AMEND 0002 HDEC02 08 R 0003.doc

SECTION SF 30 BLOCK 14 CONTINUATION PAGE

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

SECTION SF 1449 - CONTINUATION SHEET

The following have been modified:

ADDENDUMS

ADDENDUM TO FAR 52.212-1

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS – COMMERCIAL ITEMS

1. ACCEPTANCE OF OFFERS: The period of acceptance of offers shown in paragraph (c) of the FAR Clause 52.212-1, is changed as follows: The offeror agrees to hold the offer firm for 120 calendar days from the solicitation closing date.

2. QUESTIONS RELATING TO THIS SOLICITATION: All questions of a technical and/or contractual nature, concerning this solicitation, shall be submitted in writing no later than 15 calendar days after the solicitation has been issued. A consolidated list of questions and answers, if applicable, may be provided to all prospective offerors as appropriate. Answers to questions will not alter the solicitation unless, and until, an amendment is made to the solicitation. Address questions to the Contracting Officer, Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), Resale Contracting Division, Resale Commodities Branch, ATTN: PSCC (Ms. Sheila Norfus), 1300 E Avenue, Fort Lee, VA 23801-1800. The contract specialist, Lynné B. Dent, will accept written questions from prospective offerors by facsimile at (804) 734-8009 pp 78907

(pp = enter pause key/symbol twice) or by E-mail to lynne.dent@deca.mil.

3. BUSINESS REFERENCES: Offerors shall submit the following information in advance of the submission of their proposal. It is imperative to have the information by the designated deadline to ensure no delays in the technical evaluation.

(a) Provide a list of at least three (3) business references (commercial businesses and/or government agencies other than DeCA) that your firm has done business with during the last three years, or currently in progress, that are similar to the requirements of this solicitation and demonstrates your firm’s ability to perform the proposed effort. The references must be able to provide information on their business experiences with your company relating to the following: (1) product delivery, (2) quality history, and (3) customer satisfaction/business relations. This information should be related to the supply of fresh, shell-protected eggs. If your company is submitting a proposal based on a teaming arrangement, also provide references from at least three (3) of your teaming partner’s customers. Billing departments, sales offices, or customer service departments are not suitable references. THIS INFORMATION IS REQUESTED BY 4:00 P.M. EDT/EST/LOCAL TIME (FORT LEE, VA), January 13, 2009. Faxes will be accepted at (804) 734-8009 pp 78898(pp = enter pause key/symbol twice), (Attn: Hallie Barbour) or E-mail to hallie.barbour@deca.mil. Include the following information for each reference:

i. Name and Address of the Business Reference Company.

ii. Name and title of the Point of Contract.

iii. Telephone number, Facsimile number, and Email address of contact person.

iv. Reference Company’s Type of Business (retail, wholesale, or foodservice).

v. Estimated annual dollar value and type or agreement/contract.

vi. Indicate whether your firm is a producer/supplier, distributor or broker to the business reference and type of products/service provided.

(b) Offerors must send a signed transmittal letter and past performance survey to the three customers submitted as past performance business references in response to paragraph (a) above. A sample cover letter and the required survey are provided in Attachment A (Business Reference Sample Cover Letter and Past Performance Survey). Each commercial business reference, including business references of your teaming partner(s) must complete the survey and return it directly to this office. THE COMPLETED SURVEY IS REQUESTED BY 4:00 p.m., LOCAL TIME (FORT LEE, VA) January 20, 2009.

Faxes will be accepted at (804) 734-8009 pp 78898 (pp = enter pause key/symbol twice), (Attention: Hallie Barbour), or E-mail to hallie.barbour@deca.mil. Surveys provided directly from the offeror will not be considered.

(c) If your firm has provided egg products to DeCA commissaries in the past or currently in progress under a formal or informal contract/agreement such as a Requirements Type contract (RTC), Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA), or Resale Ordering Agreement (ROA), provide the contract/agreement number and list of commissary stores with your business reference list as described in paragraph (a) above. DeCA will obtain past performance information directly from the commissary stores.

(d) If your firm has submitted business references in response to a solicitation to DeCA in the last 12 months, the performance surveys received by DeCA under the previous submission may be used in the past performance evaluation.

(e) Generally, offerors submit commercial references of their best customers and anticipate a favorable rating of their past performance. However, if an offeror believes negative information may be obtained from a reference or other source that has since been corrected, you may submit a brief narrative with your submission of references or in your technical proposal under Technical Proposal, Volume II, Section 8. If negative information is obtained, the Contracting Officer will provide the offeror with an opportunity to respond to general comments about adverse past performance. The Government reserves the right to consider other past performance data obtained from other sources as stated above.

(f) Offerors may submit additional information relating to the firms’ relevant past performance that may demonstrate its likelihood of successfully performing the solicitation requirements. For submission information, see Technical Proposal, Volume II, Section 8.

4. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:

(a) Compliance with Instructions: The Government may assess the extent the offeror complies with the instructions in this RFP and completeness. The Government will consider any failure to comply with these instructions to be indicative of the kind of behavior that it can expect during contract performance and a lack of capability to perform satisfactorily. It is recommended that your firm provide its best effort with the initial proposal.

(b) Format of Proposal: Submit your proposal package in two volumes (Volume I- Business Proposal and

Volume II- Technical Proposal). Provide an original of each volume; in addition, provide three (3) copies of Volume II (Technical Proposal). Each volume should contain a table of contents and should be indexed in a systematic format. Offerors must submit copies of their oral presentation (see section (h) ). Proposals are subject to an initial screening by the contracting officer for completeness and compliance with proposal preparation requirements. Only those proposals meeting these requirements may be evaluated further.

(c) Submission of Proposal: Mail or hand-carry the completed package to the address in Block 9 of the Standard Form 1449. The lower left corner of the envelope must clearly identify the solicitation number, HDEC02-08-R-0003, date and time for receipt of offers, office designated to receive offers. The proposal package must be received no later than the date and time shown in Block 8 of the SF 1449, unless changed by amendment. No facsimile or email proposals will be accepted. Delays caused by commercial means such as airlines, express carriers such as FedEx, UPS, etc. or municipal difficulties such as blackouts are not excusable. Ensure enough time is allowed for the proposal to arrive on time.

(d) Contract Award: IN ACCORDANCE WITH FAR 52.212-1(g), OFFERORS ARE HEREBY ADVISED THE GOVERNMENT INTENDS TO EVALUATE OFFERS AND AWARD A CONTRACT WITHOUT DISCUSSIONS WITH OFFERORS. Therefore, offerors should propose their best offer initially containing the best terms from a price and technical standpoint. However, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions. In accordance with FAR 15.306(d)(2), the objective of discussions is to “maximize” the Government’s ability to obtain best value, based on the requirements and the evaluation factors set forth in the solicitation. Should discussions be deemed necessary by the Contracting Officer due to proposal weaknesses, deficiencies, or other issues that must be addressed before award, they will be conducted either orally and/or in writing, with only those offerors determined to be within the competitive range. The contracting officer may limit the number of proposals in the competitive range that will permit an efficient competition among the most highly rated proposals. The Government may reject any or all offers if such action is in the public’s best interest; and may waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received.

(e) Determination of Business Size: The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 112310 (Chicken Egg Production) and the size standard is 12.5 million dollars (average annual receipts). Determine the size of your business by reviewing the definitions in FAR Clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications – Commercial Items. If the average annual gross revenue of your company and its affiliates for the last 3 fiscal years is greater than 12.5 million dollars, then your company is considered a large business.

(f) Subcontracting Plan: A Small Business Subcontracting Plan is required according to FAR 19.702 from large business concerns and must be submitted with the initial proposal. Questions regarding your business size may be directed to your local Small Business Administration Office, contact information may be found at http://www.sba.gov/localresources/index.html . Failure to submit an acceptable plan with the initial proposal may deem the proposal non-responsive and may make the offeror ineligible for award of a contract. See Paragraph 5, Submission of Proposal Package, Business Proposal, Volume I, Section 3, below for submission requirements.

(g) Formal Teaming Arrangement: A formal teaming arrangement is when the offeror submitting a proposal will depend on the products, capital contributions, or expertise [in whole, or in part] of another company (or companies) to successfully complete the terms of any contract resulting from this solicitation. The Government will recognize the integrity and validity of contractor team arrangements; provided, the arrangements are identified and company relationships are fully disclosed in an offer. The prime contractor (the offeror) maintains full responsibility for contract performance, regardless of any changes to the teaming arrangement between the prime contractor and its teaming partners. Offerors who submit an offer based on such an arrangement must submit a written legal teaming arrangement with their proposal. The specific responsibilities assigned to a company must be clearly stated in the teaming arrangement. See Technical Proposal, Volume II, below for submission requirements. For the terms and conditions of formal teaming arrangements during contract performance, see Addendum to FAR 52.212-4, on Formal Teaming Arrangements.

(h) The Oral Presentation:

· The purpose of the oral presentation is to allow the offeror to present their technical capabilities, emphasizing strong points using the evaluation criteria as set forth in the solicitation. If there is a conflict in the oral presentation and the written proposal, the written proposal will prevail as the offeror’s final response.

· After the closing date for offers, each offeror must make an oral presentation of not longer than 60 minutes to the Government’s technical evaluation board. Oral Presentations may be conducted onsite by the offerors at the Headquarters of the Defense Commissary Agency, 1300 E Avenue, Fort Lee, Virginia 23801 or by teleconference call.

· Plan your presentation not to exceed the time allowed. The offeror will not be allowed to finish the oral presentation if it takes longer than 60 minutes.

· After your oral presentation, you must answer questions, if any, from the technical evaluation board for no longer than 30 minutes.

· The Government will videotape and/or record the oral presentation solely for its use and records. Participation in the oral presentation provides consent to the government to use the presentation recording for internal government purposes after contract award.

· The contracting officer will schedule the oral presentation and will notify each offeror of the date, time, and presentation method (onsite or teleconference) of its oral presentation after the Government receives the offers in response to this RFP. The contracting officer will schedule the first oral presentation to take place approximately one week after the closing date for offers. The contracting officer will provide additional instructions for the oral presentation with the notification. The Government reserves the right to reschedule an offeror’s oral presentation at the discretion of the contracting officer.

· During the oral presentation the offeror must address the technical capabilities of their company by addressing the evaluation technical capability sub-factors listed in the solicitation. The topics should be discussed in the order in which they are listed below. The presentation should also include how the company’s teaming arrangements will be used to fulfill the requirements of the solicitation. See Technical Proposal (Volume II), Sections 1-4 for details on the information that should be presented.

(a) Distribution Plan/ Production Capability

(b) Quality Program

(c) Experience

(d) Additional Support/Promotion Plan

· An offeror’s oral presentation must be made by one or more persons who will be primarily responsible for the performance of any resultant contract. This person must be able to legally bind the company contractually. However, the number of persons allowed in the oral presentation is limited to five (5).

· Each offeror may use any electronic media or slide presentation in their onsite oral presentation. The offeror is required to provide four (4) paper copies of their intended presentations in a separate envelope marked “Oral Presentation Slides” with the submission of their proposal. Minor changes or corrections are allowed to the slides prior to the scheduled oral presentation if corrected copies are submitted. However, complete re-writes or substantial changes will not be allowed.

· Neither the oral presentation nor the question and answer session will constitute discussions. They will also not obligate the Government to conduct discussions or to solicit or consider any revisions to the offer or to request a best and final offer.

(i) Site Visit Assessment: The Government reserves the right to conduct a site visit of the offeror’s facility at any time during the sources selection process, if deemed necessary by the Government. The contractor(s) can contact any stores for visit, if deemed necessary.

5. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL PACKAGE:

A. BUSINESS PROPOSAL – VOLUME I (Sections 1 – 6)

Section 1- General Information: This section of your firm’s proposal shall include the following:

(a) A completed Standard Form (SF) 1449. Provide your company’s Name, Address, Telephone Number, DUNS, and CAGE code numbers in Block 17a, complete block 17b accordingly. Ensure that Blocks 30a, 30b, and 30c on the SF 1449 are complete and that an authorized official with authority to bind the company contractually signs the document.

(b) All amendments issued against this solicitation before the closing date shall be acknowledged by completing and signing Blocks 8, 15A, 15B, and 15C of the Standard Form 30, Amendment of Solicitation and included in this section.

(c) The following fill-in clauses must be completed and submitted in this section: FAR Clause 52.209-5, Certification Regarding Responsibility Matters; DeCA Local Clause 52.232-4500, Delivery Ticket Invoice (DTI) Procedures; and DFARS 252.212-7000, Offeror Representations and Certifications – Commercial Items.

(d) The prospective offeror must register and submit Annual Representations and Certifications via the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) at http://orca.bpn.gov. The contractor is responsible to ensure information is updated and complete. Also in this section, provide your, DUNS number, Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the date you completed or updated the Online Representations and Certifications. Electronic Document Access (EDA) is a requirement for any offeror that receives a contract award resulting from this solicitation. Awardee(s) will be required to register as vendors on the EDA database at http://eda.ogden.disa.mil. Offerors are also required to register in the Central Contractors Registration (CCR) database at http://www.ccr.gov. The information in the CCR database must match the information in the IRS database and remain active throughout the source selection process and subsequently throughout the life of the resultant contract(s).

If you are registered in CCR, verify your record is active. Registration in EDA, CCR and participation in Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) are mandatory for award eligibility.

(e) The offeror shall also include in this section a signed letter on company letterhead that provides the names, titles, phone numbers and E-mail addresses of all persons who are authorized to negotiate and bind the firm contractually. These will be the only persons authorized to request changes to the Contracting Officer under any contract resulting from this solicitation. Any restrictions to this authorization are to be noted. Provide the following information for each authorized person: full name of the individual(s), title/affiliation, phone number, facsimile number, and E-mail address. If changes occur, the Contracting Officer must be notified in writing.

(f) An offeror may submit a proposal on one or more groups.

Section 2-Delivery Schedule: This section of your firm’s proposal shall include the following:

Review the Delivery Schedule in Attachment B. This is the government’s preferred delivery schedule. At a minimum, compliance with this schedule is mandatory for consideration for contract award. Complete and sign the Delivery Schedule Compliance Certification at Attachment C and return with your proposal in this section of the Business Proposal, Volume I. An offeror may propose an alternate delivery schedule for consideration. The alternate delivery schedule must include an explanation of the differences between the schedule at Attachment B and the proposed schedule, and its benefits must be clearly stated. The alternate delivery schedule must be submitted with your proposal in this section of the Business Proposal, Volume I. The Government is not obligated to accept an alternate delivery schedule. If the alternate delivery schedule is accepted by the Government, the offeror will be required to sign. The Contracting Officer will provide notification if a proposed alternate delivery schedule is determined to be acceptable.

Section 3-Small Business and Subcontracting Plan: In this section, include your firm’s small business subcontracting plan, if the average annual gross revenue of your firm and its affiliates for the last 3 fiscal years is greater than 12.5 million dollars (as described in paragraphs 4(e) and (f) above). See FAR Clause 52.219-9 for the required information that must be included in the plan.

Approved Small Business Subcontracting Plan – If you previously submitted a subcontracting plan for your firm’s current fiscal year for approval and have received a return copy bearing the signature of the contracting officer (DeCA or another Government Agency), your plan was approved. Commercial subcontracting plans are required annually. Submission of a new subcontracting plan for the company’s next fiscal year is required 30 days in advance of the expiration of the current plan. The approved plan will satisfy the requirements of this solicitation and a copy must be submitted with your proposal.

Acceptable Small Business Subcontracting Plan – If you previously submitted a subcontracting plan for your firm’s current fiscal year for approval and it was reviewed and you have received communication from DeCA’s Contracting Office that indicated the necessary changes prior to approval of the plan, your plan is acceptable pending the implementation of changes recommended by the Contracting Officer. The changes should be minor in nature. The acceptable plan will satisfy the requirements of this solicitation. Implementation of the recommended changes is required prior to the submission of your proposal and a copy must be submitted with your proposal.

Unapproved Small Business Subcontracting Plan – If you previously submitted a subcontracting plan for approval but did not receive a returned signed copy by a Contracting Officer, or your recommended changes failed to be implemented, or there has been no communication and/or correspondence regarding your subcontracting plan, your plan has not been approved nor accepted. It is the contractor’s responsibility to follow-up with the assigned DeCA contract specialist to determine the status of your subcontracting plan. To state that your subcontracting plan was previously submitted is not sufficient and does not satisfy the requirements of the solicitation. The offeror must either submit a new subcontracting plan or update the necessary information to bring the plan current.

The subcontracting plan must comply with the requirements of FAR Part 19.704 and DFARS Part 219.704 and contain positive and attainable goals. The subcontracting plan must contain information that clearly demonstrates the progression in the estimated goals from the last plan. Incomplete subcontracting plans will not be acceptable and your proposal may not receive further consideration for contract award.

For assistance in developing or updating a subcontracting plan, contact the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), Ms Diane Reeder at (425) 889-7252, or Email: diane.reeder@dcma.mil . In addition, your local Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) may be of assistance at www.dla.mil/db/procurem.htm. A subcontracting plan template is available on DeCA website at http://www.commissaries.com/business/subcontractplan.cfm Failure to submit an acceptable subcontracting plan with your initial offer/proposal may deem the proposal non-responsive and may make your offer ineligible for contract award.

Section 4-Dun & Bradstreet Report: The following document is required in this section of the proposal:

Offerors shall submit a current and comprehensive report from Dun and Bradstreet Incorporated, as it relates to the firm submitting the offer and/or performing the contract. The report should provide a business summary, executive summary, credit capacity summary, special events, financial stress summary, financial stress norms, credit score summary, credit score norms, payment trends, summary of payment habits, payment analysis by industry, public filings summary, public filing detail, business background, and financial summary. The phone number for customer services at Dun and Bradstreet is (800) 234-3867 from anywhere within the United States. From outside of U.S., contact your local D&B office.

Section 5-Schedule of Supplies/Pricing

(a) The following pricing information shall be included in this section: (1) Completed paper copy of the spreadsheets, showing completed pricing information for the 24-month base period of performance and each of the three option periods for each proposed group; an offeror may submit a proposal on one or more groups; and (2) a copy of Attachment D (Schedule of Supplies/Pricing) on a re-writable compact disc (CD-RW) containing the completed (Microsoft Office 2003) Excel File(s). Label disk with your company name and the solicitation number (HDEC02-08-R-0003). The paper copy of the spreadsheet will prevail if discrepancies arise.

(b) The spreadsheet contains descriptions and annual estimated quantities of required products for each group in the solicitation. The spreadsheet also contains a line item (AK) for Special Buys; do not price this line item. An offeror may submit an offer on one or more groups; however, all line items within a group (including options) must be given a special factor for consideration for award for that group(s). Enter required information in all yellow highlighted fields (i.e., Contractor’s Name, Universal Product Codes (UPC), Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN), and Special Factor). Enter a special factor for every line item within a Group for the base period (24 months), and the three one year option periods. The special factor must be in whole cents, not more than two places after the decimal, with a plus or minus sign in front of it. Enter the Base Prices on the spreadsheet based on the Tuesday edition of the Urner Barry Publications, Inc., email: mail@urnerbarry.com, dated January 13, 2009.

(c) Vendor stockers are required for all stores except Altus and Minot Commissaries. The cost of providing vendor stockers will not be priced separately and must be included in the special factor offered for each line item. (Additional instructions in Addendum 52.212-4; Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items; Paragraph 15-Vendor Stocker Requirements).

PRICING LINE ITEMS

· Use Microsoft EXCEL 2003 to open the appropriate Schedule of Supplies/Pricing spreadsheet at Attachment D. The spreadsheet contains descriptions of the products and annual estimated quantities required within each group. Pricing must be FOB Destination for all groups.

· Enter the market price for evaluation purposes from the weekly market reports as identified in DeCA Local Clause 52.216-4513 Base Price and Special Factor (Eggs)(Dec 03).

Please note that Groups 4, 9, and 11 have two tabs each for pricing due to the store’s location and their designated Urner Barry Regional Index Report.

Group 4, tab A will cover the Midwest Region Urner Barry Report area for the states of Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota; tab B will cover the South Central Region Urner Barry Report area for the state of Kansas.

Group 9, tab A will cover the Midwest Region Urner Barry Report area for the states of Wisconsin and Illinois; tab B will cover the South Central Region Urner Barry Report area for the state of Missouri.

Group 11, tab A will cover the Southeast Region Urner Barry Report area for the states of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama; tab B will cover the South Central Region Urner Barry Report area for the states of Louisiana and Arkansas.

The Excel spreadsheet will automatically calculate the unit prices for each item after the special factors and market price are entered in the appropriate blocks. If a zero “0” is submitted for any line item, it will be evaluated as the appropriate base price with no further adjustment. Failure to submit prices for any line item will be determined as the offeror’s intention not to submit an offer on this solicitation.

· Provided the offeror has priced and submitted the required information for all items in the Schedule of Supplies Attachment D, an offeror may also propose an alternate item for consideration. The original items must be priced in Attachment D. Any proposed alternate items must be submitted and priced in accordance with the instructions under Technical Proposal, Volume II, Section 6.

· Related Information: As adequate competition is expected from this solicitation no cost or pricing data is required; however, the Contracting Officer reserves the right to require such data if they are otherwise unable to determine the proposed price to be reasonable, realistic or to resolve any apparent unbalanced pricing.

Section 6: Fuel Price Adjustments Price Adjustments for significant, sustained fuel costs increases may be considered for any resulting contract(s). Any post-award, approved increased price adjustments may be revisited at a period of time determined appropriate by the Contracting Officer to review the trend of fuel costs to determine whether any subsequent decreases are warranted. There will be no consideration for fuel price adjustments during the base period of 24 months. Proposals must take that into consideration. Fuel price adjustments may be considered in the three, one-year option periods.

Provide in this section, a single percentage that represents the average distribution costs for fuel in your proposed overall special factors (averaged). This percentage should be submitted on company letterhead and signed by an authorized person to bind your company contractually. If there is a significant change among groups, you may submit a separate single percentage per group.

Section 7: Web Pricing

In this section, provide the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of primary and backup personnel responsible for Web pricing within your firm.

B. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL – VOLUME II (Section 1-8):

This volume shall contain the offeror’s written technical proposal including exhibits, alternates, shelf life, teaming arrangements, and additional past performance information. Use standard 8.5 X 11 inch paper in portrait orientation. Sections should be tabbed for ease of identification with the question stated at the top of the each response.

Technical Capability- Written Narratives (Sections 1-8): Each offeror shall submit written narratives that substantiate the offeror’s technical capability. It is imperative that your written technical proposal explicitly address all of the questions under each of the four (4) sub-factors set forth below for the

Technical Capability evaluation factor. See Addendum to FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation Commercial Items for evaluation criteria and methodology. The narrative question should be stated at the top of the page with your response following. The narrative must be written in a clear and thorough manner, describing precisely HOW the offeror proposes to perform the requirements. The inclusion of filler material from previous proposals or commercial applications should be avoided unless it has a direct application to the objective of this solicitation. If you plan on subcontracting or forming a teaming arrangement, provide information on your primary subcontractor(s) and/or/teaming partner, in addition to your own information in each narrative.

Section 1A: Evaluation Sub-Factor – DISTRIBUTION PLAN:

· Describe fully the key concepts of your distribution plan. Include in your narrative, how your orders are received and processed, distributed, and how transportation is scheduled. How will the firm’s proposed distribution plan meet or exceed DeCA’s delivery requirements and delivery schedule stated in Addendum to FAR 52.212-4, paragraph 8?

· Describe, in detail the mode(s) of transportation to be used to transport fresh, shell-protected eggs to all the commissary locations within the proposed groups. Discuss the adequacy of your proposed mode(s) of transportation. List the advantages of the proposed mode(s) of transportation for DeCA. Include in your narrative whether transportation services are contracted out or owned by your company. Provide the names of your back-up source(s), in the event of problems with your main mode(s) of transportation.

· Describe, in detail, your firm’s contingency plans and procedures for interruptions caused by product shortages, mechanical breakdowns (i.e. production and/or distributing), inclement weather, transportation, work stoppages/slow downs, and plant closures. Provide your back-up plan in the event the carrier is unable to deliver and provide the procedures for notifying the customers of delays.

· Describe, in detail, the proposed procedures when handling interruptions in the distribution channel, such as changes to orders already placed, out of the normal cycle orders, or emergency orders.

· Describe, in detail, your procedures to provide customer service to the stores regarding follow-up on shortages, delayed deliveries, or missed deliveries.

· Describe, in detail, your plan for ensuring that all commissaries that require a vendor stocker will have a vendor stocker. Provide your company’s backup plan if there is no vendor stocker for short or longer periods of time (i.e. vacation, sickness, termination).

Section 1B: Evaluation Sub-Factor - PRODUCTION CAPABILITY

· Describe your production facilities and its capabilities, to include specific information, for example, plant square footage, the number of employees, production lines, etc. Provide the names, locations, and USDA plant numbers of all production facilities proposed for use during contract performance.

· Describe your firm’s production capability in meeting your current customer demand and DeCA’s requirement. Include in your narrative the impact that DeCA’s requirement will have on your total production capability and the percentage of your firm’s total production that DeCA’s requirement will represent.

Section 2: Evaluation Sub-Factor - QUALITY PROGRAM:

· Describe, in detail, your Quality Control Department.

· Include your firm’s quality control programs and quality assurance procedures.

· Include in your narrative, your plan as it relates to Hazard Analysis Critical Control Plan (HACCP), food inspection safety, bio-terrorism, sanitation, pest management, and types of safeguard measures taken to assure the integrity and product security of the food supply provided to the patrons of the commissary.

· Discuss who is responsible for resolving quality control problems and the methodology used to maintain quality standards.

· Describe, in detail, your firm’s backup plans in the event that a food safety warning is issued, an egg recall is issued, or a ban is placed on egg products within the U.S. Include in your response any plans for alternate sources of supply.

· Describe, in detail, the methodology applied to your quality control plan relating to the stabilization of product temperature during each state of the production process, packing process, distribution process, transportation process and delivery process.

· Identify, whether your facility has an onsite USDA inspector and/or product is received from a state approved source.

Section 3: Evaluation Sub-Factor - EXPERIENCE:

· Describe, in detail, your firm’s experience providing fresh, shell-protected eggs to the Government and/or commercial industry supermarkets. Provide your experience with producing/manufacturing, maintaining and shipping eggs. Identify how many years your company has been in business and whether your company is a producer/manufacturer or distributor.

· Identify the name, phone number, and address of any subcontractor that may be used to provide eggs.

Section 4: Evaluation Sub-Factor - ADDITIONAL SUPPORT/PROMOTION PLAN:

· Describe, in detail, your plans for providing additional support to the commissaries. Provide examples and a proposed schedule of additional support that will be provided to each commissary supported under the resulting contract. Additional support includes point of sale material, recipe cards, pamphlets, nutritional facts, or any other consumer related material that you will provide to the stores.

· Describe, in detail, what promotion plans your firm intends to implement to increase sales. Promotional events can be in the form of demonstrations, coupons, or other marketing strategies that are used to attract our shoppers to the products. Provide a promotional event calendar that provides projected scheduled dates of promotional events for the base period of 24-month performance and three, one-year option periods. The offeror will be required to provide any marketing tools associated with the promotions at no additional costs to the Government.

Section 5: (Shelf Life Requirement): This section shall contain the guaranteed shelf life of each proposed item in the Schedule of Supplies at Attachment E and include it in this section of Volume II for evaluation.

Section 6: (Proposed Alternates, if applicable): This section shall contain information about any proposed alternative to the terms and conditions of the solicitation, if such is being proposed. Any proposed alternate must be clearly identified in the offeror’s proposal and required information submitted as specified below. The Government is not obligated to accept any alternate proposed. The Contracting Officer will provide notification if a proposed alternate is determined to be acceptable. If the Government accepts a proposed alternate, the offeror will be required to acknowledge the Government’s acceptance.

· Alternate Delivery Schedule: See Business Proposal, Volume I, Section 2 – Delivery Schedule, items (b) through (d) regarding requirements for submission of a proposed alternate delivery schedule. The proposed alternate delivery schedule must be submitted in this section of your proposal.

· Alternate Item: An offeror may propose an alternate item for consideration only if the offeror has provided pricing and required information for the specified item in the Schedule of Supplies (Attachment D), Section 5 of the Business Proposal, Volume I. The original item must be provided, as failure to price all items may result in removal of the offeror's proposal from further consideration for contract award. In order for an alternate item to be considered, the following must be provided in this section: (1) the Sub-Contract Line Item Number (Sub CLIN) of the item the alternate is being proposed to replace; (2) description of the alternate item; (3) weight, size and package information; (4) shelf life guarantee from date of pack; (5) UPC number; (6) proposed special factor for the base period and each of the three option periods; (7) explanation of the differences between the original item and the proposed alternate; and (8) an explanation of the expected benefits to DeCA by accepting the proposed alternate item.

Section 7: (Formal Teaming Arrangement, if applicable): This section shall contain information about the offeror’s Teaming Arrangement, if such arrangement is being utilized.

If an offer is submitted based on a teaming arrangement with another company, as described in paragraph 4 (g) under “General Instructions” in this Addendum, the proposal must include a copy of the legal teaming arrangement (i.e. letter of agreement between parties) in this section of Volume II. The letter must substantiate the stability of the teaming arrangement. The offeror must supply information as it relates to both companies regarding any information required by this solicitation. This includes narratives, business references, certifications, DUNS numbers, etc. At a minimum, the teaming arrangement must include:

i. Company names and addresses of the team members;

ii. Names and titles of the key individuals within those companies;

iii. Nature and scope of the teaming arrangement;

iv. Duration of the agreement;

v. Roles and responsibilities of the prime contractor and the teaming partner, including limitations, if any;

vi. Provisions for the admission and withdrawal of members from the team, and the terms, conditions and notices required for withdrawal;

vii. Provisions for continuing the teaming arrangement upon the withdrawal of a member, death of a member, or other dissolution of the teaming arrangement; and

viii. Any other provision deemed relevant by the team.

Section 8: (Additional Past Performance Information, if applicable):

a. This section is provided as merely an opportunity for offerors to submit self-certifying information for consideration, that is not otherwise required for evaluation purposes and may not be known. Past performance evaluation will consist of business reference survey responses and any other information obtained by the contracting officer, see Addendum to FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation – Commercial Items.

b. Offerors may submit with their technical proposal additional information relating to the firm’s relevant past performance that may promote its likelihood of successfully performing the solicitation requirements. For example, quality awards or certifications suggesting good workmanship or conformance to contract specifications, or letters from customers addressing adherence to contract schedule, commitment to customer satisfaction, and overall business relations. The burden of providing these examples of past performance information rest with the offerors, and must be submitted with original proposal by the date stated as the date for receipt of offers. In addition, if an offeror believes negative information may be obtained from a business reference that has since been corrected, you may provide a brief narrative in this section of the technical proposal (see Paragraph 3(e) of this Addendum). The Government reserves the right to consider other past performances data obtained from other sources as stated above.

(End of Summary of Changes)