HQ0034-15-R-0075_Sign_Language_Interpreter_Services_Combined_Synopsis-Solicitation_23_July.pdf

COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION

SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER SERVICES HQ0034-15-R-0075

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

1. The solicitation number is HQ0034-15-R-0075. This solicitation is a request for proposal (RFP).

2. This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-83, dated July 2, 2015.

3. This acquisition is a 100% set aside for Small Business. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541930, “Translation and Interpretation Services” The small business size standard is $7,500,000.00.

4. The Washington Headquarters Service, Acquisition Directorate (WHS/AD), 1155 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301, intends to procure American Sign Language Interpreter Services for the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) – Washington Headquarters Services (WHS) and WHS-serviced organizations. The Government anticipates awarding multiple Firm Fixed Price (FFP) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) basic contracts, and concurrently award Task Order 1. The anticipated performance start date is September 01, 2015.

5. The following clauses and provisions are applicable: 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors (in conjunction with Addendum); 52.212-2, Evaluation – Commercial Items ( with Addendum); 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications – Commercial Items (Offerors must include a completed copy with their offers); 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Items; and 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders – Commercial Items.

6. * QUESTIONS Submission: By JULY 20, 2015 at 1:00 PM (Eastern)

* RFP Submission: Closes Thursday, JULY 30, 2015 at 1:00 PM (Eastern)

Interested offerors must submit any questions and their quote submission before the date/time listed above.

Submit all questions and quotes to the Contract Specialist: Karen A. Smith and courtesy copy (CC) Contract Specialist, Janice T. Johnson, via email:

KAREN.A.SMITH202.CIV@MAIL.MIL and copy: JANICE.T.JOHNSON5.CIV@MAIL.MIL

Responses to all questions will be in the form of an amendment and electronically posted in FBO. No telephonic requests will be entertained.

Any proposal received after the exact time specified for receipt shall be treated as a late submission in accordance with FAR 52.215-1. E-mail transmission is not instantaneous and delays in transmission may occur anywhere along the route. The Government takes no responsibility for any delays in the transmission of an e-mail.

HQ0034-15-R-0075

ITEM

NO

SUPPLIES/SERVICES MAX

QUANTITY

UNIT UNIT PRICE MAX AMOUNT

0001 UNDEFINED Months Daily Sign Language Interpreter Svcs

FFP

Please see Basic IDIQ PWS, Section 3.2, dated 09 July 2015

MAX

NET AMT

ITEM NO SUPPLIES/SERVICES MAX

QUANTITY

UNIT UNIT PRICE MAX AMOUNT

0002 UNDEFINED Months Ad-Hoc Events Interpreter Services

FFP

Please see Basic IDIQ PWS, Section 3.3, dated 09 July 2015

PURCHASE REQUEST NUMBER: KAS031920151506

MAX

NET AMT

CONTRACT MINIMUM/MAXIMUM QUANTITY AND CONTRACT VALUE

The minimum quantity and contract value for all orders issued against this contract shall not be less than the minimum quantity and contract value stated in the following table. The maximum quantity and contract value for all orders issued against this contract shall not exceed the maximum quantity and contract value stated in the following table.

MINIMUM

QUANTITY

MINIMUM

AMOUNT

MAXIMUM

QUANTITY

MAXIMUM

AMOUNT

$4,000.00 $4,000,000.00

CLIN DELIVERY/TASK ORDER MINIMUM/MAXIMUM QUANTITY AND CLIN ORDER VALUE

The minimum quantity and order value for the given Delivery/Task Order issued for this CLIN shall not be less than the minimum quantity and order value stated in the following table. The maximum quantity and order value for the given Delivery/Task Order issued for this CLIN shall not exceed the maximum quantity and order value stated in the following table.

CLIN

MINIMUM

QUANTITY

MINIMUM

AMOUNT

MAXIMUM

QUANTITY

MAXIMUM

AMOUNT

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE TERMS

Supplies/services will be inspected/accepted at:

CLIN INSPECT AT INSPECT BY ACCEPT AT ACCEPT BY

0001 Destination N/A Destination Government 0002 Destination N/A Destination Government

DELIVERY INFORMATION

CLIN DELIVERY DATE QUANTITY SHIP TO ADDRESS UIC

0001 POP 01-SEP-2015 TO

31-AUG-2020

N/A HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTORATE

ALFRED M. BELL JR

4800 MARK CENTER DRIVE, SUITE 03D08

ALEXANDRIA VA 22350

571-372-4014 FOB: Destination

HQ0064

0002 POP 01-SEP-2015 TO

31-AUG-2020

N/A (SAME AS PREVIOUS LOCATION)

FOB: Destination

HQ0064

CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

52.202-1 Definitions NOV 2013 52.203-3 Gratuities APR 1984

52.203-6 Alt I Restrictions On Subcontractor Sales To The Government (Sep 2006) -- Alternate I

OCT 1995

52.203-11 Certification And Disclosure Regarding Payments To Influence Certain Federal Transactions

SEP 2007

52.203-16 Preventing Personal Conflicts of Interest DEC 2011 52.203-17 Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights and Requirement

To Inform Employees of Whistleblower Rights

APR 2014

52.204-4 Printed or Copied Double-Sided on Postconsumer Fiber Content Paper

MAY 2011

52.204-7 System for Award Management JUL 2013 52.204-10 Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier

Subcontract Awards

JUL 2013

52.209-2 Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations--Representation

DEC 2014

52.209-6 Protecting the Government's Interest When Subcontracting With Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment

AUG 2013

52.209-7 Information Regarding Responsibility Matters JUL 2013 52.209-9 Updates of Publicly Available Information Regarding

Responsibility Matters

JUL 2013

52.209-10 Prohibition on Contracting With Inverted Domestic Corporations

DEC 2014

52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors--Commercial Items APR 2014 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certification--Commercial Items MAR 2015 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions--Commercial Items MAY 2015 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement

Statutes or Executive Orders--Commercial Items

MAY 2015

52.215-6 Place of Performance OCT 1997 52.217-5 Evaluation Of Options JUL 1990 52.217-8 Option To Extend Services NOV 1999 52.217-9 Option To Extend The Term Of The Contract MAR 2000 52.219-6 Notice Of Total Small Business Set-Aside NOV 2011 52.219-8 Utilization of Small Business Concerns OCT 2014 52.219-14 Limitations On Subcontracting NOV 2011 52.222-3 Convict Labor JUN 2003 52.222-21 Prohibition Of Segregated Facilities APR 2015 52.222-26 Equal Opportunity APR 2015 52.222-35 Equal Opportunity for Veterans JUL 2014 52.222-36 Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities JUL 2014 52.222-37 Employment Reports on Veterans JUL 2014 52.222-40 Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor

Relations Act

DEC 2010

52.222-50 Combating Trafficking in Persons MAR 2015 52.222-54 Employment Eligibility Verification AUG 2013 52.223-18 Encouraging Contractor Policies To Ban Text Messaging

While Driving

AUG 2011

52.225-13 Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases JUN 2008 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer--System for Award

Management

JUL 2013

52.233-3 Protest After Award AUG 1996

52.233-4 Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim OCT 2004 52.237-3 Continuity Of Services JAN 1991 52.242-13 Bankruptcy JUL 1995 52.242-15 Stop-Work Order AUG 1989 52.246-4 Inspection Of Services--Fixed Price AUG 1996 52.253-1 Computer Generated Forms JAN 1991 252.201-7000 Contracting Officer's Representative DEC 1991 252.203-7000 Requirements Relating to Compensation of Former DoD

Officials

SEP 2011

252.203-7002 Requirement to Inform Employees of Whistleblower Rights SEP 2013 252.204-7000 Disclosure Of Information AUG 2013 252.204-7003 Control Of Government Personnel Work Product APR 1992 252.205-7000 Provision Of Information To Cooperative Agreement Holders DEC 1991 252.209-7004 Subcontracting With Firms That Are Owned or Controlled By

The Government of a Country that is a State Sponsor of Terrorism

DEC 2014

252.225-7002 Qualifying Country Sources As Subcontractors DEC 2012 252.225-7012 Preference For Certain Domestic Commodities FEB 2013 252.225-7031 Secondary Arab Boycott Of Israel JUN 2005 252.226-7001 Utilization of Indian Organizations and Indian-Owned

Economic Enterprises, and Native Hawaiian Small Business Concerns

SEP 2004

252.227-7020 Rights In Special Works JUN 1995 252.232-7003 Electronic Submission of Payment Requests and Receiving

Reports

JUN 2012

252.232-7010 Levies on Contract Payments DEC 2006 252.239-7001 Information Assurance Contractor Training and Certification JAN 2008 252.243-7001 Pricing Of Contract Modifications DEC 1991 252.243-7002 Requests for Equitable Adjustment DEC 2012 252.247-7023 Transportation of Supplies by Sea APR 2014

CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY FULL TEXT

52.204-19 INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS (DEC

2014)

The Contractor's representations and certifications, including those completed electronically via the System for Award Management (SAM), are incorporated by reference into the contract.

(End of clause)

52.209-5 CERTIFICATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS (APR 2010)

(a)(1) The Offeror certifies, to the best of its knowledge and belief, that-

(i) The Offeror and/or any of its Principals-

(A) Are ( ) are not ( ) presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, or declared ineligible for the award of contracts by any Federal agency;

(B) Have ( ) have not ( ), within a three-year period preceding this offer, been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against them for: commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (Federal, State, or local) contract or subcontract; violation of Federal or State antitrust statutes relating to the submission of offers; or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, tax evasion, violating Federal criminal tax laws, or receiving stolen property (if offeror checks “have”, the offeror shall also see 52.209-7, if included in this solicitation); and

(C) Are ( ) are not ( ) presently indicted for, or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity with, commission of any of the offenses enumerated in paragraph (a)(1)(i)(B) of this provision.; and

(D) Have , have not , within a three-year period preceding this offer, been notified of any delinquent Federal taxes in an amount that exceeds $3,000 for which the liability remains unsatisfied.

(1) Federal taxes are considered delinquent if both of the following criteria apply:

(i) The tax liability is finally determined. The liability is finally determined if it has been assessed. A liability is not finally determined if there is a pending administrative or judicial challenge. In the case of a judicial challenge to the liability, the liability is not finally determined until all judicial appeal rights have been exhausted.

(ii) The taxpayer is delinquent in making payment. A taxpayer is delinquent if the taxpayer has failed to pay the tax liability when full payment was due and required. A taxpayer is not delinquent in cases where enforced collection action is precluded.

(2) Examples. (i) The taxpayer has received a statutory notice of deficiency, under I.R.C. Sec. 6212, which entitles the taxpayer to seek Tax Court review of a proposed tax deficiency. This is not a delinquent tax because it is not a final tax liability. Should the taxpayer seek Tax Court review, this will not be a final tax liability until the taxpayer has exercised all judicial appeal rights.

(ii) The IRS has filed a notice of Federal tax lien with respect to an assessed tax liability, and the taxpayer has been issued a notice under I.R.C. Sec. 6320 entitling the taxpayer to request a hearing with the IRS Office of Appeals contesting the lien filing, and to further appeal to the Tax Court if the IRS determines to sustain the lien filing. In the course of the hearing, the taxpayer is entitled to contest the underlying tax liability because the taxpayer has had no prior opportunity to contest the liability. This is not a delinquent tax because it is not a final tax liability. Should the taxpayer seek tax court review, this will not be a final tax liability until the taxpayer has exercised all judicial appeal rights.

(iii) The taxpayer has entered into an installment agreement pursuant to I.R.C. Sec. 6159. The taxpayer is making timely payments and is in full compliance with the agreement terms. The taxpayer is not delinquent because the taxpayer is not currently required to make full payment.

(iv) The taxpayer has filed for bankruptcy protection. The taxpayer is not delinquent because enforced collection action is stayed under 11 U.S.C. 362 (the Bankruptcy Code).

(ii) The Offeror has ( ) has not ( ), within a three-year period preceding this offer, had one or more contracts terminated for default by any Federal agency.

(2) Principal, for the purposes of this certification, means an officer, director, owner, partner, or a person having primary management or supervisory responsibilities within a business entity (e.g., general manager; plant manager;

head of a division or business segment; and similar positions).

(b) The Offeror shall provide immediate written notice to the Contracting Officer if, at any time prior to contract award, the Offeror learns that its certification was erroneous when submitted or has become erroneous by reason of changed circumstances.

(c) A certification that any of the items in paragraph (a) of this provision exists will not necessarily result in withholding of an award under this solicitation. However, the certification will be considered in connection with a determination of the Offeror's responsibility. Failure of the Offeror to furnish a certification or provide such additional information as requested by the Contracting Officer may render the Offeror nonresponsible.

(d) Nothing contained in the foregoing shall be construed to require establishment of a system of records in order to render, in good faith, the certification required by paragraph (a) of this provision. The knowledge and information of an Offeror is not required to exceed that which is normally possessed by a prudent person in the ordinary course of business dealings.

(e) The certification in paragraph (a) of this provision is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when making award. If it is later determined that the Offeror knowingly rendered an erroneous certification, in addition to other remedies available to the Government, the Contracting Officer may terminate the contract resulting from this solicitation for default.

(End of provision)

52.212-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS--COMMERCIAL ITEMS (APR 2014)

(a) North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code and small business size standard. The NAICS code and small business size standard for this acquisition appear in Block 10 of the solicitation cover sheet (SF 1449). However, the small business size standard for a concern which submits an offer in its own name, but which proposes to furnish an item which it did not itself manufacture, is 500 employees.

(b) Submission of offers. Submit signed and dated offers to the office specified in this solicitation at or before the exact time specified in this solicitation. Offers may be submitted on the SF 1449, letterhead stationery, or as otherwise specified in the solicitation. As a minimum, offers must show--

(1) The solicitation number;

(2) The time specified in the solicitation for receipt of offers;

(3) The name, address, and telephone number of the offeror;

(4) A technical description of the items being offered in sufficient detail to evaluate compliance with the requirements in the solicitation. This may include product literature, or other documents, if necessary;

(5) Terms of any express warranty;

(6) Price and any discount terms;

(7) "Remit to" address, if different than mailing address;

(8) A completed copy of the representations and certifications at FAR 52.212-3 (see FAR 52.212-3(b) for those representations and certifications that the offeror shall complete electronically);

(9) Acknowledgment of Solicitation Amendments;

(10) Past performance information, when included as an evaluation factor, to include recent and relevant contracts for the same or similar items and other references (including contract numbers, points of contact with telephone numbers and other relevant information); and

(11) If the offer is not submitted on the SF 1449, include a statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation. Offers that fail to furnish required representations or information, or reject the terms and conditions of the solicitation may be excluded from consideration.

(c) Period for acceptance of offers. The offeror agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm for 30 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers, unless another time period is specified in an addendum to the solicitation.

(d) Product samples. When required by the solicitation, product samples shall be submitted at or prior to the time specified for receipt of offers. Unless otherwise specified in this solicitation, these samples shall be submitted at no expense to the Government, and returned at the sender's request and expense, unless they are destroyed during preaward testing.

(e) Multiple offers. Offerors are encouraged to submit multiple offers presenting alternative terms and conditions or commercial items for satisfying the requirements of this solicitation. Each offer submitted will be evaluated separately.

(f) Late submissions, modifications, revisions, and withdrawals of offers:

(1) Offerors are responsible for submitting offers, and any modifications, revisions, or withdrawals, so as to reach the Government office designated in the solicitation by the time specified in the solicitation. If no time is specified in the solicitation, the time for receipt is 4:30 p.m., local time, for the designated Government office on the date that offers or revisions are due.

(2)(i) Any offer, modification, revision, or withdrawal of an offer received at the Government office designated in the solicitation after the exact time specified for receipt of offers is “late” and will not be considered unless it is received before award is made, the Contracting Officer determines that accepting the late offer would not unduly delay the acquisition; and--

(A) If it was transmitted through an electronic commerce method authorized by the solicitation, it was received at the initial point of entry to the Government infrastructure not later than 5:00 p.m. one working day prior to the date specified for receipt of offers; or

(B) There is acceptable evidence to establish that it was received at the Government installation designated for receipt of offers and was under the Government's control prior to the time set for receipt of offers; or

(C) If this solicitation is a request for proposals, it was the only proposal received.

(ii) However, a late modification of an otherwise successful offer, that makes its terms more favorable to the Government, will be considered at any time it is received and may be accepted.

(3) Acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at the Government installation includes the time/date stamp of that installation on the offer wrapper, other documentary evidence of receipt maintained by the installation, or oral testimony or statements of Government personnel.

(4) If an emergency or unanticipated event interrupts normal Government processes so that offers cannot be received at the Government office designated for receipt of offers by the exact time specified in the solicitation, and urgent Government requirements preclude amendment of the solicitation or other notice of an extension of the closing date, the time specified for receipt of offers will be deemed to be extended to the same time of day specified in the solicitation on the first work day on which normal Government processes resume.

(5) Offers may be withdrawn by written notice received at any time before the exact time set for receipt of offers.

Oral offers in response to oral solicitations may be withdrawn orally. If the solicitation authorizes facsimile offers, offers may be withdrawn via facsimile received at any time before the exact time set for receipt of offers, subject to the conditions specified in the solicitation concerning facsimile offers. An offer may be withdrawn in person by an offeror or its authorized representative if, before the exact time set for receipt of offers, the identity of the person requesting withdrawal is established and the person signs a receipt for the offer.

(g) Contract award (not applicable to Invitation for Bids). The Government intends to evaluate offers and award a contract without discussions with offerors. Therefore, the offeror's initial offer should contain the offeror's best terms from a price and technical standpoint. However, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if later determined by the Contracting Officer to be necessary. The Government may reject any or all offers if such action is in the public interest; accept other than the lowest offer; and waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received.

(h) Multiple awards. The Government may accept any item or group of items of an offer, unless the offeror qualifies the offer by specific limitations. Unless otherwise provided in the Schedule, offers may not be submitted for quantities less than those specified. The Government reserves the right to make an award on any item for a quantity less than the quantity offered, at the unit prices offered, unless the offeror specifies otherwise in the offer.

(i) Availability of requirements documents cited in the solicitation. (1)(i) The GSA Index of Federal Specifications, Standards and Commercial Item Descriptions, FPMR Part 101-29, and copies of specifications, standards, and commercial item descriptions cited in this solicitation may be obtained for a fee by submitting a request to--GSA Federal Supply Service Specifications Section, Suite 8100, 470 East L'Enfant Plaza, SW, and Washington, DC

20407, Telephone (202) 619-8925, Facsimile (202) 619-8978.

(ii) If the General Services Administration, Department of Agriculture, or Department of Veterans Affairs issued this solicitation, a single copy of specifications, standards, and commercial item descriptions cited in this solicitation may be obtained free of charge by submitting a request to the addressee in paragraph (i)(1)(i) of this provision.

Additional copies will be issued for a fee.

(2) Most unclassified Defense specifications and standards may be downloaded from the following ASSIST websites:

(i) ASSIST (https://assist.dla.mil/online/start/).

(ii) Quick Search (http://quicksearch.dla.mil/).

(iii) ASSISTdocs.com (http://assistdocs.com).

(3) Documents not available from ASSIST may be ordered from the Department of Defense Single Stock Point (DoDSSP) by--

(i) Using the ASSIST Shopping Wizard (https://assist.dla.mil/wizard/index.cfm);

(ii) Phoning the DoDSSP Customer Service Desk (215) 697-2179, Mon-Fri, 0730 to 1600 EST; or

(iii) Ordering from DoDSSP, Building 4, Section D, 700 Robbins Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111-5094, Telephone (215) 697-2667/2179, Facsimile (215) 697-1462.

(4) Nongovernment (voluntary) standards must be obtained from the organization responsible for their preparation, publication, or maintenance.

(j) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number. (Applies to all offers exceeding $3,000, and offers of $3,000 or less if the solicitation requires the Contractor to be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database. The offeror shall enter, in the block with its name and address on the cover page of its offer, the annotation “DUNS” or “DUNS +4” followed by the DUNS or DUNS +4 number that identifies the offeror's name and address. The DUNS +4 is the DUNS number plus a 4-character suffix that may be assigned at the discretion of the offeror to establish additional SAM records for identifying alternative Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) accounts

(see FAR Subpart 32.11) for the same concern. If the offeror does not have a DUNS number, it should contact Dun and Bradstreet directly to obtain one. An offeror within the United States may contact Dun and Bradstreet by calling 1-866-705-5711 or via the internet at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. An offeror located outside the United States must contact the local Dun and Bradstreet office for a DUNS number. The offeror should indicate that it is an offeror for a Government contract when contacting the local Dun and Bradstreet office.

(k) System for Award Management. Unless exempted by an addendum to this solicitation, by submission of an offer, the offeror acknowledges the requirement that a prospective awardee shall be registered in the SAM database prior to award, during performance and through final payment of any contract resulting from this solicitation. If the Offeror does not become registered in the SAM database in the time prescribed by the Contracting Officer, the Contracting Officer will proceed to award to the next otherwise successful registered Offeror. Offerors may obtain information on registration and annual confirmation requirements via the SAM database accessed through https://www.acquisition.gov.

(l) Debriefing. If a post-award debriefing is given to requesting offerors, the Government shall disclose the following information, if applicable:

(1) The agency's evaluation of the significant weak or deficient factors in the debriefed offeror's offer.

(2) The overall evaluated cost or price and technical rating of the successful and the debriefed offeror and past performance information on the debriefed offeror.

(3) The overall ranking of all offerors, when any ranking was developed by the agency during source selection.

(4) A summary of the rationale for award;

(5) For acquisitions of commercial items, the make and model of the item to be delivered by the successful offeror.

(6) Reasonable responses to relevant questions posed by the debriefed offeror as to whether source-selection procedures set forth in the solicitation, applicable regulations, and other applicable authorities were followed by the agency.

52.212-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFEROR-COMMERICAL ITEMS (Addendum to FAR 52.212-1)

GENERAL

In order to maximize efficiency and ensure fairness during the proposal evaluation process, all Offerors must comply with the following instructions for proposal format and content. Proposals that do not comply with these instructions may be considered non-responsive and may render the Offeror ineligible for award. The Offeror shall submit documentation illustrating its approach for satisfying the requirements of this solicitation. Proposals must be clear, coherent, and prepared in sufficient detail for effective evaluation of the Offeror’s proposal against the evaluation criteria. The documentation shall address all aspects of this solicitation and include the Offeror’s approach to performing and satisfying the requirements specified in the Performance Work Statement (PWS).

The Government intends to award multiple Indefinite-Delivery-Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) basic contracts and concurrently award Task Order 1 to the responsible Offeror(s) that submits the best value offer, which means the offer that is most advantageous to the Government based upon the factors contained in this Request for Proposal (RFP). The Government may also reject any offer not substantially in compliance with the terms and conditions of the solicitation. Offerors that qualify the proposals or otherwise take exception to the solicitation’s terms may be deemed ineligible for award.

The Government intends to award without discussions but reserves the right to conduct discussions if determined to be in the Government’s best interest. If discussions are held the government may established a competitive range for efficiency purposes.

A. PROPOSAL VOLUME REQUIREMENTS

The following are further descriptions of the information that shall be provided with the proposal:

PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS PAGE LIMITS

VOLUME I: ADMINISTRATIVE

ADMINISTRATIVE –Cover Letter, Representations & Certifications- In accordance with FAR 52.204-7, Contractor Facility Clearance Level, DFARs 252.209-7992,(Dec 2014) Completed FAR Clauses/provision(located herein) (1)52.212-3 Alternate I, (2)52.219-1, Alternate I

No Page Limit

VOLUME II: TECHNICAL APPROACH & CAPABILITY

FACTOR 1 – TECHNICAL APPROACH & CAPABILITY

RESUME-Key Personnel, in accordance with PWS 1.6.11

Including certifications(not included in maximum page limit

Maximum of 17 pages

VOLUME III: PAST PERFORMANCE

FACTOR 2 – PAST PERFORMANCE Maximum of 5 pages

VOLUME IV: PRICE

Task Order 1: FACTOR 3 – PRICE

CLIN Structure located in PWS Task Order 1. Price Schedule Tab (Excel), Labor Categories Tab (Excel)

No page limit

VOLUME V: EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION PLAN

Task Order 1: Employee Compensation Plan (See Local Clause H.2)

No page limit

A.1. Instructions for Proposal Submittal: Proposals submitted in response to the solicitation shall be formatted as follows:

(1) Text – Text shall be single-spaced, with a minimum one-inch margin all around. Pages shall be numbered consecutively. Pages submitted in excess of the page limitations stated throughout this document will be removed and not evaluated. (This does not include cover pages, tables of contents or interpreter certifications.)

Text and graphics portions of the electronic copies shall be in a format readable by Adobe (PDF) or MS Word or Excel 2010.

(2) Font Size – Text shall be a minimum 12-point font size. Bolding, underlining, and italics may be used to identify topic demarcations or points of emphasis. Graphic presentations, including tables, though not subject to the same font size and spacing requirements, shall have spacing and text that is easily readable.

(3) Labeling –Each volume shall be submitted in separate electronic folders (files), identified by the Volume Number.

(4) Pricing Data – All pricing information shall appear within the Offeror’s “Price Schedule,” in MS Excel format. (See Section D, below, for instructions). Pricing or compensation information may not be included in volumes I, II, or III.

(5) Electronic Submission – All Offerors shall submit their proposals directly to the Contract Specialist, Karen A. Smith at karen.a.smith202.civ@mail.mil (Primary) and Janice Johnson, janice.t.johnson5.civ@mail.mil (Secondary). Ensure that the subject line reads as follows: “HQ0034-

15-R-0075 - Sign Language Interpreter Services.” The proposal volumes shall be submitted as email attachments. All responses to the solicitation shall be in separate files and volumes corresponding to the evaluation factors identified in the above Proposal Submission Chart. The government will not consider the text of the emails, only the attachments. A single email cannot exceed 10 Mbs; zip files are accepted.

A.2. Questions: The closing date for all questions is July 20, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. E.S.T. Offerors shall email all questions to karen.a.smith202.civ@mail.mil and janice.t.ohnson5.civ@mail.mil . Responses to all questions will be in the form of an amendment and electronically posted in FBO. No telephonic requests will be entertained.

A. ADMINISTRATIVE (VOLUME I)

The offeror shall provide a cover letter. The cover letter shall identify the RFP (HQ0034-15-R-0075, Sign Language Interpreter Services ), date of submittal, acknowledgement of any amendments, the offeror’s name, address, Taxpayer ID number, CAGE code, and contact information. Cover letters will not count against any page limitation. The cover letter shall clearly state the length that the proposal remains open and in effect, which shall be at least 120 days from the proposal due date. Representations & Certifications (www.sam.gov), Completed DFARs 252.209-7992, Signed 1449, Contractor Facility Clearance Level (Secret). The NDA is not required to be submitted with the proposal. Contractor employees must complete a NDA form prior to commencement of work. The cover letter shall include the information regarding (and confirmation of) the required Secret Facility Security Clearance (see evaluation criteria, below).

B. TECHNICAL APPROACH & CAPABILITY (VOLUME II)

The Offeror shall submit sufficient information for the Government to make a comprehensive evaluation of its approach and capability in meeting the requirements listed in the PWS for successful performance. Proposals that omit or merely reiterate tasks under the PWS may be rejected. The proposal shall include a personnel matrix that outlines to the CLINs, position titles, labor categories, PWS tasks assigned and number of hours proposed. The matrix shall also include clearance level (if applicable) and experience. No pricing information (labor rates, etc.)

shall be included in the technical volume. Additionally, offeror shall submit a brief management plan addressing retention, hiring, and ability to staff future task orders that are similar to task order 1.

C. PAST PERFORMANCE (VOLUME III)

The government is requesting that the offeror provide up to two (2) past performance contract references for each proposal reflecting recent and relevant experience. . Each past performance reference must include contract/delivery order number, contract type, program name, total contract cost, short description of work performed, and names, email addresses and valid telephone numbers for the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO), Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), or similar point of contact. Relevancy is a measure of the extent of similarity between the instant requirement in terms of scope (types of tasks), magnitude (dollar value), and complexity. Recent means within the past three (3) years, and if ongoing contract or project, then offeror has been providing services for at least six (6) months.

The Offeror will provide Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQs) to its customer references and instruct them to email the completed Questionnaires directly to the Contract Specialist for evaluation. Completed PPQs must be submitted via email to karen.a.smith202.civ@mail.mil and janice.t.johnson5.civ@mail.mil no later than the RFP closing date. Questionnaires that are not received by the due date may not be evaluated.

D. PRICE FACTOR (VOLUME IV)

Task Order 1 will be firm-fixed-price. The Offeror shall submit a Price Schedule (PS) in MS Excel format. The PS shall contain two tabs, entitled (1) Price Schedule and (2) Labor Categories, both of which must be completed by the Offeror.

Tab 1 - Price Schedule shall include the following elements:

(1) All Contract line item numbers and descriptions.

(2) The quantity, unit, unit price and total price for each Contract line item.

(3) The sub-total for each performance period.

(4) The total overall price.

Tab 2 – Labor Categories shall include the following elements:

(1) All line item numbers and descriptions.

(2) The labor category(s) associated with each line item.

(3) The number of full-time employees (FTEs), fully-burdened unit price (hourly rate), labor hours and price associated with each labor category, including whether or not the labor category is subject to the Service Contract Act.

(4) The sub-total for each performance period.

(5) The total overall price.

All pricing shall be traceable to the CLINs and PWS task areas. This section has no page limit.

E. EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION PLAN (VOLUME V)

The Offeror shall submit a total compensation plan stating the salaries and fringe benefits to be offered to employees working under this contract. Pursuant to Local Clause H.2, the Government reserves the right to reject any proposal that does not provide sufficient administrative compensation.

52.212-2 EVALUATION--COMMERCIAL ITEMS (OCT 2014)

(a) The following factors stated in FAR 52.212-2 Addendum below shall be used to evaluate offers.

(b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

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

52.212-2 EVALUATION--COMMERCIAL ITEMS (JAN 1999) (Addendum to FAR 52.212-2)

EVALUATION FACTORS

1) BASIS FOR CONTRACT AWARD

Unless all offers are rejected, the Government intends to award multiple Basic IDIQ contracts and concurrently award Task Order 1 to responsible Offeror(s) whose offer, conforming to the solicitation, is determined to be the best value offer, which means the offer that is most advantageous to the Government based upon the factors contained in this RFP. The Government may select for award the Offeror whose price is not necessarily the lowest, but whose technical approach, past performance, or price, is more advantageous to the Government and warrants the additional cost. Offerors must satisfy the requirements described in the PWS as well as other RFP requirements. Proposals that take exception to any requirement may be deemed unacceptable.

a) Facility Security Clearance: In order to be considered for contract award (IDIQ or Task Order), Offerors shall possess a Secret Facility Security Clearance at the time of proposal submission. This will be evaluated on a Pass/Fail basis. If the government determines that an offeror does not possess the required Secret Facility Clearance, no further evaluation will be performed.

b)

2) EVALUATION FACTORS

Award of a basic IDIQ contract will be based upon the evaluation criteria stated below. Task order 1 will be evaluated simultaneously and awarded separately based on the evaluation criteria stated below. Proposals shall be evaluated on the following three factors:

For the overall basic contract award:

Factor I: Technical Approach (as a whole)

Factor II: Past Performance for Task order 1

Factor III: Price from Task Order 1 and Employee Compensation Plan

For Task Order 1 award:

Factor I: Technical Approach under Task order 1 (does not consider management plan addressing retention, hiring, and ability to staff future task orders that are similar to task order 1).

Factor II: Past Performance for Task order 1

Factor III: Price from Task Order 1

Technical and Past Performance are equal and when combined are significantly more important than Price. The evaluation of past performance for the basic contract and task order 1 will be the same.

a. Factor I: Technical Approach & Capability

The Government will evaluate the adequacy of the Offeror’s approach, completeness and understanding of the requirements specified in the solicitation and all attached documents, including the PWS, as demonstrated by the proposed technical approach and capabilities.

Volume I and Volume II shall demonstrate how the Offeror will comply with Government tasking and requirements throughout the performance period. Data previously submitted, or presumed to be known (e.g., descriptions of previous projects performed for the Government) cannot be considered as a part of the proposal unless physically incorporated into the proposal.

Clarity, completeness and conciseness are essential. The brief management plan evaluation will include an assessment of the offeror's ability to provide uninterrupted high-quality work.

b. Factor II: Past Performance

For past performance the government will evaluate how well the offeror has performed on contracts that have been determined to be both recent and relevant to the PWS.

Past performance is a measure of the degree to which the Offeror satisfied its customers in the past and complied with Federal, State, and local laws and regulations. The Government may contact some, all or none of each Offeror’s customers to ask whether: (1) the Offeror is capable, efficient, and effective; (2) the Offeror’s performance conformed to the terms and conditions of its contract; (3) the Offeror was reasonable and cooperative during performance; (4) the Offeror was committed to customer satisfaction; (5) the Offeror was able to hire and retain qualified personnel to the satisfaction of the customer; and (6) if they would select the same Contractor or a different Contractor, given the opportunity.

The Government may also use other information available from other sources to evaluate an Offeror’s past performance, which may include PPQs, Federal, State and local Government agencies, Better Business Bureaus, published media, electronic databases such as the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) and the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS). The Government reserves the right to limit or expand the number of references it decides to contact and to contact references other than those provided by the Offeror.

In the case of an Offeror without a record of relevant past performance or for whom no information on past performance is available, the Offeror will not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance.

c. Factor III: Price and Employee Compensation

In accordance with FAR 15.404-1, Proposal analysis techniques, Task Orders 1 proposal cost will be evaluated in order to make a fair and reasonable determination for task order 1 award.

The total evaluated cost for the basic contract will be determined by the evaluated cost for Task Order 1.

For evaluation purposes only, the total evaluated price for both the basic contract and the Task Order 1 will be the sum of the total prices submitted for (a) the base period, (b) all option periods, and (c) the six-month extension authorized by FAR clause 52.217-8. For purposes of determining the evaluated price for the six month 52.217-8 extension, the total price is calculated as one-half of the total price of the final option year. The Government may determine that a proposal is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

The compensation levels proposed should reflect a clear understanding of work to be performed and should indicate the capability of the proposed compensation structure to obtain and keep suitably qualified personnel to meet mission objectives. The salary rates or ranges must take into account differences in skills, the complexity of various disciplines, and administrative job difficulty.

The Government will evaluate the plan to assure that it reflects a sound management approach and understanding of the contract requirements. The administrative compensation proposed will be considered in terms of its impact upon recruiting and retention, its realism, and its consistency with a total plan for compensation. Supporting information will include data, such as recognized national and regional compensation surveys and studies of administrative, public and private organizations, used in establishing the total compensation structure.

3) RATING METHODS

a. FACTOR 1 TECHNICAL APPROACH & CAPABILITY:

The rating for this factor reflects the degree to which the proposed approach meets or does not meet the minimum performance or capability requirements through an assessment of the attributes, strengths, weaknesses, deficiencies and risks of a proposal. If the offeror simply meets the minimum requirements, there will be no deficiencies or strengths identified.

The combined technical/risk rating below includes consideration of risk in conjunction with the attributes of the proposal in determining technical ratings.

Table 1. Combined Technical/Risk Ratings

Color Rating Description

BLUE

Outstanding

Proposal meets requirements and indicates an exceptional approach and understanding of the requirements. Strengths far outweigh any weaknesses. Risk of unsuccessful performance is very low.

PURPLE

Good

Proposal meets requirements and indicates a thorough approach and understanding of the requirements. Proposal contains strengths which outweigh any weaknesses. Risk of unsuccessful performance is low.

GREEN

Acceptable

Proposal meets requirements and indicates an adequate approach and understanding of the requirements. Strengths and weaknesses are offsetting or will have little or no impact on contract performance. Risk of unsuccessful performance is no worse than moderate.

YELLOW

Marginal

Proposal does not clearly meet requirements and has not demonstrated an adequate approach and understanding of the requirements. The proposal has one or more weaknesses which are not offset by strengths. Risk of unsuccessful performance is high.

RED

Unacceptable

Proposal does not meet requirements and contains one or more deficiencies. Proposal is unawardable.

b. FACTOR 2 – PAST PERFORMANCE:

There are two aspects to the past performance evaluation:

Step 1 - The first aspect is to evaluate the offeror’s past performance to determine how relevant each recent effort accomplished by the Offeror is to the effort to be acquired through the evaluation, and give a rating identified in Table 2. Finally, the Offeror must have served as the Prime Contractor for each referenced contract.

Table 2. Past Performance Relevancy Ratings

Rating Definition Very Relevant Present/past performance effort involved essentially the same scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this solicitation requires.

Relevant Present/past performance effort involved similar scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this solicitation requires.

Somewhat Relevant Present/past performance effort involved some of the scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this solicitation requires.

Not Relevant Present/past performance effort involved little or none of the scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this solicitation requires.

Step 2 - The second aspect of the past performance evaluation is to determine how well the offeror performed on the contracts/projects. The past performance information collected will be evaluated to determine the quality and usefulness as it applies to performance confidence assessment. In conducting a performance confidence assessment, each Offeror shall be assigned one of the ratings in Table 3.

Table 3. Performance Confidence Assessments

Rating Description

Substantial Confidence Based on the offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has a high expectation that the Offeror will successfully perform the required effort.

Satisfactory Confidence Based on the offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has a reasonable expectation that the Offeror will successfully perform the required effort.

Limited Confidence Based on the offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has a low expectation that the Offeror will successfully perform the required effort.

No Confidence

Based on the offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has no expectation that the Offeror will be able to successfully perform the required effort.

Unknown Confidence (Neutral)

No recent/relevant performance record is available or the Offeror’s performance record is so sparse that no meaningful confidence assessment rating can be reasonably assigned.

c. FACTOR 3 – PRICE:

Price will not receive a rating; however, proposals must be deemed fair and reasonable prior to award.

52.212-3 OFFEROR REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS--COMMERCIAL ITEMS (MAR 2015)

ALTERNATE I (OCT 2014)

The offeror shall complete only paragraphs (b) of this provision if the Offeror has completed the annual representations and certification electronically via the System for Award Management (SAM) Web site accessed through http://www.acquisition.gov . If the Offeror has not completed the annual representations and certifications electronically, the Offeror shall complete only paragraphs (c) through (p) of this provision.

(a) Definitions. As used in this provision--

“Economically disadvantaged women-owned small business (EDWOSB) concern” means a small business concern that is at least 51 percent directly and unconditionally owned by, and the management and daily business operations of which are controlled by, one or more women who are citizens of the United States and who are economically disadvantaged in accordance with 13 CFR part 127. It automatically qualifies as a women-owned small business eligible under the WOSB Program.

“Forced or indentured child labor” means all work or service—

(1) Exacted from any person under the age of 18 under the menace of any penalty for its nonperformance and for which the worker does not offer himself voluntarily; or

(2) Performed by any person under the age of 18 pursuant to a contract the enforcement of which can be accomplished by process or penalties.

“Highest-level owner” means the entity that owns or controls an immediate owner of the offeror, or that owns or controls one or more entities that control an immediate owner of the offeror. No entity owns or exercises control of the highest level owner.

“Immediate owner” means an entity, other than the offeror, that has direct control of the offeror. Indicators of control include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: Ownership or interlocking management, identity of interests among family members, shared facilities and equipment, and the common use of employees.

“Inverted domestic corporation,” means a foreign incorporated entity that meets the definition of an…