. An example of an unrealistically low proposed price would be proposed labor rates that were so low that the Government could not make a reasonable determination that an Offeror could successfully provide and retain qualified personnel for the labor categories and levels proposed. Offerors may be requested to address any disparities, providing evidence of capability and/or experience providing similar service(s) at similar price(s).

· The Government will analyze offers to determine whether they are unbalanced with respect to cost/price. An example of an unbalanced offer would be proposed labor rates that are significantly less than or significantly overstated in relation to the proposed rates for other labor categories (either of the Offeror's proposal or the same labor categories as proposed by other Offerors). The Government may also consider an offer unbalanced if there is a significant difference between proposed labor rates in the same labor category between option periods or the proposed prices from year to year are above what would be considered a reasonable adjustment for inflation. Offers that are determined unbalanced may be rejected. Offerors may be requested to address any disparities, providing evidence that justifies an unbalanced offer.

TASK ORDER PROCESS

· If no proposal or only one proposal is received, the Government, at its discretion, may revalidate the FOPR requirement. The revalidation process may include exchanges of information with some or all the Contractors to determine whether there are concerns about the FOPR requirement.

· Should the requirement be validated, the CO may reissue the FOPR package. After the Government revalidates the FOPR requirement and if only one proposal is received, the CO will follow the procedures at DFARS 216.505-70.

· Limitations on Subcontracting. Small Business primes shall be in compliance with FAR 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting. In accordance with 52.219-14 Deviation 2020-O0008 under this IDIQ the Contractor shall comply with the limitations on subcontracting by the end of the performance period for each order issued under the contract.

TO AWARD:

· Upon selection of the successful Offeror that represents the best value to the Government, or completion of negotiations with a single Offeror, the CO will award a TO. At the time of award any unsuccessful Offeror’s will also be notified. A TO may include a period of performance up to but not exceeding a total of 60 months in duration.

EXHIBIT A: TASK ORDER AWARD PROCESS

Task Order Process

EC2 Ordering Guide v1.0

Exhibit B – Cyber Framework as AMIC sees it image1.png image2.jpeg image3.png