Attachment 2 Additional Instructions for Preparation of Proposals.doc

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF PROPOSALS

Each offeror's proposal submitted in response to this solicitation shall be prepared in two volumes: Volume I - Business Management Information - Cost/Price Proposal and Volume II - Technical/Technical Management Proposal. Each of the parts shall be separate and complete in itself so that evaluation of one may be accomplished independently from evaluation of the other. The proposals shall be submitted both in hard copy and electronic media (3.5" floppy disk or CD-ROM) using Word 97 or higher for text submissions and Excel 97 or higher for spreadsheet submissions.

Proposals must be prepared in accordance with these instructions and provide all required information in the format specified. The required format is designed to ensure submission of information essential to the understanding and comprehensive evaluation of the offeror's proposal. There is no intent to limit the contents of proposals: the instructions permit inclusion of any additional data or information an offeror deems pertinent.

Failure of a proposal to comply with these instructions may be grounds for exclusion of the proposal from further consideration.

A.

Volume I - Business Management Information - Cost/Price Proposal

The Business Management Information - Cost/Price Proposal shall be submitted in an original and 3 copies.

Section 1 - Signed Proposal

The Standard Form 1449, Solicitation/Contract/Order for Commercial Items, (SF 1449) is being used for this solicitation. This form is used by the Government as a Request for Proposal and upon submission by the offeror it becomes the offeror's proposal. As such, it is an "offer" which can be unilaterally accepted by the Contracting Officer and awarded on said SF 1449. The Contractor's offer and the Government's acceptance form the contract. Therefore, the following points must be strictly adhered to by the offeror in submitting the proposal:

(a) Three (3) originally executed copies of Standard Form 1449 (with Blocks 17a, 17b, 30A, 30B and 30C completed).

(b) The SF 1449 must be executed by a representative of the offeror authorized to commit the offeror to contractual obligations. The authority to sign a proposal, but not an offer, subject to unilateral acceptance and award, is not sufficient authorization to sign the SF 1449.

(c) UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES MAKE ALTERATIONS OR CHANGES TO THE SF 1449 OR THE RELATED PAGES, WHICH ARE A PART OF THE ENCLOSED REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL AND PROPOSAL PACKET. Offerors are to complete those parts that require items such as prices, place of performance, etc., when such items are called for in the enclosed request for proposal. A place is provided to insert such information.

Section 2 - Exceptions

Any exceptions taken with respect to the clauses in the solicitation shall be noted. For the purpose of facilitating discussions, for every instance where the offeror does not propose to comply with or agree to a requirement, the offeror shall propose an alternative and describe its’ reasoning therefore.

Section 3 - Financial Capability

The offeror shall provide the following data for itself and for any subcontractors for which the total value of the subcontract is greater than $550,000:

(a) Provide a copy of annual financial statements including CPA certified balance sheet, profit/loss statement and statement of retained earnings covering each of the offeror's last three annual accounting periods, including the most recent partial period, if currently available.

(b) Specify the financial capacity, working capital and other financial resources available to perform the contract.

(c) Specify whether or not the organization's accounting system has been approved by a Government agency; if so, state the name and location of the cognizant audit agency, the name and telephone number of the cognizant auditor, and the types of Government contracts for which the accounting system has been approved.

Section 4 - Cost or Pricing Data

Offerors are not required to submit certified cost or pricing data. The items to be acquired are commercial and full and open competition is expected, both of which will be used to determine prices fair and reasonable. Prices will be compared on a Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) and/or total basis. However, Offerors may be requested to provide additional information in the event costs appear over-stated or under-stated.

The following format has been provided for the presentation of the Contractor’s Cost Proposal. The contractor shall fill in the appropriate areas with their best price for each category.

BASE PERIOD of CONTRACT AWARD

Part 61.63 Type Rating Training $______________per slot

Part 61.157 Type Rating Training $______________per slot

Part 61.58 Pilot-in-Command Proficiency Check Training $______________per slot

Maintenance Check Pilot Training $______________per slot

Contractor Travel $_10,000_______

FIRST OPTION YEAR of CONTRACT

$______________per slot

Part 61.157 Type Rating Training $______________per slot

Part 61.58 Pilot-in-Command Proficiency Check Training $______________per slot

Maintenance Check Pilot Training $______________per slot

SECOND OPTION YEAR of CONTRACT

$______________per slot

Part 61.157 Type Rating Training $______________per slot

Part 61.58 Pilot-in-Command Proficiency Check Training $______________per slot

Maintenance Check Pilot Training $______________per slot

THIRD OPTION YEAR of CONTRACT

$______________per slot

Part 61.157 Type Rating Training $______________per slot

Part 61.58 Pilot-in-Command Proficiency Check Training $______________per slot

Maintenance Check Pilot Training $______________per slot

FOURTH OPTION YEAR of CONTRACT

$______________per slot

Part 61.157 Type Rating Training $______________per slot

Part 61.58 Pilot-in-Command Proficiency Check Training $______________per slot

Maintenance Check Pilot Training $______________per slot

Contractor Travel $_10,000_______

B.

Volume II - Technical Proposal

The Technical Proposal shall be submitted in an original and 3 of copies. This volume must not contain any reference to cost; however, resource information (such as data concerning labor hours and categories, materials, subcontracts, etc.) must be contained in the technical proposal so that the Contractor's understanding of the requirements may be evaluated.

The Technical Proposal shall be prepared in such a manner as to enable the Government reviewers to make a thorough evaluation and arrive at a sound determination of whether the proposal meets all technical requirements of the solicitation. To this end, the Technical Proposal should be sufficiently specific, detailed, and complete as to clearly and fully demonstrate that the offeror has a thorough understanding of the requirements set forth in the solicitation. Proposals which merely offer to perform in accordance with the Government's requirements or which merely paraphrase the requirements document, or use phrases such as, "standard engineering practices will be employed," or "well established techniques will be employed," etc. may be considered non-compliant and ineligible for award. The Contractor must submit an explanation of its proposed technical approach in conjunction with the tasks to be performed in achieving the project objectives.

This volume shall consist of the sections described below.

Section 1 - Transmittal Letter

A letter that formally transmits the proposal and states in general terms how the offeror meets the solicitation requirements.

Section 2 - Executive Summary and Table of Contents

In this section, the offer will be summarized, highlighting salient features of the proposal, including a description of the offeror's approach and plans to satisfy and support requirements of this solicitation.

Any technical and schedule risks should also be detailed. The summary should indicate the offeror's complete acceptance of the technical requirements or specify any exceptions.

A clear table of contents with page numbers referenced should be included.

Section 3 - Technical Approach

The technical approach should be in as much detail as the offeror considers necessary to fully explain the proposed technical approach or method and must demonstrate a clear and concise presentation that includes, but is not limited to, the requirement of the technical proposal instructions. The Technical Proposal should reflect a clear understanding of the nature of the work being undertaken. The technical approach should discuss any perceived areas of risk and risk management. If subcontractors are to be utilized, the offeror shall submit the same information pertaining to the subcontractors.

The offeror should state all assumptions, exceptions, and deviations at the end of this section. For every instance where the offeror does not propose to comply with or agree to a requirement, the offeror shall propose an alternative and describe its’ reasoning therefore.

For requirements that describe a mandatory feature, the response may consist of a reference to the offeror's technical literature. Any technical literature used as a reference must be furnished as an attachment to the proposal. If the reference contains the required technical detail, it is not necessary to restate such detail in the proposal itself. All references must clearly identify the volume, page and line number of the referenced material. For requirements that describe an optional feature or function, the offeror must provide a response on how this optional requirement is to be satisfied.

Elaborate brochures, binders and the like are neither required nor desired. Legibility, clarity and completeness are important. The submission of brochures or flyers alone without an accompanying explanation specific to this proposal is not acceptable.

The offeror's technical approach shall address the following:

Technical proposals submitted in response to this RFP must be prepared and tabbed in the format described below. Failure to do so may result in the rejection of the proposal as non-compliant.

1. Use of FAA Qualified Level C or D AW139 Flight Simulator Offerors shall adequately address the ability to conduct the required training in a Federal Aviation Administration Qualified Level C or D AW139 Simulator. Offerors shall submit copies of their FAA Certificates, Statements of Qualification or other FAA permission/authorities to include but not to:

· Part 142 Training Center Certificate(s)

· Statements of Qualification for the AW139 Level C or D Simulator

· Other FAA permissions/authorities as appropriate for AW139 training

2.

Technical Approach

Offerors shall provide a description of their technical approach to performing the requirements of the solicitation. This description shall include a discussion of required practical exercises in all technical subjects and the equipment required to conduct the practical exercises; that minimum standards have been established for the completion of all courses and that pilot training is conducted in accordance with the Federal Aviation Regulations (Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations Part 61 and 142).

3.

Training

Offerors shall provide copies of any and all training materials and course critique being used for all courses of AW139 instruction including but not limited to:

· Syllabi

· Lesson Plans

· Hand Outs

· Audio/Visual Presentations

· Course Critique Forms

4.

Organization/Staffing

Offerors shall describe the personnel resources and staffing mix that will be employed for this project and demonstrate how these resources will meet solicitation requirements. Offerors shall demonstrate their capability to meet the Government's requirements by providing position descriptions and qualifications of their personnel intended for this project.

The "key personnel" for this solicitation is:

Contractor Point of Contact

The “key facility” for this solicitation is:

Contractor Training Facility

Offerors shall submit a short, narrated video tour of the offeror’s AW139 training facilities to include, but not limited to:

· External view of building(s)

· Parking areas

· Foyer/Reception area

· Internet Access Work Stations

· Classrooms

· Simulator

· Preflight/Post Flight Briefing/Debriefing Rooms

· Audio/Visual Equipment

The video shall be 5 – 10 minutes in duration in .wmv format and may be homemade.

Offerors shall also discuss their scheduling practices for all classes identified in the Statement of Work.

5.

Subcontracting Plan

Offerors shall submit a completed Small Business Subcontracting Plan in accordance with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Small Business Subcontracting Plan Outline provided as Attachment 4 to the solicitation.

6.

Current/Past Performance

Current/Past Performance Information shall be submitted with the proposal response unless otherwise stated. Offerors must include information sufficient to identify and describe their current and previous experience in industry or government (Federal, State, or local) in similar projects, such that the following criteria can be evaluated.

- Quality of product or service

- Timelines of performance

- Customer satisfaction

- Business practices

The offeror shall identify all contracts or subcontracts performed in the last three (3) years, which required work in comparable areas (similar size and scope) to those described herein up to a total of three. The list should be in chronological order, beginning with the most recent project and continuing backwards. Projects shall be identified with the name(s) of individuals who worked on them. Identify each contract by type, age, and dollar amount. Provide the following information for each contract:

(1) Project or contract title (2) Contract number (3) Contract type (4) Date of contract award, period of performance, and place of performance (5) Total contract value (including options) (6) Contracting agency or firm, with address, facsimile and telephone numbers (7) Address, facsimile number and telephone number of the contracting officer and contracting officer's technical representative (8) List of major subcontractors on the project ($500,000 or more) (9) List of major problems/corrective action, if any (10) Quality certifications/award (Identify appropriate office receiving award) (11) If this is a subcontract, please provide the name of the prime contractor and the name of the contract administrator with address, telephone, and facsimile numbers

Offerors shall also have three previous customers complete the Past Performance Questionnaire included as Attachment 5 to the solicitation. The questionnaires shall be submitted directly to the Contracting Officer by email (Joquita.pitt@dhs.gov) not later than March 4, 2009.

The Government may use Past Performance information obtained from other than the sources identified by the offeror. Information will be used for both the responsibility determination and best value determination. All references provided by the offeror may not be contacted by the Government.

6.

Subcontracts and Consulting Arrangements

The offeror's proposal shall identify all subcontracts/consultant arrangements proposed. Specifically, the following information shall be provided to the Contracting Officer.

a.

Company name of each subcontractor, or the individual name in the case of independent consultants;

b.

Scope of work to be performed by each subcontractor/consultant.

Section 4 - Offeror's Addendum

This section is provided for submission of any additional information not included elsewhere but considered to be pertinent to the proposal.