USC-10 Pre-Proposal Conf Slides and notes_final.pdf

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Universal Services Contract (USC) - 10 Pre-Proposal Conference

(with conference notes)

Will Henderson Procuring Contracting Officer

TCAQ-IP

6 February 2024

AGENDA

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USC-10 Pre-Proposal Conference

TopicTime

Sign-In / Registration0830

Welcome / Facility info 0900

Request for Proposal (RFP) Overview0930

Break 1030

RFP Overview 1045

Proposal Submission & Evaluation1130

Questions & Closing Comments 1230

[End]1300

INTRODUCTIONS

• TCAQ

• Mr. Nick Weiss, Chief Sealift Services Division

• Ms. Lisa Cahill, Deputy Chief Sealift Services Division

• Mr. William Henderson, Procuring Contracting Officer

• Mr. Miguel Colunga-Huerta, Contract Specialist

• Ms. Emily Vosse, Contract Specialist

• Ms. Suzanne Mudd-Yarber, Director of Small Business Programs

• SDDC

• Mr. Jeffrey Olenick, Chief Movement Support Division

• Ms. Jamie Hagemeyer, Functional Service Manager

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ADMIN / FACILITY INFO

• Welcome

• Facility Rules (No Outside Food / Beverages)

• Restrooms

• Emergency Exits

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GROUND RULES

• Conference DOs

• Improve understanding of Government’s requirement

• Opportunity to review RFP portions

• Proposal submission overview

• Conference DON’Ts

• Discuss changes to Terms & Conditions, Performance Work Statement (PWS), Attachments

• Discuss the RFP (no sidebar conversations) with Government Personnel outside of TCAQ

• Questions

• Questions regarding the Government’s requirement (PWS, attachments, etc.) shall be submitted in writing using the Q&A Matrix

• Deadline: 9 February 2024

• Q&As will subsequently be posted on SAM.gov (https://www.sam.gov)

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REQUIREMENT OVERVIEW

• USC enables the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) to fulfill its mission by providing international commercial ocean and intermodal distribution services in support of the Defense Transportation System (DTS)

• Primary contracting tool for moving DTS cargo when movement by ocean is required

• Vessel owning or controlling carriers

• Regularly scheduled commercial liner service

• Port-to-Port, Port-to-Door, Door-to-Port and Door-to-Door service

• Mission Partners: COCOMS, Military Services, Defense Commissary Agency (DECA), Army and Air Force Exchange Service

(AAFES), Navy Exchange Command (NEXCOM), Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), General Services Administration (GSA), and Military Postal Service (MPSA)

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REQUIREMENT OVERVIEW (CONT.)

• Contemplated Award

• Contract Type

• Multiple-Award, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract

• Fixed-Price with Economic Price Adjustment (EPA)

• FAR Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Services, and FAR Part 15, Contracting by Negotiation

• Period of Performance

• One 1-year base period (1 September 2024 – 31 August 2025)

• Four 1-year option periods (1 September 2025 – 31 August 2029)

• Final Contract Expiration Date: 28 Feb 2030 (with optional 6-month extension)

• Limiting competition to vessel owning or controlling carriers

• Qualifying Offerors are those whose proposals are compliant with the solicitation’s terms and conditions, are determined acceptable in every evaluation factor/subfactor, have proposed fair and reasonable prices, and have been determined responsible in accordance with FAR Part 9.104-1

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

• USC-10 Solicitation Includes

• SF1449

• Exhibit 1 Additional USC-10 Information

• Exhibit 2 PWS

• Exigency Annex

• Attachment 1 – EDI Reporting

• Attachment 2 – Operational Reports

• Attachment 3 – Rate Rules

• Attachment 4 – City Groupings

• Attachment 5 – Route Information

• Attachment 6 – Invoicing and Payment

• Attachment 7 – Economic Price Adjustment

• Attachment 8 – Shipments of DLA Prime Vendor Cargo

• Attachment 9 – NIST SP.800-171 POAM Template

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• Attachment 10 – Yubikey Request Form Template

• Attachment 11 – Acronyms and Definitions

• Attachment 12 – Trade Zones

• Attachment 13 – Domestic Shipyard Report Template

• Attachment 14 – Container Pool Template

• Attachment 15 – DD254 Form

• Exhibit 3 – Ordering Procedures

• Exhibit 4 – Wage Determination

• Exhibit 5 – VISA Scope

• Volume I Worksheet – Business Proposal

• Volume II Worksheet – Technical

• Volume III Worksheet – Small Business Utilization

• Volume IV – Price Proposal (no worksheet)

RFP OVERVIEW – PROPOSAL ORGANIZATION

• Offerors’ Proposals Shall Consist of 4 Separate Volumes

• Volume I – Business Proposal

• Volume II – Technical Capability

• Volume III – Small Business Utilization Factor

• Volume IV – Price (Rates) for Base Period Only

• Volumes I Through III

• Must complete provided Proposal Worksheets

• Worksheets are locked with exception to the text fields, which require Offerors’ completion (text entry or dropdown selections)

• Once completed, convert respective volumes into PDF documents

• Volume IV – Price (Rates)

• There is no worksheet associated with this volume

• Instead, rates shall be submitted electronically in the Carrier Analysis Rate Evaluation Service Application (CARE SA)

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RFP OVERVIEW – VOLUME I (BUSINESS PROPOSAL)

• Volume I: Business Proposal Worksheet

• Sections 1-4 request Offeror (Carrier) specific information

• Section 5 – Access to Published Commercial Tariffs

• Section 6 – Standard Form 1449

• Signature required

• Section 7 – Standard Form 30, Amendments

• Signature required

• Section 8 – Representations, Certifications, and other Statements of Offerors (“Reps & Certs”)

• SAM.gov is the repository for “Reps and Certs”

• Additional provisions within the worksheet

• Section 9 – Organizational and Consultant Conflict of Interest

• Actual or perceived OCI will require a mitigation plan

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Volume I: Business Proposal o Must include a list of individual(s) who are authorized to sign the proposal, solicitation amendments, “Reps & Certs”, and resultant contract o Section 5 – If applicable, Offerors are required to provide website, username, and password for effective commercial tariffs o Ensure Standard Form (SF) 1449 and all SF30s (solicitation amendments) are signed – either digital signature or ink o “Reps and Certs” can be submitted electronically via the System for Award Management

(SAM) at https://www.sam.gov or completed within the RFP package and returned as part of the proposal Volume I. The Government recommends submitting via SAM.

RFP OVERVIEW – VOLUME I (BUSINESS CONT’D)

• Volume I: Business Proposal Worksheet (cont’d)

• Section 10 – Small Business Subcontracting Plan

• Four types of subcontracting plans

• Applicable to Other Than Small Business Concerns only (Certified under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code

483111 as a Large Business)

• Compliant with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Clause 52.219-9(d)(1) – (15)

• Zero is not a goal! Project goals in all Small Business categories

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TCAQ Director of Small Business Programs o Large Businesses are required to submit a Small Business (SB) Subcontracting plan o Four types of SB subcontracting plans

Individual (most common) Commercial (2nd most common) – If an Offeror has an approved Commercial

Subcontracting Plan (not expired), submit the approved plan instead of creating a new plan

Marketing DoD comprehensive plan (submitted to DoD for approval)

RFP OVERVIEW – VOLUME I (BUSINESS CONT’D)

• Volume I: Business Proposal Worksheet (cont’d)

• Section 10 – Small Business Subcontracting Plan

• Commercial Subcontracting Plan

• If the Offeror has an approved Fiscal Year (FY) 24 Commercial Subcontracting Plan, do not create a new subcontracting plan

• The product or service being provided under the Commercial Subcontracting Plan must meet the definition of a commercial product or service

• Our internal process for compliance review is not duplicated for an approved Commercial Subcontracting Plan

• Submit a Summary Subcontract Report (SSR) in Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS) for the reporting period ending 30

September

• Always provide the Government a new Commercial Subcontracting Plan 30 days prior to the end of the company’s FY for compliance review

• Individual Subcontracting Plan

• Only submit once; Individual Subcontracting Plan is applicable for the entire period of performance

• Include goals for all Base and Option Years (OY)

• Opportunity to change projected goals during the OYs

• Submit Individual Subcontract Report for reporting period ending 31 March and 30 September. Submit SSR annually to DoD for reporting period ending 30 September

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TCAQ Director of Small Business Programs o Must submit Summary Subcontracting Report (FAR 52.219-9(d)) o Commercial Subcontracting Plan - Includes Government and Individual o Individual Subcontracting Plan - Specific to this requirement and covers the entire Period of Performance (PoP) o Question: Is there a way for a SB to get their name out to be utilized as a subcontractor?

Small Business Director Response: The Small Business Office can assist with networking between Large and Small Businesses. For questions, contact transcom.scott.tcaq.mbx.sb@mail.mil.

RFP OVERVIEW – VOLUME I (BUSINESS CONT’D)

• Volume I: Business Proposal Worksheet (cont’d)

• Section 11 – DD Form 254, DoD Contract Security Classification Specification

• PWS is unclassified, but designated contractor personnel may be required to access classified information up to the SECRET level; classified areas, or transport classified military equipment or materials

• Not a requirement for contract award

• Only for Offerors with anticipated interest in moving sensitive/classified cargo or accessing classified information under this contract

• If Offeror has a valid Facility Security Clearance (FCL) and would like to pursue a final/certified DD Form 254, complete blocks 6a, b, and c

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Attachment 15 – DD254 Form o DD254 - Not required for contract award if the Offeror does not intend to move classified cargo or attend classified meetings o DD254 - Must be completed in accordance with the worksheet instructions and submitted with the proposal if the Offeror intends on moving classified cargo and/or attend classified briefings o FCL - Must be active at contract award to move classified cargo and/or attend classified meetings. An FCL may take 2-3 months to obtain.

o If FCL not active at contract award, it is possible for an awardee to pursue a DD254 if an FCL is obtained after award o Question: Is a new DD254 required if the company already has one under a different contract (e.g., USC-9)?

Contracting Officer Response: Yes, submit a NEW DD254 form for USC-10 in accordance with the worksheet.

DD254s are contract specific. Therefore, a DD254 from the current USC-9 contract cannot be utilized for USC-10.

RFP OVERVIEW – VOLUME II (TECHNICAL PROPOSAL)

• Volume II: Technical Capability Worksheet

• Subfactor 1, Vessel Profile

• Must provide a profile for one (1) ocean-going vessel; prompts within the worksheet for required information

• Must sign certifying vessel ownership or control (sign “pen-and-ink” or after converting worksheet to Adobe.pdf)

• Subfactor 2, Domestic Shipyard (DSY) information (Jones Act Carriers)

• Applies to Jones Act carriers only

• Use Attachment 13, DSY template

• Subfactor 3, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

• EDI interface requirements

• Submit copy of Trading Partner Agreement (TPA)

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Volume II: Technical Capability o Vessel profile is only required for ONE vessel, regardless of how many vessels in fleet

A barge is considered a vessel and requires a vessel profile. A tug is not considered a vessel; therefore, a vessel profile is not required for the tug.

All documents must be signed by an authorized signatory (listed in Volume 1) o Domestic Shipyard

Only applies to Jones Act carriers (use Attachment 13) o EDI

Submit questions in writing prior to submitting proposal o Question: Volume II, Technical Proposal, Subfactor 1: Vessel Profile - Do Offerors need to distinguish between geared and nongeared vessels?

Government Response: No, that does not need to be distinguished.

o Question: Volume II, Technical Proposal, Subfactor 1 - Should Offerors provide nominal or actual TEUs?

Government Response: Offerors should provide actual TEUs.

RFP OVERVIEW – VOLUME III (SB UTILIZATION)

• Volume III: Small Business (SB) Utilization Worksheet

• Worksheet is separate from the Subcontracting Plan

• Small Business Utilization is required from all Offerors, both small and large

• Section I – approach to soliciting Tier 1 subcontractors

• Section II – approach to commitment to Tier 1 subcontractors

• Section III – approach to maintaining capacity

• Section IV – approach to ensure highest quality performance, to include potential corrective actions, penalties, or incentives

Suzanne Mudd-Yarber

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Volume III: Small Business (SB) Utilization o TCAQ’s Small Business Director advised Offerors to submit any questions in writing to the

Contracting Officer o SBs do not have to submit a SB Subcontracting Plan, but a SB Utilization Document is required for both SBs and Large Businesses o The Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) provides the mechanism for the Government to measure businesses o Question: Regarding Volume III, SB Utilization: It appears the Government is asking how Offerors are vetting subcontractors. Is that the case?

Government Response: That is not the case. The Government evaluates a company’s approach to utilizing SBs and recognizes there are certain areas where it’s not possible to subcontract SBs. Furthermore, this only applies to domestic subcontracting currently.

o Comment: In some areas of the world, SB subcontractors are not an option. Our first criteria is finding a responsible company regardless of size.

Small Business Director Response: Offerors should document how they are trying to find a small business.

Government Response: This document is looking at the Offeror’s overall business approach for utilizing SBs, not for a specific requirement. The Government understands some movements/locations will not utilize small business. The Government is looking at an Offeror’s overall company approach.

o Question: SB applies only to US entities?

Small Business Director Response: The Small Business Administration (SBA) is only concerned with domestic subcontracting. SBA is exploring ways to encompass SB requirements internationally, but currently SBA only looks at domestic opportunities.

RFP OVERVIEW – VOLUME IV (PRICE PROPOSAL)

• Volume IV: Price Proposal

• Volume IV is the ONLY volume not submitted via email

• There is no worksheet associated with this volume

• Pricing for Base Period only; option period pricing will be competitively solicited / negotiated prior to exercising each option period

• Offerors must submit rates electronically via CARE SA

• CARE SA will remain open until the Proposal Due Date of 1100 CT, 20 February 2024

• See instructions for existing and new users (see SF1449 page 29)

• Issues with CARE SA: Contact Jamie Hagemeyer @ Jamie.C.Hagemeyer.civ@army.mil

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Volume IV: Price Proposal o ONLY submitted via CARE SA, not via email o Pricing is only for the Base Period: 1 Sep 2024 - 31 Aug 2025

Pricing for option periods will be solicitated / negotiated prior to exercising each option period o CARE SA is open and will remain open until 20 Feb 2024 (unless RFP is extended) o All questions, other than issues accessing CARE SA, pertaining to the RFP must be directed to the TCAQ Contracting Officer and other TCAQ POCs as identified in the RFP o Question: Does the Government anticipate an extension?

Government Response: It is highly likely there will be an extension.

o Question: Will there be multiple iterations of pricing evaluation?

o Contracting Officer Response: There will be multiple iterations. Fair and reasonableness may be determined based on a comparison to prices submitted by the competition, current market conditions, comparison to the Government estimate, or any other price analysis technique identified in FAR 15.404-1(b)(2).

o Comment: RFP recommends submitting proposals one (1) working day prior to deadline.

This date is a federal holiday.

Contracting Officer Response: The USTRANSCOM firewall may delay receipt of proposals. The proposals are due by 11am CST on 20 Feb 2024, but feel free to submit early as recommended.

Contracting Officer Response: There will be an extension granted, which extensions are typically based on questions received. If the Q&As directly affect the Offeror’s ability to price the requirement, there may be an extension.

o Question: What if the Offeror has issues accessing CARE SA?

Government Response: There are requirements for system access which are started in the RFP. If issues are encountered, contact Jamie Hagemeyer at Jamie.c.hagemeyer.civ@army.mil.

RFP OVERVIEW – VOLUME IV (PRICE PROPOSAL)

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“USC-10B”

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION OVERVIEW

• Proposal Submission, Vol I – III

• Completed Volume I-III worksheets must be submitted via email

• Each Volume shall be labeled accordingly (e.g., “Volume I – Business Proposal”)

• The email subject shall read, “USC-10 RFP HTC71124RW002, [Contractor Name], Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104.

• If the email exceeds 20MB, the volumes shall be sent in separate emails. Offerors shall split proposal files across multiple emails due to file size, in which case offers shall numerically label emails stating the sequential number of the individual email and the total number of emails for the submission in each message (e.g., “1 of 2”; “2 of 2”).

• Proposal Submission, Vol IV

• Proposed rates must be submitted via IBS CARE SA

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PROPOSAL SUBMISSION OVERVIEW

• Proposal Submission, Vol I – IV

• Deadline for Proposal Submission is 20 February 2024 at 11:00 am CST

• Offerors must submit the proposal via email to EACH of the following TCAQ POCs:

• William Henderson, Contracting Officer (CO), william.r.henderson12.civ@mail.mil

• Miguel Colunga-Huerta, Contract Specialist, miguel.a.colunga-huerta.civ@mail.mil

• Denise Dillon, Contract Specialist, denise.m.dillon9.civ@mail.mil

• Emily Vosse, Contract Specialist, emily.j.vosse.civ@mail.mil

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Proposal Submission, Vol I-III:

o When submitting proposal electronically via email, ask for confirmation of receipt. If no confirmation is received, contact the TCAQ POCs listed on the slide.

EVALUATION FACTORS

• Evaluation Factors for Award

• Factor 1: Business Proposal

• Factor 2: Technical Capability

• Subfactor 1: Vessel Profile

• Subfactor 2: Domestic Shipyard Information

• Subfactor 3: EDI Capability

• Factor 3: Small Business Utilization

• Factor 4: Price

• All evaluation factors and subfactors (except Price) will be rated as acceptable or unacceptable. Offerors will be eligible for an award if their pricing is determined fair and reasonable on at least one lane. Any factor or subfactor rated as unacceptable will render the entire proposal unacceptable, and therefore, not awardable.

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Factor 4 - Price Evaluation:

o Price evaluation will include 3 iterations. First iteration may take ~2-3 weeks.

o Discussions will be held with each Offeror in the competitive range o Fair and reasonableness may be determined based on comparison to prices submitted by the competition, current market conditions, comparison to the Government estimate, or any other price analysis technique identified in FAR 15.404-1(b)(2) o When the Government marks a rate as “High,” it means, based on the information the Government has, the rate is expected to be reduced during the next iteration o Offerors remaining within the competitive range upon conclusion of discussions will be afforded an opportunity to submit a final proposal revision (FPR), also referred to as iteration 3 o Plan to award contract by 15 Jul 2024 (tentatively) to begin booking cargo with a sail date of 1 Sep 2024 or after

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

• RFP Questions and Answers (Q&As)

• TCAQ received first set of RFP questions

• Round 1 captures Q&As received prior to this conference which were posted to SAM.gov, on 2 February 2024, via RFP Amendment

• Summary of Round 1 Q&As

• Most Q&As did not require a change to the RFP

• Documents revised and included as attachments within Amendment 0001

• Amend 0001_VOL I Worksheet (Business Proposal)

• Amend 0001_VOL I SB Subcontracting Plan Template

• Amend 0001_16_USC10_PWS Atch 13-Domestic Shipyard Rpt

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For RFP, Amendment 0001, and all future Amendments:

o When downloading files posted on https://www.sam.gov, Offerors need to use Adobe

Acrobat (e.g., not Google Chrome) o Attachments will show on the left-hand side once the .pdf is opened from the user’s desktop/file source

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

• Q&As Round 2

• Request Offerors submit Q&As asked during conference in writing using the RFP Q&A Matrix

• Question deadline is 12:00 PM CT, 9 February 2024

• Round 2 Q&As will be subsequently posted on SAM.gov via RFP amendment after the 9 February 2024 submission deadline

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Q&A:

o Question: The Question and Answers have a 9 Feb 2024 deadline. Will the Government accept questions after the 9th?

Contracting Officer Response: Round 2 of questions closes 9 Feb 2024. The

Government will consider questions submitted after the deadline, but there is no guarantee the questions will be answered.

o Question: If there’s a follow-on question to a Q&A posted, will be it be accepted?

Contracting Officer Response: Yes, the follow-on question will be considered.

o Question: Will the attendees list be posted?

Contracting Officer Response: Yes, this will be posted along with the slides and conference notes.

MILESTONE SCHEDULE

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Note: All dates are tentative and subject to change

Milestones DateEvent

20-Feb-24 Receive Proposals & Closing of CARE SA (Iteration 1 of 3)

13-Mar-24Open CARE SA (Iteration 2 of 3)

29-Mar-24Complete Discussions

5-Apr-2024 Request Final Proposal Revisions & Open CARE SA (Iteration 3 of 3 for Final Rate Adjustments)

12-Apr-2024 Receive Final Proposal Revisions & Close CARE SA (Iteration 3 of 3)

15-Jul-24Award Contract

1-Sep-24Performance Start

Milestones:

o Milestones were presented as stated above. They are tentative and subject to change.

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Closing Remarks – Sealift Division Chief:

o Thanked Offerors for attending o Offerors expressed a desire for a proposal submission deadline extension. A poll of the audience revealed most attendees preferred a proposal submission deadline on a Friday vs a Monday.

o Proposal submission deadline extension(s) are based on Q&As submitted o Offerors can expect an amendment to extend the proposal submission deadline to 23

Feb 2024

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