L_Instructions to Offerors 07062023.docx

SECTION L - INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

INFORMATION TO OFFERORS (ITO) AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPOSAL PREPARATION

1.0 TYPE OF CONTRACT

This requirement is a competitive full and open acquisition. The Government contemplates award of a hybrid Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with both Firm Fixed Price (FFP) and Time and Materials CLINs resulting from this solicitation.

2.0 NOTICE TO OFFERORS

This acquisition will use a combination of oral presentations with written submission. The Government intends to evaluate proposals and award a contract without exchanges with offerors. Therefore, the Offeror’s initial proposal should contain the Offeror’s best terms from a technical and price standpoint. The Government reserves the right to conduct exchanges with the offeror if it is later determined by the Contracting Officer (CO) to be in the best interest of the Government.

The Offerors quote must include all data and information requested by this ITO and must be submitted in accordance with these instructions. The Offeror shall be compliant with the requirements as stated in this solicitation. In order to be eligible for award, offerors are required to meet all solicitation requirements, such as terms and conditions; representations and certifications; evaluation factor requirements; and be deemed responsible in accordance with FAR Part 9. Nonconformance with the instructions provided in this ITO will result in an unfavorable quote evaluation.

In accordance with FAR Subpart 4.8 (Government Contract Files), the Government will retain one copy of all unsuccessful proposals. Unless the offeror requests otherwise, the Government will destroy extra copies of such unsuccessful proposals.

Proposal preparation costs and evaluation participation costs are the responsibility of the Offeror.

URL addresses may be included in proposal text and graphics, but the use of active hyperlinks in proposals is prohibited other than for the table of contents. Any such links will not be viewed or considered.

3.0 INFORMATION PROTECTION

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and its amendments have resulted in an increasing number of requests from outside the Government for copies of contract qualifications and proposals submitted to federal agencies. If an Offeror’s submissions contain information that he/she believes should be withheld from such requestors under FOIA on the grounds that they contain “trade secrets and commercial or financial information” [5 USC§552(b)(4)], the Offeror should mark its submissions in the following manner:

The following notice should be placed on the title page: “Some parts of this document, as identified on individual pages, are considered by the submitter to be privileged or confidential trade secrets or commercial or financial information not subject to mandatory disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Material considered privileged or confidential on such grounds is contained on page(s) _______.”

Each individual item considered privileged or confidential under FOIA should be marked with the following notice: “The data or information is considered confidential or privileged and is not subject to mandatory disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.”

4.0 SOLICITATION RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS

4.1 GENERAL

The Offeror shall submit documentation illustrating their approach for satisfying the requirements of this solicitation. The proposal shall be clear, concise, and shall include sufficient detail for effective evaluation and for substantiating the validity of stated claims. This documentation shall cover all aspects of this solicitation and include the Offeror’s approach for providing all personnel, equipment, supplies, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to provide services in support of Synthetic Theater Operations Research Model (STORM). The proposal shall not simply rephrase or restate the Government's requirements but rather shall provide convincing rationale to address how the Offeror intends to meet these requirements. Offerors shall assume the Government has no prior knowledge of its facilities and experience and will base its evaluation on the information presented in the Offerors quote. Proposal must clearly demonstrate how the Offeror intends to accomplish the requirements and must include convincing rationale and substantiation of all claims. Unnecessarily elaborate brochures or other presentations beyond those sufficient to present a complete effective response to the solicitation are not desired.

Offerors shall include in their proposal graphs, charts, diagrams and narrative, in sufficient detail for the Government to understand and evaluate the nature of the approach. The Government will consider the degree of substantiation of the proposed approaches in the proposal volumes.

4.2 REQUIREMENTS FOR AWARD

4.2.1 System for Award Management (SAM)

Offerors will not be eligible to receive a contract award from a Department of Defense (DoD) activity unless they are registered in SAM. Offerors must be registered in the SAM Database prior to award of any contract. Firms must register on a one-time basis and annually confirm accuracy and completeness of registration information. On-line registration and instructions can be accessed at https://www.sam.gov/index.html.

4.2.2 Government Furnished Information and International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) Compliance This solicitation offers Government Furnished Information (GFI) that is protected under the Arms Export Control Act of 1976. As such, offerors shall be compliant with ITAR. Compliance is awarded after registration and approval by the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), a component of the U.S. Department of State.

Proof of registration must be provided to this solicitation’s points of contact above before any of the GFI will be released to the requesting organization. This GFI provides greater insight into STORM’s technical requirement. GFI will be delivered to the approved requestor via Safe Access File Exchange (SAFE), formerly known as AMRDEC. Instructions on accessing SAFE will be provided via email as the GFI is delivered.

Information on ITAR and DDTC registration may be found at: https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/registration

4.2.3 Facility Clearance Level (FCL)

Performance will primarily be conducted at Government locations. Prior to award, the successful offer must hold a Secret FCL at their off-site location. DD Form 254 is used to obtain a FCL. Complete the DD Form 254 found as Attachment 3 and submit it with your proposal. Instructions for completing the form can be found at Defense Contracting Command-Washington (DCC-W) (pentagon.mil) .

4.3 COMMUNICATIONS

4.3.1 Questions

Offerors may e-mail written inquiries/clarifications of the RFP to the Contract Specialist (CS) identified in section 4.2.2. The Government will answer questions received NLT 0900 AM ET 20 calendar days after RFP release and will provide responses to interested parties through SAM.gov postings. Questions received after this date may be considered and answered if time permits at the discretion of the CO.

Questions shall identify the source of the question by including the document name, section, and paragraph number of reference. Identify proprietary data for exclusion from posting.

If an offeror believes that the requirements in these instructions contain an error, omission, or are otherwise unsound, the offeror shall immediately notify the CS in writing with supporting rationale as well as the remedies the offeror is asking the CS to consider as related to the omission or error. The offeror is reminded that the Government reserves the right to award this effort based on the initial proposal, as received, without discussion.

4.3.2 Proposal Submission

Proposal shall be submitted electronically to the POCs noted below IAW the date and time stated on the STORM Solicitation cover page. It is the responsibility of the Offeror to verify receipt of proposals with the CO or CS. No hand deliveries will be accepted.

4.3.3 Debriefings

Debriefings are conducted with the goal of identifying to unsuccessful offerors where changes can be made to improve proposals for future acquisitions. Successful or unsuccessful offerors may request debriefings by providing a written request to the CO. Debriefings shall be conducted in accordance with FAR 15.505 for pre-award debriefings and FAR 15.506 for post-award debriefings. The CO will notify unsuccessful offerors of the source selection decision in accordance with FAR 15.503. Upon such notification, successful/unsuccessful offerors may request and receive a debriefing. Offerors desiring a debriefing must make their request in accordance with the requirements of FAR 15.505 or 15.506, as applicable.

4.4 PROPOSAL VOLUME REQUIREMENTS

The proposal shall be accompanied by a cover letter prepared on the company’s letterhead stationery. The cover letter shall identify all enclosures being transmitted and shall be used only to transmit the proposal and shall include no other information. The first or title page shall be in accordance with FAR 52.212-1, paragraph (b)(2). Only proposals submitted in accordance with these instructions will be accepted. The following chart presents the proposal layout, which follows evaluation factors found in Section 5.0 below and in Section M of this solicitation.

I. TECHNICAL VOLUME*

Cover Letter

2*

Table of Contents

2*

Software Users Agreement (See Attachment 1)

Software Distribution Statement (see Attachment 2)

Completed DD254 (See Attachment 3)

Small Business Participation Plan (See Attachment 4)

Fill-in Clauses (Section I of the solicitation)

II. PAST PERFORMANCE

Past Performance (See Attachment 7) 5.2

3-5 References

III. PRICE VOLUME

Table of Contents

CLIN X001 & X004

(See Attachment 8) For pricing CLIN X002, X003, X005, and X006 Task Orders

*1 unredacted copy and 1 redacted copy for a total of two copies delivered electronically.

4.4.1 Page Limitations

The cover letter, title page, table of contents, table of figures, list of tables and glossary of abbreviations and acronyms for each volume do not count against page count limitations. Proposal contents that exceed the stated page limitations will be removed from the proposal by the CO, prior to turning the proposal over to the Government evaluation team and will not be considered in the evaluation.

4.4.2 Format

Text shall be single-spaced, on 8½” x 11” paper (except as specifically noted), with a minimum one-inch margin all around. Pages shall be numbered consecutively. A page printed on both sides shall be counted as two pages. Submission as double-sided printing/ copying on recycled paper is encouraged. Offerors may use 11” x 17” sized fold-out pages for tables, charts, graphs, or pictures that cannot be legibly presented on 8½” x 11” paper. An 11” x 17” is a two-sheet equivalent (with regards to the page count limitations). Print shall be of a minimum 12-point Times New Roman font size. Bolding, underlining, and italics may be used to identify topic demarcations or points of emphasis. Graphic presentations, including tables, while not subject to the same font size and spacing requirements, shall have spacing and text that is easily readable. Each volume in the proposal shall include a title page and table of contents. The table of contents shall list sections, subsections and page numbers. Each volume shall contain a glossary of all abbreviations and acronyms used and listing of tables, drawings, diagrams and/or figures. Each acronym used shall be spelled out in the text the first time it appears in each proposal volume.

4.4.3 Electronic Copies of Proposal

Text and graphics portions of the electronic copies shall be in a format readable by Microsoft (MS) Word 2013 and/or Adobe Acrobat XI Pro. Visual presentation material shall be readable by MS Office 2013. The Offeror must ensure that the submission is readable, in the format specified in the solicitation, and has been verified free of computer viruses. Prior to any evaluation, the Government will check all files for viruses and ensure that all information is readable. In the event that any files are corrupted or unreadable, the Government may request the Offeror to resubmit the electronic media.

A second, redacted, electronic copy of Volumes I & III shall be provided. Remove all references to company names and all other identifying markings (i.e., logos, slogans, individual’s names, phone numbers, addresses, emails, CAGE and DUNS codes, etc.). Failure to provide a redacted proposal is considered non-compliance with this ITO. The purpose of this copy is to furnish proposals usable in a blind analysis.

4.4.4 Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI) Avoidance

Offerors are required to identify any actual or potential Conflict of Interest in their proposals and may be required to submit a mitigation plan during the proposal period. The successful Offeror shall prepare an OCI mitigation plan, if required. Mitigation Plans, if required, will be evaluated IAW FAR 9.5.

4.4.5 Attachments to Model Contract

The Offeror shall utilize the following attachments included in the solicitation package in development of the proposal:

Attachment 1 – Software Users Agreement Attachment 2 – Software Distribution Statement Attachment 3 – DD254 Attachment 4 – Small Business Participation Plan Attachment 5 – Performance Work Statement (PWS) Attachment 6 – Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) Attachment 7 – Past Performance Questionnaire Attachment 8 – Rate Schedule

5.0 EVALUATION FACTORS

Proposal evaluation consists of three factors. Factor I is the Technical Evaluation and has 4 subfactors. Factor II is evaluation of the offeror’s Past Performance. Factor III is the price proposal. Ratings used on these factors are described in section M of this solicitation.

5.1 Factor I: Technical Evaluation

There are four parts to the Technical Evaluation as described below.

5.1.1 Subfactor 1 - Gateway Question / Oral Presentation

Subfactor 1 includes a written response and an oral presentation which are designed to ascertain whether the offeror has sufficient understanding of technical concepts and requirements of STORM to warrant further analysis of their proposal.

5.1.1.1 Gateway Question

Written response to the Gateway Question shall be submitted as noted in section 4.4. The Gateway Question is as follows:

“Stand-off air launched munitions with ranges exceeding 100 nautical miles, referred to as type air asset spawnables by STORM users, do not have the ability to dynamically route plan and fly routes with multiple waypoints to minimize threat detection and avoid air-air and surface-air threats within the STORM model. In reality, this dynamic flight route planning and execution can be enabled through either detailed pre-flight mission planning, through multiple in-flight target updates (IFTUS) occurring during the stand-off munitions fly-out to target or a combination of both methods. This limitation of stand-off munition representation is a noticeable shortcoming when STORM campaign analysis results are presented to a DoD Joint Community. In ten pages or less, please describe an approach to remedy this shortcoming with a detailed plan to enable dynamic multi-waypoint stand-off munition flight route representation in the Storm Air Model. Please include a discussion on the code development process to be used, code configuration control, code testing and verification & validation of the code modification. Please also include a short discussion on appropriateness of this requirement at the Campaign modeling level and be cognizant of the different requirements within the STORM community (i.e., Air Force vs Navy vs Marines vs Joint Staff etc...).”

DO NOT include any cost projections, but rather a discussion on the modeling and simulation design approach you would recommend.

5.1.1.2 Oral Presentation

Offerors must submit a request for an Oral Presentation time prior to the proposal submission due date to the CO and CS. Provide three (3) preferred dates/times with your request, along with your list of attendees. All presentations shall be conducted within the week after proposal submissions are collected. The Government reserves the right to reschedule presentations at the sole discretion of the Contracting Officer.

Oral presentations shall be based upon the written Gateway question above.

a. Time Limit – The Government will not consider offeror’s oral presentation if exceeding one hour. The Contracting Officer reserves the right to terminate the presentation if it overruns the prescribed time limit. During the presentation, the Technical Evaluation Team members will not interrupt the offeror to ask questions (except to request the repetition of inaudible words or statements or the explanation of terms that are unknown to them) or otherwise engage the offeror in any dialogue. There will be a question-and-answer period following the oral presentation. Allow 40 minutes for the presentation of your Gateway Question and 20 minutes for a question-and-answer session.

b. Offeror Attendees – If you require Visitor Base Access, complete the pre-registration form that can be found at the following web address: https://dbids-global-enroll.dmdc.mil/. Access will require a photocopy of the front and back of a valid photo ID and a clear visible passport style photo. Please provide these documents for each individual that needs sponsorship to Ms. Weston and Ms. Jones before the proposal due date per the solicitation cover page. We can only obtain 50 TOTAL visitor passes for the event.

c. Topics – The offeror’s oral presentation will address the following:

What input file modifications will be required?

What new input files will have to be created?

How will this modification be integrated into the STORM air adjudication, employment, and planning methodologies?

How will these modifications be integrated into the C2 and ISR managers?

What is the detailed code testing process?

How will this modification be integrated into training courses/manuals and how will it be released to the STORM community?

Considerations and Summary

d. Presentation Media – Offerors are free to structure their oral presentations using 8½” x 11” viewgraphs (slides, transparencies) or computer-generated media. The number of viewgraphs (or other media) should not exceed 35 slides. Use of these visual aids is at the offeror’s discretion.

The offeror shall submit a final electronic version via email of their Oral Presentation materials as part of their written technical submission.

e. Scheduling – Offerors must submit a request for Oral Presentation NLT XX August 2023 at 1200 EST to the Contracting Officer. All presentations will be conducted within 72 hours after proposal submissions are collected. The Government reserves the right to reschedule presentations at the sole discretion of the Contracting Officer.

f. Location – The location will be Joint Base Andrews, MD or other announced location. Any location change announcement will be sent to registered offerors.

The Government reserves the right to change the Oral Presentation site at the sole discretion of the Contracting Officer.

5.1.2 Subfactor 2 – Personnel Management Plan

Campaign analysis a highly specialized field of DoD data analysis, and it is essential to have qualified personnel with STORM modeling skill and understanding in campaign analytic to satisfy the requirements described in the PWS. It is also crucial for the SAF/SA to maintain its ability to provide timely, credible, and innovative analyses to senior leaders of the Department of Air Force during transition and throughout the contract’s period of performance. In five pages or less, describe a management plan to provide and retain qualified personnel, including key personnel described in PWS Section 2.7, throughout the life of the contract. Please include a discussion on how to find a replacement in timely manner to fill a vacant position.

The key personnel resumes shall be submitted as part of the supplemental page count.

The Transition-in Plan noted in PWS Section 6.5 shall be submitted as part of the supplemental page count.

5.1.3 Subfactor 3 – Software Management Plan

STORM has been the United States Air Force’s simulation of record for campaign-level analysis for over a decade. New capabilities are continuously developed and integrated into the software as innovative concepts and technologies that will impact the future warfighting landscape are introduced. To support such continuous development cycle while preserving existing capabilities, it is essential to maintain the software’s core architecture and framework. Additionally, with increasing focus on cybersecurity, the Department of Defense (DoD) recently requires all DoD information technology (IT) systems processing DoD information to implement a multi-tiered cybersecurity risk management process. In five pages or less, describe an approach to ensure the integrity of the STORM software architecture and framework and to test if a software modification does not adversely affect existing capabilities. Also, please include a discussion on how to implement the Risk Management Framework (RMF) process for STORM in accordance with the Air Force Instruction (AFI) 17-101 to be compliant with the Department of Defense Instruction 8510.01.

5.1.4 Subfactor 3 – Service Plan

The STORM user community has over 100 users from service organizations, combatant commands, and the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Providing adequate user community support is required to expand the pool of skilled campaign analyst and ensure the relevancy of STORM in the field of campaign analysis. In five pages or less, describe an approach in providing user support activities, including user group meeting, help desk, and training. Also, describe the experience in maintaining a user group website that facilitates community support while ensuring the compliance to all Government rules and regulations, such as International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), to prevent an unauthorized user from accessing protected data.

5.2 FACTOR 2: PAST PERFORMANCE

Offerors are directed to use the Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) found as Attachment 7 of this solicitation. Provide a PPQ to a previous or current contract holder, who in turn will complete the form and email it to the CS for processing. At least three (3), and no more than five (5), questionnaires shall be submitted for the offeror’s most recently completed Federal Government or Commercial contracts. PPQs should be submitted on recent and relevant contracts, not to exceed three (3) years since completion for like or similar services to those to be provided under this solicitation. If the offeror is unable to provide five (5) relevant contracts for past performance evaluation, a lesser number may be submitted.

The offeror has both the duty and discretion to determine which of its prior contracts are most relevant to the currently described requirements. The offeror should consider that the Government shall give special attention to past performance relating to the United States Federal Government. It is the offeror’s responsibility to ensure previous contract holders return their PPQ which are due by 10 August 2023. Upon request, the CS will confirm receipt.

5.3 FACTOR 3: PRICE

The Offeror agrees to hold the prices in its proposal firm for 180 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of proposals unless another time period is specified in an addendum to the solicitation.

Compliance with these requirements is mandatory and failure to comply may result in rejection of the Offeror’s proposal.

The contractor shall include pricing on unburdened rates for submitted labor categories.

Organization: The Price Volume shall be organized as follows:

a. Section 1 – Table of Contents

b. Section 2 – Cost and Pricing Schedule (contractor format)

c. Section 3 – Rate Schedule (see Attachment 8)

Supporting Fixed-Price Data: Price proposals must adhere to the pricing structure established in the CLIN of the solicitation. Each Offeror’s price proposal must be based on the Offeror’s own technical proposal, the Government’s specifications, and other contractual requirements. If the prices to be used are based on a published price list or catalog, the Offeror shall so state, and provide a copy of the document with the price proposal. If the prices are to be based on established market price, not otherwise published, or if prices are applicable only to the proposed contract, the Offeror shall so state.

a. Pricing shall be completed by the Offeror in accordance with the following:

i. Proposed prices shall be provided reflecting the established CLINs.

ii. All prices contained in the Cost and Pricing Schedule for CLINs X001 and X003 shall reflect total compensation for the services detailed therein and are fully inclusive of all costs including labor (workers, management, aids, assistants, and operators), overhead, general and administrative (G&A) expenses, and profit.

iii. Include a completed Rate Schedule (see Attachment 8) for future use in pricing Task Order issued against CLINs X002, X003, X005 and X006.

iv. Price proposals shall be evaluated for the presence of “unbalanced pricing” based on a contractor’s attempt to “buy in” to the acquisition. The Contracting Officer will perform a price proposal analysis to determine balanced pricing. The Contracting Officer reserves the right to reject an offer if it is determined that the lack of balanced pricing poses an unacceptable risk to the Government in accordance with FAR Part 15.404-1(g).

b. The Government expects that this contract will be awarded based upon adequate price competition.

Rounding Methodology: All dollar amounts provided shall be rounded to the nearest penny. All labor rates shall be rounded to the nearest penny.

END OF SECTION