J.7 Instructions to Quoters and Basis for Award (L&M).pdf

Supplies, Services, and Material Management Division Ford House Office Building, Room H2-263 Washington, DC 20515 202.226.2557 www.aoc.gov

Architect of the Capitol | Supplies, Services, and Material Management Division Ford House Office Building, Room H2-263 | Washington, DC 20515 | 202.226.2557 | www.aoc.gov

Preventive Maintenance and Emergency Services for Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) System

James Madison Memorial Building (JMMB)

Issued by:

Architect of the Capitol (AOC) Ford House Office Building

Washington, DC 204515

May 14, 2025 Solicitation Number: AOCSSB25Q0028

Instructions to Quoters and Basis for Award

The Architect of the Capitol (AOC), Supplies and Services Branch (SSB) is issuing Request for Quote (RFQ) # AOCSSB25Q0028 for Preventive Maintenance and Emergency Services of 750 kW Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) and Associated Equipment in the James Madison Memorial Building (JMMB).

This solicitation is being issued in accordance with the AOC Contracting Manual (CM) policy section 9.5- Acquisition of Commercial Products / Services. The AOC Contracting Manual can be found here:

https://www.aoc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/basic-page/aoc-order-34-1-contracting-manual- 2019-03.pdf

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products / services as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation;

quotes are being requested, and a written solicitation will not be issued.

It is anticipated that this RFQ will result in a firm fixed price contract to a responsible quoter actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) whose quote provides the overall best value to the AOC in accordance with the requirements set forth by this solicitation and the Statement of Work

(SOW).

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement is 335999- All Other Miscellaneous Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing. The Product Service Code (PSC) is 5999- Miscellaneous electrical and electronic components. This acquisition does NOT establish a set-aside and is open to all businesses, regardless of size, that are registered in SAM. The anticipated contract period of performance will be a 12-month base period plus four 12-month option periods.

The List of Attachments is in Section J of Standard Form 18 (SF18).

http://www.aoc.gov/ https://www.aoc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/basic-page/aoc-order-34-1-contracting-manual-2019-03.pdf https://www.aoc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/basic-page/aoc-order-34-1-contracting-manual-2019-03.pdf

This solicitation is being conducted in accordance with AOC CM Section 9.5- Acquisition of Commercial Products / Services and shall be evaluated in accordance with AOC CM Section 9.5(k). The Government is not obligated to establish a competitive range, is not obligated to conduct discussions, is not obligated to solicit final revised quotes, and is not obligated to use source selection evaluation techniques associated with AOC CM Section 9.1 Negotiated Acquisitions.

Contractor submissions are quotes, and this solicitation is a Request for Quotation, both as defined in the AOC CM under section 1.2 Definitions. All submissions in response to this RFQ are considered quotes and not proposals or offers, even if labeled as such.

All quotes received shall be evaluated in accordance with the criteria contained in the solicitation. The Contracting Officer (CO) shall select the quote that is most advantageous to the government based on the factors contained in the solicitation and utilizing a best value Lowest Price Technically Acceptable process as detailed in Section M.1- Evaluation Factors and Basis for Award.

L.1 RFQ GENERAL CONDITIONS

The submission of a quote to the Government shall constitute the quoter’s acknowledgement, agreement and compliance with the terms and conditions of the RFQ. The Government will not be obligated to pay any cost incurred by a contractor in the preparation and submission of a quote.

Quoters are cautioned to ensure that their quote submissions are complete and reflective of the evaluation criteria and requirements described herein. Quoters are encouraged to provide their best terms with their initial quote submission. Quoters shall not assume that the Government will afford an opportunity to clarify, discuss, or revise a quote.

Quotes shall be valid for 90 days from the date of final quote submission.

Any exceptions or conditional assumptions taken with respect to the requirements outlined in the RFQ or SOW shall be fully explained in the quoter’s Introductory Letter. The Government cautions quoters that taking exception to any term or condition may render their quote non-responsive and the quoter will be ineligible for award, unless the RFQ expressly authorizes such an exception with regards to a specific term or condition.

L.2 SITE VISIT, QUESTIONS AND QUOTE SUBMISSIONS

All correspondence related to this solicitation, including questions and quote submittals, shall be directed only to the Contracting Officer, Troy Dorsey, via e-mail at troy.dorsey@aoc.gov and Contract Specialist Lily Najera at lily.najera@aoc.gov. E-mail messages shall not exceed 20 MB. If necessary, quoters shall compress files with a .zip extension.

L.2.1 Site Visit

A site visit will be held at the James Madison Memorial Building on Thursday, May 29, 2025, at 10:00 AM ET. The site is located at 101 Independence Ave. SE, Washington DC 20540 . To attend the site visit, all companies shall register with the Contracting Officer and Contract Specialist via email at mailto:troy.dorsey@aoc.gov troy.dorsey@aoc.gov and lily.najera@aoc.gov. There is a maximum of three (3) individuals per company.

The company attending and the name of each attendee shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer no later than Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at 12:00 pm ET. On the day of the site visit, individuals are to report to the front lobby of the Madison building, go through the security check-in, and wait in the lobby. The site visit will commence from there.

L.2.2 Questions Due Date

Questions about the technical or contractual details of this procurement must be submitted in writing via e-mail by Monday June 2, 2025, at 2:00 PM ET. When submitting questions, please include the RFQ #, Company Name and the word “Questions” in the subject line of the email. For example, “AOCSSB25Q00XX_ ABC Inc. Questions”. Questions submitted after this cut-off will be responded to at the discretion of the Contracting Officer. Quoters shall use the following format in a table or spreadsheet when submitting questions:

RFQ

Document

Document Page Number

Document Section & Paragraph

Question

Attachment 2 – Instructions to Quoters

2 L.2.1, para. 2 Your Question

Answers to all questions will be provided in writing only, as an amendment to the RFQ.

L.2.3 Quote Due Date

Quotes must be received no later than Tuesday June 10, 2025, at 2:00 PM ET. When submitting your firm’s final quote, please include the RFQ #, Company Name and the word “QUOTE” in the subject line of the email. For example, “AOCSSB25Q00XX_ ABC Inc. QUOTE”. Quotes received after this date and time shall be considered late and shall not be accepted by the Government unless it is determined to be in the best interest of the Government.

L.3 VOLUMES AND ORGANIZATION

Quotes shall be clearly and concisely written, as well as being neat, indexed and logically assembled as described herein. Quoters are advised to supply all information in the sequence and format specified in the table below. The submitted quote must provide a sufficient basis for a thorough evaluation and contain the information necessary for evaluation. The Government will not assume the quoter possesses any capability, understanding, or commitment not specified in the quote. The quote must not merely repeat the solicitation and Statement of Work requirements but rather must provide convincing documentary evidence in support of conclusive statements of how contract requirements will be met.

Quotes shall be prepared in separate volumes: Volume I – Technical and Volume II – Price. The quoter shall provide the requested information within the designated volume evaluation factor. Any requested mailto:troy.dorsey@aoc.gov information placed outside of the designated location shall not be considered or evaluated under that evaluation factor regardless of whether it is located somewhere else in the quote. For the technical quote to be strictly evaluated on the merit of the material submitted, Volume I and Volume II shall be submitted as separate documents. Pricing is prohibited in, and shall be omitted from, Volume I. Each volume shall be indexed by evaluation factor.

Volumes shall be organized in the following manner:

Volume Factor Title Page Limit (Not to Exceed)

I

NA Introductory Letter No limit 1 Technical Approach 6 Pages

2 Key Personnel 6 pages (excluding personnel certifications)

II

3 Price- Price Sheet attachment (Price template- submitted in Excel)

NA Standard Form 18 (Provision Fill-Ins) No limit NA Signed Standard Form 30 (if applicable) No Limit

All pages in Volume I, except the introductory letter, shall include page numbering.

Content which is outside the Page Limits in the above chart will not be considered by the Government during evaluations.

A table of contents, if used, does not count towards the page count.

L.3.1 Quote Size and Formatting

Electronic quote materials shall be submitted 1 sided single-spaced pages using standard 8 ½” x 11” size page with a minimum of 1” margins. The font size shall be Times New Roman or Calibri with a minimum of 12-point size for text and 10-point size for tables and graphics.

L.3.2 Introductory Letter

The following introductory information is required before the first index of Volume I:

• RFQ Number & Title;

• Name and address of quoter;

• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) & cage code;

• NAICS / PSC;

• Name, telephone number & e-mail address of quoter’s main point-of-contact;

• Date of submission;

• Name, title and signature of authorized representative;

• Whether or not all items proposed are Buy American Act compliant;

• All technical factor assumptions to the RFQ and SOW shall be identified in this section. Pricing assumptions shall be identified in Volume II. Exceptions identified in other areas of the quote will not be considered.

L.3.3 Standard Form 18

The quoter shall complete Blocks 13 through 16 of form SF18 and all the provision fill-ins under Section K - Representations, Certifications, and other Statements of Offerors or Respondents. The entire form SF18 shall be returned in PDF format in Volume II. Any SF-30 forms associated with any amendments to this RFQ shall be signed by the quoter and included in Volume II as well.

L.3.4 Factor 1 – Technical Approach

The quoter shall provide a technical approach plan in a narrative format that describes the quoter’s approach to managing and executing the requirements of the SOW.

The quoter shall submit the following information to describe their technical approach and expertise:

a) Describe all methods, resources and experience required to perform SOW section 3.0 preventive maintenance and emergency service (as needed basis particularly in the event of an unexpected power shutdown) on all listed equipment and to provide maintenance or service report and recommendations.

b) Provide evidence of capabilities and experience on requirements of similar size, magnitude, complexity, and scope that demonstrates possession of the required contractor qualifications as listed in SOW sections 17.1, 17.2, 17.3 and 17.4.

L.3.5 Factor 2 – Key Personnel

The quoter shall submit the resumes for the key personnel of SOW section 15.1 Electrical Supervisor and SOW section 15.2 UPS/STS/PDU Electrician/Technician. The resumes shall clearly identify the professional qualifications, including experience, training, certifications and education to meet the requirements described in SOW sections 15.1 and 15.2. The quoter shall ensure dates are included for all experience, training, and education identified.

L.3.6 Factor 3 – Price

Quoter’s shall provide lump sum fixed price quotes for the Base Year and each of the four Option Years input into Attachment J.8 – Pricing Sheet template. Quoters shall also input all Time and Material Labor Hour rates and overhead and profit rates in the Pricing Sheet. The Architect of the Capitol requires FAR 52.225-1 Buy American Act – Supplies in all solicitations for supplies, the quoter shall indicate yes or no for Buy American Act compliance in its Introductory Page. Incomplete Pricing Sheets will be evaluated as a non-compliant quote and may be ineligible for the award.

M.1 BASIS FOR AWARD

Evaluations will be conducted in accordance with the procedures defined below.

The Government will make an award to the quoter whose quote represents the best value to the Government. Within the best value continuum, the Government will use the Lowest Priced Technically Acceptable method in evaluating the quotes approved for evaluation.

The government will first verify the on-time submission of all quotes. The Contracting Officer will then verify the quotes meet the Volume and Organization structure described in Section L.3. Volume I of the quotes that meet the requirements of Section L.3 will be submitted to the Source Selection Evaluation Panel (SSEP) for evaluation. Quoters who are not registered in SAM and have a UEI number at time of quote submission will not be evaluated and will not be eligible for award.

The Government will first rank all responsive and complete quotes by price only, from lowest to highest.

The lowest price will be evaluated for realism, balance and reasonableness using the techniques in Section M.1.3. The Government then will evaluate this lowest priced quote for technical acceptability.

If this lowest price quote is found to be technically acceptable, evaluations will stop, and the award will be made to this lowest priced quote in accordance with the Lowest Priced Technically Acceptable best value determination. If the lowest price quote is found to be not technically acceptable, the next lowest priced quote will be evaluated for technical acceptability. This evaluation process will continue as necessary, until a technically acceptable quote is identified. The higher priced quotes beyond the first technically acceptable quote will not be evaluated by the Government.

Non-Price Factors:

Factor 1: Technical Approach Factor 2: Key Personnel

Price Factors:

Factor 3: Price

The evaluation criteria for each factor are as follows:

M.1.1 Factor 1 – Technical Approach

The Government will evaluate the quoter’s Technical Approach to determine the quoter’s understanding of the requirement and method for completion.

The Government will determine whether the quoter’s responses to requirements L.3.4 (a) and L.3.4 (b) are acceptable or unacceptable.

M.1.2 Factor 2 – Key Personnel

The Government will evaluate Key Personnel resumes to determine whether the key personnel possess the education, expertise, abilities, and experience necessary as required in SOW sections 15.1 and 15.2 to successfully manage requirements of similar size, magnitude, complexity, and scope.

The Government will determine whether the quoter’s response to L.3.5 is acceptable or unacceptable.

M.1.3 Factor 3 – Price

The quoter’s price quote shall be evaluated for price reasonableness to prevent the Government from paying too much for the services outlined in the SOW. Additionally, a price realism analysis may be performed to determine whether the lowest quoted price is unrealistically low. The Government may evaluate an unrealistically low quote may to indicate that a quoter does not fully understand the size, magnitude, complexity, and scope of service outlined in the SOW. An unrealistic price quote may serve as a rejection for the quote.

The quoter’s quote will be evaluated for unbalanced pricing utilizing price analysis techniques. The Government may determine that a quote is unacceptable if the prices proposed are materially unbalanced. A quote may be rejected if the Contracting Officer determines that the lack of balance poses an unacceptable risk to the Government.

Price will not be rated adjectivally but will be evaluated based on a comprehensive review. Price quotes shall be evaluated with respect to accuracy and completeness based on information submitted in the quoter’s written submission. This process will involve verification that figures are correctly calculated, prices are presented in the requested format, and that proposed rates, and any applicable discounts are accurate. Additionally, the Government may utilize one or more of the following methods to evaluate price:

• Comparison to other quotes received;

• Comparison and/or analysis based on Independent Government Cost Estimate; or

• Comparison/analysis to historical prices.

The quoter's total evaluated price shall include the base period and all option periods. The quoter’s Time and Material labor hour rates and percentage markups for overhead and profit will be analyzed as fair and reasonable but will not be included in the total price evaluation.

M.2 RATING AND DEFINITIONS

The Government will evaluate non-price factors using the following definitions:

Rating Description

Acceptable Meets all requirements of the evaluation criteria

Unacceptable Does not meet all requirements of the evaluation criteria