Request for Proposal - DHS Tactical Communications.doc

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Tactical Communications Equipment and Services Request for Proposals No. HSSS01-11-R-1001 August 8, 2011 Table of Contents

1CHAPTER A – STANDARD FORM 1449

2CHAPTER B – CONTINUATION OF SF 1449

2SECTION A – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2A.1 Type of Contract

2A.2 Contract Term

2A.3 Contract Coverage

4SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

4B.1 General Description

4B.2 Contract Minimums / Maximums

4B.3 Pricing

4B.4.

Published Commercial Catalog Guideline

8SECTION C – TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

8C.1.

General

9C.2.

Requirements

10C.3.

New Equipment and Software Release

10C.4.

OEM Management Requirements

10C.5.

Technology Refreshment Requirements

10C.6.

Warranty Requirements

11C.7.

Reporting Requirements

14C.8.

Customer Support and Technical Assistance Considerations

14C.9.

Testing Considerations

15C.10.

Applicable Standards as Requirements

15C.11.

Schedule

15C.12.

Subcontractors

15C.13.

Proposals

15C.14.

Existing Operations

16C.15.

Lease

16C.16.

Logistics Program

16C.17.

Training

16C.18.

Maintenance

17C.19.

Quality Program

18C.20.

Government Furnished Material (GFM)

19C.21.

Manufacturing Operations/Process Controls

19C.22.

Quality Review

21C.23.

Inspection

21C.24.

Configuration Management

22C.25.

Documentation

22C.26.

Spectrum Compliance

22C.27.

Work Hours

23C.28.

Duration of the Project

23C.29.

Labor Categories

23C.30.

DHS Enterprise Architecture Compliance

24C.31.

DHS Geospatial Information System Compliance

25SECTION D – PACKING, PACKAGING, AND MARKING

25D.1.

Packaging, Packing, and Marking

25D.2.

Environmental Considerations

25D.3.

Equipment Removal

27SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

27E.1.

Clauses Incorporated by Reference

27E.2.

Inspection and Acceptance

27E.3.

Partial Delivery and Acceptance

27E.4.

Hardware and Software Acceptance Testing

28E.5.

Scope of Inspection

28E.6.

Basis of Acceptance

29SECTION F – DELIVERY

29F.1.

Clauses Incorporated by Reference

29F.2.

Delivery Requirements

29F.3.

Delivery Schedules

29F.4.

Delivery/Task Orders Performance Period and Pricing

30F.5.

Place of Performance

30F.6.

Notice to the Government of Delays

30F.7.

Deliverables

31F.8.

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Management Requirements

32F.9.

Reporting Requirements

33F.10.

Applicable Standards as Requirements

34SECTION G - CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

34G.1.

Accounting and Appropriation Data

34G.2.

Authorized Users

34G.3.

Contracting and Administration Authority

36G.4.

Contract Administration Responsibilities

37G.5.

Delivery/Task Order Solicitation

43G.6.

Contractor Representatives

45G.7.

Delivery Orders

45G.8.

Ordering Procedures

45G.9.

Ordering Via Use of Government Wide Purchase Cards

46SECTION H – SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

46H.1.

Minimum Dollar Guarantee and Maximum Contract Limitation

46H.2.

Key Personnel

46H.3.

Substitution of Key Personnel

47H.4.

Improved, or Additional Equipment or Services (Technology Refreshment Included)

47H.5.

Warranty Requirements

50H.6.

Post Award Conference

50H.7.

Status Meetings

51H.8.

Incorporation of Contractor’s Proposal

51H.9.

Delivery Order Contract Ombudsman

52H.10.

Travel

52H.11.

Advertisements, Publicizing Awards, and News Releases

53H.12.

Invoicing Instructions

53H.13.

Government Property, Information, Workspace

54H.14.

Performance-Based Services Contracting (PBSC)

54H.15.

Conversion to a Performance Based Delivery Order

55H.16.

Disclosure of “Official Use Only” Information Safeguards

55H.17.

Disclosure of Information--Official Use Only

55H.18.

Standard of Conduct at Government Installations

55H.19.

Contractor Employees’ Identification

56H.20.

Subcontracting

57H.21.

Incorporation of Subcontracting Plan (Applicable to Unrestricted Business Track)

57H.22.

Notification Requirements Under T&M Contracts

58H.23.

Observance of Legal Holidays and Excused Absence

59H.24 Insurance (HSAR 3052.228-70) (DEC 2003)

59H.25.

Notice of Internet Posting of Awards

59H.26.

Open Season Procedures

60H.27.

Accessibility Requirements (Section 508)

61H.28.

COMPLIANCE with DHS Security Policy

68CHAPTER C, Section I – CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

68Part 1 – FAR Clauses Incorporated By Reference

70Part 2 – FAR Clauses Incorporated in Full Text

77Part 3 – HSAR Clauses Incorporated by Reference

78Part 4 – HSAR Clauses Incorporated In Full Text

81CHAPTER D, Section J – CONTRACT DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS, OR ATTACHMENTS

82CHAPTER E – SOLICITATION PROVISIONS

82Part 1 – Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Items (52.212-1) (JUNE 2008)

87Part 2 – Addendum to Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Items

872.1 Service of Protest (FAR 52.233‑2) (SEP 2006)

872.2 Inquiries

872.3 Disposition of Proposals

882.4 Submission of Offers

882.5 Hand Delivered or Fax Submissions, Modifications, or Withdrawals of Proposals

882.6 Instructions for Proposal Preparation

902.7 Paper Copies

912.8.

Proposal Format and Submission

932.9 Volume 1 – Non Price

962.10 Volume 2 – Price (no page limit)

101Part 3 – Evaluation – Commercial Items

109Part 4 – Offeror Representations and Certifications – Commercial Items

127ATTACHMENTS

128Attachment 1 – Vendor Capabilities Matrix

129Attachment 2 – Acronyms and Abbreviations

136Attachment 3 – Standards

144Attachment 4 – Price Evaluation Matrix

145Attachment 5 – Template for Spend Management Report

146Attachment 6 – Contractor Performance Customer Survey

153Attachment 7 – Subcontracting Plan Format

167Attachment 8 – Proposal Preparation Checklist

CHAPTER A – STANDARD FORM 1449

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS

Offeror to complete blocks 12, 17, 23, 24, & 30

Including Attachments

E-MAIL:

8. OFFER DUE DATE/

LOCAL TIME (EST)

(Dual track – Unrestricted and Small Business Tracks)

( 8(A)

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

(ATTN: DAVID KEENE)

245 MURRAY DRIVE, SW, BLDG T-5

WASHINGTON, DC 20223

FACILITY

TO BE SPECIFIED ON INDIVIDUAL ORDERS

( 17b. CHECK IF REMITTANCE IS DIFFERENT AND PUT SUCH ADDRESS IN OFFER

( SEE ADDENDUM

19.

ITEM NO,

20.

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

21.

QUANTITY

22.

UNIT

23.

UNIT PRICE

24.

AMOUNT

SEE ATTACHED CONTINUATION SHEETS

(Attach Continuation Sheet as Necessary)

(27a. solicitations INCORPORATE by reference FAR 52.212-1, 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-3 AND 52.212-5 ARE ATTACHED.

Addenda are not attached.

(27b. contracts/purchase orders incorporate FAR 52.212-4 & 52.212-5 as tailored and supplemented by Chapters B and C.

addenda are not attached.

28.

AWARD OF CONTRACT: REFERENCE OFFER DATED . YOUR OFFER ON SOLICITATION (BLOCK 5), INCLUDING ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES WHICH ARE SET FORTH HEREIN, IS ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS:

Charles Keeney

CHAPTER B – CONTINUATION OF SF 1449

SECTION A – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

(CONTINUATION OF SF 1449, Block 10) A.1 Type of Contract The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intends to establish a multiple award Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) Contract from this solicitation for commercial items under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items.

The contracts will be available for ordering to DHS and its components. The contracts will also be available for ordering to DHS partner agencies and their subordinate components, including the White House Communications Agency (WHCA), Department of Interior, Department of State, and Department of Justice.

A.2 Contract Term The ordering period of the contracts will be five years. There will be a two-year base period plus three one-year options periods. The total contract performance period shall not exceed six months following the expiration of the contract in accordance with FAR Clause 52.216-22, Indefinite Quantity, incorporated by reference in Chapter C, Part 1.

A.3 Contract Coverage The purpose of this contract is to support the Department of Homeland Security (DHS and its Components) purchase a full array of tactical communications (TacCom) commodity products, infrastructure and services. DHS seeks to establish a multi-vendor approach to implementing fully interoperable solutions to support mission critical, public safety communications. It should be noted that DHS TacCom contractors can have contracts for specific technical categories (TC) as listed below. Contractors may receive contracts in one or multiple technical categories. Contractors can only propose at the delivery order level for those technical categories for which they have been awarded a contract.

· TC1 Subscriber Base – Portable/mobile radios, control/base stations, software, upgrades, etc.

· TC2 Infrastructure - Repeaters, routers, comparator systems, OTAR, etc.

· TC3 Infrastructure Services - Engineering, design, installation, etc.

· TC4 O&M Services - Maintenance, frequency managers, spectrum managers, etc.

· TC5 Test Equipment.

The TacCom products, infrastructure, and services included in the scope of this contract include, but are not limited to, products and services that comply with applicable technical requirements set forth in Section J. Attachment 1. NOTE: At the order-level, RFQs for product will specify which of the specific technical requirements are applicable to each requirement. All commercial offerings available from a vendor that are within the scope of this contract and are made available through their commercial or GSA catalog, including both existing and new technologies as they become available, may be purchased through this contract.

TacCom orders may include ancillary service in addition to items of supply.

Small Business Set Aside: This is dual track procurement with all technical categories being procured unrestricted. In addition, for the services technical categories (TC3 and TC4) there is a small business track wherein small businesses will be considered independent of large business proposals. The NAICS Codes for each technical category is as follows:

TC 1 Subscriber Base (Equipment) NAICS code: 334220 TC 2 Infrastructure (Equipment) NAICS code: 334220 TC 3 Infrastructure Services (Services) NAICS code: 541330 Within Small Business Track - Dollar Threshold of $4.5 million TC 4 O&M Services (Services) NAICS code: 541330 Within Small Business Track - Dollar Threshold of $4.5 million TC5 Test Equipment (Equipment) NAICS code: 334515 Use of the term “Delivery Order” in this document is not intended to express a limitation on the ordering of services provided under this contract, whether or not ordered in unison with supplies.

(End of Chapter B, Section A)

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

(CONTINUATION OF SF 1449, BLOCK 20)

B.1 General Description The contractor shall supply the tactical communications equipment or services as described in Section C, of this Chapter, Technical Requirements.

B.2 Contract Minimums / Maximums (a) The Government intends to award multiple IDIQ contracts. The minimum guaranteed amount for each contract award will be $250 which will satisfy the entire 5-year ordering period. Orders beyond the minimum will be determined by user needs.

(b) The specific products and quantities will be identified on each Delivery Order issued under the IDIQ. The exercise of an option does not re-establish the contract minimum.

(c) The total value of all Delivery Orders under all contracts awarded under this solicitation, including orders issued over the five year ordering period and minimum guaranteed amounts, shall not exceed $3,000,000,000.

B.3 Pricing Delivery Orders will be issued on a fixed price, time and materials, or cost reimbursement basis. Equipment shall be fixed price, ancillary services will be time and materials and travel costs associated with services shall be reimbursed at actual cost.

The contractor shall express it’s pricing as a percentage discount off of GSA schedule and/or commercial catalog pricing. Using GSA schedule pricing as the baseline is highly preferred over commercial catalog pricing. Pricing may be expressed as two or more percentages to ensure complete coverage of discounts across the contractor’s full product catalog including options and accessories. Percentages base-lined against GSA pricing must cite the specific schedule on which the pricing is published. In addition, Contractors’ may also propose additional incentives, such as quantity or volume discounts.

B.4.

Published Commercial Catalog Guideline The Contractor’s published commercial catalog shall, at a minimum, contain the manufacturer’s name, part number, model number, technical specification, standard commercial warranty information, commercial list price, GSA schedule price (if applicable), and DHS price for all TacCom commodities offered under the contract. However, offered products may include tactical communications items of any kind consistent with the DHS Enterprise Architecture. The Contractor’s catalog shall also include all available options and accessories. The Contractor shall provide its published commercial catalog in electronic format available to DHS customers.

Prices for all products and services shall be based on the published GSA contract price (preferred), or commercial catalog price, as adjusted by any Contractor discount.

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

Two Year Base Period

1st Option Year

2nd Option Year

3rd Option Year

(End of Chapter B, Section B)

SECTION C – TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

(CONTINUATION OF SF 1449, BLOCK 20)

C.1.

General C.1.1.

Objective In support of its mission and strategic goals, DHS requires commercial TacCom commodity solutions for a wide variety of applications throughout the Department and its Components. This acquisition will establish multiple IDIQ contracts to support legacy systems, as well as, providing access to updated technology and interoperable solutions for tactical communications. DHS plans to establish a suite of IDIQ contracts to enable the Department to access, as they occur, technological advances and new business practices that may increase productivity, efficiency, and/or reduce costs while leveraging DHS’ Department-wide buying power to obtain the lowest available prices for all products and related services on catalogs offered by the Contractor. This Statement of Work (SOW) defines the comprehensive technical categories for TacCom. Specific requirements will be further identified and defined at the delivery order level.

C.1.2.

Scope The Contractor shall provide DHS with access to a wide and renewable variety of TacCom commodity products (hardware and software) from multiple Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and related services as made available from published Government or commercial and GSA catalogs. As defined in individual delivery orders, TacCom equipment/solutions/capabilities will support DHS on a worldwide basis. The Contractors shall furnish the necessary equipment, supplies, personnel, materials, travel, and other services required to satisfy the ordered TacCom requirements. While the SOW identifies the technical categories, the suite of resulting contracts is intended to satisfy the full range of TacCom related requirements. With the pace of change it is impossible to anticipate how TacCom requirements and individual programs will evolve over the life of the contracts. It is intended that the TacCom contract remains current and continues to provide the full range of TacCom equipment/capabilities/solutions and emerging technologies throughout its life. The scope of each individual IDIQ contract will be based upon the technical category for which the Contractor proposed and is selected with specific requirements to be set forth in the delivery orders.

C.1.3.

Contract and Delivery Order Management Contract and Order management is a mandatory element for all orders placed under the TacCom contract. The objective of contract and order management is to provide the program management, project control and contract administration necessary to manage a high volume, multiple contract type order process for a large, diversified team so that the cost, schedule and quality requirements of each order are tracked, communicated to the Government, and ultimately attained. The use of commercially available automated tools and the application of expertise on processes and metrics that support task order management are encouraged to achieve the above objectives. The objective of the tools is to provide quicker access, improved accuracy, and enhanced accessibility for Contractors/clients, real-time monitoring of status/deliverables, tracking the quality of work products and gauging overall customer satisfaction.

C.2.

Requirements This section describes DHS’s technical and management requirements and consideration that must be accommodated by the Contractor’s in the development of potential solutions. These items relate directly to the TacCom Program Objectives listed in Paragraph C.1.1.

C.2.1.

Technical Categories (TC) The Contractor shall furnish the full range of equipment, solutions and services necessary to meet requirements of this contract and individual orders as related to the technical categories as summarized below. Full descriptions are provided in Section J, Attachment 1. All equipment and services must meet DHS policies, standards, and procedures as identified in individual orders.

C.2.1.1.

Technical Category 1 – Subscriber Base The Contractor shall provide tactical communications equipment to include, but not limited to, multiple variations of the items as specified in Attachment 1, Tabs 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2.

C.2.1.2.

Technical Category 2 – Infrastructure The Contractor shall provide infrastructure equipment to include, but not limited to, multiple variations of the items as specified in Attachment 1, Tab 2.0.

C.2.1.3.

Technical Category 3 – Infrastructure Services The Contractor shall provide infrastructure services to include, but not limited to, the operational areas as specified in Attachment 1, Tabs 3.0 and 3.1.

C.2.1.4 Technical Category 4 – O&M Services The Contractor shall provide any and all operations and maintenance (O&M) solutions, processes, and procedures necessary to sustain systems within the DHS Enterprise at the highest levels of service and availability consistent with cost, schedule, and performance objectives. These solutions may be required across the DHS Infrastructure, to include, but not limited to, the operational areas as specified in Attachment 1, Tabs 4.0 and 4.1.

C.2.1.5.

Technical Category 5 – Test Equipment The Contractor shall provide testing and monitoring equipment and instruments for tactical communications equipment and systems to include, but not limited to, multiple variations of the items as specified in Attachment 1, Tab 5.0.

C.3.

New Equipment and Software Release The Contractor shall provide only new OEM equipment under this contract unless refurbished items are authorized at the Order-level by the Government. For software products, the Contractor shall provide only the latest commercially available version under this contract unless otherwise expressly approved, in writing, by the Government. The Contractor will assist the Government in obtaining the software technical support (updates, patches, bug-fixes, etc) for all products purchased under this contract.

C.4.

OEM Management Requirements The prime Contractor shall be responsible for the management of their OEMs, suppliers and subcontractors during the term of the contract. Attributes of such responsibility are expected to involve the assessment, selection, coordination, and management of the OEMs, suppliers, and subcontractors who provide the products included in the proposed catalog.

C.5.

Technology Refreshment Requirements The Contractor shall be responsible for introducing new equipment (both hardware and software) to their catalog as soon as it is commercially available from the OEM(s).

C.6.

Warranty Requirements The Contractors shall provide the standard commercial warranties for all products under this contract. Product warranties shall include a product return policy. Any OEM warranties associated with products delivered under this contract shall be available directly to DHS. Extended warranties may be required by DHS as specified in individual delivery orders.

C.7.

Reporting Requirements DHS requires reporting and data as detailed below. DHS holds non-exclusive, fully paid rights to hold, use, distribute, transfer such data, and to modify such data for its use. DHS’ rights are perpetual in duration and worldwide in scope. The Contractor shall provide DHS with electronic copies of all such data upon its request if the data is not otherwise available in the aggregate to DHS as a matter of course.

C.7.1.

Spend Management Report The Strategic Sourcing Program Office (SSPO) of DHS tracks actual spend and savings on all Department-wide vehicles. In order to be more efficient in this reporting, SSPO has developed reporting standards for all new Department-wide vehicles. This report shall be submitted quarterly to the contracting officer and SSPO (email: sspo@dhs.gov) by the 15th calendar day of the month, following the quarter in which the actions took place utilizing the template provided in Section J, Attachment 5, Template for Spend Management Report. Listed below are the reporting fields.

1. Reporting Period (quarter, and year)

2. Contract Number

3. Order Number

4. Order Date

5. Component (DHS Component)

6. DHS Program Office POC Phone Number

7. Period of Performance Start (date delivery/task started)

8. Period of Performance End (date delivery/task ended or is scheduled to end)

9. SKU# (if applicable)

10. Product/Service Description

11. Item Quantity

12. Commercial Unit Price

13. Commercial Extended Price

14. GSA Unit Price (if available through GSA Schedule)

15. GSA Extended Price

16. DHS Unit Price

17. DHS Extended Price (total amount billed for the delivery order or entire task during the reporting period)

18. Savings to DHS for the Period (the total dollar value of discounts provided to DHS) compared to GSA price (preferred) or commercial price

19. Savings Methodology Baseline (what is the savings based off of (i.e., discount off list price, discount off GSA Schedule (preferred), etc))

20. Savings % C.7.2.

Problem Resolution Report The Contractor shall provide to the COTR a problem resolution report regarding the status and/or resolution of delivery and/or performance issues, product deficiency, warranty repair service, etc. on a monthly basis with the following information. The report is due by the 15th calendar day of each month with activity of the previous month.

1. Date of problem/issue occurred

2. Requestor’s name, organization name, and telephone number

3. Description of problem/issue

4. Course of action taken

5. Date of resolution completed C.7.3.

Warranty Report The Contractor shall provide current and accurate warranty information by specific product or delivery order upon the request of the Government. Order number and serial number shall be included in the request.

C.7.4.

Performance Measurement Report The Contractor shall submit a performance measurement report that elaborates on the Contractor’s performance of the contract as gauged by its achievement of the offered performance measurements and metrics. This report will vary by each Contractor depending on its performance measurements and metrics proposed in the technical proposal. The performance measurement shall be conducted annually for the period ending June 30th of each year. A narrative report including supporting documents and/or data to substantiate the goal accomplishments and the outcomes shall be submitted to the COTR and the contracting officer for review and acceptance by July 31st of each year. The report should address deviations from planned performance to include an explanation of the cause, corrective action(s) implemented, and an assessment of the results.

C.7.5.

Subcontracting Plan Reports

(a) Large Businesses shall submit periodic reports which show compliance with their TacCom subcontracting plan. The Contractor shall submit its report via the electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS) in accordance with the instructions on the website. The Contractor shall ensure that their Subcontractors agree to submit its report via the eSRS when applicable. The Individual Subcontracting Report (ISR) and the Summary Subcontracting Report (SSR) are available online at http://www.esrs.gov.

(b) The work of the small businesses identified in the Subcontracting Plan shall be tracked against the Prime’s proposed goals.

C.7.5.1 Individual Subcontracting Report (ISR)

(a) The Contractor shall submit the Individual Subcontracting Report (ISR) electronically via the eSRS within thirty (30) calendar days after the close of each calendar period as follows: (1) April 30th, for the period October 1st, through March 31st; and (2) October 30th, for the period April 1st, through September 30th. Each semi-annual ISR reflects cumulative task order subcontracting accomplishments from the inception of the contract through the relevant ISR reporting period.

(b) One (1) ISR is required at the contract level for all subcontract awards accomplished, (which is a roll-up of all task order awards) and submitted to the TacCom CO via eSRS for review and acceptance. When failure to meet the goals of the small business subcontracting plan as stated in Section H.19 (e), Subcontracting, of the contract, the Contractor shall state in the report (either remarks field or separate letter) what good faith effort has been made to meet the goals; and/or future plan on how to improve small business opportunities for future task orders.

(c) No separate ISR submission at the task order level is required via eSRS. However, when the DO CO determines that the subcontracting status report is necessary to TacCom measure the extent of compliance by the Contractor, the Contractor shall manually submit periodic subcontracting status reports (DD-294) to the DO CO based on mutual agreement by both parties.

C.7.5.2 Summary Subcontract Report (SSR) The Contractor shall submit the SSR electronically via the eSRS. The report is due October 30th for the calendar period October 1 through September 30. The SSR shall be submitted to the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) to Kyle.Groome@dhs.gov.

C.7.6.

Annual Small Business 50% Report (Applicable to Small Business Track) For firms submitting offers on the general small business set-aside portions of the small business track of TacCom:

The Contractor shall annually report on its compliance in accordance with FAR 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting. In order to ensure that the required percentage of costs under TacCom small business set-aside delivery orders is performed by the prime Contractor, each small business track prime Contractor must demonstrate annually that it has performed the required percentage to that date. FAR 52.219-14 requires that, for total small business set-asides, “at least 50% of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the [Offeror]” (rather than subcontracted labor). Small business prime contractors under TacCom shall report annually, on the anniversary of contract award, the total cost of labor on all work performed under set-aside DOs during the 12-month reporting period, and the total subcontracted labor cost during the same period. Thus, for set-aside DOs, the combined total of all set-aside DOs issued during each 12-month period must reflect that the prime Contractor has performed at least 50% of costs incurred for personnel using its own employees.

C.7.7.

Re-representation of Small Business Size Status Report All TacCom-SB awardees are required to re-represent small business size status according to the following schedule.

C.8.

Customer Support and Technical Assistance Considerations DHS has substantial TacCom infrastructure support services available through other sources, e.g., organic capability, and component-specific operation and maintenance contracts. The Contractors shall consider the availability of these services in development of their solutions. DHS may require technical assistance that supplements the existing DHS organic capabilities. Individual requirements for technical assistance, which may include installation and integration of ordered equipment, will be specified in individual delivery orders issued under the base contract.

C.9.

Testing Considerations DHS may require the Contractors to provide equipment for testing and evaluation purposes. The terms and conditions for providing equipment for testing purposes will be addressed in individual delivery orders. DHS may also require that Contractors successfully pass testing, such as interoperability, compatibility, and performance testing, prior to placing orders with the Contractor.

C.10.

Applicable Standards as Requirements The Contractor’s offered equipment and software shall conform to all applicable standards identified in Section J, Attachments 1 and 3. If those standards are revised, the Contractor shall examine furnished items to validate continued compliance with the revised standard. In the event provided items do not comply, Contractor shall determine what actions are needed to modify the item to achieve compliance and, prior to incurring any costs, submit to the contracting officer a Request for Equitable Adjustment (REA) for modification of delivered items.

C.11.

Schedule The Contractor shall develop and maintain a program master schedule for all projects awarded to them under the DHS TacCom Equipment and Services contract. Each Order shall be considered as a separate project. The schedule, in Contractor format, will show, as a minimum the dates for major project milestones such as equipment deliveries, tests, completion, etc. A copy of the master schedule will be delivered to the DHS TacCom Equipment and Services Management Office by the 10th of each month. Delivery will be by electronic media.

C.12.

Subcontractors The Contractor shall be responsible to manage all subcontractor work to ensure compliance with requirements of the Order, quality of product delivered and the meeting of schedules.

C.13.

Proposals DHS TacCom Equipment and Services Contractors will respond to customer orders with a detailed proposal describing the work effort, projected schedule, and price. The proposal will be submitted within a time frame defined in the order.

C.14.

Existing Operations Existing operations and services at customer sites shall be accommodated during the performance of any on-site activity and shall not be disrupted without coordination with and concurrence of the customer. The Contractor shall coordinate all site activity with the Government who will arrange for clearance and access to the sites and facilities.

C.15.

Lease The Contractor shall offer and provide equipment lease financing when individual Delivery Orders issued under this base contract require it. Delivery and return of the equipment shall be addressed in the lease terms set forth in individual Delivery Orders.

C.16.

Logistics Program The Contractor shall provide logistics support for products available under this contract. Logistics support shall include, but not be limited to, training, spare parts, test measurement diagnostics equipment, tools, manuals and other documentation, initial site development support and follow-on site support. Logistics support requirements for each Delivery Order will be described in the customer requirements. The Contractor shall address initial training, spares and documentation requirements as part of its response to the customer requirements.

C.17.

Training Training courses shall be in accordance with best commercial practices. The Contractor shall provide training to Government personnel, local nationals and third party contractors if they are employed by the U.S. Government in the operations and management of the system affected by the Delivery Order. Training will be the Contractor’s standard commercial offerings. An annual catalog listing all pertinent courses, both resident and non-resident, will be provided to the Government for access by Federal agencies. (Note: The Contractors’ annual commercial course offerings catalog is the preferred media.) Training dates and locations will be coordinated and specified at the time a Delivery Order is issued.

C.18.

Maintenance C. 18.1.

Initial Site Support The Contractor shall provide all replacement parts and repairs to the system from delivery or start of installation of the equipment/system through testing until acceptance by the Government. Initial site support includes, but is not limited to, repair of equipment, remote diagnostics, on-site assistance (routine or emergency), documentation updates and software support.

C. 18.2.

Follow-on Support The Contractor will provide maintenance services as defined in an annual Order. The initial maintenance order will be described in the basic Order as supplementary to warranty. Maintenance will be in accordance with the Contractor’s commercial practices as reviewed and approved by the Government.

C. 18.3.

Warranty The Contractor shall offer the standard commercial warranty for all OEM products and services delivered under this contract unless a greater period of time or condition is specified in the individual Delivery Order. Warranties offered by vendors who are subcontractors will be extended to the Government with the same terms as offered by the subcontractor as a minimum. The prime Contractor will be the responsible agent to exercise all warranties. Contractors may offer extended warranties for Government consideration. In all cases, the Contractor will notify the Government of all warranties as part of the proposal. If changes occur after the Delivery Order award, the Contractor will notify the Government of any warranties applicable to new equipment introduced.

C. 18.4.

Start of Warranty Period The warranty period for a system shall start at the time of Government acceptance of a fully operational system. This includes the start of warranty for all items of equipment shipped on a system delivery order. The warranty period for equipment shipped as part of an equipment-only Delivery Order shall start upon signed receipt of the equipment at destination. The Contractor is advised that there are many types of personnel (Government, third party Contractor, or local national) responsible for operation and maintenance of a system at a Government site. Operation and Maintenance by non-Government personnel shall not void, or in any way affect, the manufacturer’s warranties for the systems, products and services provided under this contract.

C.19.

Quality Program C. 19.1 Quality Assurance System The Contractor shall implement and maintain a system to ensure product integrity that meets or exceeds the commonly accepted practices employed by industry both in national and international environments.

C. 19.2 Product Integrity The Contractor shall establish/maintain an approach to ensure the product integrity satisfies contract or order requirements.

C. 19.3.

Initial Quality Planning The Contractor, during the earliest practical phase of the contract, shall conduct a complete review of the contractual requirements to identify all test and inspection resources necessary for assuring product integrity.

C. 19.4.

Document Control The Contractor shall ensure that the latest revisions of drawings, specifications, work instructions, inspection/test instructions, and other documents required to satisfy the contract are utilized in production, inspection, and test.

C. 19.5.

Records The Contractor shall maintain records of all inspections and tests to demonstrate that the quality approach satisfies contractual requirements.

C. 19.6.

Control of Purchases The Contractor shall ensure that all supplies and services conform to contractual requirements. The Contractor shall require that their subcontractors control the quality of their services and supplies.

C.20.

Government Furnished Material (GFM) For all GFM received under this contract the Contractor shall be responsible for conducting all necessary examinations, inspections, maintenance, and tests. The Contractor shall be responsible for reporting all inspection results, maintenance actions, losses, and damage to the Government.

C.20.1.

Materials Control The Contractor shall maintain controls over all materials and products throughout the manufacturing process. These controls shall enable the identification of materials that have passed inspection from those that have not. The Contractor shall maintain records identifying the status and final destination of all materials/products.

C. 20.2.

Nonconforming Material The Contractor shall establish and maintain an approach for controlling material that does not satisfy contractual requirements, including procedures for its identification, segregation, and disposition (rework/repair, scrap, etc.).

C. 20.3.

Corrective Action The Contractor shall promptly act to correct nonconforming materials and processes to preclude the recurrence of the problem and to satisfy contractual requirements.

C.21.

Manufacturing Operations/Process Controls The Contractor’s quality approach shall be responsible for assuring/monitoring that all manufacturing operations/processes are accomplished under controlled conditions. Controlled conditions include documented work instructions (including workmanship), production equipment, special work environments, inspections/test operations, work specifications, and approval/rejection criteria.

C.21.1.

Inspection and Testing The quality approach shall assure that all inspections and tests required to satisfy contractual requirements are conducted.

C. 21.2.

Measuring, Testing, and Inspection Equipment The Contractor shall provide and maintain gauges (including production tooling used for inspection purposes) and other measuring and testing equipment to assure that products conform to contractual requirements. These devices shall be calibrated against certified measurement standards that are traceable back to national/international standards.

C. 21.3.

Inspection and Test Status The Contractor shall maintain a system for the identification of the inspection and test status of all products throughout the manufacturing cycle.

C.22.

Quality Review The Contractor shall assure effectiveness of quality (e.g. internal quality audits, Statistical Process Control, and related measures).

C.22.1.

Training Requirements The Contractor shall identify/provide for the training needs of their personnel performing quality functions.

C. 22.2.

Statistical Quality Control and Analysis The Contractor’s quality approach shall establish/utilize statistical methods whenever appropriate to satisfy the contract or order requirements.

C. 22.3.

Continuous Process Improvement The Contractor shall monitor the effectiveness of their quality system and continually improve quality processes.

C. 22.4.

Handling, Storage, Preservation, Packaging, and Shipping The Contractor shall establish/maintain procedures for handling, storage, preservation, packaging, and shipping to protect the quality of products and prevent damage, loss, deterioration, degradation or substitution of products.

C. 22.5.

Testing The Contractor shall conduct tests of equipment, system components, software, firmware, and complete systems to demonstrate the product ability to satisfy requirements of the Delivery Order. All testing will be IAW Contractor developed plans and procedures. All discrepancies will be corrected and re-tested to demonstrate conformance to test plan parameters. The results of all testing will be documented in reports.

C.22.5.1.

In-Plant Systems built under this contract will be tested and certified for operational conformance to the Delivery Order at the Contractor’s facility or other site as specified in the order prior to shipment to the customer’s location. The test will be conducted by the Contractor with the Government having the option to participate and/or witness the test. The in-plant test will be conducted in accordance with a Contractor-prepared, Government-approved written test plan. The results will be documented in a written test report submitted to the COTR. All test deficiencies will be corrected and retested by the Contractor prior to the system being shipped to the customer.

C. 22.5.2.

On-Site When specified in the order, the Contractor will conduct an operational on-site test of the system to validate its conformance to the delivery or task order. The on-site test will measure system performance in all criteria of the Delivery Order. The test will include the Government as participants and/or witnesses at the Government’s option. The test will be conducted in accordance with a Contractor-prepared, Government-approved test plan. The test results will be documented in a test report and submitted to the COTR with all deficiencies clearly noted. Deficiencies will be corrected and retested prior to Government acceptance of the system.

C. 22.5.3.

Burn-in Test When specified in the order, the customer will operate the system in a fully functional capacity for a period of 30 consecutive calendar days. The start date will be mutually agreed upon by the Contractor and the customer. During this test, the system must meet the following performance conditions.

1. No failure causes total system downtime.

2. No loss of ability for any user or talk group to communicate over the system.

3. Successful demonstration of meeting the coverage requirements defined in the delivery or task order.

Any discrepancies will be corrected and re-inspected to demonstrate conformance to specified parameters. The results of all inspections will be documented in reports and submitted to the COTR.

C.23.

Inspection An acceptance inspection will be performed by the contractor to demonstrate that supplies and services provided meet the requirements of the delivery order. All inspections will be IAW Contractor developed plans and procedures. All discrepancies will be corrected and re-inspected to demonstrate conformance to specified parameters. The results of all inspections will be documented in reports and submitted to the COTR.

C.24.

Configuration Management The Contractor must have a documented and functioning CM program that covers all aspects of the contracted effort. The program must address how the Contractor controls project documentation, to include proposals, specs/sows, drawings, etc. in addition to the hardware/software to be installed. The requiring activity will specify how “Baselines” are established and maintained at the order level.

C.25.

Documentation DHS TacCom program documentation will be identified in individual delivery or task orders. Types of documents that may be requested are:

C.25.1.

Commercial Literature This consists of commercial technical manuals, training materials, maintenance manuals, etc. Documents are available from OEM’s and will be provided with each delivery of products or services as appropriate.

C. 25.2.

Special Documentation This consists of reports and documents requested by customers with individual or specific requirements. Documents will be in the Contractor’s format and will be tailored to the specific customer’s project. Special documents include but are not limited to: system description, system designs, engineer drawings, site development reports, installation reports, project execution plans, site survey reports, test and inspection reports, memorandums of technical understanding (MOTU), etc. The contents of special documents will be described in individual orders along with requirements for the media to be used, frequency of submission and/or the need for draft versions. Information in these documents shall be considered as unrestricted. The occurrence of proprietary information, if necessary, must be clearly marked and is subject to negotiation.

C.26.

Spectrum Compliance The Contractor shall assist the customer in preparing DD-1494/J/F-12 registration requirements for all applicable equipment, when required by the customer and defined in the order.

C.27.

Work Hours C.27.1.

Normal Business Hours When on-site performance is required, the Contractor is expected to perform during the normal business day at the customer site. Normal business day is nine continuous hours including a lunch period. The hours of normal work will be identified in each order. If not specifically identified, normal work hours shall be considered to be from 0800 to 1700 local time. A normal business week is five consecutive days, Monday thru Friday. Exception: Contractors may be supporting communications equipment in the field for routine maintenance as well as response to disasters, both natural and manmade. Therefore, the technician may be required to provide extended support and other duties as assigned for special events and disasters and may be needed in austere environments for extended periods of time.

C. 27.2.

Holidays

(a) The Contractor is not required to perform during recognized federal holidays. In addition, the Contractor may be exempted from performance during unique local holidays as identified in the order.

(b) In the event a holiday falls during a project effort, the Government will not pay for travel of Contractor personnel to and from the work area.

C. 27.3.

Priority Service Priority service will be performed when required as specified in the individual order. Priority service is work effort outside the defined normal business hours. Exception: The Contractor may elect, at his discretion, to perform during priority hours. In such cases, the Government will not be billed for priority service hours. Further, the Contractor will coordinate with the customer site manager for access to Government facilities during priority service hours.

C.28.

Duration of the Project The Contractor will ensure presence, on-site, of a working crew adequate to perform required tasks for the duration of a project as required and specified in individual orders.

C.29.

Labor Categories During the life-cycle of the contract, the Government may have a need to complete tasks such as infrastructure services, and operation & maintenance services, which require utilization of the labor categories identified in Section J, Attachment 4. When such requirements arise, the Government will forward an order and request a proposal utilizing these labor categories.

C.30.

DHS Enterprise Architecture Compliance

All solutions and services shall meet DHS Enterprise Architecture policies, standards, and procedures. Specifically, the contractor shall comply with the following Homeland Security Enterprise Architecture (HLS EA) requirements:

· All developed solutions and requirements shall be compliant with the HLS EA.

· All IT hardware or software shall be compliant with the HLS EA Technical Reference Model (TRM) Standards and Products Profile.

· All data assets, information exchanges and data standards, whether adopted or developed, shall be submitted to the DHS Enterprise Data Management Office (EDMO) for review and insertion into the DHS Data…