Request_For_Quote-ITPD.pdf

SECTION 1 - INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

The United States International Trade Commission (USITC or Commission) is an independent, quasi-judicial Federal agency with broad investigative responsibilities on matters of trade. The Commission investigates the effects of dumped and subsidized imports on domestic industries and conducts global safeguard investigations. The Commission also adjudicates cases involving imported goods that are alleged to infringe U.S. intellectual property rights. The Commission’s mandate, among other things, is to provide the President, the United States Trade Representative (USTR), and Congress with independent, quality analysis and information regarding international trade. In doing so, the Commission contributes to the development of sound and informed U. S. trade policy.

1.2 Contract Line Item Number(s) (CLINs)

Item/Sub Number Description Quantity Unit of

Issue Unit Price Total Item Amount

Dataset on international trade and production.

EA

Base CLINs

SECTION 2 - STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)/SPECIFICATIONS

2.1 Background

The international trade and production dataset (ITPD) will be used as the underlying data for Commission gravity modeling, with a particular application to sector-specific general equilibrium gravity modeling. The gravity model is a widely used tool in economics and used frequently at the USITC in statutory reports to estimate the effects of policies on trade flows.

2.2 Objective

The ITPD will cover at least 50 countries, including key developed and developing countries, and the rest of the world (ROW) aggregate region. Covered countries will include the United States, its major trading partners, and major global trading countries.

The ITPD will cover the whole economy, including at least 20 manufacturing industries, 10 agriculture and mining industries, and between 10 and 12 service industries. Industries will follow one of the internationally recognized industrial classifications, such as ISIC. The ITPD will include annual time series starting not later than year 2000 and going up to the most recent available year, but not earlier than 2015.

The project will consist of a base period covering the first three months of the contract, in which the vendor will develop a project plan and methodology to construct the database, and deliver the USITC a memo with its details at the end of the period. Should the USITC find the plan and methodology acceptable, the first option period (months 4-12) will be exercised and the vendor will begin construction of the database. The deliverables across both option periods will include three versions of the database.

The first version will contain "raw" data to be used for estimation. This dataset may include some missing observations. The gravity framework will not be used to fill any missing observations in this version. Since the data will be as close to official data as possible, no further processing should be required to match the data to official statistics.

The second version of the database will have all missing values filled to create a balanced trade and production suitable for simulation. Quality control checks will be applied to the data to identify and correct errors in the data including instances in which total exports are greater than output.

The third version will link the database with a set of international input-output (IO) tables. The preferred source of these IO tables is the OECD Trade in Value Added (TiVA) database, but other frequently updated sources will be considered, such as the World Input-Output Database (WIOD). The dimensions and level of aggregation in the third version of the ITPD will be consistent with the chosen international input-output database.

Database construction will be transparent in term of its accounting and estimation procedures. All data sources and every step of database construction will be clearly documented. The ITPD will be published on the USITC website and will be publicly available for download.

One month (30 days) prior to the end of each period, the vendor shall submit a draft version of the upcoming deliverable for the USITC to review and make comment on. The USITC will have 15 days to approve the draft, provide feedback, and exercise an option period, if applicable.

2.3 Scope of Work

The contractor shall provide the Government with:

1. Three versions of the international trade and production dataset, delivered as comma separated value files, as specified above. Industrial classification, data sources, treatment of missing values and procedures used to ensure quality of data will be determined by the contractors in cooperation with Commission staff.

2. Documentation of the data sources and all procedures used to create the dataset. It is expected that the database documentation will be developed by the vendor and may be expanded upon by Commission staff.

3. Original source data (i.e., data collected, but not filled in to account for missing values or balancing).

4. Stata or R computer programs used to produce the dataset.

2.4 Technical Requirements

The contractor shall produce the international trade and production dataset as described in the objectives, Section 2.2.

2.5 Deliverables

In fulfillment of this effort, the contractor shall be required to provide deliverables. All deliverables shall be submitted to the COR, unless otherwise agreed upon. Unless otherwise specified, the Government will have a maximum of ten (10) working days from the day the draft deliverable is received to review the document, provide comments back to the contractor, approve or disapprove the deliverable(s). The contractor will also have a maximum of ten (10) working days from the day comments are received to incorporate all changes and submit the final deliverable to the Government. The contractor shall deliver the products of this study program in a timely manner and in accordance with the following schedule.

The deliverables shall include:

Deliverable Distribution Due Date Base period (45 days) Project plan and methodology to develop the ITPD

COR 9/15/2017 (draft due 7/31/2017)

Option period 1 (months 4-12) Initial unprocessed source data COR 12/1/2017 (draft due 10/31/2017) First version of the database with documentation

COR 3/1/2018(draft due 1/31/2018)

Second version of the database with documentation

COR 5/31/2018 (draft due 4/30/2018)

Option period 2 (months 12-18) Third version of the database with documentation

COR 11/30/18 (draft due 10/31/2018)

2.6 General Acceptance Criteria

General quality measures, as set forth below, will be applied to each work product received from the contractor under this statement of work.

• Accuracy - Work Products shall be accurate in presentation, technical content, and adherence to accepted elements of methodology and style.

• Clarity - Documentation shall be clear and concise. Any/all table and figures shall be easy to understand and be relevant to the supporting narrative.

• Consistency to Requirements - All work products must satisfy the requirements of this statement of work.

• File Editing - All files shall be editable by the Government.

• Format - Work products shall be submitted in electronic format and media mutually agreed upon prior to submission.

• Timeliness - Work products shall be submitted on or before the due date specified in this statement of work or submitted in accordance with a later scheduled date determined by the Government.

SECTION 3 - GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

3.1 Period of Performance

The period of performance for this Purchase Order is as follows:

Date of award through 45 days with two option periods.

Option Period one (1): Month 4 through 12 Option Period two (2): Month 12 through 18

3.2 Place of Performance

All work shall be performed at the following location:

Contractors facility

TBD

3.3 Type of Order

The Commission anticipates awarding a Firm Fixed Price Purchase Order.

3.4 Contract Administration

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR): The COR is the individual within the program management function who has overall technical responsibility for this effort. The COR supports the Contracting Officer (CO) during the administration of the effort by:

• Making final decisions regarding any recommended rejection of deliverables;

• Providing technical clarification relative to overall workload matters;

• Providing advice and guidance to the Contractor in the preparation of deliverables and services;

• Providing acceptance of deliverable products to assure compliance with requirements.

The COR also provides technical direction to the Contractor which may serve to accomplish the purpose of this effort. The COR does not have the authority to and may not issue a technical direction that:

• Constitutes an assignment of work outside the general scope of this effort;

• Constitutes a change as defined in the “Changes” clause;

• In any way causes an increase or decrease in cost or time required for performance;

• Changes any of the terms, conditions, or other requirements of this effort; and

• Suspend or terminate any portion of this effort.

All technical direction shall be issued in writing by the COR. A copy of the written direction shall be provided to the CO. In addition to providing technical direction, the COR will:

• Monitor the Contractor’s technical progress, including surveillance and assessment of performance and recommend to the CO any changes in the requirement;

• Assist the Contractor in the resolution of technical problems encountered during performance;

and

• Perform inspection and acceptance or recommendation for rejection of Contractor deliverables and identify deficiencies in deliverable items. This does not replace any other quality assurance inspection requirements that are specified elsewhere within this document.

If, in the opinion of the Contractor, any instruction or direction issued by the COR is outside his/her authority, the Contractor shall not proceed but shall immediately notify the CO in writing after receipt of instruction or direction, with an informational copy to the COR.

Contracting Officer: The CO, in accordance with Subpart 1.6 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, is the only person authorized to make or approve any changes in any of the requirements of this Order, and notwithstanding any clauses contained elsewhere herein, the said authority remains solely with the CO. No payment will be made for any unauthorized changes to the work specified herein. This includes any services performed by the Contractor on his or her own volition or at the request of an individual other than a duly appointed Contracting Officer. Only a duly appointed CO is authorized to change the specifications, terms and conditions under this effort.

In the event the Contractor makes any changes at the direction of any person other than the CO, the change will be considered to have been made without authority and no adjustment will be made in the contract price to cover any increase in cost incurred as a result thereof.

COR CO

Name: Ravinder Ubee Name: Joy Kingsley-Ibeh Title: Economist Title: Contracting Officer Address: 500 E Street, SW

Washington, DC 20436 Address: 500 E Street, SW

Washington, DC 20436 Phone: (202) 205-3229 Phone: (202) 205-2078 Email: ricky.ubee@usitc.gov Email: joy.kingsley-ibeh@usitc.gov

3.5 Submission of Invoices

All invoices shall be submitted to the following address: INVOICES@USITC.GOV

The contractor shall submit proper invoices on an annual/monthly basis for any work performed during the year/month being invoiced. To constitute a proper invoice, each invoice submitted shall include the following information and/or attached documentation:

1. Name and address of the contractor;

2. Invoice date and number;

3. Purchase Order/Contract number; ITC-PO-XX-XXXX

4. Description, price, CLIN’s and quantity of services/supplies actually rendered/delivered;

5. Delivery date/Period of Performance covered by the invoice;

6. Payment terms;

7. Name and address of the contractor’s official to whom payment is to be sent. The “Remit To” address must correspond to the remittance address in this contract;

8. Name, title, phone number, and mailing address of contact person to be notified in the event of a defective invoice; and

9. A breakdown of labor hours by labor categories provided by the USITC, if applicable. Final invoice shall be marked "FINAL INVOICE."

mailto:ricky.ubee@usitc.gov mailto:joy.kingsley-ibeh@usitc.gov mailto:INVOICES@usitc.gov

CONTRACT CLAUSES

3.6 Provisions and/or Clauses

52.204-7 System for Award Management. OCT 2016

52.204-13 System for Award Management Maintenance. OCT 2016 52.204-19 Incorporated by Reference of Representation and

Certifications

DEC 2014

52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications Jan 2017 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Items JAN 2017 52.232-39 Unenforceability of Unauthorized Obligation JUN 2013 52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business

Subcontractors

DEC 2013

52.233-4 Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim OCT 2004

52.212-5 --Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders—Commercial Items (Jan 2017)

(a) The Contractor shall comply with the following Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clauses, which are incorporated in this contract by reference, to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items:

(1) 52.203-19, Prohibition on Requiring Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements (Jan 2017) (section 743 of Division E, Title VII, of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235) and its successor provisions in subsequent appropriations acts (and as extended in continuing resolutions)).

(2) 52.209-10, Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations (Nov 2015)

(3) 52.233-3, Protest After Award (AUG 1996) (31 U.S.C. 3553).

(4) 52.233-4, Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim (OCT 2004) (Public Laws 108-77, 108-78 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note)).

(b) The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph (b) that the contracting officer has indicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items:

[Contracting Officer check as appropriate.]

___ (1) 52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government (Sept 2006), with Alternate I (Oct 1995) (41 U.S.C. 4704 and 10 U.S.C. 2402).

___ (2) 52.203-13, Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct (Oct 2015) (41 U.S.C. 3509).

___ (3) 52.203-15, Whistleblower Protections under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Jun 2010) (Section 1553 of Pub L. 111-5) (Applies to contracts funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009).

___ (4) 52.204-10, Reporting Executive compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (Oct 2016) (Pub. L. 109-282) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).

___ (5) [Reserved]

___ (6) 52.204-14, Service Contract Reporting Requirements (Oct 2016) (Pub. L. 111-117, section 743 of Div. C).

___ (7) 52.204-15, Service Contract Reporting Requirements for Indefinite-Delivery Contracts (Oct 2016) (Pub. L. 111-117, section 743 of Div. C).

___ (8) 52.209-6, Protecting the Government’s Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment (Oct 2015) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).

___ (9) 52.209-9, Updates of Publicly Available Information Regarding Responsibility Matters (Jul 2013) (41 U.S.C. 2313).

___ (10) [Reserved]

___ (11) (i) 52.219-3, Notice of HUBZone Set-Aside or Sole-Source Award (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C.

657a).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Nov 2011) of 52.219-3.

___ (12) (i) 52.219-4, Notice of Price Evaluation Preference for HUBZone Small Business Concerns (Oct 2014) (if the offeror elects to waive the preference, it shall so indicate in its offer)(15 U.S.C. 657a).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Jan 2011) of 52.219-4.

___ (13) [Reserved]

___ (14) (i) 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Aside (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 644).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Nov 2011).

___ (iii) Alternate II (Nov 2011).

___ (15) (i) 52.219-7, Notice of Partial Small Business Set-Aside (June 2003) (15 U.S.C. 644).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Oct 1995) of 52.219-7.

___ (iii) Alternate II (Mar 2004) of 52.219-7.

___ (16) 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (Nov 2016) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(2) and (3)).

___ (17) (i) 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan (Jan 2017) (15 U.S.C. 637 (d)(4)).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Nov 2016) of 52.219-9.

___ (iii) Alternate II (Nov 2016) of 52.219-9.

___ (iv) Alternate III (Nov 2016) of 52.219-9.

___ (v) Alternate IV (Nov 2016) of 52.219-9.

___ (18) 52.219-13, Notice of Set-Aside of Orders (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 644(r)).

___ (19) 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting (Jan 2017) (15 U.S.C. 637(a)(14)).

___ (20) 52.219-16, Liquidated Damages—Subcontracting Plan (Jan 1999) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(4)(F)(i)).

___ (21) 52.219-27, Notice of Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 657f).

___ (22) 52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Rerepresentation (Jul 2013) (15 U.S.C.

632(a)(2)).

___ (23) 52.219-29, Notice of Set-Aside for, or Sole Source Award to, Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business Concerns (Dec 2015) (15 U.S.C. 637(m)).

___ (24) 52.219-30, Notice of Set-Aside for, or Sole Source Award to, Women-Owned Small Business Concerns Eligible Under the Women-Owned Small Business Program (Dec 2015) (15 U.S.C. 637(m)).

X (25) 52.222-3, Convict Labor (June 2003) (E.O. 11755).

___ (26) 52.222-19, Child Labor—Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies (Oct 2016) (E.O. 13126).

X (27) 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Apr 2015).

X (28) 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Sep 2016) (E.O. 11246).

___ (29) 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (Oct 2015) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

X (30) 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (Jul 2014) (29 U.S.C. 793).

___ (31) 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans (Feb 2016) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

___ (32) 52.222-40, Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act (Dec 2010) (E.O. 13496).

X (33) (i) 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (Mar 2015) (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 and E.O.

13627).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Mar 2015) of 52.222-50, (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 and E.O. 13627).

___ (34) 52.222-54, Employment Eligibility Verification (Oct 2015). (E. O. 12989). (Not applicable to the acquisition of commercially available off-the-shelf items or certain other types of commercial items as prescribed in 22.1803.)

___ (35) 52.222-59, Compliance with Labor Laws (Executive Order 13673) (Oct 2016). (Applies at $50 million for solicitations and resultant contracts issued from October 25, 2016 through April 24, 2017;

applies at $500,000 for solicitations and resultant contracts issued after April 24, 2017).

Note to paragraph (b)(35): By a court order issued on October 24, 2016, 52.222-59 is enjoined indefinitely as of the date of the order. The enjoined paragraph will become effective immediately if the court terminates the injunction. At that time, DoD, GSA, and NASA will publish a document in the Federal Register advising the public of the termination of the injunction.

___ (36) 52.222-60, Paycheck Transparency (Executive Order 13673) (Oct 2016).

___ (37) (i) 52.223-9, Estimate of Percentage of Recovered Material Content for EPA-Designated Items (May 2008) (42 U.S.C. 6962(c)(3)(A)(ii)). (Not applicable to the acquisition of commercially available off-the-shelf items.)

___ (ii) Alternate I (May 2008) of 52.223-9 (42 U.S.C. 6962(i)(2)(C)). (Not applicable to the acquisition of commercially available off-the-shelf items.)

___ (38) 52.223-11, Ozone-Depleting Substances and High Global Warming Potential Hydrofluorocarbons (Jun 2016) (E.O.13693).

___ (39) 52.223-12, Maintenance, Service, Repair, or Disposal of Refrigeration Equipment and Air Conditioners (Jun 2016) (E.O. 13693).

___ (40) (i) 52.223-13, Acquisition of EPEAT® -Registered Imaging Equipment (Jun 2014) (E.O.s 13423 and 13514

___ (ii) Alternate I (Oct 2015) of 52.223-13.

___ (41) (i) 52.223-14, Acquisition of EPEAT® -Registered Television (Jun 2014) (E.O.s 13423 and 13514).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Jun 2014) of 52.223-14.

___ (42) 52.223-15, Energy Efficiency in Energy-Consuming Products (Dec 2007) (42 U.S.C. 8259b).

___ (43) (i) 52.223-16, Acquisition of EPEAT® -Registered Personal Computer Products (Oct 2015) (E.O.s 13423 and 13514).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Jun 2014) of 52.223-16.

X (44) 52.223-18, Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging while Driving (Aug 2011) (E.O. 13513).

___ (45) 52.223-20, Aerosols (Jun 2016) (E.O. 13693).

___ (46) 52.223-21, Foams (Jun 2016) (E.O. 13696).

___ (47) (i) 52.224-3, Privacy Training (Jan 2017) (5 U.S.C. 552a).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Jan 2017) of 52.224-3.

___ (48) 52.225-1, Buy American--Supplies (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 83).

___ (49) (i) 52.225-3, Buy American--Free Trade Agreements--Israeli Trade Act (May 2014) (41 U.S.C.

chapter 83, 19 U.S.C. 3301 note, 19 U.S.C. 2112 note, 19 U.S.C. 3805 note, 19 U.S.C. 4001 note, Pub.

L. 103-182, 108-77, 108-78, 108-286, 108-302, 109-53, 109-169, 109-283, 110-138, 112-41, 112-42, and 112-43).

___ (ii) Alternate I (May 2014) of 52.225-3.

___ (iii) Alternate II (May 2014) of 52.225-3.

___ (iv) Alternate III (May 2014) of 52.225-3.

___ (50) 52.225-5, Trade Agreements (Oct 2016) (19 U.S.C. 2501, et seq., 19 U.S.C. 3301 note).

X (51) 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (Jun 2008) (E.O.’s, proclamations, and statutes administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury).

___ (52) 52.225-26, Contractors Performing Private Security Functions Outside the United States (Oct 2016) (Section 862, as amended, of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008; 10 U.S.C. 2302 Note).

___ (53) 52.226-4, Notice of Disaster or Emergency Area Set-Aside (Nov 2007) (42 U.S.C. 5150).

___ (54) 52.226-5, Restrictions on Subcontracting Outside Disaster or Emergency Area (Nov 2007) (42 U.S.C. 5150).

___ (55) 52.232-29, Terms for Financing of Purchases of Commercial Items (Feb 2002) (41 U.S.C.

4505), 10 U.S.C. 2307(f)).

___ (56) 52.232-30, Installment Payments for Commercial Items (Jan 2017) (41 U.S.C. 4505, 10 U.S.C.

2307(f)).

X (57) 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer— System for Award Management (Jul 2013) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

___ (58) 52.232-34, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer—Other Than System for Award Management (Jul 2013) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

___ (59) 52.232-36, Payment by Third Party (May 2014) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

___ (60) 52.239-1, Privacy or Security Safeguards (Aug 1996) (5 U.S.C. 552a).

___ (61) 52.242-5, Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (Jan 2017) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(12)).

___ (62) (i) 52.247-64, Preference for Privately Owned U.S.-Flag Commercial Vessels (Feb 2006) (46 U.S.C. Appx 1241(b) and 10 U.S.C. 2631).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Apr 2003) of 52.247-64.

(c) The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph (c), applicable to commercial services, that the Contracting Officer has indicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement provisions of law or executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items:

[Contracting Officer check as appropriate.]

___ (1) 52.222-17, Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers (May 2014) (E.O. 13495)

___ (2) 52.222-41, Service Contract Labor Standards (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67.).

___ (3) 52.222-42, Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires (May 2014) (29 U.S.C. 206 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

___ (4) 52.222-43, Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Labor Standards -- Price Adjustment (Multiple Year and Option Contracts) (May 2014) (29 U.S.C.206 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

___ (5) 52.222-44, Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Labor Standards -- Price Adjustment (May 2014) (29 U.S.C. 206 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

___ (6) 52.222-51, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Maintenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment--Requirements (May 2014) (41 U.S.C.

chapter 67).

___ (7) 52.222-53, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain Services--Requirements (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

___ (8) 52.222-55, Minimum Wages Under Executive Order 13658 (Dec 2015) (E.O. 13658).

___ (9) 52.222-62, Paid Sick Leave Under Executive Order 13706 (JAN 2017) (E.O. 13706).

___ (10) 52.226-6, Promoting Excess Food Donation to Nonprofit Organizations. (May 2014) (42 U.S.C. 1792).

___ (11) 52.237-11, Accepting and Dispensing of $1 Coin (Sep 2008) (31 U.S.C. 5112(p)(1)).

(d) Comptroller General Examination of Record The Contractor shall comply with the provisions of this paragraph (d) if this contract was awarded using other than sealed bid, is in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold, and does not contain the clause at 52.215-2, Audit and Records -- Negotiation.

(1) The Comptroller General of the United States, or an authorized representative of the Comptroller General, shall have access to and right to examine any of the Contractor’s directly pertinent records involving transactions related to this contract.

(2) The Contractor shall make available at its offices at all reasonable times the records, materials, and other evidence for examination, audit, or reproduction, until 3 years after final payment under this contract or for any shorter period specified in FAR Subpart 4.7, Contractor Records Retention, of the other clauses of this contract. If this contract is completely or partially terminated, the records relating to the work terminated shall be made available for 3 years after any resulting final termination settlement.

Records relating to appeals under the disputes clause or to litigation or the settlement of claims arising under or relating to this contract shall be made available until such appeals, litigation, or claims are finally resolved.

(3) As used in this clause, records include books, documents, accounting procedures and practices, and other data, regardless of type and regardless of form. This does not require the Contractor to create or maintain any record that the Contractor does not maintain in the ordinary course of business or pursuant to a provision of law.

(e)

(1) Notwithstanding the requirements of the clauses in paragraphs (a), (b), (c) and (d) of this clause, the Contractor is not required to flow down any FAR clause, other than those in this paragraph (e)(1) in a subcontract for commercial items. Unless otherwise indicated below, the extent of the flow down shall be as required by the clause—

(i) 52.203-13, Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct (Oct 2015) (41 U.S.C. 3509).

(ii) 52.203-19, Prohibition on Requiring Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements (Jan 2017) (section 743 of Division E, Title VII, of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235) and its successor provisions in subsequent appropriations acts (and as extended in continuing resolutions)).

(iii) 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (Nov 2016) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(2) and (3)), in all subcontracts that offer further subcontracting opportunities. If the subcontract (except subcontracts to small business concerns) exceeds $700,000 ($1.5 million for construction of any public facility), the subcontractor must include 52.219-8 in lower tier subcontracts that offer subcontracting opportunities.

(iv) 52.222-17, Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers (May 2014) (E.O. 13495). Flow down required in accordance with paragraph (1) of FAR clause 52.222-17.

(v) 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Apr 2015).

(vi) 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Sep 2016) (E.O. 11246).

(vii) 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (Oct 2015) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

(viii) 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (Jul 2014) (29 U.S.C. 793).

(ix) 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans (Feb 2016) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

(x) 52.222-40, Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act (Dec 2010) (E.O. 13496). Flow down required in accordance with paragraph (f) of FAR clause 52.222-40.

(xi) 52.222-41, Service Contract Labor Standards (May 2014), (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

(xii) (A) 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (Mar 2015) (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 and E.O. 13627).

(B) Alternate I (Mar 2015) of 52.222-50 (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 E.O. 13627).

(xiii) 52.222-51, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Maintenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment--Requirements (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67.)

(xiv) 52.222-53, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain Services--Requirements (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67)

(xv) 52.222-54, Employment Eligibility Verification (Oct 2015) (E. O. 12989).

(xvi) 52.222-55, Minimum Wages Under Executive Order 13658 (Dec 2015).

(xvii) 52.222-59, Compliance with Labor Laws (Executive Order 13673) (Oct 2016) (Applies at $50 million for solicitations and resultant contracts issued from October 25, 2016 through April 24, 2017; applies at $500,000 for solicitations and resultant contracts issued after April 24, 2017).

Note to paragraph (e)(1)(xvii): By a court order issued on October 24, 2016, 52.222-59 is enjoined indefinitely as of the date of the order. The enjoined paragraph will become effective immediately if the court terminates the injunction. At that time, DoD, GSA, and NASA will publish a document in the Federal Register advising the public of the termination of the injunction.

(xviii) 52.222-60, Paycheck Transparency (Executive Order 13673) (Oct 2016).

(xix) 52.222-62, Paid sick Leave Under Executive Order 13706 (JAN 2017) (E.O. 13706).

(xx) (A) 52.224-3, Privacy Training (Jan 2017) (5 U.S.C. 552a).

(B) Alternate I (Jan 2017) of 52.224-3.

(xxi) 52.225-26, Contractors Performing Private Security Functions Outside the United States (Oct 2016) (Section 862, as amended, of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008; 10 U.S.C. 2302 Note).

(xxii) 52.226-6, Promoting Excess Food Donation to Nonprofit Organizations. (May 2014) (42 U.S.C. 1792). Flow down required in accordance with paragraph (e) of FAR clause 52.226-6.

(xxiii) 52.247-64, Preference for Privately-Owned U.S. Flag Commercial Vessels (Feb 2006) (46 U.S.C. Appx 1241(b) and 10 U.S.C. 2631). Flow down required in accordance with paragraph

(d) of FAR clause 52.247-64.

(2) While not required, the Contractor may include in its subcontracts for commercial items a minimal number of additional clauses necessary to satisfy its contractual obligations.

(End of Clause)

52.252-2 -- Clauses Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998)

This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):

http://farsite.hill.af.mil/ https://www.acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html http://farsite.hill.af.mil/ https://www.acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html

SECTION 4 - QUOTATION PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

4.2 General Information

Your quote shall become the property of the Government and will not be returned. If your quote contains information that you do not wish disclosed to the public or used by the Government for any purpose other than evaluation of your quote, such restrictions shall be clearly indicated on each sheet containing such information.

The Commission will make all reasonable efforts to maintain the quote in confidence and will release the quote only to personnel involved with the evaluation of the quotations.

Prior to submission of quotes, Offerors are expected to understand the requirements of this solicitation. If such a review establishes the need for correction or clarification, such information should immediately be brought to the attention of the contracting officer so that the matter can be resolved and, if necessary, official dissemination of such information can be made to all Offerors.

Request for clarification that results in specific information necessary to submit quotes will be provided to all prospective Offerors in writing.

If an Offeror fails to respond to any portion of the Request for Quotes, the Commission may interpret this as the Offeror's inability to meet specific requirements. The failure to follow all RFQ instructions may cause the Commission to disqualify the Offeror from consideration of the requirement.

All expenses incurred relative to the preparation of quotes are the sole responsibility of the Offeror.

4.2 Quotation Preparation Instructions

The Commission is issuing the RFQ to solicit for the purpose of entering into a Purchase Order with the Offeror, whose offer represents the Best Value to the Government.

This RFQ requires the submission of a Technical, Past Performance/Past Experience Volume and a Price Volume. The Technical and Past Performance/Past Experience Volume must be separate from the Price Volume.

Failure to submit any of the information requested in this RFQ may lead to the rejection of your quote without further consideration.

4.3 Topics to be covered in the Technical Evaluation

The Technical Volume is limited in length to 20 pages, inclusive of resumes, qualification statements, and Past Experience/Past Performance Reference Information Forms. Any pages in excess of 20 will not be evaluated.

Your submission may use any font, and will use pitch size 12, single spaced, double-sided, and 8.5x11paper.

The Technical Volume will be evaluated based on the evaluation criteria specified in SECTION 5 - EVALUATION OF QUOTATION, which include:

(1) Technical Acceptability

(2) Price

4.3.1 Technical Acceptability

Provide a brief summary of company's capabilities, personnel, and experience in providing similar requirements.

Provide Past Performance/Past Experience, inclusive of resume and qualification statements.

Fully describe your understanding of the work required and qualifications you possess in relation to the stated requirements.

Offerors MUST demonstrate having the capability to perform/satisfy ALL the requirements stated in Section 2 of the RFQ.

4.3.1.1 Qualifications of Key Personnel

Identify key individual(s) and describe his/her qualifications. Key personnel shall include at least one individual with a PhD in economics or statistics or with a PhD in a related field who has been published in a statistical journal. Preference shall be given to teams comprised of members with a trade research background, especially researchers familiar with the gravity modeling and computable general equilibrium (CGE) modeling. All key individual(s) identified must be available to the Commission for the tasks outlined in section 2.5.

4.3.1.2 Past Performance/Past Experience

Please provide three references of any similar or relevant efforts performed by the offeror. Include a description of the project, project title, contract number, contract amount, client identification (including agency or company name, contracting and technical reviewing official, address, and telephone number).

See Attachment 1.

The technical quotation may address any other topics considered to be pertinent to a demonstration of the knowledge, competence, and capability to perform this requirement.

4.4 Topics to be Covered in the Pricing Volume

4.4.1 The Pricing Volume shall be a separate volume from the written portion of your Technical Volume. This document will contain pricing information, point of contact information, and DUNS number. Offerors shall propose a pricing structure in accordance with Section 1.2 of this RFQ. Alternate pricing structures will be accepted.

4.4.2 Offerors must submit, as part of their Pricing Volume, all (if any) assumptions, conditions, or exceptions with any of the contractual, technical, and/or price terms and conditions of this RFQ. If not noted in this section of your submission, it will be assumed that the Offeror proposes no assumptions for award, and agrees to comply with all of the terms and conditions as set forth herein. It is not the responsibility of the Government to seek out and identify assumptions, conditions, or exceptions buried within the Offeror's submission.

4.5 Quotation Due Date & Time

Quotes submitted in response this Request for Quotes shall be received by the due date and time established herein regardless of the method of submission utilized. Quotes shall be received no later than 3:00 PM Eastern Time, Thursday, June 8, 2017, in order to be considered for award. Any submissions received after the date and time specified herein will NOT be considered for award.

Questions related to the solicitation must be submitted via email to joy.kingsley-ibeh@usitc.gov, with the subject line; ITC-RFQ-17-0019 no later than June 1, 2017, AT 12:00 P.M. EST. Please note that any request for clarification that results in specific information necessary to submit quotes will be provided to all prospective offerors in writing.

This Request for Quote requires the submission of a technical quote and a price quote. The technical portion must be a separate volume from the price portion and (1) copy shall be submitted via email to joy.kingsley-ibeh@usitc.gov, in accordance with the instructions specified below.

The following information must be submitted in order to be considered for award:

1. Signed Standard Form (SF) 18, (Page 1, Block 14);

2. Submit a written price quote;

3. Submit a written technical quote (20 page limit), which includes a detailed description of the offeror’s technical capability;

4. Submit information requested in Section 4.7 under “Past Experience/Past Performance” (See Attachment 1);

The failure to submit any of the information requested in this Request for Quote may lead to the rejection of your quotation without further consideration.

SECTION 5-EVALUATION OF QUOTATIONS

5.1 Evaluation of Quotations

Quotations shall be prepared in accordance with and comply with the instructions contained in Section 4 of this RFQ.

The technical submission will be evaluated separately from the price submission. Each submission will be evaluated against the evaluation factors listed below (see Section 5.3).

5.2 Basis of Award

Award shall be made to the responsible Offerors whose offer, in conforming to this Request for Quotation, provides an overall best value to the Government, technical, past performance/past experience and p r i ce considered. The Government's objective is to obtain the highest technical quality considered necessary to achieve the project objectives, with a realistic and reasonable price. Technical evaluation factors are more important than price.

5.3 Evaluation Factors for Award

Each offeror's quote will be evaluated by the Government according to the criteria shown below. The technical volume is the most important, and the price volume is the second most important factor, but the technical volume is significantly more important than price. The following evaluation criteria will be utilized in order to determine which offer received is considered to be the best overall value.

• Technical Approach

• Price

5.3.1 Technical Approach

5.3.2 The Offeror's Technical Approach and "ability to conduct empirical research on International Trade and Production Database, and on gravity model and general equilibrium models in particular, as demonstrated by peer review publication record.

5.3.3 The Offeror's Past Performance/Past Experience

• Ability to provide evidence of creating databases using trade and production data in the past.

• The degree of comparability of past projects to the current project, including number, complexity, timeframe and size, methods used in creation, and how the databases were used.

• The researcher's curriculum vitae, including education, prior experience, and a list of all publications and working papers for the team members.

5.4 Price

• The Government will evaluate the total prices offered.

• The price quote will be evaluated separately from the technical quote. Evaluators will consider whether the price adequately reflects an understanding of the project.

• Offerors are placed on notice that any quote which is unrealistic in terms of technical quote or unrealistically low in cost(s) and or price may be deemed reflective of an inherent lack of technical competency or indicative of failure to comprehend the complexity of the requirements and may be grounds for the rejection of the submission.

• The offeror is expected to quote a reasonable price. An evaluation of each offeror's price quote will be made to determine if it is reasonable for the work to be performed, reflects a clear understanding of the requirements, and is consistent with the objective of the Statement of Work.

• Each price quote will be assessed to identify potential risk. Price risk refers to any aspect of an offeror's quote which could have significant negative cost/price consequences for the Government. Where risk is assessed, it may be described in qualitative terms or used as a best- value discriminator.

5.5 Adjectival Ratings

The following definitions will apply to the evaluation of quotations:

Excellent (E) – Very comprehensive in depth, clear response. Quote consistently meets this standard with no omissions. The quote indicates that consistently high quality performance can be expected.

Good (G) – No major deficiencies were noted in the response. The quote indicates that better than acceptable performance may be expected. The quote contains numerous areas of unevenness or spottiness which might impact on performance without further clarification.

Fair (F) – The quote generally meets minimum requirements, and indicates that acceptable performance might be expected. Noted deficiencies are confined to areas with less than a major impact on performance and could be expected to be corrected during negotiations without major revisions to the quote.

Poor (P) – The response fails to meet one or more major requirements of the RFQ. Technical negotiations may result in an acceptable quote due to significant revisions. Serious deficiencies exist in areas with major impacts on performance. The quote indicates only a willingness to perform in accordance with the Statement of Work without specifying how or demonstrating the capacity to do so. Only vague indications of the required capability are present.

The quote could not be expected to meet the stated minimum requirements without a total rewrite of the quote.

Strength – A proposal attribute that increases the likelihood of successful Task Order performance, or provides an approach directly related to the requirement that exceeds the minimum expectation.

Weakness – means a flaw in the proposal that increases the risk of unsuccessful Task Order performance.

Deficiency – is a material failure of a proposal to meet a Government requirement or a combination of significant weaknesses in a proposal that increases the risk of unsuccessful Task Order performance to an unacceptable level.

SECTION 6 - ATTACHMENT

6.1 Past Performance/Past Experience Reference Information Form

1. Complete name of Government agency, commercial firm, or other organization

2. Complete address

3. Order number or other reference 4. Date of Order

5. Date work was begun 6. Date work was completed

7. Estimated Order price 8. Final amount invoiced or amount invoiced to date

9a. Technical point of contact (name, title, address, telephone no. and email address)

9b. Ordering or purchasing point of contact (name, title, address, telephone no. and email address)

10. Location of work (country, state or province, county, city)

11. Description of Order work (Describe the nature and scope of the experience and provide an explanation of how the work is the same or similar to the work required by the USITC). Attach an explanation of any performance problems or other conflicts with the customer. Use a continuation sheet, if necessary.)

12. Current status of Order (choose one):

Work continuing, on schedule Terminated for convenience

Work continuing, behind schedule Terminated for default

Work completed, no further action pending or underway Other (explain)

Work completed, routine administrative action pending or underway

Work completed, claims negotiations pending or underway

Work completed, litigation pending or underway

Instructions for Completing the Experience/Reference Information Sheet

Item 1: Insert the complete name of the Government Agency, commercial firm or other organization for whom the work was performed.

Item 2: Insert the customer’s complete address, including both post office box and street addresses, if applicable.

Item 3: Insert any Order number or other Order reference used by the customer.

Item 4: Insert the date on which the Order came into existence

Item 5: Insert the date on which you started to perform the work.

Item 6: Insert the date on which the customer agreed that the work was satisfactorily completed.

If work is ongoing insert the date of Order expiration.

Item 7: Insert the total estimated Order price or value.

Item 8: Insert the final sum of all invoices, or the sum of all invoices to date.

Item 9a: Insert the name, title, address, telephone no., and email address (if available) of the program or project manager or other customer technical representative who is most familiar with the quality of your work under the Order.

Item 9b: Insert the name, title, address, telephone no., and email address (if available) of the contracting officer, purchasing agent, or other customer contracting or purchasing representative who is most familiar with your work under the contract.

Item 10: Insert the location(s) where the work was performed.

Item 11: Describe the nature and scope of the work. The objective is to show how the work that you did or are doing is similar in nature and scope to the work that is to be performed under the Order contemplated by the request for proposal. Describe any unusual circumstances of performance or problems that may be relevant to the work that is to be performed. Tell your side of the story of any conflicts with the customer concerning which they may make adverse remarks about your performance. Describe any actions that you have taken to take to correct any shortcomings in your performance.