Instructions to Offerors - Section L- M.pdf

A. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION (Section L)

ADDENDUM TO FAR CLAUSE 52-212-1 – INSTRUCTIONS TO

OFFERORS – COMMERCIAL ITEMS

1. Replace paragraph (b) entitled “Submission of offers” with the following instructions:

Submission of Offers. Offeror shall submit a signed and dated offer at or before the exact time specified in this solicitation. Failure to provide all required documents or information may exclude the offeror from further consideration. An electronic copy will be accepted at the address identified below. Only a signed offer submitted on SF1449 will be accepted. An emailed proposal will only be accepted to the addresses below:

.civ@army.mil .civ@army.mil

a. This is an electronic solicitation release. No hard copies will be mailed. Amendments to the solicitation will be posted.

b. All inquiries during the solicitation phase should be directed to the Contract Specialist at .civ@army.mil and courtesy copy (cc :) the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) at .civ@army.mil . Offeror is requested to review the solicitation and submit only written questions and/or comments with email subject line reference: Ref: Solicitation Number, Questions and/or Comments Laundry/Dry-Cleaning Services. All questions must be submitted no later than five days after the issuance of this solicitation, to allow a reasonable time for the Government to respond. All questions submitted after that date and time may not be answered.

General Instructions. These instructions are designed to provide general guidance for preparing proposals as well as providing specific instructions on proposal organization, format, and content.

Offeror should include all documents and information requested and should be submitted in accordance with the instructions. The Offeror is cautioned to follow the instructions carefully, as the Government reserves the right to make an award based on initial proposals received without discussion. However, the government reserves the right to conduct discussions if the Contracting Officer later determines them to be necessary.

mailto:.civ@army.mil mailto:.civ@army.mil mailto:.civ@army.mil mailto:.civ@army.mil

a. If an offeror believes that the requirements in these instructions contain an error, an ambiguity, omission, or are otherwise unsound, the offeror shall immediately notify the PCO in writing with supporting rationale.

b. The proposal must be presented in a manner that clearly addresses the requirements, as set forth in the PWS. Proposals that are overly verbose or include marketing material may distract from the evaluators’ ability to ascertain compliance with the solicitation.

Proposal Preparation Instructions. Offeror’s proposal will consist of three (3) separate volumes: General, Technical Proposal, and Price.

Proposal Format. All pages of the offer must be appropriately numbered and identified with Solicitation Number: in the header and/or footer of each page. If RFP page limits are exceeded, the pages more than the limit will be removed and not evaluated. Font shall be Arial, 12pt or larger, charts and tables may be no less than 10pt font.

Page limitations are indicated in the chart below:

Volume Title Format Number of Copies Maximum Page Limit

Volume I General MS Word 1 Electronic Copy None Volume II Technical Proposal MS Word 1 Electronic Copy 40 pages

Volume III Price: Completed

Schedule B and all Supportive Data

MS Excel 1 Unlocked Electronic Copy

None

Proposal Limitation: Proposals shall not exceed the limits stated in the table above. If the page limits are exceeded, the pages more than the limit shall be removed and will not be considered for evaluations. The Government will not accept any changes to the Offeror’s proposal after the closing date of the solicitation.

Page Limit Includes: All appendices, charts, graphs, diagrams, tables, photographs, drawings, etc. unless specifically excluded in the proposal instructions.

Page Limit Does Not Include: Title Page, Table of Contents, lists of tables and drawings and/or Cross Reference Matrix’s, covers for Volumes, Tabs, Glossary of Terms/Abbreviations and Acronyms, Indices, section dividers and/or job qualifications. Cross references should be utilized to preclude unnecessary duplication of data between sections

What Counts as a Page? A page shall be an 8 ½ X 11” sheet of paper. Fold-outs/spreadsheets will be counted as the appropriate number of pages based on an 8 ½ X 11” sheet of paper, for example an 11 x 17” fold-out will count as two pages (8 ½ x 11” times 2. Use at least 1-inch margins on the top and bottom and 3/4-inch side margins. The Offeror shall number each page to eliminate any confusion. In in the event Offeror creates an ambiguity in their numbering of pages, the Government may exercise its own discretion in counting pages. Pages that exceed the required page limitations will be removed, or redacted in their entirety, and will not be evaluated by the Government.

Electronic Copies.

a. Sound or video (e.g. MPEG) files shall not be embedded into the proposal files.

Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms. Each volume will contain a glossary of all abbreviations and acronyms used, with an explanation for each. No pricing information is to be presented in any part of the proposal outside of Volume III.

Change Pages After Initial Proposal Submission. If the Government opens discussions and requests the offeror to submit proposal revisions, during or after discussions, any changes from the original proposal will have changed information clearly marked by a vertical line in the right margin of the page identifying the changed content. The date of the revision and revision number will be reflected on each changed page (preferably on, or next to, the vertical change line). Make spreadsheet revisions obvious by highlighting cells that changed. Page limitations may also be placed on responses to Evaluation Notice (ENs). The Government will identify specified page limits for ENs responses in the letters forwarding the ENs to the offeror.

Proposal Content. All information shall be confined to the appropriate file. The offeror shall confine submissions to essential matters, sufficient to define the proposal in a concise manner, to permit a complete and accurate evaluation of each proposal. Each file of the proposal shall consist of a Table of Contents, Summary Section, and the Narrative discussion. The Summary Section shall contain a brief abstract of the file. Proprietary information should be clearly marked. Proposal volumes shall include:

Volume I, General:

General. The contractor shall submit the following documents in sequential order:

a. SF1449. The offeror must use the SF1449 to submit an offer. The offeror must include all applicable information and must submit a signed and dated SF1449.

b. Acknowledgement of Solicitation Amendments. The offeror must submit a statement to acknowledge solicitation amendments, if applicable.

c. Representations and Certifications. The offeror must complete and submit the required representations and certifications.

d. Executive Summary: Provide an executive summary that introduces the contractor team and proposal submission, to include a list of team members and subcontractors and the task areas they are designated to provide support; identification of the proposal’s point of contact (the personnel authorized to negotiate on behalf of their company), e-mail address, and phone number; a list of the proposal package contents.

e. Exceptions or Assumptions. The contractor shall provide identification and explanation of any exceptions or deviations.

Additionally, identify any assumptions used in preparing the proposal, if applicable. If there are no exceptions/assumptions, the contractor shall state such.

f. Contact Information. The contractor shall provide point of contact information for all contract communications.

Volume II, Technical Proposal: The Technical Proposal shall consist of the offeror’s response to meet the requirements outlined in the Performance Work Statement (PWS) as described below. Offeror should assume that the Government has no prior knowledge of their experience and will base its evaluation on the information presented in the offeror's proposal. Each section shall be separately tabbed and shall address the following areas:

TAB A – Table of Contents

TAB B – Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms

TAB C – List of Table and Drawings and/or Cross Reference if

Applicable

TAB D – Exceptions/Assumptions.

The contractor shall provide identification and explanation of any exceptions or deviations. Additionally, identify any assumptions used in preparing the proposal, if applicable. If there are no exceptions/assumptions, the contractor shall state as such.

TAB E - Technical.

Offeror’s proposal shall be clear, concise and include sufficient detail for effective evaluation and for substantiating the validity of stated claims. Elaborate brochures or documentation, binding, detailed artwork, or other embellishments are unnecessary and not desired.

Legibility, clarity and coherence are very important. The volume shall not simply rephrase or restate the Government’s requirements; the volume shall provide convincing rationale to address how the Offeror intends to meet the Government’s requirement. Statements such as “the Offeror understand, can or will comply with the PWS, “(including referenced publications, technical data, etc.)’ statements paraphrasing the PWS or parts thereof (including applicable publications, technical data, etc.); and phrases such as “standard procedures will be employed” or “well known techniques will be used” etc., will be considered unacceptable. The technical volume shall not contain the Offeror’s name or any markings that would readily reveal the offeror’s name, subcontractor’s name, joint ventures or teaming agreement. This part shall be marked with the Offeror’s UEI Number.

Technical Approach: A detailed narrative of how the offeror will accomplish the tasks required in the PWS. The offeror should address as specifically as possible the actual methodology used for accomplishing the PWS tasks. At the minimum the offerors shall address:

Subfactor 1 - Management Approach and Quality Control.

(a) The ability of proposed staff to perform work accurately and in a timely manner.

(b) Proposed inspection system, including frequency and methods of identifying and preventing deficiencies for contract functions, will be evaluated for effectiveness and thoroughness of quality control procedures.

(c) An effective quality control and cost monitoring plan that adheres to requirements specified in the Performance Work Statement.

(d) The offeror’s phase-in approach will be evaluated on the likelihood of a smooth transition and full performance at conclusion of the phase-in period.

Subfactor 2 – Equipment and Staffing Approach

(a) Offerors shall propose how personnel will fit into the performance of this requirement and describe the responsibilities of each position.

(b) Offerors shall provide an evaluation of the adequacy of current necessary equipment and labor resources.

(c) Identify the overall required team complement using an organizational chart including any additional positions under the Offeror's discretion category in the staffing proposed to support this requirement. Contractors are required to propose team complement and the Service Contract Act (SCA) Directory of Occupations skill identifier. Include a breakout of labor category, number of personnel proposed, skill level and SCA applicability.

This information will be verified against the Price volume and this information must be consistent.

VOLUME III - PRICE PROPOSAL: Volume III shall consist of a Price Breakdown: Volume III must be clearly marked “VOLUME III – PRICE PROPOSAL, WXXXXX-25-R- AXXX.” Electronic versions of the Price Proposal should be submitted and should not be read only or password protected. All formulas, lookup tables, and links should be intact, and no links shall exist to files not included with the submission. Spreadsheets shall not contain hidden worksheets. PDF or flat files will not be considered adequate. Other Than Certified Cost or Pricing Data is necessary to support a determination of reasonableness and balanced pricing, and the following must be submitted with the Volume III price proposal. The Price Breakdown shall be included as identified below.

Price Breakdown. The contractor shall submit the following documents as part of the Price Breakdown:

CLIN 0001 Phase-In: Contractor shall provide a Firm Fixed Price unit price for a one- month phase-in period IAW the PWS.

CLIN 0002 Linen Services: Contractor shall provide a Firm Fixed unit price and total amount for a five-year ordering period for all Organizational Linen articles tendered for laundry services.

CLIN 0003 Dry Cleaning Services: Contractor shall provide a Firm Fixed unit price and total amount for a five-year ordering period for all Dry-Cleaning articles tendered for cleaning.

Pursuant to the Service Contract Act of 1965, the determination by the Secretary of Labor as to the applicable minimum monetary wage and fringe benefits will be made part of any resulting contract. For evaluation purposes only, the Government has incorporated the applicable Area Wage Determinations as Attachment 2 of this RFP.

The offeror shall provide a crosswalk of the proposed labor categories against the Area Wage Determinations.

The offeror shall submit a complete breakdown of costs by major subcontractor. A major subcontractor is defined as a member of the offeror’s overall team who is expected to perform 25% or more of the proposed effort.

Offerors shall fill in the proposed prices (base period plus four ordering periods) for the pricing schedule provided in Section B of the solicitation for these services requested. The total cost in the - Pricing Schedule at section B shall be filled-in at each of their respective CLINs in the bid schedule in section B of the solicitation.

The offeror shall ensure the units prices are represented in two decimal positions only (example: $0.27, not $0.27458).

The offeror may provide background information, other than the pricing data that is required, concerning its pricing methodology. This information might include details of the methodology applicable to your offer. The data, if submitted, would be used by the government to better understand their pricing (see sample table below).

Completed Direct Labor Table. Tables shall include the following:

Labor Categories, Area Wage Determination Code, FLSA Exempt/Non-Exempt Status, number of FTEs, Labor Hours, Wage Rate, Fringe Benefits, G&A, and Profit; as well as escalation rates for option years.

NOTE: Contractor must attest they comply with the standards set forth in FAR Clause 52.219-14 Limitations on subcontracting.

2. Replace paragraph (c) entitled “Period of acceptance of offers” with the following instruction:

(c) Period of acceptance of offers. The offeror agrees to hold the price in its offer firm for 120 days from the date specified for receipt of offers.

3. Replace paragraph (e) entitled “Multiple offers” with the following instructions:

(a) Multiple offers. Offeror shall submit only one offer presenting the terms and conditions or commercial items for satisfying the requirements of this solicitation.

4. Replace paragraph (h) entitled “Multiple Awards” with the following:

(h) Multiple awards. The Government will award on an “all or none” basis.

B. BASIS FOR AWARD (Section M)

a) Basis for Award:

The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

(i) Technical Capability; (ii) Price; and (iii) Past Performance

This is a best value source selection conducted in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.3, Source Selection, as supplemented by the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and the Army Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (AFARS). Award will be made to a single offeror deemed responsible in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), whose proposal conforms to the solicitation requirements (to include all stated terms, conditions, and all other information required by the solicitation), is determined to be a fair and reasonable price, and whose proposal, judged by an overall assessment of the evaluation criteria specified in this solicitation, represents the Lowest Priced Technically Acceptable (LPTA) offer.

The Government will utilize an LPTA evaluation method for this requirement. Only those proposals determined to be Technically Acceptable will be eligible for award. Offerors whose technical proposals are determined “Unacceptable” will not be eligible for award.

Furthermore, proposals with unacceptable ratings of past performance will not be considered for award.

Trade-offs between cost/price and non-cost/price factors are not permitted. Unreasonably high, unbalanced, inaccurate or incomplete price proposals may be the grounds for eliminating a proposal from competition.

As set forth in FAR 52.215-1 (f) (4), the Government intends to evaluate proposals and award a contract without discussions with offerors (except clarifications as described in FAR 15.306(a), clarifications and award without discussions). Therefore, the offeror’s initial proposal should contain the offeror’s best terms from a cost or price and technical standpoint. The Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if the Contracting Officer later determines them to be necessary. If discussions are held, a competitive range determination will be made.

b) Adjectival Ratings

The adjectival ratings to be utilized for proposal evaluations are consistent with the DoD Source Selection Procedures and the Army Source Selection Supplement (AS3). A single rating system will be used to evaluate Technical Capability and Past Performance (see tables below). The price submission will not be scored or rated. Price will be evaluated for reasonableness, completeness/accuracy and balance, and will not receive an adjectival rating.

Table 1: Technical Acceptable/Unacceptable Adjectival Ratings

TECHNICAL ACCEPTABLE/UNACCEPTABLE RATINGS

Rating Definition Acceptable Proposal meets the minimum requirements of the solicitation.

Unacceptable Proposal does not meet the minimum requirements of the solicitation.

Table 2: Past Performance Adjectival Ratings

Past Performance Evaluation Ratings Rating Definition Acceptable Based on the offeror’s performance record, the

Government has a reasonable expectation that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort, or the offeror’s performance record is unknown.

Unacceptable Based on the offeror’s performance record, the Government does not have a reasonable expectation that the offeror will be able to successfully perform the required effort.

a) Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation criteria consist of three (3) factors. The proposals will be evaluated under the following evaluation factors:

Factor 1: Technical Capability

Subfactor 1: Management and Quality Control Approach Subfactor 2: Equipment and Staffing Approach

Factor 2: Price

Factor 3: Past Performance

Evaluation Factors.

(1) Factor 1 – Technical Capability. The Offeror provided a sound and feasible technical approach that addressed all applicable requirements of the solicitation, PWS, and the associated attachments. The Technical Approach demonstrated the Offeror’s understanding of the requirement, and the resources required for performance.

Subfactor 1: Management Approach and Quality Control satisfied the following requirements:

(a) The ability of proposed staff to perform work assignments accurately and in a timely manner.

(b) Offeror proposes an inspection system, including frequency and methods of identifying and preventing deficiencies for contract functions will be evaluated for effectiveness and thoroughness of quality control procedures.

(c) An effective quality control and cost monitoring plan that adheres to requirements specified in the Performance Work Statement.

(d) The offeror’s phase-in approach will be evaluated on the likelihood of a smooth transition and full performance at conclusion of the phase-in period.

Subfactor 2: Equipment and Staffing Approach satisfied the following requirements:

(a) Offeror proposes how personnel will fit into the overall organization and describes the responsibilities of each position based on the performance work statement.

(b) Offeror provides the necessary equipment/products listing and facility pictures to perform in accordance with the duties outlined in the performance work statement.

(c) Identify the overall required team complement using an organizational chart including any additional positions under the Offeror's discretion category in the staffing proposed to fulfill this requirement. Contractors are required to propose team complement and the Service Contract Act (SCA) Directory of Occupations skill identifier. Include a breakout of the labor category, number of personnel proposed, skill level and SCA applicability. This information will be verified against the Price volume and this information must be consistent.

After reviewing the technical capability proposal submitted for review, an adjectival rating of Acceptable or Unacceptable IAW Table 1 (see above) shall be assigned to the offerors technical capability.

(2) Factor 2 – Price. The Price Submission will not be scored or rated.

Evaluation of price will be performed using one or more of the price analysis techniques in FAR 15.404-1(b). Through these techniques, the Government will determine whether prices are reasonable, complete, and balanced. If adequate price competition is not obtained or if price reasonableness cannot be determined using price analysis of Government-obtained information, additional information IAW FAR 15.4 may be required to support the proposed price.

Total Evaluated Price (TEP): The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all option years. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the ordering period is significantly unbalanced. As part of price evaluation, the Government will evaluate its option to extend services (see FAR Clause 52.217-8) by adding one-half of the Offeror’s final ordering period price to the Offeror’s total price. Thus, the Offeror’s total evaluated price for the purpose of evaluation will include a five-year ordering period and 1/2 the 5th ordering period. Offerors are not required to enter a price for the six-month period under FAR Clause 52.217-8.

Unbalanced Pricing: Unbalanced pricing will be evaluated in accordance with FAR 15.404- 1(g), as applicable, to assess potential performance risks which could result in unreasonably high prices.