Attachment 4 - GSM-ETI Task Order Guide.doc

HC1028-10-R-2001

Attachment 4

GSM-ETI TASK ORDER GUIDE

The following defines the process by which fair opportunity will be afforded, how task orders will be processed and priced, and how a task order will be awarded. It also defines specific, local provisions to be used for issues concerning task order consideration and payment. Finally, the role of the DISA Ombudsman is defined. Careful attention should be paid to those areas in which the procedures, processes and provisions change due to use of a different contract types or pricing methodology.

a. Fair Opportunity Process. The GSM-ETI Contracting Officer will assign a pre-award tracking number to each task order requirement at the time it is received from a customer agency. Unless one of the exceptions at FAR 16.505(b)(2) or DFARS 216.505-70(b)(1) and 216.505-70(b)(2) applies, the Contracting Officer will announce each task order requirement to each of the GSM-ETI contract awardees Each prime contractor shall evaluate the opportunity and determine whether or not to submit a proposal. The announcement will include, at a minimum, the following information:

* Tracking Number

* Date of Announcement

* End User Customer Agency and Point of Contact (POC) (Task Monitor)

* Statement of Work (SOW), Statement of Objectives (SOO) or Performance Work

Statement (PWS)

* Anticipated Contract Type

* Proposal Evaluation Criteria

* Contracting Agency POC Name Phone Number and Fax (KO and Contract Specialist)

* E-mail Address, Mailing Address or Fax Number

* Proposal Due Date

b. Fair Opportunity Exceptions. One or more task orders may be issued during the performance period of this contract. In accordance with the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA) and FAR 16.505(b) or DFARS 216.505-70(b)(1) and 216.505-70(b)(2), the Contracting Officer will provide all awardees a “fair opportunity” to be considered for each order in excess of $3,000.00, unless one of the conditions, below, applies.

(1) The agency need for such services is of such urgency that providing such opportunity would result in unacceptable delays.

(2) Only one such awardee is capable of providing such services required at the level of quality required because the services ordered are unique or highly specialized.

(3) The order should be issued on a sole-source basis in the interest of economy and efficiency as a logical follow-on to a task order already issued under this contract, provided that all multi-awardees were given fair opportunity to be considered for the original order.

(4) It is necessary to place an order to satisfy a minimum guarantee. A minimum guarantee task order can be awarded at any time during the base period.

(5) A statute expressly authorizes or requires that the purchase be made from a specified source

c. Orders for Services Under Multiple Award Contracts. In accordance with DFARS 216.505-70, an order for services exceeding $150,000.00 is placed on a competitive basis only if the Contracting Officer --

(1) Provides a fair notice of the intent to make the purchase, including a description of the work the contractor shall perform and the basis upon which the Contracting Officer will make the selection, to all contractors offering the required services under the multiple award contract; and

(2) Affords all contractors responding to the notice a fair opportunity to submit an offer and have that offer fairly considered.

d. Selection Criteria for Awarding a Task Order. The Government will evaluate proposals against established selection criteria. The Government’s award decision will be based, as a minimum, on compliance with Section 508 requirements of the Rehabilitation Act, and on selection criteria which addresses past performance, technical/ management approach and cost. The Government reserves the right to use both the information provided by the GSM-ETI contractor and information obtained from other sources; such as, the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) or similar systems, Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) and commercial sources. In addition to past performance, technical/management approach and cost, individual task order selection criteria may include other factor(s) relevant to the particular requirement. The order of importance for the factors will be identified in each individual request for proposals.

e. Proposal Process.

(1) Request for Proposals (RFP). The Contracting Officer solicits proposals from all prime contractors by posting an RFP to the specific web site. The contractors are typically allowed fourteen days to prepare and submit offers (may be more or less depending upon the complexity or urgency of the requirement). Each RFP will indicate the proposal due date, applicability of Section 508 standards, and the evaluation criteria including their relative importance. Technical proposals may be either written or presented orally, dependent upon the requirements of the customer. If oral presentations are used, the requirements package and the RFP will indicate the time and place for the presentations and what information the Offerors must present orally. Cost proposals must always be submitted by the contractors in writing.

(2) Clarifications. The contractors may request written clarification of requirements, evaluation criteria and proposal preparation instructions. Such requests for clarification must be sent to the Contracting Officer by e-mail to DISNGSM@disa.mil (or uploaded to the web site) by the date specified in the RFP letter. To avoid compromising the fair opportunity process, only the GSM ETI Contracting Officer may communicate verbally with the contractors concerning the RFP until after task order award. The Contracting Officer will answer clarification requests by posting questions and answers in an RFP Amendment, available to all of the contractors. As a result of clarification requests, the Contracting Officer will determine if any revisions to the requirements or evaluation criteria are required, and if necessary, issue an Amendment to the RFP. The Contracting Officer may extend the proposal due date in the event that written clarification is not provided to the contractors in a timely manner.

(3) No-Bid Replies. Contractors must submit “no-bid” replies or complete technical and price/cost proposals no later than the proposal due date and time. “No-bids” must be submitted to Contracting Officer either by upload or e-mail and must reference the tracking number specified in the Contracting Officer’s letter request for proposal.

(4) Technical Proposals. Technical proposals can be provided in either written or oral format. Written technical proposals will be streamlined, the individual task orders will set forth the page limitations, any pages in excess of the stated limitations will not be considered. The technical proposals shall state compliance with the SOW, SOO or PWS requirements, and identify risks, assumptions and conflict of interest issues. Proposals shall not merely restate SOW or PWS requirements. The technical proposal shall address, as a minimum:

* Technical Approach

* Key Personnel

* Quantities/hours of personnel by labor categories

* Other Direct Costs (ODCs)

* Risks

* Period of Performance

* Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE) and/or Government-Furnished Information (GFI)

* Security (including clearance level)

* Teaming Arrangement to include subcontracting, if applicable.

(5) Cost Proposals. A written cost proposal will always be required. This part of the proposal shall include detailed cost/price amounts of all resources required to accomplish the task, (i.e. labor hours, rates, travel, incidental equipment, etc.). The level of detail required shall be primarily based on the contract type planned for use, as further discussed below.

(i) Firm Fixed Price (FFP) . The proposal shall identify labor categories in accordance with the Labor Rate Tables contained in Section B and the number of hours required for performance of the task. The proposal must identify and justify use of all non-labor cost elements. It must also identify any Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) and/or Government Furnished Information (GFI) required for task performance. If travel is specified in the task order requirement, air fare and/or local mileage, per diem rates by total days, number of trips and number of contractor employees traveling shall be included in the cost proposal. Prior to incurring any long distance travel expenses, the contractor shall obtain written approval from the Contracting Officer’s Representative and/or designated representative that approves approximate travel dates, expected duration, origin and destination, purpose, estimated costs and the number and names of personnel traveling. Proposed materials costs shall, when requirements for materials are sufficiently defined by the task order statement of work, include sufficient break-out of all materials, including description, brand name, model/part number and number of units that can be verified as fair and reasonable.

(ii) Cost-Reimbursement. Both “sanitized” and “unsanitized” cost proposals will be required for cost-reimbursement type task orders only. “Unsanitized” cost proposals are complete cost proposals which include all required information. “Sanitized” cost proposals shall exclude all company proprietary or sensitive data, but must include a breakdown of the total labor hours proposed and a breakout of the types and associated costs of all proposed ODCs. Unless otherwise noted, unsanitized proposals will only be provided to the Contracting Officer, while sanitized proposals will be provided to the Task Monitor. Cost/price proposals shall include, as a minimum, a complete Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), which coincides with the detailed technical approach; and provides proposed labor categories, hours, wage rates, direct/indirect rates, ODCs and fee. Cost-reimbursement proposals shall be submitted in accordance with FAR 52.215-20 - Requirements for Cost or Pricing Data or Information Other Than Cost or Pricing Data.

(iii) Other Relevant Information. This information shall always be in writing and shall address other relevant information as required by the contract or requested by the TO proposal request. The contractor shall assume all costs associated with preparation of proposals for task order awards under the fair opportunity process as an indirect charge. The Government will not reimburse awardees for fair opportunity proposals as a direct charge.

(iv) Clarification of Proposals. Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the selection criteria set forth in the proposal request. If necessary, during the evaluation of proposals, the Government may contact a contractor with questions concerning its proposal. Upon completion of evaluations, the KO will issue a task order to the contractor whose proposal is most advantageous to the Government.

f. Other Considerations.

(1) The Contracting Officer is not required to synopsize orders under this contract.

(2) The contract rates contained in Section B Labor Rate Tables have been determined to be fair and reasonable based upon adequate price competition during the award of the basic contract. These contract rates shall be used by the contractor as the basis for developing proposals. However, the contractor may choose to use discounted contract rates for specific orders where the actual work requirements and the site location(s) are known or to enhance the competitiveness of its proposal.

(3) Performance based work statements shall be used to the maximum extent practical.

(4) The contractor shall work in partnership with the Government to close out orders as soon as possible after they are physically complete by using the “Quick-Closeout” procedures described herein as much as practical.

g. Resolution of Issues. In the event issues pertaining to a proposed task cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of the Contracting Officer, the Contracting Officer reserves the right to withdraw and cancel the proposed task. In such event, the contractor shall be notified in writing of the KO’s decision. This decision is final and conclusive and shall not be subject to the “Disputes” clause or the “Contract Disputes Act.”

h. Task Order Issuance. Task orders may be issued by e-mail, regular mail or facsimile using a DD Form 1155, Order for Supplies and Services. Task orders may also be issued as an unsigned Electronic Task Order (ETO) via electronic commerce. It is anticipated that all task orders will be issued as ETOs via electronic commerce. Initially, ETOs will be issued via electronic mail, and eventually, via Electronic Commerce/Electronic Data Interchange (EC/EDI). The contractor may be required to register in the Electronic Data Access (EDA) web site at http://eda.ogden.disa.mil/ to obtain copies of task orders.

i. Unauthorized Work. The contractor is not authorized at any time to commence task order performance prior to issuance of a signed task order or other written approval provided by the Contracting Officer to begin work.

j. Task Funding Restrictions. No unfunded tasks are allowed.

k. Contract Closeout. Final invoice shall be submitted within thirty (30) calendar days following the end of the Period of Performance. When the bilateral modification to closeout the specific task order is forwarded to the contractor, it shall be signed and returned to the respective Contracting Officer within 10 working days of modification submittal. For specific task orders, these dates can be revised at the discretion of the Contracting Officer.

m. DISA Ombudsman. In accordance with FAR 16.505(a)(9)(i)(A), no protest under FAR Subpart 33.1 is authorized in connection with Contracting Officer decisions regarding fair opportunity or the issuance of a task order under this contract valued at $10,000,000.00 or under, except for a protest on the grounds that a task order increases the scope, period, or maximum value of the contract. The DISA Ombudsman will review complaints from the contractors and ensure that all contractors are afforded a fair opportunity to be considered, consistent with the procedures in the contract. Complaints to the DISA Ombudsman may be forwarded to:

DISA Agency Competition Advocate/Ombudsman

DISA/PLD

POC Info to be Provided

n. In accordance with FAR 16.505(a)(9)(i)B, protests of orders in excess of $10 million may only be filed with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), in accordance with the procedures at FAR Subpart 33.1.