M00264-25-Q-0121 Amendment 001.docx

M0026425Q0121 Amendment 001 (Conformed Copy)

SOLICITATION NUMBER: M00264-25-Q-0121 Amendment 001

SOLICITATION ISSUED BY: Monica Curley, Contract Specialist Marine Corps Installations National Capital Region, Regional Contracting Office (MCINCR-RCO) Building 2010 Henderson Rd, Quantico, VA 22134 Phone: (703) 784-0081

SET-ASIDE: This acquisition is set aside 100% for Small Business concerns under NAICS code 541990 - All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, Size Standard $19.5M.

This is a FAR Part 12 – Acquisition of Commercial Items, procurement in accordance with FAR Subpart 13.5, Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Products and Commercial Services.

LIST OF QUOTE REQUEST ATTACHMENTS:

The following exhibits will become part of the resultant contract:

Attachment 1: Pricing Template

The following will not become part of the resulting contract:

Attachment 2: Past Performance Reference Attachment 3: Assessor Past Performance Questionnaire

The purpose of this amendment is to address questions submitted timely in response to the solicitation. As a result of the questions, the Performance Work Statement is hereby revised as shown in yellow highlighted text as well as in track changes. Any other changes within the solicitation are also identified in yellow highlighted text. The Question & Answer is provided as an Attachment to this Amendment.

CONTRACTOR UEI/CAGE: _________________________________________________________

CONTRACTOR NAME: _________________________________________________________

SIGNATURE OF QUOTER: _________________________________________________________

NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER: _________________________________________________________

DATE SIGNED: _________________________________________________________

QUOTERS MAY SIGN PAGE ONE OF THIS RFQ AND JUST RETURN PAGE ONE SIGNED/ COMPLETED, WITHOUT SUBMITTING THE ENTIRE RFQ. DO NOT RETURN THE ENTIRE RFQ.

Performance Work Statement Genealogy Support Services

1. Background

The Headquarters Marine Corps Casualty Section (MFPC), Military Personnel Services Branch, Manpower, and Reserve Affairs (M&RA) has a requirement for genealogical support services. The requirement is for the technical expertise to locate family members of Marines unaccounted for from past wars.

2. Scope

This Performance Work Statement (PWS) is for the non-personal services for genealogical support services for the procurement and delivery of fourteen hundred and fifty (1450) cases. The Casualty Section is responsible for identifying relatives of Marines unaccounted for from past wars to donate a Family Reference Sample (FRS) for Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) testing.

The Contractor shall be required to provide the labor, supplies, materials, and facilities to assist the Casualty Section in locating family members of over 2700 Marines previously unaccounted for from World War II, approximately 149 Marines unaccounted for from the Vietnam War and the Korean War, and to locate family members of Marines previously recovered and identified from the Vietnam War, the Korean War and the Cold War when additional remains are recovered and identified.

American service members from previous wars who did not return home alive or whose remains were not recovered are considered “unaccounted for.” After a specific period of time, if no new information was received to confirm that these individuals were alive, a Presumptive Finding of Death (PFOD) was issued by the appropriate Service Secretary declaring them deceased, even if remains were not recovered. The Marine Corps has over 3800 Marines that were lost in military operations in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Cold War. Of the over 3800, the Marine Corps has been unable to locate family members of approximately 2849 Marines. The Marine Corps is often tasked with priority requests to locate living descendants of unaccounted for Marines from past conflicts when the Defense Prisoners of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Accounting Agency (DPAA) believes they have recovered remains or have remains of unaccounted Marines in their Identification Laboratory. The skills of a professional certified genealogist are required to complete this mission.

3. Tasks and Specifications:

The contractor must provide at least one genealogist with credentials from either the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen) or The Board of Certification for Genealogists (BCG) to certify research. The contractor shall be responsible for locating and providing contact information for the closest living family member. Specifically contact information is needed for the primary next of kin and also the secondary next of kin. The objective of this requirement is to locate and provide contact information of the closest living family member, referred to as the “Primary Next of Kin” per Department of Defense Instruction 1300.18 (Personnel Casualty Matters, Policies and Procedures). Additionally, provide contact information on living DNA eligible family members, primary next of kin (PNOK) and secondary (SNOK), for approximately 2700 Marines unaccounted for from World War II and approximately 149 Marines unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, the Korean War and the Cold War, for the purpose of collecting Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), paternal (Y-DNA), and autosomal / nuclear (auDNA - children of service member) for FRS comparisons, and to locate family members of Marines previously recovered and identified from the Vietnam War, the Korean War, the Cold War, and World War II when additional remains are recovered and identified, in accordance with the PWS.

a. The expectation is that the contractor will establish direct contact with any relatives of the deceased Marines to fulfill the requirements of this contract. Below are specific steps for potential relative/DNA donor contact:

b. The contractor shall contact the potential relative/DNA donor via phone and email (if available) to confirm relationship to the decedent on each case. Other means of communication is authorized if necessary.

c. If the potential relative /DNA donor is not responsive to the initial attempt to establish contact within 24-hours, the contractor will follow-up within 72hrs to attempt to establish contact, but not to exceed one attempt per 24hrs.

d. If the potential relative/DNA donor does not respond within 72 hours of the last attempt, the contractor may move-on to the next potential relative/DNA donor found on the genealogy report. If the contractor has any questions or requires guidance, the contractor shall contact the Government representative (name will be provided at award).

e. The DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner have requested maternal relatives be located for (mtDNA) DNA analysis and paternal relatives be located for contact, Y chromosome (YSTR) DNA analysis and Nuclear (Autosomal) (au-STR) DNA analysis.

f. The contractor shall spend no more than 30 hours per case. When it is determined that a case will require more than 30 hours to complete, due to adoption, foster care, etc., the Contractor must notify the Casualty Section representative for discussion and guidance.

3.1 Tasks. Below, are specific tasks in specific order that will be required:

a. The contractor shall first identify the Marine’s closest living family member, referred to as the “Primary Next of Kin” per Department of Defense Instruction 1300.18 (Personnel Casualty Matters, Policies and Procedures). Then, proceed as follows:

b. The contractor shall identify, if feasible, at least two maternal (mtDNA) DNA eligible relatives of the Marine. Continue to Task 3.1.c.

c. The contractor shall identify, if feasible, at least two paternal (Y-DNA) DNA eligible relatives of the Marine. Continue to Task 3.1.d.

d. The contactor shall identify if task 3.1.c aren’t met, at least two single nucleotide polymorphism (snpDNA) DNA eligible relatives of the Marine are provided. (service-member’s children if applicable).

e. The contractor shall report all potential Next of Kin (NOK) found as a result of the genealogy search, including any whose relationship is not DNA eligible (e.g., relationship is that of a paternal niece). The contractor shall report the NOK’s contact information (to include name, address, phone number, email, DOB, etc.) to MFPC(Marine Family Program Casualty) within 21-28 days of receipt of the request from MFPC.. Information attained from the contractor must result in a successful contact with a NOK 90% of the time.

f. Should attempts to find the Marine’s NOK be unsuccessful, the contractor shall inform MFPC. Based on information provided, MFPC will make a case status determination.

g. The Marine Corps Casualty POW / MIA Office requires genealogist to assemble and ship DNA kits to eligible family members. DNA kits materials are required to be purchased by the contractor. The contractor must purchase the FAB Swabs (swab code/SKU: P25-805-1PC-TT-FABUSA) and swab labels through a source approved by MFPC. Harmony Supplies is currently the only approved source of FAB swabs. Swabs procured by any other sources would require the contractor to procure and send a sample to the governemnt for consideration and approval, at no cost to the government. The contractor will not be excused for any delays in the required genealoogical support services resulting from the time it takes for altenrative swab sources being approved by the government. The government (via AFDIL) will provide the pouches to the contractor, at no cost to the contractor for the pouches. All Marine records needed to locate PNOK and SNOK for unaccounted for Marines will be provided to the contractor by MFPC. Instructions on how to perform the test will be provided to the contractor from the Government, in which the contractor will be responsible to make and provide copies of the instructions to provide within the kits.

i. Ideal Family Reference Sample (FRS) profile would have four (4) DNA samples on file per each Marine Corps unaccounted-for case:

· Two (2) mitochondrial / maternal (mtDNA) samples

· Two (2) paternal (Y-DNA) samples

ii. DNA Kits shall be shipped via most cost-efficient means available by the genealogist to the NOK. An example of shipping courier to use are FedEx, UPS, and the United States Postal Service (USPS). Whichever courier is chosen a tracking number must be included to track the shipment to delivery of NOK address. Pre-paid postage envelopes must be procured and provided by the contractor. The FAB swabs and swab labels shall be purchased by the contractor separately.

iii. In addition, a pre-paid / pre-addressed envelope with a tracking number must be placed inside the mailing for the family member to ship back (free of cost) the swabs and donor consent forms to the Armed Forces DNA Laboratory (AFDIL) upon completion of their DNA test.

iv. Tracking numbers shall be recorded for both mailings to NOK and returns to AFDIL associated to each Marine case.

v. Genealogists are to provide the Marine Corps POW / MIA Office with information concerning FRS outreach on each case; to include the Marine case, family members participating in outreach program, relationship of family member, and tracking numbers for FRS collection. A Marine Corps POW/MIA point of contact will be established for the genealogist to communicate during the contract period.

vi. The following information / documents are typically included in the DNA Kits to family members:

· USMC introduction cover letter

· Two (2) pre-paid mailing envelopes are used; one for NOK, and one for returning test to AFDIL.

· Family Reference Collection Form (DNA Form 332)

· Family Relationship Chart (DNA Form 332)

· Donor Consent Form (DNA Form 332)

· Three Filtered Air Breathable Sterile Cotton Tippled Applicator Swab (FAB-SWAB)

· Swab instructions

· One Clear Plastic Pouch 4.5 inches x 9.5 inches (this is used to place three swabs inside)

· Three swab labels (one label is attached to the swab by the NOK after testing with each swab)

· Records on the Marine that are available (provided by the USMC)

· DPAA Family Member Guide

· Other information pertaining to loss incident / battle (if available)

h. DPAA prioritizes cases based off of several different factors. Factors include potential remains in the labatory. Planned missions to known sites where a loss is documented to have occurred. DPAA then relays this information to the Repatriation office which is then passed down to the genealogy team.

4. General Confidentiality Requirements

The U.S. Government will provide the Department of Defense Instruction (DODI) 1300.18 manual and technical information as required for the implementation of this contract. The Contractor must comply with the requirements of DODI 1300.18 including compliance with section 552a of title 5, United States Code (U.S.C.), “The Privacy Act of 1974.”

The Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) may require that these items/files to be password protected. Unless otherwise authorized by the COR, the Contractor will not use the Contractor's or a Third-Party's proprietary data, information, software items and/or other materials for any purpose without meeting the requirements of Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) clause 252.227-7020, and without the specific, written approval by the COR, prior to start of any work.

All Contract developed, generated and/or produced images and other items, and all associated intellectual property, (singularly or collectively hereinafter known as “Items”), completed or in progress under the contract will be provided to the Government and are solely and fully owned by the Government (“Deliverables”). The Contractor will transfer all Contract Deliverables/Items, and all associated intellectual property, completed or in progress, to the Government, if not already delivered, upon contract completion.

The Marine Corps is required to have unrestricted access and use of all Deliverables/Items upon delivery. The Contractor will provide all Deliverables/Items in a version, format, and media used/useable and modifiable by the Marine Corps. Therefore, unless otherwise directed by the COR the Deliverables/Items identified in this PWS will be delivered in a media and an electronic format compatible with resources currently being used by the Government.

Moreover, the Contractor is obligated to protect from unauthorized use or disclosure all Government confidential or classified material and/or Government-owned proprietary, and/or Personally Identifiable Information or Personal-Privacy related, Items obtained in the course of performance under the Government contract, as long as such Items remain proprietary, confidential, sensitive or classified. Contract personnel will not publish, divulge, disclose, or make known Items in any manner, or to any extent not authorized by the Contract, and Contractor personnel will not publish, divulge, disclose, or make known this information/Items/Deliverables in any manner or to any extent not authorized by the COR. However, the obligation not to discuss, disclose, release, reproduce or otherwise provide or make available such items, or any portion thereof, will continue, even after completion of this contract. Any actual or suspected unauthorized use, disclosure, release, or reproduction of any items or violation of this agreement, of which the company or any employee is or may become aware, will be reported promptly (within one business day) to the Contractor's program manager, who will inform the COR within five business days of receiving such report.

5. Period of Performance and Delivery

The contractor shall complete at least twenty-five (25) cases monthly with a total of fourteen hundred and fifty (1450) cases during the period of performance. The contractor shall provide the Government with the requested cases in an Adobe PDF formatting through electronic exchanges via e-mail communications. The contractor shall provide the cases/items to the Government with the rights provided for under DFARS 252.227-7020, e.g., an assignment of all rights, title, and interests.

5.1 The contractor shall provide the following deliverables to the COR for review using the best commercial practices for quality by the requested due dates.

5.2 All data and personnel documents provided to the Contractor shall be returned to the Government upon expiration of this award.

DELIVERABLES SCHEDULE

3.1 The contractor shall utilize MFPC’s standardized spreadsheet to report progress/successful contacts on a weekly basis.

Reports shall be submitted on time and be error free 90% of the time.

Adobe PDF/Report First Case due to COR within seven (7) business days after receipt of the furnished Marine Corps document.

Then due to COR - Weekly

3.2 Produce contact sheets with the target family member/member’s full name, relationship to the decedent, current mailing address, and current telephone number, if available.

Adobe

Due to COR - Weekly (As Needed)

3.3 Create reports which illustrates the efforts and progress under tasks 3.1 and 3.2 with accomplishments and cite the number of hours worked per case. (Examples of reports will be provided to contractor for reference)

Extensions will be granted on a case-by-case basis as an exception.

Adobe

Due to COR - Weekly (As Needed)

5.3 Deliverables Inspection and Acceptance

All deliverables will be inspected by the COR. The COR will provide the Contractor with written feedback for individual deliverables and will accept all formal deliverables via email. Unless otherwise directed by the COR, reports shall be submitted to the Government in Microsoft Word format and/or Adobe PDF (currently Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.x); file names shall clearly be labeled with the Marine Case and the genealogist who worked on the case and include the following: last name, first name, middle name (if applicable) and past conflict (i.e., Halstead, Murat, WWII, Tarawa).

5.4 Quality Surveillance and Performance Standards

The Government will conduct quality surveillance in accordance with the Performance Requirements Summary (PRS) above. Contractor performance shall be measured against the specific standards and metrics identified in the PRS. The Marine Corps will establish respective quality assurance surveillance plans to track timeliness of reports delivered and identify reporting backlogs. The PRS shall establish standards for evaluating the reports required under this PWS.

5.5 Follow up protocols will be conducted by the contractor for DNA kits that have not been returned and will fall into two different phases (under CLINs 0001, 1001, 2001, 3001, and 4001):

· Phase 1 (30 Days) If the kit has not been returned attempt follow up via telephone calls and or emails.

· Phase 2 (90 days) Written letter to NOK sent to their home of record requesting contact upon receipt.

6. Contractor Furnished Material (CFM)

Contractor shall furnish all reports/cases utilizing Adobe/PDF format. The Government shall reserve the right to request that these reports/cases are password protected and will inform the contractor prior to receiving the reports/cases.

7. Government Responsibilities

Government personnel will be made available, whether in person, email, phone and/or Microsoft Teams (whichever is most efficient) to provide technical input, answer contractors questions, clarify and provide feedback on any cases or finds, review completed draft deliverables and provide final point of contact for deliverable and completed cases.

8. Security Requirements

Actions in support of this effort will be unclassified but sensitive in nature. The Contractor shall not disclose information obtained or generated as a result of this effort without prior approval of the Headquarters Marine Corps Casualty Section. Contractor shall submit a completed "Conflict of Interest and Non-Disclosure Statement" form for every employee working on the task and appropriate corporate officer on behalf of the corporation.

9. Place of Performance: Performance will be at the contractor’s site.

10. Recognized Holidays: The Contractor shall observe the following legal holidays:

11. Travel: Travel is not anticipated to support this effort, therefore, travel is required and/or authorized.

12. Government Furnished Information

The U.S. Government will provide the Department of Defense Instruction (DODI) 1300.18 manual and technical information as required for the implementation of this contract.

13. Non-Personal Services Statement

Contractor employees performing services under this contract will be controlled, directed, and supervised at all times by Contractor management personnel. Contractor management shall ensure all employees comply with the performance work standards outlined in this PWS. Contractor employees shall perform their duties independent of, and without the supervision of, any Government official or other Defense Contractor. The tasks, duties, and responsibilities set forth in this PWS shall not be interpreted or implemented in any manner that results in any Contractor employee creating or modifying federal policy, obligating the appropriated funds of the Marine Corps, overseeing the work of federal employees, or providing direct personal services to any federal employee.

14. Organization Conflict of Interest

Contractor shall immediately notify the Contracting Officer, if during the performance of the contract, contractor becomes aware of any circumstance where its personnel or subcontractors may have a conflict of interest. In such circumstances, contractor shall propose a Conflict-of-Interest mitigation plan offering suitable processes for alleviating situations that lead to actual and/or potential conflict of interest situations, as well as situations that give the appearance of a conflict of interest. The Contracting Officer will review the information provided by the contractor and make a determination whether to proceed with the contract, notwithstanding a conflict of interest, and as applicable, process a request for waiver pursuant to FAR 9.503.

The Government will determine whether a conflict of interest exists during its evaluation. Any proposal determined to violate this conflict-of-interest restriction will be deemed non-responsive and will be disqualified from further evaluation. The contractor will conduct its business in a manner befitting the special relationship with the Government, operating in the public interest with objectivity and independence.

The guidelines and procedures of FAR 9.5 will be used in identifying and resolving any issues of organizational conflicts of interest. In the event that a contract requires activity that would create an actual or potential conflict of interest, the contractor will:

· Immediately notify the Contracting Officer of the actual or potential conflict, submit a plan for mitigation and not commence work on any contract that involves a potential or actual conflict of interest until specifically notified by the Contracting Officer to proceed; or

· Identify the conflict and recommend to the contracting officer an alternate tasking approach which would avoid the conflict.

· The Contracting Officer will review the information provided by the contractor and make a determination whether to proceed with the contract, notwithstanding a conflict of interest, and as applicable, process a request for waiver pursuant to FAR 9.503.

The Government will determine whether a conflict of interest exists during its evaluation. Any proposal determined to violate this conflict-of-interest restriction will be deemed non-responsive and will be disqualified from further evaluation.

15. Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)

The COR will be nominated in writing by the Contracting Officer (KO). The COR will represent the KO in the administration of technical details within the scope of this contract and will perform inspections and acceptance of all deliverables. The COR is not otherwise authorized to make any representations or commitments of any kind on behalf of the KO or the Government. The COR does not have the authority to alter the Contractor’s obligations or change the specifications in the contract. If, as a result of technical discussions, it is desirable to alter contract obligations or statement of works, a modification must be issued in writing and signed by the KO. The KO must make all contractual agreements, commitments, or modifications involving price, quantity, quality, delivery schedules, labor mix, or other terms and conditions of the contract. The COR is responsible for reviewing invoices submitted by the contractor and informing the KO of areas where exceptions are to be taken. The COR authority is non-delegable.

16. Authorized Changes Only by The Contracting Officer

Except as specified in paragraph (b) below, no order, statement, or conduct of Government personnel who visit the Contractor’s facilities or in any other manner communicates with Contractor personnel during the performance of this contract shall constitute a change under the Changes clause of this contract.

a. The contractor shall not comply with any order, direction or request of Government personnel unless it is issued in writing and signed by the Contracting Officer or is pursuant to specific authority otherwise included as a part of this contract.

b. The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to approve changes in any of the requirements of this contract, and, notwithstanding provisions contained elsewhere in this contract, said authority remains solely the Contracting Officer’s. In the event the contractor effects any change at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, 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 incurred as a result thereof.

17. Performance Requirements Summary (PRS)

Surveillance of Contractor performance is the method used by the Government to determine whether the Contractor effectively and efficiently complies with all terms and conditions of the contract. The functional expertise of the COR plays a critical role in adequately evaluating contractor performance. The below listed methods of surveillance shall be used in the administration of the Government’s Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) with the standards delineated in PRS. The performance standards for this PWS are stated in the PRS below:

Remedy

•Thorough •Comprehensive •Complete •Timely

• Project officer feedback on the weekly reports Exercise Option; CPARS shall reflect quality of performance

• Accurate

• complete

Submitted monthly

• Project officer feedback on monthly reports

• Continuous review observation Exercise Option; CPARS shall reflect quality of performance

(end of performance work statement)

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES:

BASE PERIOD – 12 MONTHS (29 September 2025 – 28 September 2026)

SKU: P25-805-1PC-TT-FABUSA

OPTION PERIOD ONE – 12 MONTHS (29 September 2026 – 28 September 2027)

SKU: P25-805-1PC-TT-FABUSA

OPTION PERIOD TWO – 12 MONTHS (29 September 2027 – 28 September 2028)

SKU: P25-805-1PC-TT-FABUSA

OPTION PERIOD THREE – 12 MONTHS (29 September 2028 – 28 September 2029)

SKU: P25-805-1PC-TT-FABUSA

OPTION PERIOD FOUR – 12 MONTHS (29 September 2029 – 28 September 2030)

SKU: P25-805-1PC-TT-FABUSA

52.212-1 ADDENDUM- INSTRUCTIONS TO QUOTERS

This is a FAR Part 12 - Acquisition of Commercial Items in conjunction with the policies and procedures for evaluation and award as prescribed under FAR Subpart 13.5- Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Products and Commercial Services.

I. Submission Information

Each quoter is required to submit a quote that is sufficiently detailed and complete to fully demonstrate an understanding of, and compliance with, all of the requirements of the solicitation. Quotes shall contain only material directly related to this acquisition. Quotes are solicited on an “all or none” basis. Quoters shall not submit multiple quotes representing alternative terms and conditions for satisfying the requirements of this solicitation. Failure to submit a quote for all requirements of the Performance Work Statement (PWS) shall be the cause for rejection of the quote. Non-compliance with any of the provisions herein may lead the Government to determine that a quote is non-compliant and may result in removal from the evaluation. The Government reserves the right to select a response that provides benefit to the Government that exceeds the minimum but is not required to do so.

Quotes must be prepared in accordance with these instructions. Failure to do so may result in the quoter’s submission being determined unacceptable and ineligible for award. Each quote submission shall be screened upon receipt by the contracting officer or designee to ensure completeness and compliance with the instructions contained in the Request for Quote (RFQ). Elimination of a quote is at the sole discretion of the contracting officer.

Comments, questions, or inquiries concerning this solicitation shall not be submitted to any Government representative other than the contracting officer and/or contract specialist identified herein.

The Government reserves the right to incorporate all or part of the successful offeror's quote into any contract awarded pursuant to this solicitation. In the event of any conflict between the successful offeror's quote, which is incorporated into the contract awarded pursuant to this solicitation, and any other portion of the contract, the conflict shall be resolved in favor of the contractual terms that were provided in the Government's solicitation. However, in the event that the successful offeror's quote exceeds any solicitation requirement it will become the minimum or threshold contract requirement.

II. Submission of Questions and Quotes

Due to the firewall at Marine Corps Base Quantico, please be advised it is the quoter’s responsibility to ensure all electronic submissions are received by the Marine Corps Installations Nation Capital Region- Regional Contracting Office (MCINCR-RCO) in the timeframe given below. Delivery delays that cause a question(s) or quote to be late are not the responsibility of the Government agency. Quoter’s are advised to contact the below named individual if receipt of question(s) or quote is not acknowledged within an hour of it being transmitted or within an hour of the closing date and time.

Questions:

All comments and questions must be submitted using “Question & Answer” format below in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or Microsoft Word for ease of Government review and to minimize response times. Quoters shall submit the form in its original file format and not convert the form to a version in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf), or another file format. To ensure the Government understands the context of the question, and therefore responds accordingly, quoters shall ensure the referenced document name, section number, page number, and paragraph number are provided as applicable.

All questions must be received by 5 September 2025 at 1:00 PM Eastern Time. All questions submitted for this solicitation must be submitted electronically to monica.curley@usmc.mil and desire.nana.civ@usmc.mil

Please submit questions in the table format below via Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel:

Quotes

Only electronic quotes will be accepted and must be submitted to the email address identified below. Quotes must be received by MCINCR-RCO no later than the time and date specified on page 1 of the RFQ. Quotes must be sent electronically via electronic mail and shall be submitted to the following email address and received by the aforementioned date and time specified: monica.curley@usmc.mil and desire.nana.civ@usmc.mil.

Late quotes will not be accepted or considered for award.

Late Quotes: Any quote, modification, or revision, that is received after the date and exact time specified for receipt of quote is “late” and will not be considered unless an exception applies under FAR 52.212-1(f).

If an emergency or unanticipated event interrupts normal Government processes so that quotes cannot be received at the e-mail address designated for receipt of quotes by the exact time specified in the solicitation, the time specified for receipt of quotes will be deemed to be extended to the same time of day specified in the solicitation on the first workday on which normal Government processes resume.

For a quote to be eligible for award, the quoter must have a current registration in the System for Award Management (SAM): https://www.sam.gov, prior to submitting a quote, IAW FAR 4.1102. SAM will be checked to verify the quoter's status before any evaluation is conducted. Quoters not registered in SAM at the time a quote is submitted, will not be evaluated.

III. Quote Format

In order to maximize efficiency and minimize the time for quote evaluation, it is required that the quoter submit its quote in accordance with the format and content specified throughout and below. Quotes that do not comply with these instructions may be considered non-responsive and may render the quoter ineligible for award.

· Pages are to be typewritten;

· Single-spaced typed lines;

· No smaller than 10-point type; Graphs, tables, charts, and diagrams shall be no smaller that 10-point type;

· No less than 1/2-inch margins (all sides);

· Printable to an 8.5 x 11-inch paper;

· Spreadsheet files shall include all formulas. All rows, columns, cells and worksheets shall be visible. Formulae shall be rounded to two decimal places (i.e. $12.34) for all unit pricing. All dollar amounts in any cell of the spreadsheet must be rounded to the nearest hundredth.

· Page limitations specified below shall not be exceeded. Title/cover pages, tables of content, appendices, references, glossaries, etc., as well as graphs, tables, charts, diagrams, and etc., are included in the page count. All material in excess of the specified page limits will neither be read nor evaluated;

· Page numbering: Pages shall be numbered consecutively within each volume showing volume and page. For example, page 9 of Volume I would be numbered I-9 and page 10 of Volume II would be numbered II-10;

· Each page must include the solicitation number, and the quoter’s name;

· Each page of the quote should be affixed the following footer: “Source Selection Information: See FAR 2.101 and 3.104”; and

· Hyperlinks are not permitted. Information provided via hyperlink will NOT be reviewed for evaluation.

Volume I, II, and III file format shall be in either Microsoft Word (.docx) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). Volume IV file format shall be in Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) and either Microsoft Word (.docx) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf).

IV. Quote Content

The quote must demonstrate an understanding of and an ability to meet all of the requirements set forth in the RFQ’s PWS. The quoter shall provide sufficient detail to substantiate the validity of all statements. The quoter shall demonstrate that the quote is in compliance with the requirements, terms, and conditions of the RFQ.

Comprehensive responses to the requirements of the RFQ are required to enable the Government to evaluate the quoter’s understanding of and capability to accomplish the requirements of the PWS. General statements that the quoter can or will comply with the requirements, that standard procedures will be used, that well known techniques will be used, or paraphrasing the solicitation’s requirements in whole or in part, will NOT constitute compliance. Failure to conform to any of the requirements of the solicitation may form the basis for rejection of the quote.

Brochuremanship is not desired, rather clarity, completeness, and conciseness are essential. Since only the information in the quote submitted in response to this solicitation will be evaluated, the quoter must make certain that its quote is complete with regard to the information provided. Data previously submitted, or presumed to be known, e.g., previous projects performed for the Government, will not be considered in the evaluation unless that information is physically contained in the quote. Information provided must be consistent amongst all volumes.

The quoter is advised that the Government may selectively verify any information provided in the quote. The quoter is cautioned that it is responsible to ensure that material that it desires to have evaluated for a particular section is contained in that specific section.

Quotes shall be presented in four (4) separate volumes (NOT COMBINED as one Microsoft Word or .pdf document):

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION: 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 quotes/proposals submitted to federal agencies. If a quoter’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 quoter 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) _______.”

Volume I – Administrative (No page limit for this volume.)

This volume shall address the following:

1. Solicitation and Amendments cover sheet with the appropriate blocks filled in by the quoter;

1. Quote/Offer Letter. The letter shall be signed by an authorized company official and include the following:

· The solicitation number;

· Company Information. The name, address, CAGE Code or UEI number, telephone number, and Tax Identification Number (TIN);

· Authorized Personnel. Provide the name, title, telephone number, and e-mail address of the company/division point of contact who can obligate your company contractually. Also, identify those individuals authorized to negotiate with the Government and who can answer questions regarding your quote;

· “Remit to” address, if different than mailing address;

· Terms of any express warranty;

· Acknowledgment of Solicitation Amendments (if applicable);

· Agreement with terms. A statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the RFQ. Quoters are to clearly detail any exceptions taken and the rationale for the exceptions taken to the RFQ. Please note that exceptions taken to the RFQ may render the quote unacceptable to the Government;

· The total evaluated price for this effort that aligns with the completed RFQ Attachment 1 Pricing Template.

1. Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI). Offeror shall provide an affirmative statement that no OCIs exist or a detailed plan which mitigates existing or anticipated OCIs;

1. A completed copy of all solicitation representations and certifications. If the quoter completed the representations and certifications in the SAM.gov, it shall include a statement stating its representations and certifications are up to date in SAM.gov. Any representations and certifications that are not available for completion within SAM.gov must be submitted in this volume; and

1. Quote expiration date (no less than 90 days).

Quoter is reminded to review all full-text provisions and clauses contained in the solicitation and ensure completion and any required action prior to submitting its quote.

Volume II – Factor 1 - Technical (Page limitation: 45 pages)

Failure to adhere to the page limitations may result in a quoter not being found acceptable. Since the total page limit for Volume II is 45 pages, all pages after the first 45 pages will be discarded and will NOT be reviewed during the evaluation. All documents to make up this volume are included in the page count, to include but not limited to cover pages and index pages.

Quoters shall submit a quote that clearly and concisely describes its response to the requirements of the solicitation. Use of general or vague statements such as “standard procedures will be used” will not satisfy this requirement. Additionally, simply regurgitating the PWS is not sufficient and will not satisfy this requirement. Mere statements that state a quoter will do something without demonstrating how, are insufficient. Quotes shall demonstrate in detail how it will meet the required PWS requirements. Unnecessary elaboration or presentations beyond what is sufficient to present a complete and effective solution are not desired and may be construed as a lack of understanding of the requirement.

Staffing Plan: The quoter must provide a comprehensive staffing matrix showing its proposed labor mix and labor hours for each contract line-item number (CLIN) per period of performance and demonstrate how the proposed labor mix will allow the contractor to meet or exceed all requirements in the PWS. This document shall not include any pricing information as no pricing shall be provided within Volume II Technical Quote.

Describe any team structures, relationships, or other roles and responsibilities that will enable quality performance and minimize risk to the Government.

At a minimum, quotes must meet the following criteria for the Staffing Plan:

1. Core staffing requirements

0. Must have at least one genealogist with credentials from either the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen) or The Board of Certification for Genealogists (BCG) to certify research.

0. Staff must have experience that specializes in the required tasks in Paragraph 3 of the PWS.

0. Contractor must have all required capabilities at the start of the contract’s performance period.

1. Staffing plan structure and detail (complete plan)

1. Must have personnel that demonstrate prior experience.

1. Must have a plan for hiring staff or contingency planning if the quoter needs new/additional staff.

Corporate Experience: The quote must provide a narrative which demonstrates the quoter’s corporate experience with projects similar to that of the PWS. Corporate experience is defined as a business having the experience providing services that are comparable to the PWS’ Scope. The quoter must demonstrate experience on locating and providing contact information for closest living family members of identified deceased individuals, establishing direct contact via email or phone with relatives of identified individuals, and assembling and distribution of DNA kits for the purpose of collecting Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), paternal (Y-DNA), and autosomal / nuclear (auDNA). Overall, the quote must demonstrate a firm understanding, the experience, and the resources required to provide genealogy support services as outlined within the PWS.

At a minimum, quotes must meet the following criteria for Corporate Experience:

1. Must have experience demonstrating locating and providing contact information for closest living family members of identified deceased individuals, establishing direct contact via email or phone with relatives of identified individuals, and assembling and distribution of DNA kits for the purpose of collecting Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), paternal (Y-DNA), and autosomal / nuclear (auDNA).

1. Must have demonstrated a firm understanding, the experience, and the resources required to provide genealogy support services as outlined within the PWS

Failure to describe how the quote meets the technical requirements within the PWS will result in the quote not being technically acceptable and will not be considered for award. Past performance will not be evaluated for those quotes deemed not technically acceptable.

Note: The technical volume shall not contain any pricing data.

Volume III – Past Performance (Page limitation: 15 pages. (Page limit does not include CPARS or Assessor Past Performance Questionnaire(s)))

Factor 2: Past Performance

The quoter shall demonstrate relevant past performance or affirmatively state that it possesses no relevant past performance. The quoter must provide information on no more than three (3) contracts within the last five (5) years (projects may be ongoing) that are relevant to the work described in the solicitation, using RFQ Attachment 2, “Past Performance Reference”. The quoter must be the prime contractor on at least one (1) of those contracts. Past performance as the prime contractor will be considered more relevant than as a subcontractor. As the attachment specifies, each previous effort must include the contract or task order number (not a solicitation number); dollar value; type of contract; period of performance; NAICS code; and an explanation of how it is relevant to this effort in terms of scope, magnitude, and complexity. The explanation must identify how much of the previous effort is relevant to the scope of the requirement by dollar value (i.e. what was the dollar value of the portion of the work performed under the previous effort applicable to this Statement of Work/Performance Work Statement).

For Single Award IDIQ contract past performance record, the IDIQ contract, to include all task orders, counts as one (1) past performance record. For a Multiple Award IDIQ contract past performance record, each task order referenced in the quote counts as a past performance record.

If the quoter relies on past performance information contained in the Contractor Performance Assessment Report (CPARS), it shall ensure that the information is a final or an interim final completed CPARS record. Draft records will not be considered. The quoter shall ensure that an “Assessor Past Performance Questionnaire”, RFQ Attachment 3 is issued to the respective point of contact ONLY if there is not a CPARS records available for the past performance record referenced in the quote.

Quoters that do not possess the required past performance shall affirmatively state that you have no recent, relevant past performance.

Volume IV – Price (No page limitation for this volume.)

Factor 3: Price

All information relating to pricing data shall be included in Volume IV. The price quote shall cover all resources required to complete the requirements of the proposed effort. Quoters must include a narrative of its pricing (to include travel) methodology / basis of pricing.

Additionally, quoters shall complete and submit the attached Excel Pricing Template, RFQ Attachment 1 Pricing Template. The cells within the template shall not be re-formatted or removed. All unit prices within the spreadsheet must not exceed two (2) decimal places and should be rounded to no less than the nearest hundredth. In the event of non-compliance, the Government will adjust by rounding down to the nearest hundredth.

Total evaluated price will be all inclusive of the base period and all option periods and optional CLINs.

All labor rates and pricing totals shall be inclusive of all overhead, G&A, profit, travel, etc. for the firm-fixed-priced CLINs. For comparison purposes, the Government will use the total evaluated price on the pricing template. The awardee’s proposed unit prices will be agreed as firm fixed price, be included in the contract and will serve as the basis for pricing.

If adequate competition is not obtained or should a situation develop that the Government will require submission of information other than cost or pricing data, the quoter should be prepared to submit the data within five business days after being requested by the Government.

(End of Provision)

FAR 52.212-2…