RFP_14-01_Offsite_Server_Room_-_Co-Location_Svs.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

(THIS IS NOT AN ORDER)

PAGE

OF

PAGES

1. REQUEST NO.

RFP 14-01

2. DATE ISSUED

11/15/13

3. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQUEST NO.

4. CERT. FOR NAT. DEF.

UNDER BDSA REG. 2

AND/OR DMS REG. 1 >

RATING

5A. ISSUED BY

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS (NEA)

1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Grants & Contracts. Rm. 618

Washington DC 20506

6. DELIVER BY (Date)

5B. FOR INFORMATION CALL: (Name and telephone no.) (No collect calls)

USMAAN Z. CHAUDHRY (202) 682-5494

7. DELIVERY

FOB DESTINATION OTHER (See Schedule)

8. TO: NAME AND ADDRESS, INCLUDING ZIP CODE

9. DESTINATION (Consignee and address, including ZIP Code)

10. PLEASE FURNISH PROPOSALS TO THE ISSUING OFFICE IN BLOCK 5A ON OR BEFORE CLOSE OF BUSINESS (Date)

Please Furnish Proposals no later than:

5:00 PM EST, MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013

IMPORTANT: This is a request for information, and quotations furnished are not offers. If you are unable to quote, please so indicate on this form and return it to the address in Block 5A.

This request does not commit the Government to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of the submission of this quotation or to contract for supplies or services. Supplies are of domestic origin unless otherwise indicated by quoter. Any representations and/or certifications attached to this Request for Proposals must be completed by the quoter.

12. SCHEDULE (Include applicable Federal, State and local taxes)

ITEM NO.

(a)

SUPPLIES/SERVICES

(b)

QUANTITY

UNIT

(d)

UNIT PRICE

(e)

AMOUNT

(f)

Proposals are requested for co-location/off-site server room location services, including providing rack space and related deliverables in accordance with the included statement of work below.

NAICS: 518210

Set-Aside: 100% Small Business

QUESTIONS DEADLINE:

E-mail to Usmaan Z. Chaudhry at chaudhryu@arts.gov by 12:00 PM EST 20

November 2013.

PROPOSALS DEADLINE:

Proposals must be e-mailed to chaudhryu@arts.gov by the time stated above.

*Faxed proposals will not be accepted.

SEE

PRICING

SCHEDULE

ON PAGE 4

SEE

PRICING

SCHEDULE ON

13. DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT >

10 CALENDAR DAYS

20 CALENDAR

DAYS

30 CALENDAR DAYS

CALENDAR DAYS

14. NAME AND ADDRESS OF QUOTER (Street, city, county, State, and ZIP Code)

15. SIGNATURE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO SIGN

PROPOSAL

16. DATE OF PROPOSAL

17. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

18. TELEPHONE NO. (Include area code)

Standard Form 18 (Rev. 6-95) mailto:harrisl@arts.gov mailto:harrisl@arts.gov

November 15, 2013

Reference: Off-Site Server Room

Subject: Request For Proposal (RFP) 14-01

Dear Prospective Offeror:

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation issued in accordance with FAR Parts 12 and 6. The National

Endowment for the Arts (NEA) invites contractors to submit proposals for the services described in the attached statement of work and request for proposal (RFP).

Enclosed you will find a statement of work/solicitation seeking proposals for co-location/off-site server room location services.

QUESTIONS DEADLINE: Questions concerning this proposal must be submitted only via email to chaudhryu@arts.gov by 12:00 PM EST Wednesday, 20 November 2013.

PROPOSALS DEADLINE: Proposals must be submitted by 5:00 PM EST Monday, 2 December

2013.

This RFP in no way obligates the U.S. Government to award a contract, nor does it commit the U.S.

Government to pay any costs incurred in preparing and submitting your proposal.

Sincerely, Usmaan Z. Chaudhry

Contracting Officer

National Endowment for the Arts

Enclosures:

Section B, Supplies/Service and Prices

Section C, Description/Specifications/Statement of Work

Section D, Preservation, Packaging and Marking - Not Applicable

Section E, Inspection and Acceptance

Section F, Deliveries or Performance

Section G, Contract Administration Data

Section H, Special Contract Requirements

Section I, Contract Clauses

Section J, List of Attachments - Not Applicable

Section K, Representations, Certifications and Other Statements of Offerors

Section L, Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Offerors

Section M, Evaluation Factors for Award

SECTION B

SUPPLIES/SERVICES AND PRICES

B.1 GENERAL

In order to comply with Federal Preparedness Circular 65 (FEMA), the National Endowment for the Arts

(NEA) must maintain off-site back-up server systems to maintain operations in the event that an emergency prevents access to the Old Post Office building in downtown Washington DC. The contractor shall provide the NEA with an off-site facility for housing these back-up computer server systems. The facility shall house servers containing back-up copies of the current data from the NEA's production system computer servers. Technical requirements for the off-site facility are listed below in Section C.1.

The facility shall be located no closer than 40 miles from downtown Washington, DC but within 40 miles of Columbia, MD.

B.2 PRICING

All unit prices are firm fixed rates.

Line Item Description Cost (Monthly) Cost (Annual)

BASE YEAR

0001 Half-Rack Server Space

0002 1 Mbps Internet Access

0003 Tape Rotation Charge

0004 Total Monthly Charge

GRAND TOTAL (Base Year)*

OPTION YEAR I

1001 Half-Rack Server Space

1002 1 Mbps Internet Access

1003 Tape Rotation Charge

1004 Total Monthly Charge

GRAND TOTAL (Option Yr I)*

OPTION YEAR II

2001 Half-Rack Server Space

2002 1 Mbps Internet Access

2003 Tape Rotation Charge

2004 Total Monthly Charge

GRAND TOTAL (Option Yr II)*

OPTION YEAR III

3001 Half-Rack Server Space

3002 1 Mbps Internet Access

3003 Tape Rotation Charge

3004 Total Monthly Charge

GRAND TOTAL (Option Yr III)*

OPTION YEAR IV

4001 Half-Rack Server Space

4002 1 Mbps Internet Access

4003 Tape Rotation Charge

4004 Total Monthly Charge

GRAND TOTAL (Option Yr IV)*

*All-inclusive figure required (including any and all overhead, related costs, travel, etc.)

B.3 CONTRACT TYPE & TERM

B.3.1 Contract Type

This is a firm-fixed price contract.

B.3.2 Contract Term & Place of Performance

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

The off-site server facility must be provided for the following anticipated time periods:*

Base Year: 15 December 2013 - 14 December 2014

Option Year I: 15 December 2014 - 14 December 2015

Option Year II: 15 December 2015 - 14 December 2016

Option Year III: 15 December 2016 - 14 December 2017

Option Year IV: 15 December 2017 - 14 December 2018

*Notes:

Time periods stated above are anticipated time periods/subject to change.

Inclusion of option years does not commit the Government to exercising the option years.

This RFP does not commit the Government to a contract award.

SECTION C

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS/TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

The off-site facility must meet the following technical requirements:

Emergency Full-Time Backup Power

Air Conditioned and environmentally controlled server room

Secured and access-controlled for authorized personal only

Direct redundant connections to the Internet (with two or more internet carriers)

24/7 server monitoring

24/7 technical support via email

Technical support response time of within 2 hours

Tape Backup rotation and mailing service

SECTION E

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

See clause 52.246-4 Inspection of Services—Fixed-Price (AUG 1996). This clause will govern inspection and acceptance of all services performed by the Contractor. The Contractor is responsible for carrying out its obligations under this contract by controlling the quality of all services rendered and ensuring performance of all contract requirements.

SECTION F

DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

F TIMELINE FOR PERFORMING CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

Please see Section B.3.2 for the anticipated period of performance for the base year and option years.

SECTION G

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

G.1 PROJECT DIRECTOR

G.1.1 Upon award, a Project Director will be designated to coordinate the technical/program aspects of this contract and inspect items/services furnished hereunder; however, he/she is NOT authorized to change any terms and conditions of the resultant contract, including price.

G.1.2 The NEA Project Director is authorized to inspect and accept all deliverables, direct the contractor within the scope of the statement of work and monitor contract performance. The

Project Director is also authorized to inspect, accept, and certify (but NOT reject or deny) invoices for payment in accordance with enclosed payment terms. If there is a dispute regarding any invoices, the Project Director must immediately contact the Contracting Officer and return the invoice with the rationale to reject or deny payment in accordance with the performance associated with the invoice for further processing. The Project Director will coordinate any/all technical aspects and inspect items/services furnished hereunder; however, he is NOT authorized to change any terms and conditions of the resultant contract, including price.

G.1.3 The Project Director for this contract is:

To be determined at time of award

National Endowment for the Arts

1100 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite

Washington, DC 20506

(202) 682-XXXX

G.1.4 The Contracting Officer for this contract is:

National Endowment for the Arts

1100 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 618

(202) 682-5494

Written communications shall reference the contract number and shall be e-mailed to the Contracting

Officer/Project Director as necessary. Project-related questions may be directed to the Project Directory while contract/cost related questions must be directed to the Contracting Officer. Questions regarding any changes to the contract whatsoever must be directed to the Contracting Officer.

G.2 INVOICE REQUIREMENTS

G.2.1 Payment for actual work and services rendered under this contract will be made by the National

Endowment for the Arts via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and in accordance with the contract clause 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions--Commercial Items (FEB 2007), and 52.232-34

Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer--Other Than Central Contractor Registration (May 1999), upon submission of electronic commercial invoices to the NEA.

G.2.2. The office that will make the payments due under this contract (i.e., the designated payment office) is shown below. Invoices shall be emailed to the email address below:

NEAINVOICES@ARTS.GOV

National Endowment for the Arts

Finance Office, Suite 624

1100 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

To constitute a proper invoice, the following information and/or attached documentation shall be included with the invoice:

(1) Name and address of the Contractor

(2) Invoice date.

(3) Contract number.

(4) Period covered by the invoice.

(5) Number and description, quantity, unit price and extended total for the period covered applicable to Section B, Supplies/Services and Prices.

(6) Cumulative amounts billed to date.

(7) Name and address of Contractor official to whom payment is to be sent (must be the same as that in the contract or in a proper notice of assignment).

(8) Taxpayer Identification Number.

(9) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number.

PLEASE NOTE:

The contractor is required to be registered in the System For Award Management (SAM) at:

https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/. (This was previously known as CCR - the Central Contractor

Registration.)

Assistance with SAM accounts may be found here: https://www.fsd.gov/app/answers/list.

SECTION H

SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H.1 SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

Private Use of Contract Information and Data mailto:NEAINVOICES@ARTS.GOV https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ https://www.fsd.gov/app/answers/list

In accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.227-14(b) Rights in Data-General, the

Contractor shall guarantee strict confidentiality of the information and data that is provided by the

Government during the performance of the contract. The Government has determined that some of the information and data that the Contractor will be provided during the performance of the contract is of a sensitive nature and cannot be disclosed in any manner.

Prohibition against Soliciting and Performing Personal Services

A. The performance of personal services under this contract is strictly prohibited.

B. Personal service contracting is described in Section 37.104 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation

(FAR). There are a number of factors, when taken individually or collectively, which may constitute personal services. Each contract arrangement must be judged in light of its own facts and circumstances, but the question relative to personal services is: Will the Government exercise relatively continuous supervision and control over the contractor personnel performing this contract?

C. The government and the Contractor understand and agree that the support services to be delivered under this contract are non-personal services in nature; that is, no employer-employee relationships exist or will exist under the contract between the government and the contractor or between the

Government and the contractor’s employees.

D. Contractor personnel under this contract shall not:

1. Be placed in a position where they are appointed or employed by a Federal employee, or are under the supervision, direction, or evaluation of a Federal employee.

2. Be placed in a Federal staff or policy making position.

3. Be placed in a position of supervision, direction, or evaluation over NEA personnel, or personnel of other contractors, or become a part of a government organization.

E. Employee Relationship

1. The services to be performed under this contract do not require the contractor or its employees to exercise personal judgment and discretion on behalf of the government.

2. Rules, regulations, direction, and requirements which are issued by NEA management under their responsibility for good order, administration, and security are applicable to all personnel who enter a Government installation. This is not to be construed or interpreted to establish any degree of

Government control which is inconsistent with a non-personal services contract.

3. The Contractor shall immediately advise the Contracting Officer if the contractor or its employees are directed by any Government employee to perform work that the Contractor believes constitutes personal services.

SECTION I

CONTRACT CLAUSES

9.505-4 Obtaining Access to Proprietary Information

(a) When a contractor requires proprietary information from others to perform a Government contract and can use the leverage of the contract to obtain it, the contractor may gain an unfair competitive advantage unless restrictions are imposed. These restrictions protect the information and encourage companies to provide it when necessary for contract performance. They are not intended to protect information-

(1) Furnished voluntarily without limitations on its use; or

(2) Available to the Government or contractor from other sources without restriction.

(b) A contractor that gains access to proprietary information of other companies in performing advisory and assistance services for the Government must agree with the other companies to protect their information from unauthorized use or disclosure for as long as it remains proprietary and refrain from using the information for any purpose other than that for which it was furnished. The contracting officer shall obtain copies of these agreements and ensure that they are properly executed.

(c) Contractors also obtain proprietary and source selection information by acquiring the services of marketing consultants which, if used in connection with an acquisition, may give the contractor an unfair competitive advantage. Contractors should make inquiries of marketing consultants to ensure that the marketing consultant has provided no unfair competitive advantage

52.204-9 Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel (JAN 2011)

(a) The Contractor shall comply with agency personal identity verification procedures identified in the contract that implement Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 (HSPD-12), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance M-05-24 and Federal Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS

PUB) Number 201.

(b) The Contractor shall account for all forms of Government-provided identification issued to the

Contractor employees in connection with performance under this contract. The Contractor shall return such identification to the issuing agency at the earliest of any of the following, unless otherwise determined by the Government:

(1) When no longer needed for contract performance.

(2) Upon completion of the Contractor employee’s employment.

(3) Upon contract completion or termination.

(c) The Contracting Officer may delay final payment under a contract if the Contractor fails to comply with these requirements.

(d) The Contractor shall insert the substance of this clause, including this paragraph (d), in all subcontracts when the subcontractor’s employees are required to have routine physical access to a

Federally-controlled facility and/or routine access to a Federally-controlled information system. It shall be the responsibility of the prime Contractor to return such identification to the issuing agency in accordance with the terms set forth in paragraph (b) of this section, unless otherwise approved in writing by the

Contracting Officer.

(End of clause)

52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions--Commercial Items. (SEP 2013) - Incorporated By

Reference

52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive

Orders- Commercial Items. (SEP 2013)

(a) The Contractor shall comply with the following Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clauses, which are incorporated in this contract by reference, to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items:

(1) 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (FEB 2009) (22 U.S.C. 7104(g)).

(2) 52.233-3, Protest After Award (AUG 1996) (31 U.S.C. 3553).

(3) 52.233-4, Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim (OCT 2004) (Pub. L. 108-77, 108-78)

(b) The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph (b) that the Contracting Officer has indicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement provisions of law or

Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items:

[Contracting Officer check as appropriate.]

X (26) 52.222-3, Convict Labor (JUN 2003) (E.O. 11755).

X (47) 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer—System For Award Management

(JUL 2013) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

(End of Clause)

52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (NOV 1999)

The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within 30 days.

52.217-9 -- Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (MAR 2000)

(a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 30 days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension.

(b) If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this option clause.

(c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed 66 months.

52.227-14 Rights in Data-General (DEC 2007) - Incorporated By Reference

52.232-18 -- Availability of Funds (APR 1984)

Funds are not presently available for this contract. The Government’s obligation under this contract is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds from which payment for contract purposes can be made. No legal liability on the part of the Government for any payment may arise until funds are made available to the Contracting Officer for this contract and until the Contractor receives notice of such availability, to be confirmed in writing by the Contracting Officer.

52.246-4 -- Inspection of Services -- Fixed-Price (AUG 1996) - Incorporated By Reference

52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated By Reference, (FEB 1998)

This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text may be accessed electronically at this Internet address: http://www.acquisition.gov/far/.

(End of clause)

SECTION K

REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

The contractor must have their representations and certifications filed online in SAM (System For Award

Management found at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/). If the contractor is experiencing technical difficulties during this process and is not registered at the time of proposal submission, a manually filled copy of the clause 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial

Items (Apr 2012) must be turned in along with the proposal. At time of award, registration of representations and certifications in SAM is required.

Registering an active account in SAM is REQUIRED for contract award. For assistance with creating a SAM account, please visit the link in the paragraph above.

https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/

SECTION L

INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

52.212-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS--COMMERCIAL ITEMS (JUNE 2008)

(a) North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 518210 and the size standard is

$25.0M.

(b) Submission of Offers. The written proposal should single spaced and in 12-point font.

The contractor must have a completed copy of the Representations and Certifications included in their online SAM profile (see Section K).

(c) Period for acceptance of offers. The offeror agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm for 30 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers, unless another time period is specified in an addendum to the solicitation.

(d) NA

(e) NA

(f) NA

(g) Contract award (not applicable to Invitation for Bids). The Government intends to evaluate offers and award a contract without discussions with offerors. Therefore, the offeror's initial offer should contain the offeror's best terms from a price and technical standpoint. However, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if later determined by the Contracting Officer to be necessary. The Government may reject any or all offers if such action is in the public interest; accept other than the lowest offer; and waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received.

(h) N/A

(i) N/A

(j) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number. The offeror shall enter, in the block on the cover page of its offer.

(k) Central Contractor Registration. Please see Section K of this contract.

(l) Debriefing. If a post-award debriefing is given to requesting offerors, the government will do so in accordance with this provision.

(End of provision)

SECTION M

EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation--Commercial Items (JAN 1999)

(a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, taking into account price and other factors; the Government will award a contract on a 'best-value' basis.

For each evaluation factor, a point scoring system will be used to rank all proposals, using a rating scale of 100%. The evaluation will include three (3) major areas:

Proposals will be evaluated using the following weighted evaluation factors:

Price (30%)

Location (20%)

Technical acceptability (50%)

(b) N/A

(c) A written notice of award, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party.

1. Price (30%)

The contractor's price represents a fair and reasonable price for the proposed services. The budget is appropriate to the administration of the project. The Government will evaluate the contractors proposed prices to make a determination that the costs are fair and reasonable.

The contractor shall completely fill out the pricing table included in Section B.2.

2. Location (20%)

The off-site server room location shall be no closer than 40 miles to downtown Washington DC and within 40 miles of Columbia, MD.

3. Technical acceptability (50%)

Evaluation will be based on how well the contractor meets the requirements stated in Section C.1

Detailed Specifications/Technical Requirements.

END OF DOCUMENT