N0018918RZ008_Amendment_0003.docx

N0018918RZ008

SECTION SF 30 BLOCK 14 CONTINUATION PAGE

PART I

Questions received in response to Request for Proposals (RFP) N0018918RZ008.

NOTE: THE CONTENT OF PART I DOES NOT AMEND THE CONTENTS OF THE SOLICITATION. SEE PART II FOR CHANGES TO THE SOLICITATION.

1. In accordance with FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services, the Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. Since the Government is specifically looking for pricing information for the 6 Month Option, are offerors allowed to include escalation for the 6 month option period from a cost realism perspective?

Response: As specified in the terms of the RFP, the Section B Schedule of Services contains separate CLINs for the six month option period pursuant to FAR clause 52.217-8, which, if deemed necessary, will be exercised upon expiration of the 5 year ordering period. It's the business decision of the offeror to formulate the proposed costs associated with this option.

2. In response to question 42 (and some others), "Government Facility" is defined as being located in the Washington, DC area. I wanted to reach out to confirm if this is indeed the case- it is my understanding that much of the work will be done at other Government locations (e.g. Suffolk, VA).

Response: See RFP revision in Part II below, which amends the Government facility location information specified in the Section L provision.

PART II

RFP N0018918RZ008 is hereby amended as follows:

1. DELETE the Section L provision entitled Submission of Proposals in its entirety and INSERT the following amended provisions which revises the Government facility location information specified at paragraph III(2)(f) : (revisions are highlighted in red text):

SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS (BEST VALUE/TRADE-OFF)

I. GENERAL

In addition to instructions to Offerors contained elsewhere in this solicitation, the following instructions are provided.

Initial proposals and any modifications thereto are to be submitted to the Contracting Officer on or before the closing date and time cited elsewhere in this Request for Proposals. Faxes, e-mails, and/or responses through NECO or any method other than hardcopy format are not acceptable. Delivery of responses shall be via United States Postal Service or Overnight Delivery Services only; no hand-delivery or courier delivery shall be accepted.

Offerors shall submit their proposals in two separate volumes as follows:

Volume I Non-cost Proposal Original (hardcopy) and 10 copies on DVD

Submission of proposal on a DVD shall be in PDF format for Volume I which should be searchable. In the event of a discrepancy between the hard copy and the electronic copy, the hard copy will govern. The offeror shall ensure that electronic submissions are virus-free.

Volume II Cost Proposal Original (hardcopy) and 1 copy on DVD

For Volume II, submission of proposal on a DVD shall be in Microsoft Excel format for the detailed cost breakdown and in PDF format for the narrative description. In the event of a discrepancy between the hard copy and the electronic copy, the hard copy will govern. The offeror shall ensure that electronic submissions are virus-free.

In addition, offers consist of and shall include the following items as part of Volume II:

Solicitation cover sheet with appropriate blocks completed by the Offeror (Section B CLINs)

Solicitation pricing pages completed by the Offeror

Acknowledgement of solicitation amendments pursuant to FAR 52.215-1 (if not previously acknowledged).

Representations and Certifications completed by the offeror in accordance with instructions contained elsewhere in this solicitation. If the offeror has completed all of the representations and certifications required by this solicitation in SAM (www.sam.gov) in accordance with FAR 52.204-8 and DFARS 252.204-7007 ALT A, then the offeror need not submit the hardcopy Representations and Certifications; and

The Offeror’s Small Business Subcontracting Plan (this Plan not required for Small Business Offerors).

If the prime contractor chooses to submit its subcontractor cost/price information separately from the prime’s cost proposal, it may be submitted to the Government in separate sealed envelopes.

The completion and submission of the above items will constitute an offer (proposal) and will be considered the Offeror’s unconditional assent to the terms and conditions of this solicitation and any attachments and/or exhibits hereto. Alternate proposals are not authorized. Any affirmative exception to the terms and conditions of the solicitation will render the offer ineligible for award.

Volume I Non-cost Proposal

This volume shall address Performance Approach, Management Approach, Past Performance and Socio-economic Plan, and include all information required for proposal evaluation.

This volume of the proposal shall exclude any costing/pricing information, except for the information required to be provided under the Socio-economic Plan factor, that would reveal the total costing/pricing detailed in Volume II of the proposal.

Each page of each copy should include the following legend:

Source Selection Information Solicitation - RFP N0018918RZ008 - See FAR 2.101 and 3.104

Volume II Cost Proposal

This volume shall include the completed solicitation documents and a complete and detailed price/cost breakdown with all supporting information. Each page of each copy should include the following legend:

Source Selection Information Solicitation - RFP N0018918RZ008 - See FAR 2.101 and 3.104

IMPORTANT NOTES:

(1) Offerors shall respond to ALL requirements of the solicitation document. Offerors are cautioned not to alter the solicitation.

(2) In the event any person who is not a bona fide employee of the Offeror participated in the creation, formulation, or writing of any portion of the proposal, a certificate to this effect shall be included in the proposal which shall be signed by an officer of the Offeror. Such certificate shall identify the name of the person who is not a bona fide employee, that person’s employment capacity, the name of the person’s firm, the relationship of that firm to the Offeror, and the portion of the proposal in which the person participated. This certificate should accompany the Volume I Non-cost Proposal submission, but is excluded from the Volume 1 page limitations.

II. REQUIREMENTS FOR PROPOSAL CONTENT

(1) Do not include CLASSIFIED data in your proposal.

(2) Introduction and Purpose - This section specifies the format that Offerors should use in proposals submitted in response to this solicitation. The intent is not to restrict the Offerors in the manner in which they will perform their work but rather to ensure a certain degree of uniformity in the format of the proposals for evaluation purposes.

(3) Each volume should contain the following items in addition to the other information required by this solicitation:

Cover: The cover should indicate the following:

Title of the proposal Volume Number (I or II) Solicitation number Name and address of Offeror Contractor point of contact (POC) with POC’s email address and phone number.

DUNS, and CAGE of offeror Identification of original signature copies

Table of Contents: The table of contents should provide detail sufficient to allow the important elements to be easily located. The use of tabs and dividers is encouraged.

(4) Requirements for Style: Each Offeror shall submit a proposal that clearly and concisely sets forth the contractor’s response to ALL the requirements of the solicitation. Unnecessary elaboration or other presentations beyond that sufficient to present a complete and effective proposal are not desired and may be construed as an indication of the Offeror’s lack of cost consciousness. Elaborate artwork, expensive paper or bindings, and expensive visual or other presentation aids are neither necessary nor desired. The proposal shall contain all the pertinent information in sufficient detail in the one area of the proposal where it contributes most critically to the discussion. When necessary, the Offeror shall refer to the initial discussion and identify its location within its proposal.

(5) Page Limitations

Volume I, “Non-cost Proposal”, is limited to a maximum of SEVENTY-FIVE (75) pages in length inclusive of any charts, diagrams, and/or other graphics. Each “page” is defined as one sheet, 8 ½ “ x 11”, with at least one inch margins on all sides, using a font with a point size of 12 or greater (e.g., "Times New Roman" style with 12 point font). Lines shall, at a minimum, be single-spaced. The only exceptions to the font size requirement include the following: (1) the "Past Performance Information Form" may be completed with a point size of 10 or greater, and (2) the text contained in the Non-Cost Proposal graphics, charts, headers and footers may be point size of 8 or greater. Pages shall be consecutively numbered. Multiple pages, double pages, two-sided pages, or foldouts will count as an equivalent number of 8 ½" x 11" pages. The cover sheet, table of contents (not to exceed one page per volume), tabs, and dividers will not count toward the page limit. Pages submitted in excess of the page limitation described above will not be evaluated.

Volume II, “Cost Proposal,” is not page limited.

III. PROPOSAL CONTENT

(1) Volume I – Non-cost Proposal

The Non-cost evaluation factors are listed below in descending order of importance. Performance Approach is more important than Management Approach. Management Approach is more important than Past Performance. Past Performance is more important than Socio-economic Plan.

Performance Approach Management Approach Past Performance Socio-economic Plan

(a) Performance Approach

The offeror shall provide in detail a performance approach that will successfully accomplish the requirements of the solicitation, including the Performance Work Statement (PWS). The offeror should detail its proposed performance approach for successfully accomplishing the requirements for each of the eleven (11) PWS functional areas (C.9.1 through C.9.11). The offeror should describe how its proposed performance approach will achieve innovation and efficiencies in accomplishment of the PWS requirements. The offeror should describe any risks associated with the solicitation, including the PWS and any risks associated with implementation of the offeror’s performance approach; describe any techniques and actions to mitigate such risks; and explain whether the techniques and actions identified for risk mitigation have been successfully used by the offeror. The offeror should provide any other information the offeror considers relevant to the solicitation.

(b) Management Approach

The offeror shall provide in detail a management approach that will successfully accomplish the requirements of the solicitation, including the Performance Work Statement (PWS). The offeror’s approach should address: a staffing plan that details the offeror’s utilization of personnel resources in accordance with the qualification and education requirements set forth at PWS Section C.10; the recruitment and retention of qualified staff; the management of day to day operations; the management of contractor personnel to include the integration and continuity of support at remote sites; the scheduling of a responsive workforce that will support overlapping tasks and fluctuating requirements; and a detailed transition plan for ensuring a seamless turnover of contract services without any lapse in performance upon the expiration of the existing IDIQ JFD MACS and the award and commencement of services under the follow-on award(s).The offeror should describe any risks associated with the solicitation, including the PWS and any risks associated with implementation of the offeror’s management approach; describe any techniques and actions to mitigate such risks; and explain whether the techniques and actions identified for risk mitigation have been successfully used by the offeror. The offeror should provide any other information the offeror considers relevant to the solicitation.

(c) Past Performance

The offeror shall demonstrate relevant past performance or affirmatively state that it possesses no relevant past performance. Relevant past performance is performance under contracts or efforts within the past five years that is of similar scope, magnitude, and complexity of the work described by this solicitation.

To demonstrate its past performance, the offeror shall identify up to FIVE (5) of its most relevant contracts or efforts within the past five (5) years. The offeror should complete a “Past Performance Information Form” for each reference submitted. The Offeror should provide a detailed explanation demonstrating the relevance of the contracts or efforts to the requirements of the solicitation. The offeror should also provide information on any problems encountered on the identified contracts or efforts and the offeror’s corrective actions. The Offeror may identify contracts or efforts for its proposed subcontractors among the FIVE (5) past performance references provided in its proposal. If past performance references are provided for a subcontractor, the offeror’s proposal should detail clearly the aspects of the work in the solicitation that the subcontractor is proposed to perform. It is the contractor’s responsibility to adequately explain the relevance of a reference provided for a subcontractor’s past performance to the effort that the subcontractor is proposed to perform under the solicitation.

The “Past Performance Information Form” is an attachment to the solicitation. The forms will count toward the Volume I page limit described above. For additional information regarding a particular reference beyond that which will fit on the form, the offeror may continue onto additional sheets of paper. Such continuation sheet(s) for submitted references will count toward the Volume I page limit. Only a single set of up to five references shall be submitted.

The Past Performance evaluation will result in a past performance confidence assessment.

The offeror should address its past performance in complying with requirements of the clauses at FAR 52.219-8, "Utilization of Small Business Concerns," and 52.219-9, "Small Business Subcontracting Plan."

(d) Socio-Economic Plan

The offeror shall address the extent of participation of small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses, veteran-owned small businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, and HUBZone small businesses in performance of any resultant contract. For this solicitation, the following small business minimum quantitative requirement (MQR) applies to the extent of small business participation: 33% of Total Subcontracted Dollars shall be subcontracted to Small Businesses.

If the offeror ‘s proposed Socio-Economic Plan fails to meet the specified small business MQR, the offeror's proposal for this factor will be evaluated as Unacceptable and will be considered ineligible for award.

Note: The Socio-Economic Plan is a non-cost evaluation factor and is separate and distinct from the requirement, set forth elsewhere in the solicitation, for the offeror to submit a “Small Business Subcontracting Plan.” The Small Business Subcontracting Plan is a matter of contractor responsibility and is not a component of the comparative evaluation of proposals.

(2) Volume II –Cost

Volume II, “Cost Proposal,” is not page limited.

Each page of each copy of Volume II should include the following legend:

Source Selection Information - See FAR 2.101 and 3.104

The Cost Proposal in Volume II shall include the solicitation pricing pages completed by the offeror and a complete and detailed breakdown of the offeror’s cost plus fixed fee (CPFF) with all supporting documentation. The cost proposal shall be based upon the Government’s estimated level of effort and labor categories as specified in Section B of the solicitation. The offeror’s cost proposal shall not deviate from the level of effort set forth in Section B of the solicitation. The cost proposal shall include all elements of cost and such other cost information as considered appropriate to support the offeror’s proposal. The burden of proof for establishing the realism of all proposed costs rests with the offeror. The cost and pricing information shall be completed in accordance with the following:

(a) Separate cost and pricing information should be submitted for each time period specified in the Solicitation Section B – Supplies or Services and Prices.

(b) Supporting data including labor rates, hours, and burden rates used in developing the cost breakdown should be furnished. If the offeror includes other direct costs (other than the travel and material identified herein at paragraph (h)), the offeror shall include an itemization of those costs and an explanation and justification for each cost so itemized.

(c) Uncompensated Overtime. Offerors shall clearly state whether they are proposing on the basis of uncompensated overtime, and, if so, for each applicable labor category set forth the average number of uncompensated overtime hours per week. Uncompensated overtime is not encouraged as work schedules averaging more than 40 hours per week can, over a period of time, lead to degradation of performance. Pursuant to FAR 52.237-10, “Identification of Uncompensated Overtime,” offerors are reminded (1) “Whenever there is uncompensated overtime, the adjusted hourly rate (including uncompensated overtime), rather than the hourly rate, shall be applied to all proposed hours, whether regular or overtime hours”, (2) “All proposed labor hours subject to the adjusted hourly rate (including uncompensated overtime) shall be identified as either regular or overtime hours, by labor categories, and described at the same level of detail. This is applicable to all proposals whether the labor hours are at the prime or subcontract level. This includes uncompensated overtime hours that are in indirect cost pools for personnel whose regular hours are normally charged direct.” In that 52.237-10 requires that the offeror’s accounting practices used to estimate uncompensated overtime be consistent with the offeror’s cost accounting practices used to accumulate and report uncompensated overtime hours, each offeror proposing on the basis of uncompensated overtime should provide evidence of that consistency. Also, pursuant to FAR 52.237-10, each offeror proposing on the basis of uncompensated overtime is required to include a copy of its policy addressing uncompensated overtime with its proposal. To the extent that an offeror is proposing on the basis of uncompensated overtime, the offeror shall explain why the use of uncompensated overtime will not degrade the level of technical expertise required to fulfill the Government’s requirements.

(d) Direct Labor Rates. In order to verify the realism of the offeror's proposed direct labor rates, all offerors should submit, as part of their Cost Proposal, documentation substantiating the accuracy of their proposed direct labor rates. To the extent that an Offeror is proposing a subcontractor on a cost-reimbursement basis, the documentation substantiating the accuracy of the subcontractor’s proposed direct labor rates should also be submitted. Acceptable documentation may include the following:

(1) Payroll data (if proposing current, named employees)

(2) Actual billing records showing direct labor rates (if proposing current, named employees).

(3) Copies of signed Letters of Intent that indicate agreed upon annual salary (if proposing named, new hires).

(4) Copies of current or prior fiscal year DCMA Forward Pricing Rate Agreement (FPRA) or Forward Pricing Rate Recommendation (FPRR), the offeror’s Forward Pricing Rate Submission or Proposal (FPRS), Provisional Billing Rate Approval or Provisional Billing Rate Submission, whichever is most recent.

(5) If labor category averages are used as consistent with the offeror's accounting practice and approved by DCAA, provide a detailed narrative and include the calculation used to establish the category average. For example, provide a list of the current salaries for all employees working in that labor category, divided by the number of current employees in that labor category.

(6) If proposing rates that do not fall within one of the above criteria, provide a detailed, comprehensive description of the methodology used to establish the proposed direct rate. The description shall include both the source where the rate was obtained and a description of how the resulting rate was calculated. Merely stating that a "salary survey" or "market survey" was used may not be sufficient.

In addition to the foregoing, the offeror should explain why it believes its proposed direct labor rates are realistic for the requirements to be performed, considering the technical and experiential qualifications necessary to accomplish the taskings.

In accordance with FAR 52.222-46 “Evaluation of Compensation for Professional Employees,” Offerors shall submit a total compensation plan setting forth salaries and fringe benefits proposed for the professional employees who will work under the Contract. Supporting information should include data such as recognized national and regional compensation surveys and studies of professional, public and private organizations used in establishing the total compensation structure. The compensation levels proposed should reflect a clear understanding of work to be performed and should indicate the capability of the proposed compensation structure to obtain and keep suitably qualified personnel to meet mission objectives. The salary rates or ranges must take into account differences in skills, the complexity of various disciplines, and professional job difficulties. Offerors are cautioned that lower compensation for essentially the same professional work may indicate lack of sound management judgment and lack of understanding of the requirement. Professional compensation that is unrealistically low or not in reasonable relationship to the various job categories may impair the Contractor’s ability to attract and retain professional service employees, and thus, may be viewed as evidence of failure to comprehend the complexities of the contract requirements. Failure to comply with these provisions may constitute sufficient cause to justify rejection of a proposal.

(e) Indirect Costs. In order to verify the realism of the Offeror’s proposed indirect rates, all Offerors should submit, as part of their Cost Proposal, documentation substantiating the accuracy of its proposed indirect rates. To the extent that an Offeror is proposing a subcontractor on a cost-reimbursement basis, the documentation substantiating the accuracy of the subcontractor’s proposed indirect rates should also be submitted. Acceptable documentation may include the following:

(1) Copies of the most current DCMA FPRA, FPRR, FPRS, or DCAA audit of the offeror's indirect rates.

(2) If the most current DCMA FPRA, FPRR, FPRS or DCAA audit of the offeror's indirect rates are not available, historical indirect data, to include provisional rates, actual incurred rates, and annual incurred cost claims (if submitted), shall be provided for the three years prior to the Offeror's current fiscal year. This data should include the all of the Offeror's indirect rates as applicable to the Offeror's accounting system. If proposing indirect rates significantly different from recent incurred rates, Offerors shall include a detailed explanation and supporting cost data (including budget information).

If the offeror is proposing subcontracts on other than a CPFF basis, the offeror should set forth each subcontractor’s proposed labor rates (unburdened and fully burdened with applicable indirect rates) for the applicable RFP labor categories during the relevant time period and submit information as to whether the rates for the subcontractors are fixed based on a firm bilateral agreement with the subcontractor or merely proposed. In addition, the offeror shall explain why it believes the subcontractor can perform at those rates. Subcontractor cost/price information may be submitted in separate sealed envelopes.

(f) For proposal purposes, the following ratios of Contractor facility and Government facility labor performance are established for all labor categories:

For the purposes of evaluation, “Government facility” is defined as the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA Area.

(g) Reserved

(h) The offeror shall use the following estimated costs for travel and material amounts in preparing its cost proposal. These estimated amounts will be used as common evaluation amounts in all offerors’ proposals; the amounts specified below include no associated indirect costs. The offeror shall include the estimated travel and materials costs specified below in its cost proposal, and load the costs appropriately with indirect costs. The estimated amounts below, plus indirect costs, as determined cost realistic by the Government, will be used in the evaluation of proposals, and will be included in resultant contracts as “not-to exceed” amounts under which the offeror will be permitted to invoice its actual costs.

(1) Travel estimated above is for travel and subsistence associated with performance under any resultant contract which will be reimbursed in accordance with the clause entitled “Reimbursement of Travel Costs.”

(2) Material estimated above is for incidental material as defined in the PWS text entitled, “Allowability of Material and General Business Expenses” and elsewhere in the solicitation.

(3) Any offeror having an accounting system which includes, within overhead or G&A, travel and/or material shall specifically state this fact within the cost proposal.

(i) Any and all subcontracts identified in the Non-cost proposal shall be identified and priced in the cost proposal, including, but not limited to, subcontractor hours, labor rates for all relevant time periods, indirect rates, and RFP labor categories under which subcontractors are proposed to perform. Subcontracts (regardless of dollar value) shall be adequately documented. Subcontractor cost breakdowns may be submitted in separate sealed envelopes.

(j) If the offeror is currently being audited, or has been audited, by the Defense Contract Audit Agency, the name and location of the assigned DCAA office should be furnished with the cost proposal.

2. The time and date for reciept of offers remains unchanged at 3:00PM (local time/Phila, PA) on 27 April 2018.

Notice to offerors: As a result of an automated procurement system generation error, offerors are hereby advised that the total page number count appearing in Block #1 of the SF30 cover page of this amendment incorrectly reads 16. The correct total number of pages for Amendment 0003 equates to 9, as so evidenced by the text header appearing on pages 2 through 9.

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