HQ003425R0009P00001 Amendment.pdf

The purpose of this amendment is to:

1. Update Section L “Instruction to Offerors" Questions Information Submission and extend Questions date to 12:00PM (EST) February 7, 2025.

2. Update Section L “Instruction to Offerors" Pass/ Fail – Clearance & Business Size 1) Secret Facility Clearance and Contractor's employee's secret clearance at the time of proposal submission.

3. Update Section M EVALUATION 2. PASS/FAIL CRITERIA (VOLUME II): (1) Contractor's employees secret clearance information.

4. Update Attachment 1 PWS 1.5.7 Security Requirements; 1. 5.11.1.1 Key Personnel Minimum Qualifications; 4.2 Secret Facility Clearance; TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 3 ESTIMATED WORKLOAD DATA and TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 6 Security Requirements.

5. Update ate Attachment 5 Key Personnel Requirement Qualifications Template.

6. This Solicitation is extended to 1 :00PM (EST) February 14, 2025.

All other term and conditions remain unchanged .

HQ003425R0009

SECTION SF 30 BLOCK 14 CONTINUATION PAGE

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

SECTION SF 1449 - CONTINUATION SHEET

The following have been modified:

52.212-1 ADDENDUM

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS—COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES (SEP 2023)

Washington Headquarters Services (WHS)/ Acquisition Directorate (AD) is releasing this solicitation electronically only, via the Solicitation Module of the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE) at https://piee.ed.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. Offerors will be notified of any and all applicable amendments to this solicitation electronically via PIEE. Offerors shall submit their Proposal electronically. Any Proposal received after the due date and time specified for receipt will be considered late and will be rejected.

The requirement will be competed unrestricted in accordance with FAR Part 15 “Contracting by Negotiation” under NAICS 541219 - Other Accounting Services.

QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES TO SOLICITATION

QUESTIONS:

All questions, concerns, or requests for clarification for this RFQ shall be submitted via the PIEE Solicitation Module using the Offer Tab by February 7, 2025 at 12:00 P.M. Eastern Time (ET). Quoters shall not include anyproprietary information in a question, as the Government will provide the questions and answers to all potential Quoters. No phone calls are permitted. No comments, questions, or inquiries shall be made of any Government person by any means other than electronic submission, as listed above. Questions received after the provided date and time may not be responded to by the Government. Quoters 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 Section Heading, page number of the solicitation, and specific location on the page (e.g., third paragraph) in order to facilitate the Government’s response to each question. Questions shall be submitted in a Microsoft Excel file following a format similar to the table below

Question No. Reference Question Category Question

# Solicitation or Attachments, and Section

Solicitation or Technical Question

Questions and Responses will be provided to the offeror via the Solicitation Module in PIEE. If amendments to the final solicitation are issued, the offeror must acknowledge the amendments by signing the accompanying Standard Form (SF) 30 and returning the signed SF 30 for all amendments issued with the Vendor’s Proposal submission.

Failure to acknowledge all amendments issued by the Government may result in the Proposal submitted in response to the solicitation being found non-responsive by the Government.

Only written amendments to the solicitation issued in accordance with the above procedures are effective to amend the solicitation and bind the Government. Verbal responses to questions shall not bind the Government and shall not alter the solicitation’s terms.

A. PROPOSAL VOLUME REQUIREMENTS

https://piee.ed.mil/

The following are descriptions of the information that shall be provided with the quote.

PROPOSAL VOLUME REQUIREMENTS

Volume Section Page Limit

I

ADMINISTRATIVE VOLUME

Cover letter that includes:

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

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

3) Company/Division Street Address; facility code; SAM UEI number and size standard, Cage Code

4) Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) certification

5) Listing of all subcontractor and their CAGE Code

6) Signed SF1449 (and SF30’s if applicable).

7) Completion of Clauses/Provisions such as FAR 52.204-24, 52.209-

7, 52.212-3 Alt I, 52.219-1 Alt I, 252.204-7007, 252.204-7016, and 252.204-7017.

8) The SF 1449 must be signed by a representative of the Offeror authorized to commit the Offeror to contractual obligations

9) Acknowledgment of receipt of any amendments

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

11) Statement Regarding Terms and Conditions

No Page Limit

II

PASS/FAIL-Clearance & Business Size

1) Secret Facility Clearance Validation Letter from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. The Contractor’s employees, performing work in support of this contract shall have been granted a SECRET security clearance from the DSCA at the time of proposal submission

2) Letters of Commitment from proposed Key Personnel

3) NAICS code – Offeror’s must be registered under NACIS 541219 “Other Accounting Services”

4) Small Business Participation Commitment Document

No Page Limit

III

TECHNICAL VOLUME

1) Technical Approach & Capability

2) Completed Personnel Matrix (Attachment 3)

3) Key Personnel Resumes

4) Commitment Letters

5) Completed Key Personnel Qualification Requirements (Attachment

4)

(1) 20 pages

(2) Matrix Only

(3) No Page Limit

(4) No Page Limit

(5) Attachment 4

Volume Section Page Limit

IV

PAST PERFORMANCE VOLUME

1) Past Performance References (Attachment 7a)

2) Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQ’s)

(1) 9 pages (3 page limit for each reference)

(2) (No Page Limit

V

PRICE VOLUME

1) Completed Pricing Template (Attachment 5)

(1) MS Excel Pricing Matrix

VI

SMALL BUISNIESS PARTICIPATION VOLUME

1) Small Business Participation Commitment Document (Attachment 8)

No Page Limit

A.1 Instructions for Proposal Submissions: 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 ITO and must be submitted in accordance with these instructions. Non-compliance with the instructions provided in the ITO may make the Proposal ineligible or result in an unfavorable Proposal evaluation.

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 Addendum and FAR

52.212-2 Addendum 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.

A.1.4 Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms Each volume shall contain a glossary of all abbreviations and acronyms used with an explanation for each.

Glossaries do not count against the page limitation for their respective volumes.

A.1.5 Page Format Restrictions and Limitations

A.1.6 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 (FPRs).

A.1.7 Labeling The number of pages shown in the table above should be submitted in electronic format. Responses to Administrative, Pass/Fail Criteria, Technical Approach & Capability, Past Performance, and Price shall be in separate electronic folders (files). A cover letter shall be inserted in each folder (file), clearly marked as to the RFQ identification, date of submittal, acknowledgement of any amendments, the Offeror’s name, address, Taxpayer ID number, CAGE code, and the Offeror’s POC name, phone, and email. The cover letter shall not count against any page limitation. Pages that exceed the maximum page length above shall not be evaluated or considered by the Government.

A.1.8 Pages Counted Each page shall be counted except the following:

• past performance questionnaires

• past performance questionnaire point of contact list

• cover pages

• RFQ cross-reference matrix

• teaming arrangements

• letters of commitment

• past performance consent letters

• client authorization letters

• tables of contents

• glossaries

• lists of figures, tables, or drawings

• tabs

• dividers

• blank pages

A.1.9 Indexing Each volume shall contain a detailed table of contents to delineate the sections within that volume. Tab indexing shall be used to identify sections.

A.1.10 Electronic Submission

All offerors shall submit electronic Proposal of each volume for this RFP electronically via the Solicitation Module of PIEE by the offer due date/local time listed in Block 8 of the Standard Form 1449 Solicitation HQ0034-25-R-0009. No phone calls are permitted. No comments, questions or inquiries shall be made of any Government person other than the points of contact listed above.

All emails shall be clearly labeled in the subject line of the email with the RFP Number: HQ0034-25-R-0009:

Company Name, Proposal Submission, Volume number[s].

Subcontractors may submit any fully burdened rates/cost in the pricing template directly to the Government by the specified Proposal due date and time referenced above to GSA ebuy website. Offerors shall provide a listing of all subcontractors under its Proposal in the Administrative Volume I.

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

Offerors may submit multiple e-mails but all e-mails from an Offeror must be received before the closing time for Proposal. When sending electronic files, the Offeror shall account for potential delays in file transfer.

Offerors are encouraged to submit their responses early to avoid potential file transfer delays due to high demand or problems encountered in the course of the submission. All submissions shall be received in their entirety before the due date and time in order to be considered. E-mail transmission to a government address is not instantaneous and delays in transmission often occur. The Government takes no responsibility for any delays in the transmission of an e-mail submission.

Text and graphics portions of the electronic copies shall be in a format readable by Adobe (.PDF) or MS Word 2010. Data submitted in spreadsheet format shall be readable by Adobe (.PDF) or 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 and received via to email by the Proposal due date and time.

A.1.11 Pricing Data/Cost Information Price information shall be addressed in Volume V – Price and the Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) structure listed in the RFQ No. HQ0034-25-R-0009. All labor rates shall be rounded to the nearest dollar. All price information must be submitted in the attached price template, Attachment 4 – Pricing Matrix’.

A.1.12 Cross Referencing & Volume Designation Information required for Proposal evaluation that is not found in its designated volume will be assumed to have been omitted from the Proposal. Each volume, other than the Price volume, shall be written on a stand-alone basis so that its contents may be evaluated without cross-referencing to other volumes of the Proposal.

Exceptions to the above include only teaming arrangements, letters of commitment, socio-economic commitment information and Organizational Conflicts of Interest assertions which must be submitted in Volumes I – IV, but may be cross- referenced in other volumes.

A.1.13 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 include a cover letter signed by an individual authorized to commit the company to the Proposal.

The cover letter shall identify all enclosures being transmitted as part of the offeror response. The letter shall reference the RFQ number (HQ0034-25-R-0009) and acknowledge that it transmits a Proposal in response to the RFQ and amendment(s).

(1) Proposals shall remain valid for a period of not less than 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

(6) Listing of all subcontractors and their CAGE Code, Signed SF1449

(7) Completion of Clauses/Provisions such as FAR 52.204-24.

(8) Acknowledgment of receipt of any amendments

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

(10) The SF 1449 must be executed by a representative of the Offeror authorized to commit the Offeror to contractual obligations.

C. PASS/FAIL Criteria (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) Security Clearance: The Offeror shall submit a letter from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency that demonstrates the Offeror holds an active Secret Facility Clearance as identified on the DD254. The Contractor’s employees, performing work in support of this contract shall have been granted a SECRET security clearance at the time of proposal.

(2) Key Personnel Commitment Letters: The Offeror shall submit Letters of Commitment for all proposed Key Personnel, with the Proposal submission by the Proposal due date established in the latest version of the solicitation. The date of signature on the commitment letters shall be within 10 calendar days of the Proposal due date. If revised offers are requested or required, the letters of commitment shall be updated and signed within 10 calendar days of the due date of the revised offer. Each commitment letter shall affirmatively state: (1) that the key personnel granted permission to the prime contractor to use his/her resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV), and (2) is willing to work for the proposing Offeror on the instant solicitation.

(3) NAICS Code: The Offeror shall submit evidence that their business size standard corresponds to the NAICS code assigned to this contract. This requirement is unrestricted under NAICS code 541219 “Other Accounting Services”. If the government determines that an offeror does not provide services under the NAICS code 541219 on the proposal due date and time, no further evaluation will be performed and the offeror will not be considered for the award.

(4) Small Business Participation Commitment Document: All offerors (both other than small business and small businesses) shall provide the following Small Business Participation Commitment Document (SBPCD) (Attachment 8) requirements to demonstrate how you 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 Section M, Volume IV, Small Business Participation. These SBPCD requirements will be incorporated into any resulting contract(s) as specified below. The Offeror shall provide the following SBPCD requirements and substantiating documentation to demonstrate how they will meet these requirements at the time of solicitation. These SBPCD requirements will be incorporated into any resulting task order(s) as specified below.

1. Prime Offerors Size: 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.

2. Minimum Quantitative Requirement (MQR) – Participation of Small Businesses: The Small Business Concerns (SBCs) (prime offerors and small business contractors) 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. A percentage of zero percent MQR is unacceptable. Binding commitments shall become enforceable, contractual requirements. Use the table/format under section #2 of the proposed SBPCD Attachment.

3. Small Business Participants: 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.

The work to be performed directly by a small business prime offeror shall be evaluated as Small Business Participation. Small Business prime offerors shall include their information in the above requested subparagraphs Volume IV, 1-3, as requested.

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 contractor and government, See PWSsection H-8 section 12 of this solicitation). Changes must be pre-approved by the Contracting Officer.

All supporting documentation is excluded from the page count. Supporting documents will not be incorporated into any resulting contract.

D. FACTOR 1 - TECHNICAL APPROACH AND CAPABILITY (VOLUME III) (20 page limit)

1. Technical Approach and Capability: The Offeror shall submit sufficient information to demonstrate their capability to perform the PWS for the Government to make a comprehensive evaluation of the offeror’s technical approach and capability in meeting the Performance Work Statement requirements listed in attachment #1.

2. Staffing Plan: The Offerors shall provide a staffing approach to meet the Government’s requirements and how the offeror plans 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. The staffing section shall demonstrate how the offeror will ensure personnel coverage during absences (sick and personal leave of employees). The offeror shall provide a rationale that describes the basis for their proposed level-of effort and labor mix in its staffing plan.

3. Personnel Matrix (Attachment 3): The offeror shall complete the attached Personnel Matrix (Attachment 3) by filling out all the required elements listed in the matrix for Volume IV – Technical Approach and Capability.

The Personnel Matrix shall be submitted in Volume IV as a separate excel spreadsheet and not a .pdf nor embedded in the Technical Approach and Capability. Inconsistencies between the staffing matrices may result in the Offeror’s Proposal being ineligible for award.

4. Key Personnel Resumes: Offerors shall provide a resume for each of the proposed Key Personnel identified in

PWS Section 1.6.10. The resume shall demonstrate how the personnel meets or exceeds the personnel requirements listed in Section 1.6.10 of the PWS and the proposed Task Order labor categories. Where the individual has one or more of the preferred skills and experience listed in Section 1.6.10, the resume shall demonstrate how the individual meets the preferred attribute(s). Offerors shall complete Attachment 4 – Key Personnel Qualification.

Resumes shall contain the following information:

• Name of key personnel

• Role the individual will play on the Task Order; e.g. Project Manager,

• Proposed Task Order labor category

• 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 Task Order PWS requirements

(by employer), to include the month and year (for example: OCT 2015 – SEP 2018)

• Work assignments, to include location/organization, start and end dates (include month and year; for example: OCT 2015 – SEP 2018) of each assignment, responsibilities for each assignment, and a brief description of how each assignment relates to the PWS requirements

• Percentage of time available to the Task Order

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.

Note. Resumes for Key Personnel and Personnel Matrix under (Volume III) shall not count against the page limitation.

5. Commitment Letters for Key Personnel Instructions: 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) calendar days 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) calendar days prior to the date and time for receipt of proposal revision.

E. FACTOR 2 - PAST PERFORMANCE (VOLUME IV) – (9 pages limit)

The Government is requesting that the Offeror provide up to three (3) past performance contract references that reflect recent and relevant experience. Recent experience is defined as that performed no more than three years prior to the date of the solicitation. For a project to be considered, its duration must have been at least 12 consecutive months and its value must be at least $10M. Relevant experience is defined as that which is similar in scope, size, and complexity to the work described in the attached Performance Work Statement and contract type. Past performance contract references can come from the Offeror or the subcontractor, as long as they served as the Prime Contractor for the past performance reference. If the Offeror submits recent and relevant projects 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 project, and how the Offeror expects the subcontractor to significantly contribute to the successful performance of the solicited work.

All past performance references shall include contract/delivery order number, contract type, program name, total contract cost, short description of work performed, reasons why the project is considered relevant by the Offeror, names, email addresses. Past Performance contract value references also must be in the range of $10M or higher for the total contract. For those references where a PPQ will be submitted the offeror shall also include a valid telephone number for the person completing the PPQ.

Past Performance contract references must be completed by the Government Representative (Federal, State, and/or Local), Contracting Officer Representative (COR), or the Contracting Officer using the Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQs). PPQs are required for contracts not listed in Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS)

The Offeror shall provide Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQ) to its references and instruct them to email the completed Questionnaires to WHS NCR AD Mailbox ESSD SEC Group: whs.mc-alex.ad.mbx.essd-security-solicitation@mail.mil for evaluation.

Questionnaires must be received via email no later than the date and time specified in Block 8 on page 1 of the solicitation to the specified email addresses above. Questionnaires that are not received by the due date and time may not be evaluated.

F. FACTOR 3 - PRICE (VOLUME V)

The offeror shall map all proposed labor categories to the positions proposed and include this information in Volume V- Price. Proposed personnel must meet all PWS requirements for the PWS-defined position they will fill, and they must also meet all of the criteria contained in the pricelist description of the particular labor category under which they are proposing. Failure to comply with this section will make the proposal non-responsive.

The contract will be awarded as a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract. The offeror shall propose a FFP proposal by submitting Price - Volume V in the attached Pricing MS Excel Matrix – Attachment 4. The price template contains two tabs entitled (1) CLIN Pricing Summary and (2) Pricing Template, which must be completed by the offeror. Failure to complete both tabs may render the proposal unawardable.

The Offeror shall also provide pricing in section B of the solicitation.

Firm-Fixed Price: All offerors should include the labor mix and hours appropriate and necessary for the offeror to complete the required work for each period of performance, as listed in the PWS Technical Exhibit 3.

END OF 52.212-1 ADDENDUM

52.212-2 ADDENDUM

52.212-2 EVALUATION – COMMERCIAL ITEMS (OCT 2014) “ADDENDUM”.

mailto:whs.mc-alex.ad.mbx.essd-security-solicitation@mail.mil mailto:whs.mc-alex.ad.mbx.essd-security-solicitation@mail.mil

1. BASIS FOR CONTRACT AWARD:

Unless all offers are rejected, the Government intends to award a Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) contract to the responsible offeror whose offer, conforming to the solicitation, is determined to be the best overall value, price and other factors considered. The Government may select for award the Offeror whose price is not necessarily the lowest, but whose technical proposal and/or past performance is more advantageous to the Government and warrants the additional cost. Offerors must satisfy the requirements described in the Performance Work Statement (PWS), as well as other Request for Proposal (RFP) requirements.

Proposals will be reviewed, evaluated, and awarded in accordance with the evaluation criteria identified in this document. Proposals that take exception to any requirement, state assumptions or impose requirements not in or contrary to the solicitation or otherwise qualify the proposal will not be considered and will be deemed unacceptable for award.

2. PASS/FAIL CRITERIA (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 must submit a letter from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency that demonstrates the Offeror holds an active Secret Facility Clearance as identified on the DD254. The Contractor’s employees, performing work in support of this contract shall have been granted a SECRET security clearance at the time of proposal.

2) The Offeror shall submit commitment letters for all key personnel shall be submitted with the proposal submission by the proposal due date. All commitment letter shall be signed and dated by the proposed key personnel within 10 days of the proposal due date. The date of signature must accompany the signature in the signed commitment letter. The commitment letter shall affirmatively state: (1) that the key personnel granted permission to the prime contractor to use his/her resume, and (2) is willing to work for the proposing Offeror on the instant solicitation. If revised proposals are required, commitment letters must be updated, signed, and dated within 10 days of the revised due date for submission.

3) The Offeror shall submit evidence that their business size standard corresponds to the NAICS code assigned to this contract. This requirement is unrestricted under NAICS code 541219 “Other Accounting Services”. If the government determines that an offeror is not a business concern under NAICS code 541219 on the proposal due date and time, no further evaluation will be performed and the offeror will not be considered for the award.

4) The Offeror shall submit a Small Business Participation Commitment Document with proposed participation/commitment to the 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 the following to determine if the offeror pass or fail 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 demonstrates a substantive commitment to small business firms specifically identified in the proposal, such as, letters of commitment, joint ventures, mentor/protégé agreements, or other demonstrations of commitment (i.e., binding commitments will be.come enforceable/contractual requirements)

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

4. The extent of participation of small business prime offerors and small business subcontractors -in terms of the value of the total acquisition (total contract value) (i.e., binding commitments will become enforceable/contractual requirements).

Proposals shall be evaluated to determine if the Offeror meets a positive MQR requirement of the total contract value as defined in Section L.E.2. The work to be performed directly by a small business prime offeror will also be evaluated as Small Business Participation. A zero percent MQR of the total contract value will result in an “unacceptable” rating.

5. The extent to which the offeror provides detailed explanations/documentation supporting the proposed quantitative participation.

6. 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).

D. EVALUATION FACTORS:

The award of the FFP contract will be determined by evaluations and ratings under the below Factors. The overall award total proposed price will be based upon Attachment 5 - Pricing Template.

The evaluation of the award will be based on an assessment of the Offeror’s Proposal. Proposal shall be evaluated on the factors listed below. Factor 1 (Technical Approach & Capability), and Factor 2 (Past Performance) are equal, and when combined are significantly more important than Factor 3 (Price); however, Price is still a substantial Factor. As offerors become more equal under Factors 1 and 2, Factor 3 will become more significant in the award decision.

Factor 1 – Technical Approach & Capability Factor 2 – Past Performance Factor 3 – Price

E. FACTOR 1 - TECHNICAL APPROACH & CAPABILITY (VOLUME III)

The Government will evaluate the adequacy of the Offorer’s approach as demonstrated by the proposed technical approach and capabilities. The proposal shall be sufficiently complete to demonstrate how the Offorer will comply with PWS requirements throughout the performance period. The Government will evaluate the Offorer’s technical approach and capabilities for completing and providing the Staffing Plan, Personnel Matrix, and Key Personnel 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 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.

Personnel Matrix: The Government will verify the Offeror’s personnel matrix has listed, for each Key Personnel, the individual’s name, Key Personnel Title, duties/responsibilities, education, year(s) of experience, and certifications. The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s Personnel Matrix to determine if the staffing levels are consistent with the Factor 2 – Price volume (Volume II). The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s Personnel Matrix for any inconsistencies.

Key Personnel: The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s proposed Key Personnel resumes/CV, certificates and degrees, and years of experience to determine the degree to which the qualifications of the proposed personnel will lead to successful performance of the PWS requirements, as well as the degree to which personnel qualifications exceed requirements listed in the PWS.

*NOTE: If an Offeror is determined “unacceptable” under Factor 1 - Technical Approach (Volume II), the Offeror’s proposal will be considered unacceptable overall and shall not be considered for award and will not be evaluated any further.

F. FACTOR 2 - PAST PERFORMANCE

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, as identified as the Prime Contractor. 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.

The Government may also use other information available from other sources to evaluate the Offeror’s past performance, which may include, but not limited to: Past Performance Questionnaire, 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 may include firsthand experience of the evaluators with the Offerors in this evaluation.

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.

G. FACTOR 3 - PRICE (VOLUME VI)

In accordance with FAR 15.404-1 Proposal analysis techniques, the proposal will be evaluated to determine if they are fair and reasonable. The price must be found to be fair and reasonable in order to be eligible for award. The Offeror’s price must be found to be fair and reasonable in order to be eligible for award in accordance with FAR 15.404-1, Proposal Analysis Techniques. Price will not be scored or received an adjectival rating. The Total Evaluated Price (TEP) will include all Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINS), the base period and all options.

For evaluation purposes only, the total evaluated price is the sum of the following for the contract:

(1) The TEP will be calculated using the Government-provided Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet, entitled “Pricing Proposal”. The spreadsheet contains specific instructions for completion. Offers received without the completed spreadsheet may be considered nonconforming and may not be considered for contract award.

(2) The spreadsheet calculates the offered Unit Price by the Estimated Quantity and multiplies it by the Estimated Quantity to produce a subtotal estimated amount for each period of services. The subtotals for the base and all option periods will be totaled. This amount will be the Total Evaluated Price. Evaluation utilizing the Estimated Quantity of courses shall not obligate the Government to call this quantity of courses.

(3) Firm Fixed Price (FFP) CLINs: 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.

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.

H. RATING METHODS

(1) FACTOR 1 - TECHNICAL APPROACH (VOLUME II)

Combined Technical/Risk Rating Method: The combined technical/risk rating includes consideration of risk in conjunction with the strengths, weaknesses, significant weaknesses, 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 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 and/or risk of unsuccessful performance is unacceptable. Proposal is unawardable.

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

Definitions:

• A strength is a significant, outstanding, or exceptional aspect of the proposal that increases the likelihood of successful contract performance.

• A weakness is a flaw in the proposal that decreases the Government’s confidence in the Offeror’s ability to successfully perform the requirements of the contract.

• A significant weakness is a flaw in the proposal that appreciably decreases the Government’s confidence in the Offeror’s ability to successfully perform the requirements of the contract.

• A deficiency is a material failure of a proposal to meet a Government requirement or a combination of significant weaknesses in the proposal that increases the risk of unsuccessful contract performance to an unacceptable level.

(2) FACTOR 2 – PAST PERFORMANCE

For the Task Order and each component’s Task Order, there are three aspects to the past performance evaluation:

recency, relevancy, and quality (including general trends in contractor performance and source of information).

Step 1 – Recency. The first step is to evaluate the recency of the offeror's past performance. Recency is generally expressed as a time period 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 four (4) years of the proposal due date to be considered recent.

Step 2 – Relevance. The second step is to determine how relevant a recent effort accomplished by the offeror is to the effort to be acquired through the source selection. The relevancy rating evaluates the aspects of an offeror's recent history of contract (or subcontract) performance that would provide the most context and give the greatest ability to measure whether the offeror will successfully satisfy the current requirement. There are four levels of relevancy as shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Past Performance Relevancy Rating Method 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 recent and relevant projects 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 project and how the offeror expects the subcontractor to significantly contribute to the successful performance of the solicited work.

Step 3 - Quality of Products or Services. The third aspect of the past performance evaluation is to establish the overall quality of the offeror's past performance (see FAR 15.304(c)(2)). The past performance evaluation conducted in support of a current source selection does not establish, create, or change the existing record and history of the offeror’s past performance on past contracts; rather, 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 regency, 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 Method 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.

(3) FACTOR 3 - PRICE (VOLUME V)

Price will not be scored or received an adjectival rating, but the evaluated price must be found to be fair and reasonable in order to be eligible for award as indicated in Factor 3-Price Proposal.

(End of provision)

(End of Summary of Changes)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DOCUMENT TYPE DESCRIPTION PAGES DATE

ATTACHMENT 1 PWS Revised 28 3 February 2025 ATTACHMENT 4 Key Personnel Qualifications Revised 2 3 February 2025