FA910124BQ021 RFQ Balance Block.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE

HEADQUARTERS AIR FORCE TEST CENTER (AFMC)

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE CALIFORNIA

7 February 2024

COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION

FROM: AFTC/PZIA

Arnold Engineering Development Complex 100 Kindel Drive, Suite A-332 Arnold AFB, TN 37389

SUBJECT: Request for Proposal (RFP) FA910124QB021, Balance Block Fabrication

This is a competitive solicitation set-aside 100% for Small Business. The subject requirement is for a commercial product; as such, this solicitation is prepared in accordance with (IAW) the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This solicitation is not authorization to begin performance, and in no way obligates the Government for any costs incurred by the offeror associated with developing a quote. The Government reserves the right not to award a contract in response to this RFP. Prior to commencement of any activities associated with performance of this requirement, the Government will issue a written directive or contractual document signed by the Contracting Officer with appropriate consideration established.

The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular, FAC 2024-02 dated 22 January 2024, Department of Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation (DFARS) Change 1/22/2024 effective 22 January 2024, and Department of the Air Force Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DAFFARS) Change 7/7/2023 effective 7 July 2023.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 332510, Hardware Manufacturing, with a size standard of 750 employees. The Product Service Code (PSC) is 5340, Hardware, Commercial.

The purpose of this solicitation is for the purchase and delivery of a balance block. The balance block shall reference Attachment (Atch) 1 – Balance Block Drawing 1 (AEDC drawing #PG630165) and Atch 2 – Balance Block Drawing 2 (Balance Microcraft drawing # WT-98-13586, Rev A). The balance block shall be the same as Atch 1- Balance Block Drawing (AEDC drawing #PG630165), except the inner land surfaces diameters shall match the balance outside diameters of Atch 2 – Balance Block Drawing (Microcraft drawing #WT-98-13586 Rev A). Material to make the balance block must match the material properties of the previously used Nationally #14. The vendor shall provide all material and heat treat certifications, and all inspection reports and documentation. Delivery is required to Arnold AFB no later than (NLT) 12-weeks after receipt of order (ARO). The Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) at Arnold Air Force Base located in Tennessee anticipates the use of a firm-fixed price contract with a 12 week Period of Performance for the procurement of one fabricated balance block. Currently, the Government anticipates awarding this acquisition to one vendor that is both capable of providing the required product on Atch 1 – Balance Block Drawing 1 and Atch 2 – Balance Block Drawing 2 and provides the lowest technically acceptable offer.

Provided below is the anticipated Contract Line Item Numbers (CLIN), Item Description, Quantity, and Unit of Measure (UoM) for the contemplated firm-fixed price contract:

CLIN Item Description Quantity UoM 0001 Balance Block 1 EA

*FAR Provision 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2021) applies to this acquisition and the following addendum applies:

The following words stating “offer”, “offeror”, and “proposal” are replaced with “quotation”, “vendor”, and “quote”.

Paragraph (a) first sentence revised as follows: “The NAICS code and small business size standard for this acquisition appear above.”

Paragraph (c) first sentence revised as follows: “The vendor agrees to hold the prices in its quote firm for 30 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of quotes, unless another time period is specified in an addendum to the quote.”

Questions due date: 15 February 2024 Questions due time: 1:00 P.M. Central Time (Questions received after this date and time may not be answered).

RFP due date: 23 February 2024 RFP due time: 1:00 P.M. Central Time Email to leslie.mcgowan@us.af.mil and robert.msley.3@us.af.mil

Note: .zip files are not an acceptable format for the Air Force Network and will not go through our email system.

All questions regarding this RFP must be emailed to leslie.mcgowan@us.af.mil and robert.mosley.3@us.af.mil no later than 1:00 P.M. Central Time on 23 February 2024.

Please provide the following information with your quote:

1. Technical solution provided meets all technical requirements IAW Atch 1 – Balance

Block Drawing 1 and Atch 2 – Balance Block Drawing 2 as stated previously in this mailto:leslie.mcgowan@us.af.mil mailto:robert.msley.3@us.af.mil mailto:leslie.mcgowan@us.af.mil mailto:robert.mosley.3@us.af.mil document.

2. Completed Pricing Worksheet (Atch 3).

All companies must be registered in the System for Award Management at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ to be considered for award. The Government will not provide contract financing for this acquisition. Invoice instructions are provided in Atch 4 – Provisions and Clauses.

Basis of Award: A competitive simplified acquisition selection process will be conducted IAW FAR Part 13. Contracts awarded under FAR 13 are not subject to FAR 15.3 procedures. Accordingly, award of a contract under this RFP, should an award be made, shall follow the procedures outlined in FAR 13, as supplemented. Quotes will be evaluated based upon the following factors: Factor 1 – Technical Solution, and Factor 2 – Price. A contract may be awarded to the offeror who is deemed responsible IAW FAR 9.1, as supplemented, whose quote conforms to the RFP's requirements and is judged to represent the technically acceptable quote with the lowest complete, reasonable, and balanced Government calculated Final Total Evaluated Price (F-TEP).

First, for the quotes which conform to the RFP's requirements, the Government will calculate the offeror’s Initial Total Evaluated Price (I‐TEP) by computing the average unit price. The Government will then rank the calculated I-TEP from lowest price to highest price. Next, the Government will evaluate the lowest calculated I-TEP for technical acceptability.

If the quote with the lowest calculated I-TEP is determined technically acceptable and the F- TEP is complete, reasonable, and balanced, this offeror’s quote represents the best value to the Government and award will be made to that offeror. If the quote with the lowest calculated I-TEP requires resolution of minor or clerical errors to any aspect of the quote, including technical or price, the Government will consider the correction potential and may enter into interchanges with that offeror. If, after interchanges to resolve minor or clerical errors with that offeror, the quote is technically acceptable and the calculated I-TEP remains the lowest, the contract will be awarded to that offeror. If the Government deems the quote not easily correctable, or if at any time the quote becomes other than the lowest calculated I- TEP, the next lowest calculated I-TEP will be evaluated for technical acceptability, followed by an analysis of the F-TEP to verify reasonableness, completeness, and balanced pricing.

Interchanges will take place as necessary or deemed appropriate by the Government. After any interchanges, if necessary, the Government will evaluate the F‐TEP. If interchanges do not occur, the I‐ TEP will become the F‐TEP. This evaluation process will be repeated until reaching a technically acceptable quote, or until all quotes are evaluated. In order to determine price fair and reasonable, the evaluation process may continue until reaching two technically acceptable quotes (to establish adequate price competition).

Factor 1: Technical Solution

Under this factor, the Government will assign the factor an adjectival rating of Acceptable or http://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/

Unacceptable, as defined in Table 1 below.

Table 1 – Factor 1 Ratings

Rating Definition

Acceptable Quote meets all measures of merit for Factor 1.

Unacceptable Quote does not meet all measures of merit for Factor 1.

In order to be deemed technically acceptable, the following measure of merit must be met:

a. Technical solution provided meets all technical requirements IAW Atch 1 – Balance Block Drawing 1 and Atch 2 – Balance Block Drawing 2 as stated previously in this document.

Note - Quote must be rated as technically acceptable to be eligible for award.

Factor 2: Price

Price quotes should be provided in Atch 3 – Pricing Worksheet and should support the offeror’s quoted Factor 1 ‐ Technical Solution. Each Offeror’s price quote will be evaluated (but not rated). The Government will calculate the offeror’s I‐TEP by computing the average unit price. After any interchanges, if necessary, the Government will evaluate the F‐TEP. If interchanges do not occur, the I‐TEP will become the F‐TEP.

Under this factor, the Government will evaluate the offeror’s F-TEP for completeness, reasonableness, and balanced pricing. Offerors whose F-TEP is determined to be incomplete, unreasonable, or unbalanced will not be considered for award.

Applicable definitions are outlined below:

Completeness - The offeror’s F-TEP will be reviewed to determine the extent to which all the price elements have been addressed. The offeror’s F-TEP will be evaluated to ensure continuity and traceability of prices to the technical quote and between the initial quote and any revisions. The review will determine the adequacy of the contractor’s quote in addressing and fulfilling the RFP requirements.

Reasonableness - For the F-TEP to be reasonable, it must represent a price to the Government that a prudent person would pay in the conduct of competitive business.

The Government will determine the F- TEP fair and reasonable through the use of one or more of the price analysis techniques at FAR 13.106- 3(a).

Unbalanced pricing - Contractors are cautioned against submitting an offer that contains unbalanced pricing. Unbalanced pricing may increase performance risk and could result in payment of unreasonably high prices.

Unbalanced pricing exists when, despite an acceptable total evaluated price, the price of one or more contract line items is significantly over or understated. The Government shall analyze offers to determine whether they are unbalanced with respect to separately priced line items or sub-line items. An offer that is determined to be unbalanced may be rejected if the Contracting Officer determines that the lack of balance poses an unacceptable risk to the Government.

The Government intends to make award based on the initial quote submissions without conducting interchanges. Therefore, each offer should contain the offeror’s best terms from a price and technical standpoint. However, the Government reserves the right to hold interchanges if, during the evaluation, it is determined to be in the best interest of the Government. Interchanges are fluid interaction(s) between the Contracting Officer (CO) and the offerors that may address any aspect of the quote, including technical and price, and may or may not be documented in real time. However, the Government reserves the right to conduct interchanges using Interchange Notices (IN). Offeror responses to INs will be considered in making the order selection decision. Interchanges may be conducted with one, some, or all offerors, as the Government is not required to conduct interchanges with any or all offerors responding to the solicitation.

(End of provision)

*52.225-18 Place of Manufacture

As prescribed in 25.1101 (f), insert the following solicitation provision:

Place of Manufacture (Aug 2018)

(a) Definitions. As used in this provision—

Manufactured end product means any end product in product and service codes

(PSCs) 1000-9999, except-

(1) FPSC 5510, Lumber and Related Basic Wood Materials;

(2) Product or Service Group (PSG) 87, Agricultural Supplies;

(3) PSG 88, Live Animals;

(4) PSG 89, Subsistence;

(5) PSC 9410, Crude Grades of Plant Materials;

(6) PSC 9430, Miscellaneous Crude Animal Products, Inedible;

(7) PSC 9440, Miscellaneous Crude Agricultural and Forestry Products;

(8) PSC 9610, Ores;

(9) PSC 9620, Minerals, Natural and Synthetic; and

(10) PSC 9630, Additive Metal Materials.

Place of manufacture means the place where an end product is assembled out of components, or otherwise made or processed from raw materials into the finished product that is to be provided to the Government. If a product is disassembled and reassembled, the place of reassembly is not the place of manufacture. For statistical purposes only, the offeror shall indicate whether the place of manufacture of the end products it expects to provide in response to this solicitation is predominantly-

(11) □ In the United States (Check this box if the total anticipated price of offered end products manufactured in the United States exceeds the total anticipated price of offered end products manufactured outside the United States); or

(12) □ Outside the United States.

(End of provision)

FAR Provision 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Alternate I) Oct 2022, applies to this acquisition. All vendors must be registered in System for Award Management at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ at the time of Quote submittal.

FAR clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2021), applies to this acquisition with the following Addendum:

Paragraph (c) of this clause is tailored as follows: Changes in the terms and conditions of this contract may be made only by written agreement of the parties with the exception of administrative changes, such as changes in the paying office, appropriations data, etc., which may be changed unilaterally by the Government.

Note: The vendor acknowledges that should the quote terms and conditions and/or agreement conflict with mandatory provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and other Federal law applicable to commercial acquisitions, to the extent of such conflict the FAR and Federal law govern and conflicting vendor terms and conditions and/or agreement are unenforceable and are not considered incorporated into any resultant contract.

FAR clause 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders -- Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Oct 2022), is applicable to this acquisition. For the FAR clauses cited in FAR clause 52.212-5 that are applicable to this acquisition see Atch 4 – Provisions and Clauses.

http://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/

For additional FAR provisions and clauses not referenced specifically in this document that apply to this acquisition, see FA910124QB021 – Solicitation Balance Block. Likewise, for DFARS and DAFFARS provisions and clauses that are applicable to this acquisition, see FA910124QB021 – Solicitation Balance Block. The full text of these clauses and (*) provisions may be assessed electronically at the website acquisition.gov. NOTE: ALL

PROVISIONS WILL BE REMOVED AT TIME OF AWARD BUT SHALL REMAIN PART

OF THE CONTRACT FILE.

ROBERT T. MOSLEY

Contracting Officer AFTC/PZIA (Arnold)

Attachments:

FA910124QB021 – Solicitation Balance Block Atch 1 – Balance Block Drawing 1 Atch 2 – Balance Block Drawing 2 Atch 3 – Pricing Worksheet