Attachment_E_Addendum_to_FAR_Clause_52.212-1_Instructions_to_Offerors_11_June.docx

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

Addendum to FAR Clause 52.212-1

1.0 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

1.1. INTRODUCTION

a. A concise and comprehensive proposal is required. Organization, clarity, accuracy of information, relevance, and completeness are of prime importance. The proposal shall be complete and clear in all respects without the need for additional explanation or information. The proposal shall be in sufficient detail and scope to permit the Government to evaluate it with respect to the evaluation factors specified in FAR Clause 52.212-2.

b. Unnecessarily elaborate proposals beyond that sufficient to present a complete and effective proposal are not desired. Offerors shall confine their submission to essential matters, sufficient to define their offer, and provide an adequate basis for evaluation. Likewise, Offerors are cautioned against general, vague, or unsubstantiated statements, which prevent or render difficult the Government’s evaluation of the proposal. Statements such as "will comply," or "noted and understood" without supporting narrative to define compliance may cause an offeror to be evaluated as not acceptable. Moreover, the Government will not assume that an Offeror possesses any capability, understanding, and/or commitment that is not specifically delineated and supported in its respective proposal.

c. Offerors must have facility security clearance (FCL) facilities approved by DSS to be considered for award. The Offeror shall not include classified material in any proposal section.

e. An LCRTF unit is available at Quantico, VA for viewing for eight (8) hours per Offeror. Offerors will be permitted to examine but not operate or dissemble the unit. No additional information will be exchanged with Offerors at this viewing. To request a visit slot, send an email to mark.c.green@usmc.mil with “LCRTF CPK Visit Request” in the subject line.

Proposals submitted for consideration for award must address the full scope of the solicitation. Proposals, which address only part of the solicitation, will be considered unacceptable. A ceiling on the number of pages in the proposal has been imposed, as indicated in the sections below. In the event an offeror exceeds the maximum page limitations provided below, the Government will only evaluate the pages that comply with the maximum page number prescribed (starting with page one and continuing until the maximum number is reached) for the respective volume. All pages, or any other material, in excess of the maximum number of pages stated will not be evaluated. As prescribed by 52.212-1, the Government may award on the basis of initial offers received, without discussion. Therefore, each initial offer should contain the offeror’s best terms from a business and technical standpoint.

d. Sealed proposals shall be delivered to the location listed below by the date and time listed on the first page of the RFP. Any proposal received after that date and time will be considered a late submission. Facsimile or e-mail submissions are not acceptable and will not be considered for award. Proposals shall be valid for a period of at least six (6) months from the closing date listed above. Offerors shall prominently mark all containers used for delivery of proposals. Proposals shall be delivered to the appropriate address listed below:

“SOLICITATION M67854-13-R-5024”

For FEDEX, Hand-Carry, UPS, etc:

Commander Marine Corps Systems Command Materiel Management 2201A Willis Street Quantico, VA 22134-6050 Attn: Mark Green, 703-432-3303

For US Postal Service:

Commander Marine Corps Systems Command Attn: Mark Green, PM CSS, 703-432-3303 2200 Lester Street Quantico, VA 22134-6050

1.2 QUESTIONS

Questions regarding the solicitation documents are due by 1600 EST on 03 June 2013 4:00 pm EST 24 June 2013 and must be submitted via e-mail to mark.c.green@usmc.mil following table format. Please do not bundle multiple questions into one. Questions received after the above time and date may not be answered. Government responses will be posted on the FEDBIZOPS website (www.fbo.gov).

Questions

General Issue

Solicitation

SOW

Performance Spec

Other

Table 4

2.0 PREPARATION OF PROPOSALS

Proposals shall be prepared using “Times New Roman” font and 12 point type, on 8½ x 11 inch white paper. Tables and illustrations may use a reduced font style not less than 8 point. Foldouts are not allowed. Margins shall be 1 inch on all sides. All material submitted may be single-spaced. Offerors shall ensure that each page provides identification of the submitting Offeror in the header or footer. Number all pages sequentially.

Offeror shall include one electronic “soft” copy (one copy of the business volume and one copy of the technical volume on separate discs) of the full proposal using the Microsoft Office for Windows suite of applications, submitted on CD-ROM, formatted for a personal computer. Schedules will be in MS Project or compatible format.

In the event that there is a conflict between the written hard copy of the proposal and the electronic “soft” copy of the proposal, the written hard copy will take precedence. Such conflicts may be considered as a weakness during the evaluation of the Offeror’s proposal.

2.1 ORGANIZATION OF THE PROPOSAL

Each Offeror must submit their proposal materials in three-ring, binders. Individual sections shall be removable and replaceable to the volumes. Each volume shall contain a title page, table of contents, acronym list, and list of tables and figures for that volume. Use tab separators to divide required sections within a volume. The title page, table of contents, acronym list, list of tables and figures, and tab separators do not count against the page count. Only material allocated to a specific section shall be in that section. Business and Technical Volumes shall be submitted in separate binders. An original and four (4) copies of the Technical Volume, as well as an original and one (1) copy of the Business Volume, shall be provided.

The Technical Volume shall include a Requirements Cross-Reference Matrix showing the proposal paragraph number where an evaluator will find the detailed discussion of each requirement contained in the statement of work and the Performance Specification. The Requirements Cross Reference Matrix will not be included as part of the page count. The offeror shall complete the Statement of Work/Performance Specification Cross Reference Matrix that is provided as Attachment H and submit with its proposal. The following instructions apply to the format:

Volume Content

Technical Volume

Table V

*In the event an Offeror provides a proposal that is printed or copied double-sided on paper pursuant to FAR clause 52.204-4, each side of the paper shall represent one page.

2.2 CONTENT OF THE PROPOSAL

The following instructions are provided for the relevant portions of the proposal:

Business Volume:

Part I.

Executive Summary. This section shall include a brief summary of the Offeror’s capability to accomplish the requirements of the contract. Any exceptions, deviations, and/or waivers taken to any aspect of the RFP shall be identified in the Executive Summary.

Part II.

This part shall include the model contract with all proposed pricing. This will comprise of any step ladder quantities and cumulative savings as set forth in 2.0 of the Evaluation section, including one signed and completed copy of the Standard Form 1449, acknowledging any solicitation amendments, and signed by a person authorized to enter into the proposed contract on behalf of the Offeror. All amendments must be acknowledged by submitting a signed copy. Pricing shall be submitted on the provided spreadsheet, Attachment C.

Part III.

Past Performance. The offeror shall document its relevant past performance by identifying a maximum of three (3) of its most relevant contracts within the past three years. Offerors should provide a detailed explanation of the relevance of the listed contracts to the requirements of the solicitation. Relevance is defined as contracts that are similar in size, scope, complexity, and cost/price. This section shall also contain proof of the FCL.

Ensure that accurate and concise information is provided for each contract including:

Offerors are advised that the Government will also use and evaluate independently obtained past performance data from other sources such as the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) and Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQ).

For each contract reference listed, the Offeror shall provide a Past Performance Questionnaire as provided in Attachment G. The Offeror shall send out and track the completion of the Past Performance Questionnaires. Completed Past Performance Questionnaires must be submitted directly from the Offeror's Government/Commercial Points of Contact to the Government. Each of the Offeror’s POCs shall email its completed Past Performance Questionnaire directly to the contract specialist at mark.c.green@usmc.mil.

Technical Volume:

Part IV.

Technical. The offeror shall explain its ability to meet or exceed the requirements in the Performance Specification. The volume shall not include any cost/pricing data. This part of the Technical Volume shall include the completed Attachment H Matrix for the Performance Specification showing the proposal paragraph number where an evaluator will find the detailed discussion of each requirement. In addition to a discussion of the overall CPK design, the contractor shall also include a Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM) and System Impact Assessment (SIA) within the technical proposal. The contractor's management program or process shall be provided as part of the technical proposal and evaluated by the Government to determine whether the contractor has efficient and effective management practices in place.

The offeror shall provide data to substantiate that their product meets or exceeds each requirement of the Performance Specification. At a minimum, the offeror shall provide information to assess: crew protection, CPK weight, CPK interoperability, CPK adaptability, controls and displays, human factors and storage/transport.

Supportability. The offeror shall explain its ability to support, maintain, and sustain their proposed system as discussed in the Statement of Work. Information shall be provided to assess the offeror’s proposed training capabilities, publications, and provisioning efforts. The offeror shall address its ability to comply with all requirements contained in the solicitation. The offeror shall complete and submit Attachment H showing the proposal paragraph number where an evaluator will find the detailed discussion of each SOW requirement.

3.0 INTENT TO INCORPORATE CONTRACTOR’S PROPOSAL

All or part of the successful offeror’s proposal may be incorporated in any contract resulting from this solicitation. Nothing contained in the successful offeror’s proposal shall constitute a waiver to any requirement of the contract. In the event of any conflict between the successful offeror’s proposal and other requirements of the contract, the conflict shall be resolved in favor of the contract requirements.