22R0043 Amendment 1.docx

N6893622R0043

SECTION SF 30 BLOCK 14 CONTINUATION PAGE

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

SECTION A - SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

The following have been added by full text:

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Comment: In Volume 3, Section 3.1(b) it states, “When using Government supplied templates (e.g., Attachment P3, Attachment P6, Attachment P7), no modifications to the font or scaling required”, yet Section 3.3 states, “The spreadsheet shall be formatted as letter size (8.5 X 11) pages.”

Question #1: Please advise if the spreadsheet needs to be formatted as letter size or left as is.

Answer- The Government considers the spreadsheet to be defined as a table.

Question #2: Confirm that the acronym listing is excluded from the page count.

Answer- The acronym list is not excluded from the page count.

Comment: In Management Approach 2. Staffing: it states that the Offeror shall address the following

(1) Describe the processes used in hiring, recruiting, retaining, and training personnel throughout the life of the contract. Address the Offeror’s intentions regarding hiring the incumbent personnel, percentage, and process for determining their rate of pay and benefits. The Offeror shall provide its plan for; (1) hiring the incumbent workforce for the Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS) labor categories during the transition period; and (2) filling those positions should any of the incumbent personnel decline to work for the Offeror in support of this successor contract.

Question #3: Does this paragraph only pertain to the Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS) labor categories? If not, what parts of the paragraph pertain to SCLS, and what parts pertain to non-SCLS staffing?

Answer- The processes used in hiring, recruiting, retaining, and training personnel throughout the life of the contract applies to Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS) and non-SCLS labor categories. The RFP has been amended to clarify this.

Comment: In Volume 3, Section 3.1(b) “Section B prices shall be provided separately in one digital data copy in MS Office 2016 Excel format” Question #4: Section B is provided in Adobe .pdf format. Does the government have Section B in Excel format?

Answer- The Government does not have Section B in Excel format.

Comment: 3.0 Volume 3, Section 3.1(c) “If subcontractors are proposed, they shall provide the same information required for the prime contractor, unless otherwise noted in the Price/Cost Information section below” Question #5: Does this apply to Consultants or Subcontractors that have a minimal impact on the proposal (1-2% of proposal value)? Or does this requirement only apply to principal subcontractors ?

Answer- This applies to all subcontractors.

Comment: Section 3.3 is missing subsections (f) and (g).

Question #6: Were those intentionally omitted?

Answer- Yes.

Comment: In 3.5.1, ODC, it provides the Government's estimate for ODCs for the prime and all subcontract efforts.

Question #7: Considering travel will be cost-reimbursable, how will the Government consider and evaluate the contractor’s flight needs/costs to China Lake? For example, Bidder A may propose most of their staff located within a drivable distance (i.e., 4 hours), while Bidder B may propose staff located across the country, necessitating an inordinate amount of flights and hotel stays. Suggest bidders be required to develop costs associated with their travel (based on their management and staffing plans) rather than all bidders using the same plug amount of $141,884.00 Answer- The Government’s evaluation will be in accordance with Section M of the solicitation. The Government is not changing Section L based on the feedback provided.

Comment: Under Personnel Resources, it states that "The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s personnel resources, including key personnel to determine how well the team is suited to perform the tasks under the SOW. In addition, personnel will be evaluated on qualifications, including education, experience and security clearance levels.”

Question #8: Since the government is currently only asking for resumes of “key” positions (2 out of 17.3), there will be no way for an evaluation to determine “how well the team is suited to perform the tasks under the SOW.” Recommend that resumes be required for all positions (also known as the team) Answer- The Government is not changing Section L requirements.

Comment: In the table on page 83, it states that the Total Contract Dollar Value is Total Contract Dollar Value of $3.5M or greater and Term or Period of Performance 2+ years.

Question #9: The current magnitude evaluation is not comparable to the proposed contract. Recommend that the magnitude be changed to a Total Contract Dollar Value of $14M or greater and a Term of five (5) or more years Answer- The Government is not changing Section M based on the feedback provided.

Question #10 : a If employees submitted under this proposal have a different labor category than what is identified in the Cost Summary Spreadsheet, are we required to use the government-provided labor categories or can we revise those?

Answer- Section L, 3.3 Price/Cost Information has been updated so that the contractor may provide labor category names in parentheses on the L-3 attachment for contractor labor categories that may have different titles from the Government’s labor category titles.

This concludes the Questions and Answers period for this solicitation.

SECTION L - INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS AND NOTICES TO BIDDERS

The following have been modified:

SECTION L

Version 1.9 Apr 2022

L – [1] CONTENT OF PROPOSALS (SERVICES) (8 February 2023)

PART A GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

1.0 GENERAL

The Offeror must respond to all requirements of the solicitation and not alter or rearrange the solicitation. The Offeror is advised that the Government may incorporate any portions of the Offeror’s proposal into the resulting contract.

In presenting material in the proposal, the Offeror is advised that quality of information is more important than quantity. Clarity, brevity, and logical organization shall be emphasized during proposal preparation. Statements that the prospective Offeror understands, can comply with, or will comply with, the specifications, and paraphrasing the requirements or parts thereof without supporting information are considered inadequate by the Government, and may result in assessing weaknesses and/or deficiencies.

The Offeror must include any data that illustrates the adequacy of the various assumptions, approaches, and solutions to problems. Failure to address a specific factor or subfactor clearly may be considered a deficiency. Unnecessarily elaborate brochures or other presentation materials beyond that sufficient to present a complete and effective proposal is neither necessary nor desired.

The Government advises the Offeror that taking exception to or deviating from any term or condition of the RFP may result in the assessment of a deficiency to the proposal.

Throughout these instructions, a “principal subcontractor” is defined as a subcontractor who provides at least 20% of the proposed total price/cost (excluding the Offeror’s profit/fee) for the contract or provides one or more Key Personnel. “JV Team member” is defined as one of the entities that make up a joint venture (JV) formed for the purpose of responding to this solicitation.

2.0 ELECTRONIC PROPOSAL FORMAT

This section is intended to provide information to the Offerors on the electronic format and application software to be used for submitting proposals. Use of the software and procedures described in this section will reduce the amount of time and effort needed to receive and upload proposals and will ensure the proposals received are suitable for reading electronically during evaluation.

Proposals must be formatted using a Times New Roman 12 pt. Normal font (no reduction permitted), single-spaced with 1-inch margins all around, and formatted for standard 8.5 x 11 inch paper. All pages should be numbered with section and page numbers. Graphs and tables shall be presented in no smaller than a 10 pt. font and should contain a grid, which allows values to be read directly from the graph. Graphs and Tables that fit on an 8.5” X 14” printed page will be counted as one page. Drawing may be of any size and will count as one page. Graphic resolution, including such data as tables or charts, should be consistent with the purpose of the data presented. When using Government supplied templates (e.g., Attachment P3, Attachment P6, Attachment P7), no modifications to font or scaling required. All proposal documents must be compatible with Microsoft Office 2016 and/or the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader Portable Document Format (PDF), where applicable.

The Offeror is responsible for ensuring electronic proposals are virus free and shall run an anti-virus scan before submission. Offerors may use hyperlinks within and among proposal volumes that do not include price information. However, there shall be no links from any other volume into the Price Volume or into any other portion of the proposal that contains price information. In order to reduce file sizes, the Offeror shall not embed sound or video (e.g., MPEG) files within the proposal submission. The Offeror is encouraged to simplify the color palette used in creating figures; and minimize size of graphics files; and avoid scanned images.

3.0 PROPOSAL CONTENT AND VOLUMES

The Offeror must present proposal information in a manner that facilitates a one-to-one comparison between the information presented and this Proposal Instruction. Proposal information must be structured such that its Volume/paragraph number matches the Proposal Instructions Volume/paragraph number provided in section “Part B Specific Instructions” to which it is responding, although the Offeror may add lower tier subparagraphs. The Offeror must provide reasons it will not provide information for a particular paragraph. The proposal information instructions are structured by paragraph numbers where first, second, third, and fourth parts correspond to the volume, section, and element, etc., in the Offeror’s proposal.

Each volume of the proposal shall be submitted as specified in the table below. The table below supersedes the copies requested in Block 9 of the Standard Form (SF) 33. Page limitations for each volume, if any, are also specified in the table below; title and table of contents pages do not count towards the page limit. Any pages submitted exceeding the page limit shall be disregarded and NOT evaluated.

Information submitted as an Annex to the proposal includes manuals, specifications, plans, procedures, and policies that exist as an official document of the company or facility, as well as other information requested in Part B Specific Instructions. Page limitations for Annexes, if any, are specified below. The authorized Annexes are summarized in the table below.

(matrix and resumes excluded from the page count)

Each volume shall contain the following information:

The Offeror shall submit a Cross Reference Matrix (CRM) for the Technical Volume, similar to the example below, to help ensure that all solicitation requirements are addressed and to facilitate the evaluators’ review of the Offeror’s proposal. The CRM should be a single integrated matrix and cross-reference the proposal volumes and paragraphs to specific RFP requirements, as well as other parts of the proposal that contain relevant information. The Offeror’s CRM may be identical to the example below or revised such as to add columns to indicate the page number on which information may be found, identify where other relevant information in the proposal is located, or provide other comments. The CRM does not count against any of the proposal page limitations.

EXAMPLE OF A CROSS REFERENCE MATRIX (CRM)

Volume 1 Technical Example: Para 3.1 Note: This column shall address all paragraphs in Sections xx and xy of the SOW/PWS.

Volume 1 Technical

Volume 1 Technical

The following are a list of Section L attachments that the Offeror shall utilize to provide information for this volume:

L-1 Past Performance Information Form L-2 Contractor Performance Assessment Questionnaire (CPAQ) L-3 Cost Summary Spreadsheet

Questions regarding the solicitation shall be submitted via email to the contract specialist at Sonia.Santana.CIV@us.navy.mil Each question or comment should reference the applicable document, page number, and paragraph number. Offerors shall not include any proprietary information in a question, because the Government will provide the question and answer to all potential offerors. All questions must be submitted no later than 2:00 PM Pacific Standard Time on the 14th calendar day the date that this solicitation is issued. Questions received after the deadline above may be answered at the Government’s sole discretion.

4.0 ELECTRONIC PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

All volumes of the proposal shall be submitted electronically through the Solicitation Module of the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE) at https://piee.eb.mil. No other submissions, such as mail, hand-carried, or other electronic system (e.g., DOD SAFE) are authorized by the solicitation unless specifically authorized by the Contracting Officer pursuant to paragraph 4.1 below. For instructions on how to post an offer, please refer to the Posting Offer demo: https://pieetraining.eb.mil/wbt/sol/Posting_Offer.pdf.

It is the Offeror’s responsibility to follow the registration instructions found on the PIEE website. It is advised that all potential prime Offerors and their subcontractors ensure the proper company points of contact are registered in the site based on their CAGE codes and have the proper roles assigned well in advance of the solicitation closing date. Subcontractors are only required to register in PIEE if they want to submit their proprietary proposal information separate from the prime offer. Documents submitted by the subcontractor directly to the Government must have the prime contractor’s name, CAGE, and RFP number on the first page of the document.

It is also the Offeror’s responsibility to confirm receipt of proposals and all electronic communications. Screen shots of the submission should also be taken to validate a submission was accepted in the PIEE system against this solicitation. The Government is not obligated to search for incorrectly submitted proposals in PIEE.

The submission date for all Volumes shall be no later than the date and time specified in Block 9 of the SF 33 of the RFP. It is requested that the Past Performance Volume information be submitted [14] days prior to the submission date specified in Block 9 of the SF 33 of the RFP.

4.1 If there is an unanticipated PIEE System outage within 24 hours of the proposal due date and the outage has interrupted normal Government processes so that proposals cannot be received by the exact time specified in the solicitation, the Contractor shall immediately notify the Contracting Officer. This notification shall occur prior to the proposal submission deadline and shall be made in writing. The notification may be in conjunction with verbal notification, but verbal notification alone shall not be sufficient. The Offeror shall obtain written approval from the Contracting Officer to submit the proposal via an alternate method as shown in paragraph 4.2 or the Contracting Officer may advise the Offeror that the Government will follow the procedures set forth in FAR 15.208(d) for amending the solicitation closing date.

5.0 CLASSIFIED DATA

All proposals must be UNCLASSIFIED.

6.0 SOLICITATION CHANGES

For notice of any changes and additional information provided by the Government for the solicitation, please go to https://www.beta.sam.gov.

PART B SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS

Cost or pricing information shall only appear in the Price/Cost volume.

1.0 VOLUME 1: TECHNICAL

The Offeror shall provide all information and data required to conduct a thorough and complete technical evaluation. The Offeror shall address the following in the proposal:

· Workforce/Personnel Qualifications/Key Personnel

· Technical Approach

· Management Approach

a. Personnel Resources: This section is limited to ten (10) pages

The Personnel Resources Section of the proposal includes a narrative summary of the proposed personnel resources.

1. Workforce. The Offeror shall propose personnel that meet all labor category requirements. Personnel must also have the required minimum level of security clearance as outlined with the solicitation. Submission of an offer hereunder indicates the Offeror’s understanding and agreement that all personnel requirements shall be met throughout contract performance.

2. Key Labor Categories. The Government has identified the following labor categories as “key” to the performance of this contract as defined in 3.5.2 of this Section.

· Computer Hardware Engineer, Sr (BLS 17-2061)

· Computer and Information Research Scientist, Sr (BLS 15-1221)

The Offeror shall submit resumes for individuals proposed to fill these key positions.

3. Key Personnel Resumes. For all proposed current or contingent Key Personnel, provide a resume of the work assignments, training, etc., which demonstrates the experience and specialized qualifications of each key person proposed. Resumes shall contain, at a minimum, the following information:

· Employee name

· Years of employment experience in chronological order (most recent to least recent) including narrative descriptions of duties, responsibilities, and outcomes of work performed

· Current position, title, and employer

· Educational history

· Institution name, degree or certification earned, and year for attainment for all degrees or certifications earned

· Current level of security clearance and status (final, interim, or pending)

The Government may check educational background to verify degrees or certifications received.

If the qualification (e.g. education, experience) does not readily or easily compare to the minimum qualification stated in the SOW the Offeror shall provide an explanation as to the equality of the proposed qualification to meet the minimum qualification.

b. Technical Approach: This section is limited to thirty (30) pages, including graphs, charts, and diagrams.

d) 3.4 – Tactical Air-Ground Situational Awareness

2. Provide a detailed step-by-step procedure and methodology which would be used in accomplishing each of the critical tasks listed above.

3. Identify any areas that may impact successful performance.

4. Implementation plan that includes:

a) Manpower utilization to maintain an optimum level of support

b) Warranty of work, if applicable

c) Quality control of work product

d) Quality assurance plan to monitor performance metrics

5. Scenarios/ Sample Task Technical Approach The Offeror shall respond to the scenario below. The scenario response shall demonstrate a feasible solution for accomplishing the scenario within the IPT environment and shall include reasonable assumptions underlying/supporting the approach toward accomplishing the scenario tasking.

Scenario 1:

The Weapon System Protection Engineering (WSPER) Department has just received an emergent requirement from the Program Office (PMA) to perform a cyber-susceptibility/vulnerability analysis and risk assessment on embedded systems for a major aircraft platform. The onboard systems for the evaluation consist of an upgraded mission computer, and stores management system that communicate to other avionic systems over a MIL- STD-1553 bus. Because of an accelerated test schedule, the PMA is asking for the analysis and results to be conducted using a model-based system engineering approach.

5.1 The Offeror’s response to the Scenario, shall include the following information and outline below:

a) Team - Identify the contractor team members that need to participate in the effort; also, describe the teaming arrangements, roles and responsibilities of any subcontractors, partners, JVs, or other organizations required to perform the work.

b) Assumptions - Detail all assumptions relative to any interpretations made of the sample scenario and your technical approach to ensure full understanding of your response by the Government. Offerors shall assume the Government will fulfill the assessment lead role, and should state herein any decision points/approvals expected to be provided throughout the timeline of the assessment by the PMA, and/or any other Government entity.

c) Technical Approach - Provide a detailed description of the technical approach including a step-by-step procedure and methodology which would be used in accomplishing the scenario. Included in the technical approach should be areas that will need to be investigated and information identified in order to perform the work. Offerors shall describe an assessment approach that includes cyber-attack tactics and techniques to identify embedded system susceptibilities, best practices to measure system cyber resilience, mitigation/remediation to reduce cyber susceptibility risk, and a model-based methodology for conveying assessment results to the PMA.

d) Performance Risk Analysis - Identify contingent events inherent to the nature of the effort that could, if they were to occur, endanger satisfactory project performance. Focus on critical events that are realistically likely to occur and that would pose serious problems (do not try to identify every event that could cause some minor difficulty).

e) Roadmap/Schedule - Provide a schedule of events and milestones that communicate the delivery of capability for the duration of the project and key interdependencies.

f) Models & Tools - Identify the models and / or other tools that would be utilized to perform the task.

Scenario 2:

Using the assessment and test findings from the embedded system cyber-susceptibility/vulnerability analysis and risk assessment (Scenario 1), the Program Office (PMA) wishes to purse cyber solutions that will address many of the findings from the assessment. The PMA has determined that an onboard bus integrated intrusion detection system (IDS) is the most practical option for mitigating many of the findings. This has led to the start-up of a new program of record to begin development of this cyber solution, and PMA will continue to use a Model Based Systems Engineering methodology throughout development and test.

5.2 The Offeror’s response to this Scenario, shall include the following information outlined below:

a) Team - Identify the contractor team members that need to participate in the effort; also, describe the teaming arrangements, roles and responsibilities of any subcontractors, partners, JVs, or other organizations required to perform the work.

b) Assumptions - Detail all assumptions relative to any interpretations made of the sample scenario and your technical approach to ensure full understanding of your response by the Government. Offerors shall assume the Government will fulfill the lead integrator role, and should state herein any decision points/approvals expected to be provided throughout the lifecycle of the project by the Integrated Product Team (IPT) partners, the PMA, and/or any other Government entities.

c) Technical Approach - Provide a detailed description of the technical approach, including a step-by-step procedure and methodology which would be used in accomplishing the scenario. Included in the technical approach should be areas that will need to be investigated and information identified in order to perform the work. Describe how to leverage modern software and hardware development approaches and other proven methodologies to reduce risk and ensure a quality product that satisfies the fleet need.

d) Performance Risk Analysis - Identify contingent events inherent to the nature of the effort that could, if they were to occur, endanger satisfactory project performance. Focus on critical events that are realistically likely to occur and that would pose serious problems (do not try to identify every event that could cause some minor difficulty).

e) Roadmap/Schedule - Provide a schedule of events and milestones that communicate the delivery of capability for the duration of the project and key interdependencies.

f) Models & Tools – Identify the models and/ or other tools that would be utilized to perform the task

c. Management Approach: This section is limited to ten (10) pages total. Offerors shall address the following:

1. Management:

1. The Offeror shall provide an overview of its proposed organization, including an organizational chart showing interfaces, locations, and lines of communication among the government, the Prime, and its subcontractors. Specifically show where the proposed Key Personnel are located in the organizational chart and their lines of reporting and authority.

1. Offerors are to provide information on their proposed approach to perform the following indirect functions (to include the percentage of a work-year to be billed indirectly) :

1. Contracts/Business Finance

1. Recruiting/Retention

1. Facility Security Officer

1. Program Manager The information on the proposed approach to performing the listed indirect functions shall include the proposed employee’s location, education, years of experience, and description of work experience.

1. Procedures to be taken to ensure quality and cost control.

1. Staffing: The Offeror shall address the following:

1. Describe the processes used in hiring, recruiting, retaining, and training personnel throughout the life of the contract. Address the Offeror’s intentions regarding hiring the incumbent personnel, percentage, and process for determining their rate of pay and benefits. The Offeror shall provide its plan for; (1) hiring the incumbent workforce for the Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS) and non-SCLS labor categories during the transition period; and (2) filling those positions should any of the incumbent personnel decline to work for the Offeror in support of this successor contract.

1. Describe the approach to and timeframes for hiring personnel in order to take on new requirements by keeping up with the rapidly changing threat environment and compliance regulations within the contract

1. Describe the security processes to be utilized on this contract. In your response, include the following:

2. Describe the process, including timelines, for visit requests and visitor badges

2. Describe the vetting process for new employees

1. Describe the process to ensure employees maintain appropriate clearances, reporting of derogatory information, and submission of reinvestigations

1. Describe the process for securely communicating personnel information for Common Access Cards (CACs) applications and NAWCWD China Lake Area Access Badges (AABs)

2. Describe the process, including timeline, for ensuring CACs and AABs are returned to the government when an employee is no longer supporting the contract regardless of the employee’s performance location

2. Describe the work performance location in terms of Facility Clearance level and accreditation level

1. If subcontractors are to be utilized, describe the subcontract management strategy and approach for this procurement. In your response, include the following:

3. Describe the process for assembling teams, selecting subcontractors, maintaining subcontractor relationships, communicating information to the subcontractor, managing subcontractor performance, and resolving problems.

3. Discuss the approach to determining the work to be performed in-house and the work to be subcontracted. Explain the approach to selecting the best technical capability needed and the technical cost trade-off approach to ensure that the best-value-subcontractors are used for the effort.

3. Describe the value that will be added by proposing subcontractor(s) and how the use of subcontractor(s) will not add unnecessary levels of management, impede communication, or delay work completion.

1. Transition Plan: The Offeror shall address the following:

4. The services under this solicitation are vital to the Government and must be continued without interruption. The Offeror is required to submit a written narrative delineating a transition-out plan that ensures a smooth workplace changeover from an incumbent with no loss of service as described in Para 3.10 of the SOW. . For proposal purposes, estimate a 30-day transition plan. The plan should take into consideration the following elements as well as any additional elements deemed necessary by the Offeror:

0. Work Turnover

0. Workforce hiring

0. Quality Assurance

0. Training

0. Risk Mitigation Strategies

0. Security Requirement to include OPSEC, Facility clearances, and Base Access

0. Data Transfer

2.0 VOLUME 2: PAST PERFORMANCE

2.1 General

Sources of past performance evaluation information include information provided by the Offeror in response to the solicitation, information obtained from questionnaires, and any other sources available to the Government, to include, but not limited to, the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS), Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information Systems, Electronic Subcontract Reporting System, or other databases; the Defense Contract Management Agency; and interviews with Program Managers, Contracting Officers, and Fee Determining Officials.

The Offeror shall complete the Past Performance Information Form, Attachment L-1, for each past performance reference (contract or delivery/task order) performed within five years of the solicitation release date. The Offeror shall submit no more than five Past Performance Information Forms as the Prime Contractor, no more than two forms for each principal subcontractor, and/or no more than two forms for each JV team member. For contract references that contain delivery/task orders, additionally provide the work description(s) for each specific delivery/task order deemed relevant by the Offeror to this solicitation’s requirements. For contract references where the Offeror performed as a subcontractor, the Offeror shall clearly identify the applicable portion of the contract requirements that they performed. The Offeror shall submit written consent from its principal subcontractor(s) and JV team member(s) that will allow the Government to coordinate any past performance issues directly with the Offeror. If the Offeror does not submit the written consent, the Government will address any past performance issues directly with the principal subcontractor or JV Team member and the Offeror will forfeit the opportunity to participate in any related discussions. Consequently, for any principal subcontractor and JV team member that does not provide the written consent, the Offeror shall provide the name, address, phone number, and email address with whom the Government may address any past performance issues.

The Offeror shall provide a narrative on each Past Performance Information form in the “Contract Effort Description” area that clearly describes how each contract reference has relevant work effort that matches the relevancy definitions specified in Section M of the solicitation. Additionally, the Offeror shall provide one electronic copy of the Statement of Work/Performance Work Statement for each contract reference as Annex 1 to this Past Performance Volume.

The primary source of past performance information will be PPIRS. If a Contractor Performance Assessment Report (CPAR) exists for multiple years for the same contract/order, all periods of performance within the recency period specified above, for that contract/order, will be used for evaluation. In the event a CPAR does not exist for a past performance reference, the Offeror shall submit a Contractor Performance Assessment Questionnaire (CPAQ), Attachment L-2, to the Program Manager who is the Assessing Official. The Offeror shall include instructions for the Program Manager to send completed questionnaires within two weeks of its receipt via e-mail to Sonia Santana Contract Specialist, at email, Sonia.Santana.civ@us.navy.mil, thereby allowing the customer approximately two weeks to complete their response. All CPAQs should be received by the Government concurrently with the Offeror’s proposal submission.

3.0 VOLUME 3: PRICE/COST PROPOSAL

3.1 Volume Content:

(a) This Volume shall contain the Contract Compliance information specified below as follows:

i. Offeror Summary Table: The Offeror shall complete the table below. The Offeror shall include all subcontractors and JV team members who will be involved with the performance of the contract and list all sites where the work will be performed. If a JV teaming or subcontracting arrangement is proposed, identify the work share, distribution elements, and ratios that each contractor will perform using the table below. Also provide a definition of the legal relationship between the entities if it is other than a Prime/subcontractor relationship.

Contractor Name (Indicate Prime, JV Team Member, or Sub)

(b) This Volume shall also contain a copy of Section B with the Contract Line Item (CLIN) and Sub-CLIN Unit Prices and, for evaluation purposes, the Total Prices filled in using the estimated quantities value in the solicitation and the instructions below. Section B prices shall be provided separately in one digital data copy in MS Office 2016 Excel format. Within all Excel spreadsheets, the Offeror shall use formulas and functions to the maximum extent possible and avoid using output type “value only” cells. If links are utilized, supply those referenced files. Spreadsheets shall not be protected.

(c) All price/cost and price/cost supporting information shall be contained in Section B and the price/cost proposal. No price or pricing information shall be included in any technical volume including cover letters. Offeror is responsible for submitting sufficient information to enable the Government to fully evaluate its price/cost proposal.

3.2 Ground Rules and Assumptions:

(a) As this is a competitive acquisition with adequate price competition anticipated, certified cost or pricing data in accordance with FAR 15.403-1 is not required. However, in the event that adequate price competition does not exist after receipt of proposals, the Government reserves the right to request additional cost or pricing data as necessary from both the Offeror and its subcontractors. Further, the Offeror may be required to provide a Certificate of Current Cost or Pricing Data prior to award, pursuant to FAR 15.406-2.

(b) The Offeror shall provide sufficient information to support its price/cost as well as an explanation of all ground rules and assumptions that affect the price/cost estimates.

(c) If subcontractors are proposed, they shall provide the same information required for the prime contractor, unless otherwise noted in the Price/Cost Information section below.

3.3 Price/Cost Information:

Offerors shall submit their fully completed cost/price proposal utilizing the Cost Summary Spreadsheet (Attachment L-3). The spreadsheet shall be formatted as letter size (8.5 X 11) pages and shall be unprotected and unlocked, with formulae intact to show mathematical operations. The Offeror shall use the CLIN Summary tab to breakout total proposed costs by CLIN.

Complete Attachment L-3, (Fully Burdened Labor CPFF Rates tab), detailing the fully burdened labor rates for all prime contractors and their subcontractor personnel. If needed offereors may include differing labor category names in parentheses next to the Government provided labor category name in the L-3 attachment. Fully burdened labor rates are defined as direct labor rates plus all applicable burdens, to include indirect rates, fee, and subcontractor pass-through costs where applicable. For subcontractor labor, the fully burdened labor rates shall be inclusive of any pass-through charges (e.g., subcontractor handling, fixed fee on subcontractor labor, etc.) applied by the prime contractor. Proposed fully burdened labor costs may be subject to the NAVAIR labor tripwire identified in Section M. Offerors that propose a fully burdened, per employee, labor cost exceeding the labor tripwire shall provide rationale in their cost proposal narrative section that justifies the reasonableness of the tripwire cost for the applicable employees.

(a) The Government is not soliciting any investments. However, in order for the Government to properly assess a proposed price/cost that appears low due to a corporate decision to absorb costs (e.g., lower than usual burdens or rates) the Offeror shall fully identify and explain any such investments.

(b) Direct/Indirect Rates: The Offeror shall submit Forward Pricing Rate Agreements (FPRAs), Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), and Area Wage Determinations (AWDs) as applicable for all proposed personnel. The Offeror shall identify whether the labor rates proposed are FPRAs, CBAs, AWDs, ACO/DCAA recommended rates (FPRRs), or Offeror proposed rates (FPRPs). The Offeror shall propose in compliance with the current hourly rate set forth in the Department of Labor Wage Determination as applicable. The Offeror shall provide Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) Information/Payroll Verification information as follows: A DCAA point of contact, with a current e-mail address, must be provided for the Offeror and each subcontractor. The Offeror and proposed subcontractors shall provide the most current DCAA Provisional Billing Rate Approval Letter, DCAA Final Billing Rate Approval Letter, and/or DCAA Forward Pricing Rate Agreement recommendation, payroll verification for currently employed proposed personnel, and any other information necessary to substantiate the rates proposed. Payroll verification shall consist of a form containing the title, direct labor rate, and a signed certification by an authorized representative of the company that the information contained in the form is correct. For key personnel contingent hires, the Offeror shall provide contingent offer letters outlining salary information for contingent hire employees. For any prospective hires for non-key personnel, provide information to substantiate the rates proposed. All contingent hires shall have a letter of intent submitted under the Cost Volume. The letter of intent is a separate written agreement signed by the potential employee(s) to work for the Offeror effective at contract award. Any proposed consultants shall have a consultant agreement substantiating the rates proposed. If a composite rate or other pricing methodology (e.g. cost estimating relationships) is utilized, the Offeror shall demonstrate how those rates were developed. Subcontractors and team members shall provide this information either separately or included in the Offeror’s submission of this document.

The following definition applies:

A “contingent hire” is an individual who has committed, under a signed letter of intent, inclusive of salary information, to being employed by the Offeror if the Offeror is awarded the contract.

If any of the rates utilized by the Offeror or any subcontractors differ from the DCAA information and/or payroll verification, a justification shall be provided for the difference. If DCAA has not reviewed the rate information for an Offeror or one of its subcontractors, the Offeror must submit a detailed justification of the proposed direct and indirect rates. The Offeror shall also provide documentation verifying that it has a DCMA-approved Accounting System in accordance with DFARS clause 252.242-7006, or state that it’s Accounting System has not been approved by DCMA. Offerors shall provide the last three (3) years of actual indirect information. The Government may compare the Offeror’s labor category rate to the average labor rate from industry.

(c) The Offeror shall fully disclose the buildup of cost/price of each CLIN.

(d)When completing the Cost Summary Spreadsheet (Attachment L-3), the Offeror shall not utilize any fully burdened hourly rates when pricing the labor of its employees.

(e) Offeror's labor classifications should cross-reference to Department of Labor (DOL) wage determination classifications as much as possible.

Limitation on Subcontracting (per 13 CFR §125.6(e)(2), compliance with the limitation on subcontracting shall be an element of responsibility).

This requirement is being set-aside for the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) program. Provide a breakout to demonstrate how at least 50% of the cost of contract incurred for personnel for contract performance will be performed by the Offeror itself or another SDVOSBs for each period of performance in accordance with FAR clause 52.219-27. Cost of contract incurred for personnel includes direct labor cost, overhead that has only direct labor as its base, and the SDVOSBs’ General and Administrative rate multiplied by the labor cost.

(h) Provide a narrative that addresses any assumptions made during the preparation of the cost/price proposal and discuss the basis for the cost elements listed below:

· Direct labor rates by category. The Offeror is required to submit labor rates for all proposed current, contingent, and prospective hire individuals. If composite or category averages are proposed, provide a breakdown of how rates are developed. If necessary provide a narrative to describe derivation of labor rates, use of uncompensated overtime, pools to which indirect rates are applied, historical /provisional billing rates for indirect rates for the last 3 years and description, and amount of proposed other direct costs. If the Offeror requires the use of consultants in performance of the effort, the consultant cost shall be captured under the appropriate labor CLIN not the ODCs CLIN.

· Escalation on labor. Offerors, including subcontractors, shall address escalation for all labor categories, and shall provide rationale for the specific escalation rate used. Offerors that do not include escalation, or an explanation as to why it is not included, may be considered unrealistically low and may have their proposals adjusted by the Government to include escalation in the option periods.

· Indirect costs (e.g., Overhead, Fringe Benefits, General & Administrative (G&A), etc.)

· Information needed to explain the Offeror’s estimating practices

· Profit/Fee: Identify profit/fee rate and total amounts proposed and identify the various cost elements to which the profit/fee is being applied. Profit, Base, Award, and Incentive fee rates, as applicable in Section B, must be clearly distinguishable. Profit/Fee shall not be applied to ODCs.

· Other Direct Costs (ODCs) by specific cost element (e.g., Travel, Material, and NMCI). Reimbursement for Travel will be in accordance with FAR 31.205-46. If the Offeror proposes burdens on the Government provided ODC estimates, the Offeror shall provide a percentage breakdown of the Offeror’s indirect costs and burdens added to the Government estimates for any and all Cost Reimbursable CLINs in Section B.

· When the Offeror elects to claim Cost of Money (COM) as an allowable cost, the Offeror must submit a COM form and show the calculations of the proposed amount.

(1) The proposed direct labor rate for each professional employee proposed;

(3) Data, such as recognized national and regional compensation surveys and studies of professional, public and private organizations, used by the Offeror in establishing the total compensation structure.

3.5 Government Furnished Information

3.5.1 ODCs

The Government's estimate for ODCs for the prime and all subcontract efforts, unburdened is listed below:

The values provided below are for informational purposes only. The Offeror should propose costs/prices for the ODC CLINs that it determines reasonable and appropriate. If it is the Offeror’s accounting practice to apply (and invoice for) burdens with regards to ODCs, then the Offeror shall propose the ODC amount plus the addition of the applicable burdens. If the Offeror chooses not to burden ODCs, then the Offeror shall propose an H-clause to identify this special term and condition. (NO FEE SHALL BE APPLIED TO ODCs).

Estimated Travel. For informational purposes only the estimated yearly travel cost is approximately $141,884.00 and the following table of estimated travel is provided:

Estimated Material. For informational purposes only the Government estimated material cost is approximately $690,115.20 and the following table of estimated annual material is provided:

3.5.2. Labor Hours

The Government estimate is hours for the entire work effort, inclusive of options. A work-year is defined as 1,920 hours exclusive of holidays and leave. For evaluation purposes, the Offeror shall propose the labor categories/hours as outlined below:

10,400

* Key Personnel

3.5.3 Incumbent Information

The incumbent contractors are:

RTL Networks, Inc.

1391 Speer Blvd, Suite 850 Denver, CO 80204

There are no incumbent subcontractors.

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