A23 RFP HQ003424R0196 Amend 0001.pdf

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

Except as provi ded herei n, all t erms and condit ions of t he document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remai ns unchanged and in ful l force and effect .

15A. NAME AND TIT LE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

30-105-04EXCEPTION TO SF 30

APPROVED BY OIRM 11-84

ST ANDARD FORM 30 (Rev. 10-83) Prescr ibed by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

The purpose of this amendment is to:

1. Provide revised attachments:

- A23 PWS Amend 0001

- A23 Attachment 12 Responses to QA Amend 0001

- A23 HQ003424R0196 RFP Amend 0001

2. All terms and conditions remain unchanged. See Summary of Changes.

1. CONTRACT ID CODE P AGE OF P AGES

J 1 29

16A. NAME AND T ITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

16C. DAT E SIGNED

BY 23-May-2024

16B. UNITED ST AT ES OF AMERICA15C. DATE SIGNED15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

(Signature of Contract ing Officer)(Signature of person author ized t o sign)

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., Street, Count y, Stat e and Zip Code) X HQ003424R0196

X 9B. DAT ED (SEE IT EM 11)

06-May-2024

10B. DAT ED (SEE IT EM 13)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITAT ION NO.

11. THIS IT EM ONLY APPLIES T O AMENDMENT S OF SOLICITATIONS

X The above numbered soli cit ati on i s amended as set forth in It em 14. The hour and date specified for rece ipt of Offer is ext ended, X is not extended.

Offer must acknowl edge rece ipt of t his amendment pri or to the hour and date specified in the sol ici tat ion or as amended by one of t he fol lowing methods:

(a) By compl eti ng Items 8 and 15, and returning 1 copi es of the amendment ; (b) By acknowledgi ng recei pt of thi s amendment on each copy of t he offer submit ted;

or (c) By s epara te let ter or t elegram whi ch i ncludes a refe rence t o t he s olic ita tion and amendment numbers . FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE P LACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS P RIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SP ECIFIED MAY RESULT IN

REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of thi s amendment you desire t o change an offer already submit ted, s uch change may be made by t elegram or let ter, provided each t elegram or l ett er makes re ference to the sol ici tat ion and this amendment , and is received prior to the openi ng hour and dat e speci fi ed.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DAT A (If required)

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS.

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORT H IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE

CONT RACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

B. T HE ABOVE NUMBERED CONT RACT /ORDER IS MODIFIED T O REFLECT THE ADMINIST RATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.) SET FORT H IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO T HE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(B).

C. T HIS SUPPLEMENT AL AGREEMENT IS ENT ERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OT HER (Specify type of modification and authorit y)

E. IMPORTANT: Contract or is not, is required to sign this document and return copies t o the issuing office.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/cont ract subject matter where feasible.)

10A. MOD. OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

2. AMENDMENT/ MODIFICATION NO. 5. P ROJECT NO.(If appli cable )

6. ISSUED BY

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

21-May-2024

CODE

WHS - ACQUISITION DIRECTORATE

4800 MARK CENTER DRIVE, SUITE 09F09

ALEXANDRIA VA 22350-0002

HQ0034 7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other t han item 6)

4. REQUISITION/P URCHASE REQ. NO.

CODE

See I tem 6

FACILITY CODECODE

EMAIL:TEL:

HQ003424R0196

SECTION SF 30 BLOCK 14 CONTINUATION PAGE

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

SECTION SF 1449 - CONTINUATION SHEET

SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES

CLIN 0001

The contract type has changed from FFP to LH.

The pricing detail quantity 12.00 has been deleted.

The unit of issue has changed from Months to Hours.

The cost constraint NTE has been added.

ITEM NO SUPPLIES/SERVICES ESTIMATED

QUANTITY

UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

0001 Hours IWC Center of Excellence Support Svcs

LH

The Contractor shall provide services in accordance with Part 5 - Specific Tasks, of the attached Performance Work Statement (PWS), attached documents, and all other requirements listed in this document.

FOB: Destination U008

TOT ESTIMATED PRICE

CEILING PRICE

CLIN 1001

The pricing detail quantity 12.00 has been deleted.

UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

1001 Hours OPTION IWC Center of Excellence Support Svcs

LH

The Contractor shall provide services in accordance with Part 5 - Specific Tasks, of the attached Performance Work Statement (PWS), attached documents, and all other requirements listed in this document.

CLIN 1002

CLIN 2001

The pricing detail quantity 12.00 has been deleted.

UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

2001 Hours OPTION IWC Center of Excellence Support Svcs

LH

The Contractor shall provide services in accordance with Part 5 - Specific Tasks, of the attached Performance Work Statement (PWS), attached documents, and all other requirements listed in this document.

CLIN 2002

CLIN 3001

The pricing detail quantity 12.00 has been deleted.

UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

3001 Hours OPTION IWC Center of Excellence Support Svcs

LH

The Contractor shall provide services in accordance with Part 5 - Specific Tasks, of the attached Performance Work Statement (PWS), attached documents, and all other requirements listed in this document.

CLIN 3002

CLIN 4001

The pricing detail quantity 12.00 has been deleted.

UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

4001 Hours OPTION IWC Center of Excellence Support Svcs

LH

The Contractor shall provide services in accordance with Part 5 - Specific Tasks, of the attached Performance Work Statement (PWS), attached documents, and all other requirements listed in this document.

CLIN 4002

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Table of Contents has changed from:

DOCUMENT TYPE DESCRIPTION PAGES DATE

ATTACHMENT 1 Irregular Warfare Center Performance Work Statement 5/6/2024 22 5/6/2024

ATTACHMENT 2 Security DD Form 254 3 5/1/2024

ATTACHMENT 3 Personnel Matrix Excel 5/1/2024

ATTACHMENT 4 Key Personnel Qualifications 3 5/1/2024

ATTACHMENT 5 RFP Questions Excel 5/1/2024

ATTACHMENT 6 Pricing Matrix Excel 5/1/2024

ATTACHMENT 7 Contractor NDA Form (Due at time of award) 3 5/1/2024

ATTACHMENT 8 Past Performance Questionnaire 4 5/1/2024

ATTACHMENT 9 Subcontracting Plan 9 5/1/2024

ATTACHMENT 10 Small Business Participation Commitment Doc 1 5/1/2024

ATTACHMENT 11 Responses to Market Research Questions 1 5/6/2024 to:

DOCUMENT TYPE DESCRIPTION PAGES DATE

ATTACHMENT 1 Performance Work Statement Amend 0001 5/19/2024 22 5/23/2024

ATTACHMENT 2 Security DD Form 254 3 5/1/2024

ATTACHMENT 3 Personnel Matrix Excel 5/1/2024

ATTACHMENT 4 Key Personnel Qualifications Amend 0001 4 5/23/2024

ATTACHMENT 5 RFP Questions Excel 5/1/2024

ATTACHMENT 6 Pricing Matrix Excel 5/1/2024

ATTACHMENT 7 Contractor NDA Form (Due at time of award) 3 5/1/2024

ATTACHMENT 8 Past Performance Questionnaire 4 5/1/2024

ATTACHMENT 9 Subcontracting Plan 9 5/1/2024

ATTACHMENT 10 Small Business Participation Commitment Doc 1 5/1/2024

ATTACHMENT 12 Responses to Questions Amend 0001 1 5/23/2024

The following have been added by reference:

52.246-6 Inspection--Time-And-Material And Labor-Hour MAY 2001 52.249-5 Termination For Convenience Of The Government

(Educational And Other Nonprofit Institutions)

AUG 2016

The following have been modified:

EVALUATION CRITERIA

52.212-2 EVALUATION--COMMERCIAL ITEMS ADDENDUM

(a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible Offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be the most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered.

The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

Factor 1 – TECHNICAL APPROACH Factor 2 – PAST PERFORMANCE Factor 3 – PRICE

The relative importance of each factor is as follows: Factor 1 - Technical Approach and Factor 2 - Past Performance are equal, and when combined are significantly more important than Factor 3 – Price. However, Price will contribute substantially to the source selection decision. As the evaluation becomes more equal under Factor 1 and 2, price will become more significant in the award decision.

1) BASIS FOR CONTRACT AWARD

Unless all offers are rejected, the Government intends to award a contract that consists of Firm Fixed Price (“FFP”) and Time and Material (“T&M”) contract line item numbers (“CLINs”) to the responsible offeror whose offer, conforming to the solicitation, is determined to be the overall best value, to the Government when all evaluation factors are considered. The Government may select for award the proposal that is not necessarily the lowest priced, but offerors superior technical approach and/or has a superior past performance rating and is overall more advantageous to the Government and warrants a higher price to the Government. Offerors must satisfy the requirements described in the Performance Work Statement (“PWS”) as well as all other Request for Proposal (“RFP”) requirements.

Proposals shall be reviewed, evaluated, and awarded in accordance with the evaluation criteria identified in this

RFP.

2) PASS/FAIL CRITERIA

The Government will evaluate a proposal ONLY IF the offer/proposal satisfies all of the following elements, which will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis:

1) The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s System For Award Management (SAM), as evidence of their NAICS code assigned for this requirement. This requirement is Full and Open for concerns under NAICS code 611310 – “Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools”. If the Government determines that an offeror is not a concern under NAICS code 611310 on the proposal due date and time, no further evaluation will be performed and the offeror will not be considered for the award.

2) The Government will evaluate Commitment Letters: Commitment letters for all key personnel shall be submitted with the proposal submission by the date and time for receipt of proposals. All commitment letters shall be signed by the proposed key personnel no earlier than ten (10) workdays prior to the date and time for receipt of proposals. Key personnel shall not use Government issued Common Access Cards to sign any portion of the proposal. The signature date must accompany the signature in the signed Commitment Letters. The Commitment Letters shall affirmatively state that the key personnel:

(A) grant permission to the Offeror to use his/her resume, and,

(B) is willing to work for the proposing Offeror on the instant solicitation. If a revised proposal is required, Commitment Letters for all key personnel shall be updated with a new signature and signature date within ten (10) workdays prior to the date and time for receipt of proposal revision.

If the Offeror learns, or has reason to believe, of the unavailability (e.g., death or disqualification) of its proposed key personnel, Offeror shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing no later than the next business day. Upon timely notice, the Agency may accept a signed Commitment Letter of the Offeror’s proposed substitute key personnel.

3) SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION

All offerors (both other than small businesses and small businesses) will be evaluated on the extent of proposed participation/commitment to use of U.S. small businesses in the performance of this acquisition (as small business prime offerors or small business subContractors) relative to the objectives and requirements established herein. The Government will evaluate a proposal ONLY IF the offeror’s completed Small Business Participation Commitment proposal satisfies all of the following elements to determine if the offeror met or exceeded the requirements.

1.The extent to which firms as defined in FAR Part 19, Small Business (SB), Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) small business, Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB), and Service-Disabled, Veteran- Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), are specifically identified in the proposal.

2. The extent to which offerors demonstrate substantive commitment to small business firms, such as letters of commitment, Joint Ventures, mentor/protégé agreements, or other demonstrations of commitment (i.e., binding commitments will become enforceable/contractual requirements).

3. Identification of the type and variety of the work small firms are to perform (i.e., binding commitments will become enforceable/contractual requirements).

4. Extent of participation of small business prime offerors and small business subContractors (proposed as Minimum Quantitative Requirement (MQR) percentage %) in terms of the Total Contract Value Including all options (Awarded). Consider participation of each of the small business categories listed in the MQR table. (i.e., binding commitments will become enforceable/contractual requirements). Work to be performed directly by a small business prime offeror will also be evaluated as Small Business Participation. A percentage of zero is unacceptable.

5. Extent to which the offeror complied with requirements of FAR 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (i.e., binding commitments will become enforceable/contractual requirements).

6. Extent to which the offeror complied with requirements of FAR 52.219-9 Small Business Subcontracting Plan (when applicable) (i.e., binding commitments will become enforceable/contractual requirements)

7. The realism of the proposal.

A “pass” for all the pass/fail elements does not guarantee award. Offerors will only be eligible for award after an evaluation is conducted in accordance with the criteria set forth in FAR 52.212-2 of this solicitation. If the Offeror receives a “fail” in any one of the pass/fail elements listed above, the Offeror’s proposal will not be evaluated further.

3) EVALUATION FACTORS

a. FACTOR 1 – TECHNICAL APPROACH

The Government will evaluate the adequacy of the Offeror’s approach as demonstrated by the proposed technical approach. The proposal shall be sufficiently complete to demonstrate how the Offeror will comply with PWS requirements throughout the performance period. The Government will evaluate the Offerors technical approach and capabilities for completing and providing the Staffing Plan, Personnel Matrix, Key Personnel resumes, and Key Personnel Qualification Template to perform the requirements listed in the solicitation. Data previously submitted, or presumed to be known, i.e., descriptions of previous projects performed for the Government, cannot be considered as a part of the proposal unless physically incorporated in the proposal. Clarity, completeness and conciseness are essential.

Staffing Plan: The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s phase-in plan for providing the necessary resources to ensure and maintain service quality levels and staffing levels for the ten (10) workdays phase-in period.

Personnel Matrix: The Government will evaluate and assess the Offeror’s staffing approach to determine whether its approach meets or exceeds the Government’s requirements. The Government will evaluate how the Offeror’s approach intends to manage unexpected turnover due to promotions, employees leaving the company, extended illnesses, military duty, etc., and how that plan minimizes the impact on contract performance.

Key Personnel: The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s resume(s) or CVs for each of the proposed Key Personnel identified in the PWS. The Government will evaluate how the resume or CV demonstrates key personnel meet or exceed the personnel requirements identified in the PWS and how the key personnel will be applied to meeting the objectives of the PWS. Where the individual has one or more of the preferred skills and experiences listed, the resume or CV shall demonstrate how the individual meets the preferred attribute(s) and how those skills and experiences will be applied to successfully meet the objectives of the PWS.

b. FACTOR 2 – PAST PERFORMANCE

Using the past performance rating method below, the past performance evaluation assesses the degree of confidence the Government has in a Contractor’s ability to successfully perform the solicitation’s requirements based on a demonstrated record of recent and relevant past performance. After ratings for recency and relevancy have been assigned to each past performance contract reference, an overall confidence assessment is determined, which reflects an expectation of the offeror’s successful performance of the requirement.

The Government will assess past performance from the offeror’s proposal and any other information available from other sources, which may include, but is not limited to: completed Past Performance Questionnaires (Attachment 11); information from 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); and firsthand experience of the Government based on the Offeror’s performance under an existing or previous contract. 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.

The Government may contact some, all, or none of each Offeror’s customers to ask, among other things, 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.

c. FACTOR 3 – PRICE

The Government will conduct an evaluation to determine whether the Offeror’s proposed prices are fair and reasonable. The Government will use FAR 15.404-1(b) Price Analysis techniques to determine if the proposed prices are fair and reasonable. Price will not receive an adjectival rating, but must be found fair and reasonable in order to be eligible for award. The Total Evaluated Price will consist of the sum of Attachment 6 – Pricing Matrix.

Attachment 6 – Pricing Matrix The sum total of Attachment 6 includes the following:

(1) Total Evaluated Price – 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 is significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

4) RATING METHODS

a. FACTOR 1 – TECHNICAL APPROACH

Combined Technical/Risk Rating Method: The combined technical/risk rating includes consideration of risk in conjunction with the strengths, weaknesses, significant weaknesses, uncertainties, and deficiencies in determining technical ratings. Each proposal shall be given a rating identified in Table 1 that reflects the degree to which the proposed approach meets or does not meet the threshold performance or capability requirements through an assessment of the relative strengths, deficiencies, weaknesses and significant weaknesses, and risks to successful performance.

Table 1. Combined Technical/Risk Rating

Color Rating Description

BLUE

Outstanding

Proposal indicates an exceptional approach and understanding of the requirements and contains multiple strengths, and risk of unsuccessful performance is low.

PURPLE

Good

Proposal indicates a thorough approach and understanding of the requirements and contains at least one strength, and risk of unsuccessful performance is low to moderate.

GREEN

Acceptable

Proposal meets requirements and indicates an adequate approach and understanding of the requirements, and risk of unsuccessful performance is no worse than moderate.

YELLOW

Marginal

Proposal has not demonstrated an adequate approach and understanding of the requirements, and/or risk of unsuccessful performance is high.

RED

*Unacceptable

Proposal does not meet requirements of the solicitation, and thus, contains one or more deficiencies, and/or risk of unsuccessful performance is unacceptable. Proposal is un-awardable.

* NOTE: If an Offeror is determined “Marginal” or “Unacceptable” for any sub factor under Factor 1 – Technical Approach, the Offeror’s proposal will be considered Unacceptable overall, shall not be further evaluated, and will not be considered for award.

b. FACTOR 2 – PAST PERFORMANCE

There three aspects to the past performance evaluation are recency, relevancy, and quality (including general trends in Contractor performance and source of information).

Recency. The Government will evaluate the recency of the offeror's past performance contracts. Recency is generally expressed as a time during which past performance references are considered relevant and is critical to establishing the relevancy of past performance information. Performance of each reference must be completed within the last three (3) years of the date of issuance of the solicitation to be considered recent.

Relevance. The Government will determine how relevant a recent effort accomplished by the offeror is to the effort to be acquired through the solicited work. There are four levels of relevancy as shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Past Performance Relevancy Rating 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.

If the offeror submits contracts performed by a subContractor as a past performance reference, the offeror must also explain how the subContractor significantly contributed to the performance of the referenced contract and how the offeror expects the subContractor to significantly contribute to the successful performance of the solicited work.

Quality of Products or Services. The Government will establish the overall quality of the offeror's past performance on each past performance contract. This step in the past performance evaluation does not establish, create, or change the existing record and history of the offeror’s past performance on past contracts; rather, this step in the past performance evaluation process gathers information from customers on how well the offeror performed those past contracts. The past performance confidence assessment rating is based on the offeror's overall record of recency, relevancy, and quality of performance. In conducting a performance confidence assessment, each Offeror shall be assigned one of the ratings in Table 3.

In the case of offerors for which there is no information on past contract performance or where past contract performance information is not available, the offeror may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on the factor of past contract performance (see FAR 15.305(a)(2)(iv)). In this case, the offeror's past performance is unknown and assigned a performance confidence rating of "neutral."

Table 3. Performance Confidence Assessment Rating Rating Definition

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

Neutral Confidence

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. The Offeror may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on the factor of past performance.

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

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

Offerors that receive a rating of “No Confidence” under Factor 2 shall be considered unacceptable overall and shall not be further evaluated or considered for award.

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

52.212-1 ADDENDUM

GENERAL

Washington Headquarters Services (”WHS”), Acquisition Directorate (“AD”) is releasing this Solicitation electronically only, via the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE) Solicitation module (https://piee.eb.mil/). This electronic version of the Request for Proposal (“RFP”) is the official version for this acquisition. No hard copy of this Solicitation will be issued.

In order to maximize efficiency and ensure fairness during the proposal evaluation process, Offeror must comply with the following instructions for proposal format and content. Proposal that do not comply with these instructions may be considered non-responsive and may render the Offeror ineligible for award. The Government may reject any or all proposal if such action is in the public interest, accept an offer other than the lowest priced proposal, and waive informalities and minor irregularities in proposal received.

The Offeror shall submit documentation illustrating its approach for satisfying the requirements of this Solicitation. Proposal must be clear, coherent, and prepared in sufficient detail for effective evaluation of the Offeror’s proposal against the evaluation criteria. The proposal are due by the due date and time stated in block 8, page 1 of the SF1449.

The Government anticipates awarding a hybrid contract consisting of Labor Hour (LH) and Travel (T&M) CLINS to procure Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) Research Support Services for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (“DSCA”). This Solicitation is issued under NAICS code 611310 – “Colleges, Universities and Professional Schools.”

Please ensure that the Solicitation number and project name, “HQ003424R0196 IWC Research Support Services” is stated in the subject line. The Offeror shall submit its proposal electronically via shall be submitted via the PIEE Solicitation Module using the Offer Tab by the date and time stated in block 8, page 1 of the SF1449.

QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES TO SOLICITATION

All questions, concerns, or requests for clarification for this RFQ shall be submitted via tthe WHS/AD/ESSD-DSCA Organization box: whs.ncr.ad.mbx.dsca-group@mail.mil. No phone calls are permitted. No comments, questions or inquiries shallbe made to any Government person other than via the electronic email addresses listed above.

Questions received after this date and time may not be responded to by the Government. All emails shall clearly be labeled on the subject line of the email with: “HQ003424R0196 IWC Research Support Services”. Offerors shall clearly identify the specific section of the Solicitation to which each question relates to when submitting questions.

Reference should be made to the Solicitation Heading, page number of the Solicitation, and specific location on the page (e.g. page 3, paragraph 4) in order to facilitate the Government’s response to each questions. Questions shall be submitted in a Microsoft Excel file (Attachment 5).

QUESTION NO. REFERENCE

CATEGORY

QUESTION

QUESTION

Solicitation or

Attachments, and Section Solicitation or Technical Question

Questions and responses will be provided to all Offerors via an amendment to the Solicitation via the PIEE Solicitation Module. If the amendments to the final Solicitation are issued, all Offerors must acknowledge the amendments by signing the accompanying Standard Form SF1449 and returning the SF1449 for all amendments issued with the Offeror’s proposal submission under Volume I. Failure to acknowledge all amendments issued by the Government may result in the Proposal submitted in response to the Solicitation being found not compliant with the Solicitation instructions and, thus, rejected.

SOLICITATION RESPONSE

Proposal’s Solicitation Response shall be submitted through PIEE Solicitation Module (https://piee.eb.mil/) under RFP HQ003424R0196 IWC Research Support Services by the date and time stated in block 8, page 1 of the SF1449. Proposals submitted by any other means will not be evaluated. All Proposals received after the exact time specified for receipt shall be treated as late submissions and will not be considered except under facts and circumstances allowed by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

A. PROPOSAL VOLUMES REQUIREMENTS

PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS PAGE LIMITS

VOLUME I

ADMINISTRATIVE

(1) Proposals shall remain valid for 120 calendar days after the Proposal due date

(2) Names and telephone numbers of person(s) authorized to conduct negotiations

(3) Name of the official authorized to bind the Offeror’s organization shall be clearly identified

(4) Company/Division Street Address; facility code; DUNS number and size standard, Cage Code

(5) Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) certification (Must be signed)

(6) Listing of all subcontractor(s) and their Cage Code(s)

(7) Signed and dated SF33 and any SF30s/Amendments that are issued.

The SF1449 must be signed by a representative of the Offeror authorized to commit the Offeror to contractual obligations.

(8) Completion of Clauses/Provisions such as 52.204-8, 52.204-24, 52.204-26, 52.209-2, 52.209-5 & 52.209-11.

(9) Completed blocks 17a, 30a (signed), 30.b. and 30.c.

(10) Statement regarding Terms and Conditions

No Page Limit

VOLUME II

PASS/FAIL CRITERIA – Clearance & Business Size NAICS code – Offeror’s business information relative to the Solicitation’s designated NAICS.

Commitment Letters for Key Personnel Small Business Subcontracting Plan (Attachment 9) Small Business Commitment Participation (Attachment 10)

No Page Limits

VOLUME III

TECHNICAL APPROACH (FACTOR 1)

Technical Approach Key Personnel Resumes Personnel Matrix (Attachment 3) Completed Key Personnel Qualification Requirements (Attachment 4)

a. No more than five (5) pages.

b. No page limit

c. No page limit

d. No page limit

VOLUME IV

PAST PERFORMANCE (FACTOR 2)

Past Performance Reference Document

9 pages (3 page limit for each reference)

VOLUME V

PRICE (FACTOR 4)

Complete Pricing Matrix (Attachment 6), and submit price proposal using the template provided.

No Page Limit

A.1 Instructions for Proposal Submittal: This section of the Instruction to Offerors (“ITO”) provides general guidance for preparing proposals as well as specific instructions on the format and content of the proposal. The Offeror’s proposal must include all data and information requested by the ITQ and must be submitted in accordance with these instructions.

A.1.1 Sufficient Detail Proposals shall comply with the following guidelines:

Be complete and respond directly to the requirements of the Solicitation.

Address the factors and their related elements as listed in FAR 52.212-1 and FAR 52.212-2 of the Solicitation.

Be clear, concise, and include sufficient detail for effective evaluation and for substantiating the validity of stated assertions. Extraneous, repetitious, or wordy submissions are not desired and could result in lower ratings.

Do not simply rephrase or restate the Government’s requirements, but rather provide convincing rationale to address how the Offeror intends to meet the requirements.

Assume that the Government has no prior knowledge of the Offeror’s capabilities and experience, and will base its evaluation only on the information presented in the Offeror’s proposal.

A.1.2 Validity Statement The Offeror shall make a clear statement that the proposal is valid for 120 calendar days. In accordance with FAR Subpart 4.8 (Government Contract Files), the Government will retain one copy of all unsuccessful proposals.

A.1.3 Physical Appearance of Submissions

Elaborate brochures or documentation, detailed artwork, or other embellishments are unnecessary and are not desired.

Proposals will be submitted in electronic copies.

No models, mockups, or videotapes will be accepted.

A1.4 Page Format Restrictions and Limitations

A.1.4.1 Page and Font Size Text shall be single- spaced on an 8.5 x 11 inches paper format, with a minimum one-inch margin all around. Pages shall be numbered consecutively. A page printed on both sides shall be counted as two pages. No foldout pages shall be used. Page limitations shall be treated as maximum. Pages submitted in excess of the page limitations stated throughout this document will be removed and not evaluated. The excess pages will be deleted from the electronic copy of the proposal. Documents incorporated by reference or as attachments to the proposal shall be included in the overall maximum page lengths and will not be considered or evaluated if they exceed the maximum page.

Font size shall be twelve (12) point Times New Roman. Bolding, underlining, and italics may be used to identify topic demarcations or points of emphasis. Graphic presentations, including tables, while not subject to the same font size and spacing requirements, shall have spacing and text that is easily readable. Lettering within tables, charts, graphs, and figures shall be no smaller than ten (10) point Times New Roman. Margins on all four edges of each sheet will be at least one-inch. Proprietary statements, security markings, and page numbers shall be placed within the defined margin area. Pages shall be numbered sequentially by volume. In the event discussions are held, these page format restrictions shall apply to the Final Proposal Revisions (FQRs).

A.1.5 Electronic Submission The Offeror shall submit the electronic proposal of each volume via the (PIEE) Solicitation module

(https://piee.eb.mil/). All Offeror(s) shall submit proposals by the due date and time stated in block 8, page 1 of the SF1449. Any proposal received after the exact time specified for receipt of proposals shall be treated as a late submission in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”).

The proposal written volumes shall be submitted as attachments in the submission. The proposal volumes shall be submitted as attachments. Text and graphics portions of the electronic copies shall be in a format readable by Adobe (.PDF), MS Word 2010. Data submitted in spreadsheet format shall be readable by Adobe (.PDF), MS Excel 2010. All responses to the Solicitation shall be in separate files and volumes corresponding to the evaluation factors identified in the above Proposal Submission Chart. Offerors are solely responsible for ensuring that the proposal is successfully submitted to WHS/AD and successfully received by WHS/AD by the proposal due date and time.

Electronic copies of each volume shall be compatible with the following software products: Adobe Acrobat Reader and Microsoft Office Suite 2016. Narrative portions of the Proposal shall be in Adobe Acrobat portable document file (pdf) searchable text format. The Offeror shall not embed sound or video (e.g., MPEG) files into the Proposal files. Electronic files shall be clearly identified for each volume, section, and item.

NOTE: There is a 10MB limit for all electronic submissions via email. The 10MB size limitation applies to a single email.

A.1.6 Pricing Data/Cost Information Price information shall be completed in the pricing templates attached to the Solicitation and addressed in Volume III – Price. All rates shall be rounded to the nearest cent and line items costs shall be rounded to the nearest dollar. All price information must be submitted in the attached Pricing Matrix (Attachment 6).

A.1.7 Confidential Information The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and its amendments have resulted in an increasing number of requests from outside the Government for copies of contract qualifications and proposals submitted to federal agencies. If an Offeror’s submissions contain information that he/she believes should be withheld from such requestors under FOIA on the grounds that they contain “trade secrets and commercial or financial information” [5 USC§552(b)(4)], the Offeror should mark its submissions in the following manner:

• The following notice should be placed on the title page: “Some parts of this document, as identified on individual pages, are considered by the submitter to be privileged or confidential trade secrets or commercial or financial information not subject to mandatory disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Material considered privileged or confidential on such grounds is contained on page(s) .”

• Each individual item considered privileged or confidential under FOIA should be marked with the following notice: “The data or information is considered confidential or privileged, and is not subject to mandatory disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.”

B. ADMINISTRATIVE (VOLUME I)

The Offeror shall present a cover letter, certifications, and completed Provisions in this Volume.

If applicable, Offeror shall identify any subcontractor’s/teaming partners and provide corresponding CAGE Code in this volume.

The Administrative Volume shall also include the signed SF 1449, SF30, and the completion of Representations & Certifications, such as FAR 52.204-8, 52.204-24, 52.204-26, 52.209-2, 52.209-5, & 52.209-11.

The SF1449 must be signed by a representative of the Offeror authorized to commit the Offeror to contractual obligations.

C. PASS/FAIL (VOLUME II)

The Government requests the following information, which will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis. If an Offeror receives a fail for any of the below criteria the Offeror’s proposal will not be evaluated any further and will be deemed ineligible for award.

1. The Offeror shall submit evidence, System for Award Mangement (SAM) results that shows they are situated under the NAICS code assigned to this contract. This requirement is Full and Open for concerns under NAICS code 611310 – Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools.

2. Commitment Letters: Commitment letters for all key personnel shall be submitted with the proposal submission by the date and time for receipt of proposals. All commitment letters shall be signed by the proposed key personnel no earlier than ten (10) workdays prior to the date and time for receipt of proposals. Key personnel shall not use Government issued Common Access Cards to sign any portion of the proposal. The signature date must accompany the signature in the signed Commitment Letters. The Commitment Letters shall affirmatively state that the key personnel:

(A) grant permission to the Offeror to use his/her resume, and,

(B) is willing to work for the proposing Offeror on the instant Solicitation. If a revised proposal is required, Commitment Letters for all key personnel shall be updated with a new signature and signature date within ten (10) workdays prior to the date and time for receipt of proposal revision.

If the Offeror learns, or has reason to believe, of the unavailability (e.g., death or disqualification) of its proposed key personnel, Offeror shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing no later than the next business day. Upon timely notice, the Agency may accept a signed Commitment Letter of the Offeror’s proposed substitute key personnel.

3. Small Business Subcontracting Plan Instructions (Other Than Small Business ONLY): In accordance with FAR Subpart 19.7, DFARS 219.7 and FAR 52.219-9, a Small Business Subcontracting Plan is required of all Offerors, unless the prime Offeror is a small business. The Small Business Subcontracting Plan shall be submitted with the Offeror’s proposal submission. The Small Business Subcontracting Plan of the successful Offeror (s) will be reviewed and approved by the Contracting Officer prior to contract award. See FAR 19.702(a)(1) Statutory Requirements, regarding failure of the apparent successful Offeror to negotiate and submit a Small Business Subcontracting Plan acceptable to the Contracting Officer. The successful Offeror’s approved Subcontracting Plan will be incorporated into the resultant contract.

The Offeror is required to use the Small Business Subcontracting format provided as Attachment 9 and must address all fifteen elements IAW 52.219-9. Attachment 9 is provided as an instructive guideline only for the Small Business Subcontracting Plan and is not an explicit submission format requirement.

(1) Offeror’s proposed goals shall be specific to this contract and based on total subcontracting dollars. The goals shall be realistic and must not be inflated in order to create favorable, but false impression. The goals must not be understated in order to easily accomplish goal achievement without providing maximum practicable opportunities. Goals must be stated for the base contract and each option year.

(2) Offerors shall include a detailed approach to achieving and maintaining the small business goals throughout the life of the ID/IQ contract as established by the Offeror with its proposal.

(3) Offerors shall identify all proposed subcontractors individually by name with addresses, business type (Other Than Small Business, Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, Women-Owned Small Business, Veteran-Owned Small Business, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, HUBZone Small Business, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions) as determined by the Small Business Administration size standard for the specific work being subcontracted; the principal services being provided by the subcontractor; NAICS Code; and the complexity of the services provided.

(4) In lieu of Subcontracting plan, Offeror may provide a request for waiver with sufficient justification aligned with their proposed cost and no opportunities for subcontracting exist. Waiver for request must be signed by an authorized agent of the company. If a waiver is granted, it will also apply to the Small Business Participation Commitment Document requirement.

(5) Any Offeror or subcontractor failing to comply in good faith with the requirements of the subcontracting plan is in material breach of its contract. Failure of to make a good faith effort to comply with the requirements of the subcontracting plan may result in the imposition of liquidated damages to the Government IAW FAR 52.219-16 “Liquidated Damages – Subcontracting Plan; or may be considered in any past performance evaluation of the Offeror IAW 52.219-9 (k) “Small Business Subcontracting Plan”.

(6) Any required modifications to the subcontracting plan after award shall be provided to the Contracting Officer for negotiation and approval. The resultant amended modified subcontracting plan will be incorporated into the contract.

4. Small Business Participation Commitment Document (Attachment 10): All Offerors shall provide a completed Small Business Participation Commitment Document (SBPCD) that outlines the proposed small business subcontracting arrangements by dollar value and percentage of the total proposed price; in addition, the Offeror should define which functional areas, by PWS requirement, subcontractors are proposed to support. Prime Offerors must indicate the percent of the total contract value that they will commit to small business concerns throughout the life of the contract.

Prime Offerors must maintain a minimum (proposed minimum quantitative requirement (MQR) percentage %) of the total contract value to small business concerns throughout the life of the contract. An MQR of zero percent % is unacceptable.

All Offerors shall the following SBPCD requirements and substantiating documentation to demonstrate how they will meet these requirements. This required information will be used to evaluate the extent of your proposed participation/commitment to use U.S. small businesses in the performance of this acquisition (as small business prime Offerors or small business subcontractors) relative to the Small Business Participation Commitment Evaluation Criteria IAW Section M – Factor 3. These SBPCD requirements will be incorporated into any resulting contract(s) as specified below:

a) Identify/check all boxes for the applicable size and applicable socioeconomic categories for the

PRIME Offeror. Use the table/format under section #1 of the proposed SBPCD Attachment.

b) Provide the proposed quantitative participation (%) in terms of the value of the total acquisition (total contract value). Offerors shall provide detailed explanations/documentation to support quantitative small business participation. Binding commitments shall become enforceable, contractual requirements. Use the table/format under section #2 of the proposed SBPCD Attachment.

c) Indicate the Small business concerns (SBC) as defined in FAR Part 19 that are to be used in your proposed approach to satisfying the requirements of this Solicitation for the entire performance period, including company name, business category(ies), description of products or services and NAICS code to be provided by each SBC and the nature of the commitment with the SBC (i.e., letter of commitment, joint ventures, mentor protégé agreements, others). Binding commitments shall become enforceable, contractual requirements. Use the table/format under item #3 of the proposed SBPCD Attachment.

All document(s) supporting the nature of the commitment with the SBC such as (i.e., letter of commitment, joint ventures, mentor protégé agreements, teaming agreement, others) shall be signed.

d) The work to be performed directly by a small business prime Offerors shall be evaluated as Small Business Participation. Small business prime Offerors shall include their information in Attachment 10 - Small Business Participation Commitment Document.

e) SBPCD enforceable, contractual requirements shall require periodic progress reporting to facilitate Government monitoring in the event of an award. Offerors are to propose semiannual reporting for the requirements above (format as agreed upon between Offeror and Government). Section H above in the Solicitation and the PWS.

D. TECHNICAL APPROACH (VOLUME III)

The Offeror shall submit sufficient information for the Government to make a comprehensive evaluation of its technical approach and capability in meeting the requirements listed in the PWS for successful performance. The proposal shall describe the methods and techniques used in its technical approach to complete the PWS tasks, and discuss managing all aspects of this requirement. The Offeror shall include its proposed staffing levels to include;

personnel matrix associated to the CLINs, positions titles, labor categories, and number of proposed hours. The staffing section should demonstrate how the Offeror will ensure personnel coverage.

Staffing Plan: The Government will evaluate and assess the Offeror’s staffing approach to meet the Government’s requirements and how the Offeror plans to attract, select, hire, and retain qualified personnel capable of successfully meeting the PWS requirements, and how that plan minimizes the impact on contract performance.

Personnel Matrix (Attachment 3): The Offeror shall complete the attached Personnel Matrix by filling out all the required elements listed in the matrix for Volume II – Technical Approach. The Personnel Matrix shall be submitted in Volume II as a separate excel spreadsheet and not a .pdf nor embedded in the Technical Approach and Capability.

NOTE: Resumes for Key Personnel (Volume II) and the Personnel Matrix under (Volume II) shall not count against the page limitation.

Key Personnel Resumes: Offeror shall provide a resume for each of the proposed Key Personnel identified in the PWS Section 1.6.11.1. The resume shall demonstrate how the personnel meet or exceed the personnel requirements identified in the PWS. Resumes shall contain the following information:

Name of key personnel Role the individual will play on the contract; e.g. Program Manager, Installation Manager Security clearance and citizenship Education to include degree(s), degree-granting institution, date degree awarded, and specialization Certifications, professional licenses, and professional affiliations Total years of experience, and total years of experience related to the PWS requirements (by employer), to include the month and year (for example: OCT 2020– SEP 2023) Work assignments, to include location/organization, start and end dates (include month and year; for example: OCT 2020– SEP 2023) of each assignment, responsibilities for each assignment, and a brief description of how each assignment relates to the PWS requirements

Key Personnel Requirement Qualifications (Attachment 4):

The Offeror shall complete the Key Personnel Qualifications Requirements document by filling in the qualifications and tasks as stipulated in the PWS for each specific Key Personnel position and provide a description that identifies how the proposed personnel meets those qualifications and any prior experience or relevant information pertaining to the performance of the critical tasks identified.

D. FACTOR 2 - PAST PERFORMANCE (VOLUME IV) – (9 page limit)

Offerors shall provide up to three (3) past performance contract references that reflect recent and relevant experience. Recent experience is defined as performance of a currently ongoing contract or completed performance of a contract that was completely performed no more than three years prior to the date of issuance of the Solicitation.

For a past performance contract reference to be considered, the duration of the contract must have been at least 12 consecutive months and its total value must be at least $1M.