Instructions to Offerors rev2.pdf

14 Instructions to Offerors and Evaluation Factors

14.1 General Evaluation Information

SECTION I:

The Government intends to award an IDIQ from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose proposal represents the best value to the Government using a tradeoff. There are three Task Order Statement of Works which the government reserves the right to award at time of the Base IDIQ award.

The Request for Proposal (RFP) shall not be considered direction to proceed with the subject effort, nor a promise of future direction to process. Offerors are solely responsible for any perceived or incurred submission costs. All questions regarding the subject RFP shall be directed to the Contract Specialist (CS), Peter Lee at Peter.Lee@fda.hhs.gov, and the Contracting Officer (CO), Phillip Frame at Phillip.Frame@fda.hhs.gov.

SECTION II:

1. Procurement Process The Government intends to conduct this procurement through a phased proposal submission and a combination of oral and written submissions using an evaluation process.

1. Solicitation Questions and Comments Questions shall be e-mailed to the CS, Peter.Lee@fda.hhs.gov, and cc’ CO, Phillip Frame at Phillip.Frame@fda.hhs.gov no later than 12:00 PM EST on Thursday, May 5, 2022. It shall be the obligation of the Offeror to exercise due diligence to discover and bring to the attention of the CS and CO at the earliest possible time, any ambiguities, discrepancies, inconsistencies, or conflicts between the statement of work (SOW) and other documents attached hereto or incorporated by reference herein. The Government reserves the right not to answer questions received after the close of the defined Offeror question submission deadline.

2. Phase I: Volume I: Proposal Submission Due Date Offerors shall submit a written response in PDF format to address the items below that is no greater than eight (8) pages excluding the cover page no greater than one (1) page via email to the CS, Peter.Lee@fda.hhs.gov by DATE no later than 3:00PM EST on Wednesday, May 11, 2022.

Written response content that extends beyond eight (8) pages will not be considered.

No other methods of submission will be accepted. Each Offeror will receive an Advisory Notification.

3. Phase II: Volume II: Proposal Submission Due Date The CO/CS will include the Phase II submission instructions on the advisory notification, including the date, time, and exact location of the Offeror’s scheduled oral presentation, as well as the due date for the Phase II submission.

No other methods of submission will be accepted.

1. Procedures This solicitation will follow the procedures under FAR 12 and 15. In so using these procedures the Government is not obligated to determine a competitive range or use any other source selection techniques associated with Subpart 15.3.

2. Instructions for Proposal Preparation Offerors are instructed to read the entire RFP document, including all attachments, prior to submitting questions and/or preparing your proposal. Omission of any information from the proposal submission requirements may result in rejection of the proposal.

(1) Offerors shall note that proposals will be evaluated, and a selection decision will be made.

(2) Offerors are expected to follow the detailed proposal preparation instructions fully and carefully. The Government will rely on the information provided by the Offerors to evaluate the proposals. It is therefore imperative that Offerors carefully follow the instructions set forth below and submit their proposals in the format and with the content specified below, providing all requested information.

(3) The Offerors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of its proposal.

Proposals shall be valid for 120 days from the RFP’s submission due date.

3. Page Size and Font All electronic submitted PDF documents shall use no smaller than 12-point font. Text in graphics and charts shall be no smaller than 9-point font, and text in tables shall be no smaller than 9-point font. Each submitted file of the electronic copy of the proposal shall be compatible with Microsoft Office 2013 or later version. It is the sole responsibility of the Offerors to ensure that the electronic media submitted is virus-free and can be opened and read by the Government. The deadline for submission of the electronic copy of the proposal is firm. As the closing date and time draws near, heavy traffic on the web server may cause delays. Offerors are strongly encouraged to plan and leave ample time to prepare and submit their proposals. Offerors bear the risk of web site inaccessibility due to heavy usage, which may occur during the final days/hours before the RFP closing time. The electronic copy of the proposal will constitute the official copy for timely receipt.

For the electronic copy of the proposal, each file shall be submitted in an unlocked format readable by Microsoft Office 2013 and searchable PDF, except Pricing Excel Workbook, which is required to be in Excel.

The offeror or applicant shall submit all electronic documents for Microsoft Office suite products without the use of “macros”. When submitting proposals via email, DO NOT include .exe, .mso, or any other executable file types that could potentially trigger email security protections (i.e. email blocks, quarantine). If the offeror or applicant submits documents that contain macros, macro referenced files, and/or executable files, the Government will not be able to view or open such documents and the submission will be considered non-responsive to the solicitation. No additional time will be given to an offeror or applicant to correct the document submission and the Government will not inform the offeror or applicant that their submission is non-responsive prior to award. It is the offeror’s or applicant’s responsibility to ensure all electronic documents are submitted without the use of macros.

4. Proposal Content The CS, identified in Section II, is the point of contact for this acquisition. The required elements of proposal submission are provided in Table 1 below. The cover page, Prior Experience Criteria, Proposal Cover/Transmittal Letter, and Proposal Assumptions, Exceptions and Dependencies will be in PDF format, the PowerPoint presentation will be in PDF format, and the Pricing Worksheet will be in Excel format.

5. Advisory Down-Selection Notification After the Government completes the evaluation of Phase I, Offerors will receive an advisory notification via e-mail from the Government. This notification will advise the Offeror of the Government’s advisory recommendation to proceed or not to proceed with Phase II submission. Offerors who are rated most highly in Phase I will be advised to proceed to Phase II of the proposal submission process. Offerors who were not among the most highly rated will be advised that they are unlikely to be viable competitors, along with the general basis for the Government’s advisory recommendation. The intent of this advice is to minimize proposal development costs for those Offerors with little to no chance of receiving an award.

The Government intends to provide no more than three (3) Offerors with an advisory notification to proceed to Phase II. However, the Government’s advice will be a recommendation only, and those Offerors who are advised not to proceed may elect to continue their participation in the procurement.

Failure to participate in Phase I of the procurement precludes further consideration of an Offeror. Phase II submissions will not be accepted from Offerors who have not submitted Phase I proposals by the due date and time stated in this solicitation. For those Offerors that are highly rated and advised to proceed to Phase II of the proposal submission process, the CO/CS will include the date, time and exact location of the Offeror’s scheduled oral presentation. The Phase II written submission due date will be approximately 2 weeks from the date of the advisory notification, and oral presentations will be scheduled after the submission of written Phase II proposals. The Government recommends Offerors begin preparation of Phase II proposals only after receipt of the Phase I advisory down-select notice.

Table 1.

Naming Convention Tab Title

Volume I: Prior Experience (Phase I)

Tab A (Document)

Prior Experience Criteria (8-page limit)

Tab B (Document)

Contractor Information and Confirmation

Volume II: Key Personnel and Oral Presentation (Phase II)

Tab A (Document)

PowerPoint Slides for Oral Presentation (35 Slide Limit) – NOT

EVALUATED

Oral Presentation Proposed Solution for IDIQ (see Attachment 1-4)

Volume III: Business & Pricing

Tab A (Document)

Proposal Cover/Transmittal Letter

Tab B (Document)

Pricing Excel Workbook (Attachment A)

Tab C (Document)

Proposal Assumptions, Exceptions and Dependencies

• Information contained in each volume shall be complete to the extent that evaluation of each tab may be accomplished independently of, and concurrently with, evaluation of the others. Your responses must demonstrate that both your firm and personnel can successfully complete this project. Offerors shall strictly adhere to the page limits.

• NO PRICE INFORMATION IS TO BE INCLUDED IN VOLUME I or VOLUME II

15 Volume I: Prior Experience Criteria Submission Instructions and Evaluation

15.1 TAB A: Prior Experience Criteria

15.1.1 Instructions

The Offeror shall submit a written response in PDF format that addresses the items below that is no greater than eight (8) pages. Written response content that extends beyond eight pages excluding the cover page will not be considered.

The Offeror shall provide sufficient information for the Government to evaluate its level of confidence, regarding the Offeror’s experience as it aligns to the requirements of the RFP, based on an assessment of the Offeror’s response.

• What is your technical experience in the last three (3) years as a prime with a contract similar in size scope and complexity to the SOW requirements within the Federal Government?

• What is your prior experience with planning, implementing and deploying a new release of Oracle Identity Access Management (IAM) in a large corporate/government environment (twenty-thousand + users)?

• What is your prior experience with administrating and resolving vulnerabilities in a complex enterprise multi-tiered and multi-zoned platform, which spans multiple environments, hundreds of databases, tens of thousands of users, with external and internal components hosted on premise and in the, in relation to:

o Oracle Database Services o Oracle Identity Access Management (IAM) Suite o Oracle WebLogic and Middleware o AppDynamics

Evaluation: The Government will assess its level of confidence that the Offeror has provided demonstrated experience in its response to the questions.

• What is your technical experience in the last three (3) years as a prime with a contract similar in size scope and complexity to the SOW requirements within the Federal Government?

• What is your prior experience with planning, implementing and deploying a new release of Oracle Identity Access Management (IAM) in a large corporate/government environment (twenty-thousand + users)?

• What is your prior experience with administrating and resolving vulnerabilities in a complex enterprise multi-tiered and multi-zoned platform, which spans multiple environments, hundreds of databases, tens of thousands of users, with external and internal components hosted on premise and in the, in relation to:

o Oracle Database Services o Oracle Identity Access Management (IAM) Suite o Oracle WebLogic and Middleware

15.2 TAB B: Offeror Information and Confirmation

15.2.1 Offerors shall provide the following information:

1. Reference to RFP No. FDA-RFP-22-1249753

2. Company name; address; SAM UEI; CAGE (if applicable); POC’s name, phone number, and email address.

3. Confirmation of an 8(a) status

15.2.2 Evaluation:

The Government will evaluate to the extent that Contractor provides the following information:

1. Reference to RFQ No. FDA-RFP-22-1249753

2. Company name; address; SAM UEI; CAGE (if applicable); and POC’s name, phone number, and email address.

3. Confirmation of 8(a) status

16 Volume II: Oral Presentation Submission Instructions and Evaluation

The Government’s Advisory notification to Offerors after evaluation of Phase I RFP submissions will include the due date for Phase II written submissions, as well as the scheduled time for Offeror’s oral presentations..

16.1 TAB A: PowerPoint Slides for Oral Presentation (35-slide limit)

• SLIDES WILL NOT BE EVALUATED; the Offeror must submit the slides on the Phase II proposal due date.

• The slide limit is 35 pages; however, the Offeror is reminded to consider that the oral presentation is time boxed and is encouraged to consider how many slides can be adequately covered during the oral presentation. Only content of the oral presentation is being considered in the evaluation regardless if it is included in the slide deck. If information Offerors present is not spoken, it will not be evaluated.

• After the oral presentation, the Government intends to ask “on-the-spot" questions to the Offeror. Offerors shall adhere to the format of the oral presentation guidance in addition to the rules of engagement for oral presentations which the government will provide with the advisory notice.

16.1.1 Evaluation Criteria:

The following evaluation factors will be used:

Factor 1: Oral Presentation of Technical Capability Instructions: The Offeror shall provide its technical approach to each Task Area in the SOW.

The Offeror’s technical approach shall reflect a clear understanding of the services to be rendered as described in the SOW Task Order and additionally demonstrate its:

• Ability to identify and remediate issues ensuring ongoing support for mission critical systems as it relates to the:

o Oracle Database Services o Oracle Identity Access Management (IAM) Suite o Oracle Middleware Services

• Ability to address a list of security related vulnerabilities with minimal impact to customers. What steps do you take to address and remediate current vulnerabilities and proactively address future vulnerabilities?

• Ability to achieve a logical re-hosting of databases residing on shared hardware to a Virtual Machine (VM) solution, including implementation and ongoing support (patching, upgrades, monitoring)

• Ability to perform, coordinate and complete project initiation, planning, analysis, design, development, testing and implementation of any new O&M requirements and DME tasks to the existing system in compliance with FDA Enterprise Performance Lifecycle (EPLC) Agile Methodology to produce and maintain the Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) with minimal impact to customers.

• Ability to schedule and coordinate the development, modernization, enhancements and/or O&M maintenance releases with the appropriate teams and deliver the releases on time, within budget and with minimal impact to customers.

Evaluation: The Government will evaluate to the extent that the Offeror’s presentation has meet Technical Capability requirements to demonstrate the following abilities when presenting how to accomplish each task area listed in SOW and additionally demonstrate its:

• Ability to identify and remediate issues ensuring ongoing support for mission critical systems as it relates to the:

o Oracle Database Services o Oracle Identity Access Management (IAM) Suite o Oracle Middleware Services

• Ability to address a list of security related vulnerabilities with minimal impact to customers. What steps do you take to address and remediate current vulnerabilities and proactively address future vulnerabilities?

• Ability to achieve a logical re-hosting of databases residing on shared hardware to a Virtual Machine (VM) solution, including implementation and ongoing support (patching, upgrades, monitoring)

• Ability to perform, coordinate and complete project initiation, planning, analysis, design, development, testing and implementation of any new O&M requirements and DME tasks to the existing system in compliance with FDA Enterprise Performance Lifecycle (EPLC) Agile Methodology to produce and maintain the Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) with minimal impact to customers.

• Ability to schedule and coordinate the development, modernization, enhancements and/or O&M maintenance releases with the appropriate teams and deliver the releases on time, within budget and with minimal impact to customers.

Factor 2: Oral Presentation of Management Approach including Staffing Plan

Instructions: The Offeror shall provide its management approach for executing the requirements in the SOW/IDIQ. The Offeror shall provide its Management Approach requirements to demonstrate the following:

• Staffing Plan The Offeror shall include a staffing plan and a description of current personnel resources in relation to the SOWs of each Task Order. The Offeror plan should address the management approach, assigned staffing capabilities and experience to meet the requirements of this solicitation

• The Offeror staffing plan shall include the three (3) Key Personnel as follows

1. Key Personnel: Oracle Identity Access Management (IAM) Suite Engineer The Oracle Identity Access Management Engineer must have the following qualifications:

• Prior hands-on experience planning, implementing, and deploying 12c or higher

Oracle IAM

• Experienced in solving connectivity and system authentication issues for complex enterprise platforms

• Experienced with both intranet and extranet integrations of enterprise scale

Oracle IAM implementations

• Minimum of two (2) years' experience integrating Oracle WebLogic and Oracle

Forms Single Sign On

• Prior hands-on experiencing successfully upgrading and deploying major releases of Oracle IAM software

2. Key Personnel: Middleware Engineer The Middleware Engineer must have the following qualifications:

• A minimum of seven (7) years of Middleware Experience

• Documented experience with patching, monitoring, and upgrading WebLogic installations on an enterprise scale

• Possess; and maintains Oracle WebLogic certification

• AWS Cloud related certifications, such as AWS Practitioner or AWS Architect are preferred

• Other cloud related certifications, such as Oracle Cloud Certification

3. Key Personnel: AppDynamics Engineer

The AppDynamics Engineer must have the following qualifications

• Minimum of six (6) years of hands-on AppDynamics experience

• Prior AppDynamics training required, training by Cisco is preferred

• Experience with reviewing, addressing, and implementing solutions based on

AppDynamics maturity assessments

• The Offeror shall include labor categories, labor hours, number of FTEs.

• The Offeror shall describe how it intends to recruit, hire, retain, and develop qualified staff for this solicitation.

Evaluation: The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s presentation on the Management Approach requirements to demonstrate the following:

• Staffing Plan

The Offeror shall include a staffing plan and a description of current personnel resources in relation to the SOW of each Task Order. The Offeror plan should address the management approach, assigned staffing capabilities and experience to meet the requirements of this solicitation.

• The Offeror staffing plan shall include the three (3) Key Personnel.

The Government will evaluate to the extent that Oracle Identity Access Management Engineer has meet the following qualifications identified below:

• Prior hands-on experience planning, implementing, and deploying 12c or higher Oracle IAM

• Experienced in solving connectivity and system authentication issues for complex enterprise platforms

• Experienced with both intranet and extranet integrations of enterprise scale Oracle IAM implementations

• Minimum of two (2) years’ experience integrating Oracle WebLogic and Oracle Forms Single Sign On

• Prior hands-on experiencing successfully upgrading and deploying major releases of Oracle IAM software

The Government will evaluate to the extent that the Middleware Engineer has met the following qualifications identified below:

• A minimum of seven (7) years of Middleware Experience

• Documented experience with patching, monitoring, and upgrading WebLogic installations on an enterprise scale

• Oracle WebLogic certification

• Cloud related certifications, such as AWS Practitioner or AWS Architect are preferred

• Other cloud related certifications, such as Oracle Cloud Certification

The Government will evaluate to the extent that the AppDynamics Engineer has met the following qualifications identified below:

• Minimum of six (6) years of hands-on AppDynamics experience

• Prior AppDynamics training required, training by Cisco is preferred

• Experience with reviewing, addressing, and implementing solutions based on

AppDynamics maturity assessments

• The Offeror shall include labor categories, labor hours, number of FTEs.

• The Offeror shall describe how it intends to recruit, hire, retain, and develop qualified staff for this solicitation.

Factor 3: Oral Presentation of "On the Spot” Questions Instructions: The Government will ask “on-the-spot” questions. These questions will pertain to the technical approach for the Oracle professional services.

Evaluation: The Government will evaluate to the extent that the Contractor’s responses to the “on-the-spot" questions demonstrate their expertise and experience with the Oracle professional services.

Format for Oral Presentation:

The oral presentations are anticipated to be scheduled during workdays DATES XXX, 2022, starting at 8:50AM EST with the Introductions and Rules of Engagement. The Government intends for the oral presentation to proceed as follows:

Oral Presentation

Portion

Oral Presentation Component Total Time Allotment

1 Introductions and Rules of Engagement 10-minute limit

2 The Offeror shall give the oral presentation on Technical Capability and Management Approach

105 -minute limit, including a 15-minute break

3 Break 15-minute limit

4 The Government will provide “On-the-Spot" questions 15-minutes limit

5 The Contractor shall provide responses to “On-the-Spot" questions . Up to 45-minutes

6 The Offeror departs Not Specified.

17 Confidence ratings

The evaluation will be done holistically with a rating scale of "high confidence," "some confidence," and "low confidence," representing the Government’s confidence that the Offeror understands the requirement and will be successful in performing the work.

• High Confidence - The Government has high confidence that the Offeror understands the requirement, proposes a sound approach, and will be successful in performing the contract with little or no Government intervention

• Some Confidence - The Government has some confidence that the Offeror understands the requirement, proposes a sound approach, and will be successful in performing the contract with some Government intervention.

• Low Confidence - The Government has low confidence that the Offeror understands the requirement, proposes a sound approach, or will be successful in performing the contract even with Government intervention.

18 Oral Presentation Format The Government intends to hold oral presentations remotely/virtually via Zoom meetings. However, at the discretion of the Government, oral presentations may take place via another video teleconferencing (VTC) medium or by voice-only telephone.

Offerors will not be reimbursed for any costs associated with the proposal preparation or respective presentations. The Government and Offeror may agree to test the connection at a convenient time prior to the oral presentation. In the event the selected technology platform or tool cannot be made functional at the time of the scheduled oral presentation, the oral presentation may proceed as a voice-only telephone call, at the Government’s sole discretion. By participating in the oral presentations, the Offeror acknowledges that it is in compliance with all RFP rules and parameters, in accordance with applicable laws and statutes. The Government encourages Offerors to abide by applicable social distancing guidelines and rules established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local Governments, including applicable active stay-at-home orders, to reduce the spread of the Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID- 19). Recording of oral presentations by Offerors is strictly prohibited (whether audio or video recording), notwithstanding local laws and regulations. Oral presentations are anticipated to be scheduled within the two weeks following the publishing of Government responses to Offeror questions. The Government will notify Offerors of the medium and format of the oral presentations at least three (3) business days prior to the scheduled oral presentation. The order in which Offerors are scheduled will be selected by the Contracting Officer. The Government reserves the right to reschedule any Offeror’s oral presentation at its sole discretion.

19 Offeror Participants The Offeror’s participants in the oral presentations may have up to three (3) Key Personnel proposed by the Offeror in the proposal submission, in addition to one

(1) responsible corporate official for a total of up to four (4) participants, but this does not limit how many key personnel shall be provided in the staffing approach. During the oral presentation each key personnel shall present in addition to the corporate official.

o Offerors shall provide the Contracting Officer with the name, employer/company, and e-mails of the Offeror’s participants for the oral presentation as part of its submission.

20 Volume III: TAB B: Price Proposal

Offerors shall certify their proposal to be valid for at least 120 days.

Offerors shall submit pricing, including unit pricing, for each item requested and total final price. Proposal shall clearly state the overall cost to the Government, including options.

Offerors shall submit a proposal for all requirements listed in this RFP. Partial proposal will not be considered. Incomplete pricing or pricing with omissions may not be considered for award.

Rates shall remain the same for a 12-month period of performance and shall not change midstream of the Task Order period of performance.

Offerors participating in teaming/partnering arrangements for this acquisition shall submit their teaming/partnering agreements with their proposal. The agreements shall be signed by the parties and shall demonstrate the relationship between firms and identify contractual relationships and authorities to bind the firm and the team/partnership. Offerors proposing major subcontracts (subcontracts exceeding 10% of the overall prime contract value) shall submit signed letters of commitment from the subcontractors which define the contractual relationship and identify contribution to the planned arrangement in terms of the type and proportion of work to be performed.

Copies of agreements and letters of commitment shall be submitted with the proposal under this section and will not count towards the page limitation. Offerors shall include a cover page with their agreements to include a list of the teaming/partnering parties and the following information for each party: company name, SAM UEI, address, point of contact, email address, phone and fax numbers.

21.1 TAB C: Proposal Assumptions, Exceptions and Dependencies Offerors shall submit all assumptions in their proposal.

Offerors shall submit the terms and conditions in full text with their proposals. Offerors are advised that additional terms and conditions submitted with their proposal that is in conflict of the terms and conditions of this solicitation may be deems as technically unacceptable and may not be considered for award.

22 Award Determination The Government intends to award an IDIQ and three (3) task orders to the Offeror whose proposal conforms to the solicitation and represents the best value to the Government using tradeoffs to the Government, price and other factors considered.

Evaluation Phase II and I are listed in descending order of importance and, when combined, are significantly more important than Volume III Cost. The evaluation will be based on the demonstrated capabilities of the Offeror in relation to the needs of the project as set forth in the RFP. The proposals will be evaluated carefully in accordance with the aforementioned confidence ratings to determine the best value to the Government. It is important the Offeror’s proposal be submitted initially with the most favorable terms, and include details to support the completed pricing in the Attachment A – PRICING SHEETS because the Government intends to award without negotiation in accordance with FAR 52.215-1. However, the Government reserves the right to hold discussions, if the Government determines discussions are necessary.

This RFP does not commit the Government to pay any cost for the preparation and submission of a proposal. In addition, the Contracting Officer is the only individual who can legally commit the Government to the expenditure of public funds in connection with this proposed acquisition. The Government reserves the right to make administrative price/technical trade-offs that are in the best interest and to the advantage of the Government.

The Government will evaluate proposal for award purposes by adding the total price for all options (including the option to extend services) to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that a proposal is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

A written notice of award or acceptance of a proposal, emailed or otherwise furnished to the successful Offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the proposal, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the Offeror’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept a proposal (or part of a proposal), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

23 Attachments Attachment A – PRICING SHEETS Attachment 1 – SOW_042522 IDIQ DAS Oracle Support Attachment 2 – SOW_042522 CDER Oracle DBA Support Task Order Attachment 3 – SOW_042522 CFSAN Oracle DBA Support Task Order Attachment 4 – SOW_042522 DAS OIMT Oracle DBA Support Task Order

NO PRICE INFORMATION IS TO BE INCLUDED IN VOLUME I or VOLUME II

15.2 TAB B: Offeror Information and Confirmation