NCS_Section_L 7-7-2022.pdf

SECTION L –

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO

CONTRACTORS

This acquisition will be conducted under the auspices of the DHS Procurement Innovation Lab (PIL).

The PIL is a virtual lab that experiments with innovative techniques for increasing efficiencies in the procurement process and institutionalizing best practices. There is nothing you need to do differently for this requirement. The PIL project team may reach out to successful and unsuccessful Offerors, after award, to assess effectiveness of the procurement process and the innovative techniques applied. The anonymous feedback will be used to further refine DHS procurement practices. Additional information on the PIL may be found here-- https://www.dhs.gov/pil..

L.1 52.252-1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the CO will make their full text available. The Contractor is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the Contractor and submitted with its proposal or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the Contractor may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its proposal or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this address:

https://www.acquisition.gov/far/ .

52.204-7 52.204-16 52.207-1 52.212-1

System for Award Management Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting Notice of Standard Competition Instructions to Offerors—Commercial Items

(OCT 2018)

(AUG 2020)

(MAY 2006)

(JUN 2020)

52.222-24 Preaward On-Site Equal Opportunity Compliance Evaluation

(FEB 1999)

L.2 PROVISIONS INCORPORATED IN FULL TEXT

52.216-1 Type of Contract (APR 1984)

The Government anticipates the award of Firm-Fixed Price Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract to a single contract award as a result of this solicitation.

52.233-2 Service of Protest (SEPT 2006)

(a) Protests, as defined in section 33.101 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, that are filed directly with an agency, and copies of any protests that are filed with the General Accountability Office (GAO), shall be served on the CO (addressed as follows) by obtaining written and dated http://www.dhs.gov/pil http://www.dhs.gov/pil https://www.acquisition.gov/far/ acknowledgment of receipt from:

Immigration & Customs Enforcement Office of Acquisition Management – Detention, Compliance & Removals 801 I Street NW, Suite 9151 Mail Stop 5750 Washington, DC 20536

(b) The copy of any protest shall be received in the office designated above within one day of filing a protest with the GAO.

L.3 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

52.204-18 Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (Aug 2020) 3052.219-71 DHS Mentor Protégé Program (Jun 2006)

L.4 PAYMENT OF PROPOSAL COSTS

The Government will not pay any cost incurred in the submission of the proposal or in making necessary studies or designs for the preparation thereof, nor to contract for services or supplies.

L.5 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

1. General

This solicitation is a set-aside for small businesses under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 517911, Telecommunication Resellers (less than 1,500 employees) in accordance with FAR subpart 12 supplement subpart 15.

ICE anticipates a single contract

Offerors are requested to demonstrate their expertise through a written and oral proposal. Proposals shall be separated into phase 1 and 2.

Questions Any questions regarding this RFP must be submitted in writing via email to the individuals identified below:

Contracting Officer (CO) Name: Natasha Nguyen E-mail Address: Natasha.T.Nguyen@ice.dhs.gov

Contract Specialist (CS) Name: Jose Munoz E-mail Address: Jose.Munoz@ice.dhs.gov

Submission shall be made no later than 5:00pm EST on July XX, 2020. The Offeror mailto:@ice.dhs.gov mailto:Jose.Munoz@ice.dhs.gov must include the solicitation number in the subject line of the email. The Government does not guarantee responses for any questions submitted after this date. The Government does not intend to answer questions for which the responses can be found within the RFP.

2. Phased Procurement

The Government intends to use a multi-phase evaluation approach and an advisory down-select process (as detailed in Section ), Contractors shall submit all criteria identified as Phase 1 documentation in the table of Section .

A notional schedule is below:

Event Date Phase I Proposals Due Notification of Advisory Down Select, and Schedule for Oral Presentations, as applicable

Phase II Proposals Due Oral Presentations Award

3. Proposal Due Date and Submission

The offerors shall submit the proposal criteria associated with Phase I via email to the CS with a courtesy copy to the CO no later than 2:00pm EST on July XX, 2022. Further instructions for Phase II volume submission will be provided after the Government completes its evaluation of Offers received in response to Phase I.

No other methods of submission will be accepted.

The Government is not liable for any expenses incurred by the Offerors in developing and submitting offers for this solicitation.

L.6 Instructions for Phase I Proposal Preparation

The following instructions are for the preparation and submission of proposals. The purpose of this section is to establish requirements for the format and content of proposals so that proposals contain all essential information and can be evaluated equitably. Offerors are instructed to read the entire solicitation document, including all attachments, prior to submitting questions and/or preparing your offer. Omission of any information from the offer submission requirements may result in rejection of the offer.

o Offerors are expected to follow the detailed proposal preparation instructions fully and carefully. The Government will rely on the information provided by the Offerors to evaluate the proposals. It is therefore imperative that Offerors carefully follow the instructions set forth below and submit their proposals in the format and with the content specified below, providing all requested information.

o Proposals that fail to provide information in the format requested may be found unacceptable and may be rejected without further consideration if the Contracting Officer determines that a significant revision or addendum to the Offeror’s proposal would be required to permit further evaluation, and especially if the incompleteness of the proposal or errant formatting of the quote appears to be due from a lack of diligence or competence of the Offerors.

The instructions provided have been specifically tailored to the evaluation procedures to be applied for proposal evaluations. They are designed to ensure the submission of information essential to the understanding and comprehensive validation and evaluation of proposals. Clarity and completeness are of utmost importance to the proposal. The relevance and conciseness of the proposal is important. The Offerors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of its proposal. The proposal shall be valid for one hundred and eighty (180) calendar days from the proposal due date.

Page Size and Font Number of Pages – annotated by each requirement below. If the technical proposal is longer than this page-count limitation, the excess pages shall not be reviewed nor evaluated.

The page count for the technical proposal is exclusive of the cover letter, cover page and table of contents. Paper size shall be 8 1/2 by 11-inch white paper with printing on one (1) side only, using 12-point font. No reduction is permitted. Each page shall have adequate margins on each side (at least one (1) inch) of the page. Electronic submissions shall be formatted using Microsoft Office 2007 or higher (must be compatible with Microsoft 2010), with file names that are consistent with the structure of the Proposal. Individual file sizes shall not exceed 5 MB and the submission must include the title of this requirement in the subject line, “NONCITIZEN COMMUNICATION Services” and the RFP number 70CDCR22R00000002. Offeror’s shall submit all tabs identified as Phase 1 outlined below.

L.7 Proposal Content (Phase I and Phase II)

Naming Convention

Tab Title Associated Evaluation

Criteria Written Proposal (Phase I)

Tab A (Document)

Criteria 1: Noncitizen Communication Service Rate Sheet 1

Tab B (Document)

Criteria 2: Service Level Agreement Chart 2

Tab C (Document)

Criteria 3: Contract transition milestone schedule 3

Tac D (Document_

Criteria 4: Plan for developing, testing, operating and maintaining the pro bono network

Volume I: Oral Presentations (Phase II)

Oral Presentation

Management of NCS requirement: 5

Tab A (Document)

PowerPoint Slides for Oral Presentation (10 Slide Limit) – NOT

EVALUATED

N/A

Volume II: Business & Pricing (Phase II)-

Defer to OAQ Tab A (Document)

Offeror Cover/Transmittal Letter N/A

Tab B (Document)

Proposal Assumptions, Exceptions and Dependencies 1-6, as applicable

Tab C (Document)

Pricing Tamplate 6

Information contained in each volume shall be complete to the extent that evaluation of each tab may be accomplished independently of, and concurrently with, evaluation of the other. Your responses must demonstrate that both your firm and personnel can successfully complete this project. Offerors shall strictly adhere to the page limits.

L.8 Instructions - Phase I

• Tab A: Criteria 1 - Noncitizen Communication Service Rate Sheet. The attached rate sheet shall be completed.

Tab B: Criteria 2 - Service Level Agreement(SLA) Chart. The offeror shall complete the attached SLA chart.

Tab C: Criteria 3 - Contract Transition Plan/Milestone Schedule The Offeror shall describe the Transition Plan and illustrate a ramp up for full performance under the requirements of the PWS.

Tab D: Criteria 4 - Plan for developing, testing, operating and maintaining the pro bono network

The Offeror shall submit a plan for developing, testing, operating and maintaining the pro bono network.

L.9 Advisory Down-Selection Notification

After the Government completes evaluation Criteria 1, 2, 3 and 4, Offerors will receive an advisory notification via e-mail from the Contracting Officer. This notification will advise the Offeror of the Government’s advisory recommendation to proceed or not to proceed with Phase II submission. Offerors who are rated most highly for criteria 1, 2, 3 and 4 will be advised to proceed to Phase II of the offeror submission process. Offerors who were not among the most highly rated will be advised that they are unlikely to be viable competitors, along with the general basis for the Government’s advisory recommendation. The intent of this advice is to minimize quote development costs for those Offerors with little to no chance of receiving an award. Offerors should note that Phase I evaluation criteria are more important than Phase II evaluation criteria.

The Government intends to provide no more than 5 Offerors with an advisory notification to proceed. However, the Government’s advice will be a recommendation only, and those Offerors who are advised not to proceed may elect to continue their participation in the procurement.

Failure to participate in Phase I of the procurement precludes further consideration of a Offeror. Phase II submissions will not be accepted from Offerors who have not submitted Phase I proposals by the due date and time stated in this solicitation. For those Offerors that are rated most highly and advised to proceed to Phase II of the quote submission process, the Contracting Officer will include the Phase II submission instructions on the advisory notification, including the date, time and exact location of the Offeror’s scheduled oral presentation, as well as the due date for the written portion of the Phase II submission. The Phase II written submission due date will be a minimum of 3 weeks from the date of the advisory notification, and oral presentations will be scheduled after the submission of written Phase II proposals. The Government recommends Offerors to begin preparation of Phase I quotations only after receipt of the Phase 1 advisory down-select notice.

Those Offerors that received advisory notification not to proceed to Phase II, but regardless choose to proceed to Phase II , shall send an email to Natasha.T.Nguyen@ice.dhs.gov and Jose.Munoz@ice.dhs.gov not later than 24 hours after receipt of the advisory recommendation not to proceed, indicating its intent to participate in Phase II. After the Contracting Officer receives notice from the Offerors stating its intent to participate in Phase II despite the Government’s advisory notification not to proceed, the Contracting Officer will send a separate e-mail with Phase II submission instructions within 2 business days.

L.10 Instructions - Phase II

The Government’s notification to Offerors after evaluation of Phase I proposal submissions will include the due date for Phase II written submissions, as well as the scheduled time for Offerors oral presentations. The due date for Phase II written submissions will be prior to the scheduled oral presentations.

Volume II: Oral Presentation (Phase II)

Tab A: PowerPoint Slides for Oral Presentation –Demonstration of accomplishment of PWS requirements. (10 Slide Limit)(OPTIONAL) SLIDES ARE NOT EVALUATED

Oral Presentation - Demonstration of accomplishment of PWS requirements.

The Offeror’s oral presentation shall provide the Government an understanding of the Offeror’s proposed NCS program. The oral presentation shall address the solutions, plans and resources necessary to satisfy all PWS objectives. The Offeror shall detail:

a. The sufficiency of offeror’s ability to resolve problems, , troubleshoot unforeseen issues and be responsive to the government’s needs.

b. The Offeror’s capability to evaluate changes and the impact of potential changes.

Offerors should expect that the government will ask ad hoc questions related to the PWS requirements and should be prepared to answer them.

Offerors s may submit PowerPoint slides to accompany their oral presentations. The slide limit is 10 however the Offeror is reminded to consider that the oral presentation is time-boxed and is encouraged to consider how many slides can be adequately covered during the oral presentation.

mailto:Marco.Macherelli@hq.dhs.gov

The 10 slides to be submitted with the oral presentation WILL NOT BE EVALUATED.

The content of the oral presentation is being evaluated and any material not presented at the oral presentation will not be considered in the evaluation regardless if it was included in the slide deck.

Exchanges during Oral Presentation: The Government intends for the oral presentation to be an interactive dialogue between the Offeror and the Government. These exchanges are viewed as a component of the oral presentation itself and do not constitute discussions.

Location: Oral presentations will be held at an ICE office within the Washington, DC area or via Microsoft Teams. The order in which Offerors are scheduled for oral presentations will be randomly selected by the Government. The presentation may be recorded by the Government. The recording is source selection sensitive and will be handled accordingly.

The Offeror retains full responsibility for ensuring its participants are able to gain access into the oral presentation location.

Offeror Participants: No more than three (3) total Offeror Participants shall attend the oral presentation.

Within two (2) calendar days of notice that the Offeror has been invited to participate in an oral presentation, the Offeror shall provide the Contracting Officer a list of all names contract information, including current employer/company and their function role on the team of the Offeror Participants for the oral presentation.

Format for Oral Presentation:

The Government intends for the oral presentation to proceed as follows:

Oral Presentation

Portion

Oral Presentation Component Total Time Allotment

1 Introductions and Rules of Engagement Not specified

2 The sufficiency of offeror’s ability to resolve problems, troubleshoot unforeseen issues and be responsive to the government’s needs.

30 minute limit

3 The Offeror’s capability to evaluate changes and the impact of potential changes.

30 minute limit

4 Parties caucus prior to interactive dialogue.

approx.. 15 minutes

5 The Government and Offeror will participate in an interactive dialogue related to the ad hoc questions.

120 minute limit

6 The Offeror departs. Not specified

Rules of Engagement for Oral Presentations:

1. The proposed Program Manager and two other people shall attend oral presentations.

Although the two other people can be supporting any other key roles, the team is expected to be able to answer any questions.

2. The Government WILL NOT ask questions about information contained in a Offeror’s submission for Phase I. Phase 1 submissions will be submitted and evaluated prior to Oral Presentations being conducted.

3. The Offeror may not generally ask questions during the oral presentation. Any questions asked must be directed to the Contracting Officer and should only deal with logistics and conduct of the oral presentation.

4. Oral presentations do not constitute discussions. The Government will not ask questions that will invite or allow the Offeror to change its offer. The Offeror shall not volunteer any information that might be construed as changing its offer. Oral presentations are distinct from the Government’s reserved right to conduct exchanges.

5. The Offeror participants shall not reach back, by telephone, e-mail, text or any other means, to any other personnel or persons for assistance during the oral presentation.

Volume III: Business & Pricing (Phase II)

There are no page limits to Volume III, Business & Pricing Volume

Tab A: Proposal Cover/Transmittal Letter

The Offeror shall provide a Proposal Cover/Transmittal Letter (limit 2 pages) with pertinent Offeror information. This information should include, at a minimum, the company name, DUNS number, address, authorized corporate representative and their title, email and phone number.

Offerors participating in teaming/partnering arrangements for this acquisition shall submit their teaming/partnering agreements with their proposal. The agreements shall be signed by the parties and shall demonstrate the relationship between firms and identify contractual relationships and authorities to bind the firm and the team/partnership. Offerors proposing major subcontracts (subcontracts exceeding 10% of the overall prime contract value) shall submit signed letters of commitment from the subcontractors which define the contractual relationship and identify contribution to the planned arrangement in terms of the type and proportion of work to be performed. Copies of agreements and letters of commitment shall be submitted with the quote under this section and will not count towards the page limitation. Offerors shall include a cover page with their agreements to include a list of the teaming/partnering parties and the following information for each party: company name, DUNS number, address, point of contact, email address, phone and fax numbers.

Tab D: Pricing Excel Workbook (Attachment I.)

It is anticipated that pricing and award of this acquisition will be based on adequate price competition. ( D i s c u s s w i t h O A Q )

Tab E: Assumptions, Exceptions and Dependencies

(Discuss with OAQ)

The Government does not encourage Offerors to make assumptions or take exceptions from the requirements of the Request for Proposal. Offerors are encouraged to submit questions, in accordance with the Request for Quotation instructions, in order to obtain any necessary clarifications regarding the Request for Quotation prior to proposal submission. In the event that a Offeror does make assumptions or take exception to any Request for Proposal requirement, the Offeror’s Volume III submission must clearly and unambiguously identify all such assumptions, exceptions, or dependencies on which the Offeror’s quotation is based. Each assumption, exception or dependency shall be specifically related to a paragraph and/or specific section of the Request for Proposal. The Offeror shall provide a rationale in support of any noted assumption, exception or dependency, explaining its effect in comparison to the Request for Quote. This information shall be provided in the format with content as outlined in the table below.

Request for Quote

Document Paragraph/Page Requirement/Portion Rationale

RFP, RFP

Attachment (SOW, etc.)

Applicable paragraph and page number(s)

Identify the requirement or portion to which an assumption, exception or dependency is being taken

Justify why the requirement will not be met or discuss reasons why not meeting the Government’s terms and conditions might be advantageous to the Government.

Any assumption, exception or dependency taken, for all Volumes I-III, shall be contained in Volume III and shall address the pertinent information for each respective Volume of the Offeror’s proposal.

Assumptions, exceptions or dependencies do not make a proposal automatically unacceptable.

However, a large number of assumptions, exceptions or dependencies, or a significant assumption, exception or dependency, which provide(s) little or no benefit to the Government or which do(es) not support the Government’s requirement as documented in the Request for Proposal may receive unfavorable evaluation in accordance with the Request for Proposal Evaluation criteria for Award.

L.7 Service of Protest (FAR 52.233-2) (SEP 2006)

(a) Protests, as defined in Section 33.101 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, that are filed directly with the agency shall be served on the CO (addressed as follows) by obtaining written and dated acknowledgment of receipt from:

Michael Jones, Contracting Officer Department of Homeland Security Office of Procurement Operations/STAD 245 Murray Drive, SW Mailstop 0120 Washington, DC 20528

(b) The copy of any protest shall be received in the office designated above within one day of filing a protest with the agency.

(End of Section L)

L.7 Service of Protest (FAR 52.233-2) (SEP 2006)