F_REVISED_RFQ_Lib_DB_11.2.17.pdf

COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION

OAS-CAO-R-17-0040

(i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6, using the Simplified Procedures for

Certain Commercial Items found at FAR Subpart 13.5, as supplemented with the additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a separate written solicitation will not be issued.

(ii) Solicitation number OAS-CAO-R-17-0040 is issued as a Request for Quote (RFQ).

(iii) This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through

Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-94, 2005-95, effective on January 19, 2017. It is the responsibility of the contractor to be familiar with the applicable clauses and provisions. The clauses may be accessed in full text at this address: www.acquisition.gov/far.

(iv) This is a full and open competition. The applicable NAICS code for this procurement is

519130 Internet Publishing and Broadcasting and Web Search Portals. The procurement is not covered by the Small Business Competitive Demonstration Program.

(v) Contract Line Items: Firm-Fixed-Price Contract Line Items for online database services for news, business and financial, public records, and legal information to be quoted by the Offeror.

PART I – THE SCHEDULE: SERVICES AND PRICE

The Contractor shall provide online database services for news, business and financial, public records, and legal information to the Executive Office of the President in accordance with the

Statement of Work and terms and conditions below.

The Contractor shall use Attachment C - Pricing Schedule, for pricing purposes.

(vi) The Description of the Requirement is contained in Part II below of this RFQ.

PART II – ONLINE DATABASE REQUIREMENT

1.0 Purpose

The purpose of the Statement of Work (SOW) is to obtain a comprehensive solution for providing news, public records, legal, business and financial information for the Executive Office of the

President (EOP) through the Office of Administration (OA). The service shall provide enterprise-wide access to online database services for official business purposes of employees, interns, and associates of all EOP components.

2.0 Background

EOP supports the President by providing highly accurate and thorough policy options with the underlying information to support all work. In order to meet this responsibility, the Office of

Administration, Library & Research Services (LRS) provides access to a comprehensive enterprise-wide solution as part of a broad range of commercially available online database resources.

3.0 Scope

The Contractor shall provide the EOP with web browser-based access to a very broad range of resources as part of a flat rate service plan with no additional monthly charges. The ultimate solution shall provide access to News, Public Records, Legal, Business, and Financial files through a standard platform, not requiring EOP staff to learn multiple platforms for different kinds of information.

4.0 Requirements

4.1 The Contractor shall provide the following features for services proposed:

4.1.1 Up to 750 or 1000 individual portable user IDs, obtained through a web-based self-registration page, with ability for staff needing standard services to register without librarian intervention. ID registration structured so that individual EOP-designated user group usage may be tracked and employee type, including, but not limited to, permanent staff, detailee (an employee of a US government agency on assignment or loan), and/or intern, is identified.

Ability for the government to purchase additional IDs in blocks of 100.

4.1.2 In support for annual deactivation of inactive user IDs, Contractor shall provide list or download capability of IDs not used in the previous 12 months for the Contracting Officer’s

Representative (COR) to review prior to deactivation.

4.1.3 User-friendly resource (file) selection with dates of coverage available for each resource.

Ability to combine an unlimited number of resources and save as a preferred resource search group.

4.1.4 Basic and advanced search interfaces; advanced search including, but not limited to, full

Boolean searching and word proximity, specification of all caps or no caps, ability to narrow search from within initial results and removal of duplicate articles with ability to construct a search of up to 4000 characters (including spaces). Ability to search for negative news coverage desirable.

4.1.5 Ability to set up multiple alerts per ID for updates to be delivered on a customized, daily, or weekly basis.

4.1.6 Files updated on at least a daily basis for same-day news and legal coverage.

4.1.7 24/7 end-user search and technical support from corporate Customer Service.

4.1.8 Specialized ID, search, and technical troubleshooting support, Monday – Friday during standard Eastern Standard Daylight and Eastern Daylight time business hours (a minimum of 8 hours per day), from a contract-specific support team.

4.1.9 Training on-site (usually in the EOP Library) for end-users and library staff by expert trainers on an as-needed appointment basis. Provision of regular monthly training for end-users in the Library, designed to meet EOP research needs.

4.1.10 Product support literature, such as user guides and tips, in electronic (preferred) or print form.

4.1.11 The service shall allow the library staff user group the ability to access additional materials provided by the Contractor, but not part of the government’s general requirement, on a transactional basis. This is the only exception to the flat rate service provision, and will be procured on a separate CLIN on a case-by-case basis.

4.1.12 Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and/or Point of Contact (POC) shall have electronic access to invoices, usage data, and ID management.

4.1.13 Reports as further defined in the Deliverables section.

4.1.14 Triannual (at the end of each intern session) list of intern user IDs, or ability to easily download same from ID management system.

4.1.15 Support for weekly deactivation of user IDs, or ability to easily handle deactivations through ID management system.

4.1.16 List of publications included in flat rate contract for use in the government’s intranet e-journals list, to include title, International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) (if possible), dates of coverage, and URL. Knowledge Bases and Related Tools (KBART) format preferred, Excel acceptable. Updates to list (deletions and additions) to be provided on a quarterly basis.

4.2 Services proposed for News and Business resources shall provide the following features:

4.2.1 Inclusion of full text local, state, and national newspapers, covering all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories. Inclusion of at least 95% of the EOP’s identified top

100 US newspapers by circulation as identified in “Attachment E Coverage.” Inclusion of international news resources, with major foreign newspapers from all parts of the world, and

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Monitoring or similar service. Coverage for major

U.S. newspapers back to 1980 or beginning of electronic archive availability per title. At least thirty years of archive preferred when news resource is available in digitized form. Most essential titles include New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Examiner, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune.

4.2.2 Inclusion of all major newswire services, including regional, state, local, and major foreign newswires, such as AP, States News Service, Agence France-Presse. Archives of at least ten years are desirable.

4.2.3 Inclusion of news transcript services from all major broadcast and cable networks, such as

CNN and Fox News, to include the Federal News Service and at least one other transcript service covering Congressional hearings and Federal government briefings. Archives of at least

15 years desirable. Inclusion of comprehensive Public Papers of the Presidents and current

White House press releases, as well as historical Presidential documents predating Public

Papers.

4.2.4 Inclusion of popular blogs and news and opinion websites in public policy and business areas, covering a wide political spectrum, such as Bloomberg, Politico, The Hill, Roll Call, Breitbart, and Talking Points Memo.

4.2.5 Inclusion of business and financial news pertaining to U.S. and international companies and industries. At least transactional access to company profiles and financials.

4.2.6 Inclusion of broad subject coverage of full text magazines, newsletters, policy journals, trade journals, and academic journals with at least 20 years of coverage. The government prefers journals that cover the areas of foreign affairs, economics, defense, natural resources, agriculture, business, labor, health, housing, transportation, energy, education, veterans affairs, trade, intelligence, the environment, small business, and general consumer interest.

4.3 Services proposed for Public Records resources shall provide the following features:

4.3.1 Inclusion of comprehensive package of public records files, covering all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories, with person locator information, as well as liens and judgments, personal property, criminal records, bankruptcy records, mortgage records, traffic/driver’s license records, voting records, lawsuits/civil suits, business associates, email addresses, etc., as available by state laws and regulations. Ability to search by Social Security number. Ability to search for public records on businesses. Daily updates preferred on all public records feeds. Ability to search across public records files and produce a report of all information available on a particular person. Inclusion of social media resources. Campaign donation records desirable but not essential.

4.4 Services proposed for Legal Information resources shall provide the following features:

4.4.1 Inclusion of current annotated U.S. Code with relevant cases, indexes, cross-references and historical notes.

4.4.2 Law reviews with at least 20 years of coverage.

4.4.3 Inclusion of state laws and legislation for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

4.4.4 Inclusion of resources for Federal legislative histories, including the Congressional

Record.

4.4.5 Inclusion of administrative law resources, including regulations and their codifications;

inclusion of Attorney General and Office of Legal Counsel decisions.

4.4.6 Inclusion of Federal and state court opinions with headnotes; inclusion of briefs, pleadings and motions.

4.4.7 Inclusion of resources to research foreign and international law, especially relating to trade partners of the United States, international alliances, treaties, arbitration, etc.

4.4.8 Inclusion of current news and analysis on legal developments, including litigation, verdicts, and legal issues involving government agencies.

4.4.9 Inclusion of dockets for Federal and state courts (limited to 75 users). Inclusion of PDF documents listed on docket to the extent available in services such as PACER. Ability to track ongoing cases or litigation related to specific parties for new developments and documents.

4.4.10 Inclusion of service that indicates whether a court opinion or a public law is still current and valid law.

4.4.11 Inclusion of secondary legal treatises and reference materials across a wide range of legal topics, including, but not limited to, federal practice, evidence, administrative, constitutional, international trade, information disclosure, intellectual property, contract, e-discovery, health, and tax.

5.0 Period of Performance/Place of Performance

The period of performance is for one 12-month base period and four 12-month option periods. The service shall be accessible via the Internet allowing licensees to access the materials remotely.

6.0 Deliverables

6.1 All deliverables shall be submitted on the 15th day of the month (unless otherwise indicated in this RFQ, or agreed to by the government) in electronic format compatible with MS Office

Professional 2016 and Adobe Systems:

6.1.1 The contractor shall provide annual reports of inactive users commencing 12 months after award. An inactive user is a user that has not accessed the application within the previous 12 months.

6.1.2 The contractor shall provide in the first week of May, August, and December of each year a report of user IDs assigned to interns.

6.1.3 The contractor shall provide monthly reports on total usage broken down by EOP-designated user groups, preferred in Microsoft Excel format.

6.1.4 The contractor shall provide monthly lists of user IDs, or ability to easily download same from ID management system. Lists shall be sortable by alphabetical or other data point order.

6.1.5 The contractor shall notify the government when 90% of the total licenses, or for any given product subset of licenses, have been distributed.

6.1.6 The contractor shall provide product support literature upon award, such as user guides and tips, in electronic (preferred) or print form. Updates shall be provided when functionality has changed.

6.1.7 Monthly report on total usage broken down by approximately fifteen EOP-designated user groups, preferred in Microsoft Excel format.

6.1.8 Monthly list of user IDs, or ability to easily download same from ID management system.

Lists shall be sortable by alphabetical or other data point order.

6.1.9 Other reports identified during contract performance and requested by EOP.

PART III - EOP STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS

STATEMENT ON EOP SPECIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS [FEB 2014]

The following EOP specific clauses shall apply to the order, contract, or agreement resulting from this solicitation. These terms and conditions flow down to any subcontractors.

RESTRICTION AGAINST DISCLOSURE [FEB 2014]

The contractor agrees, in the performance of this order, contract, or agreement to keep the information contained in the source documents, or otherwise furnished by the EOP, in the strictest confidence, said information being the sole property of the EOP. The contractor also agrees not to publish, reproduce or otherwise divulge such information, in whole or in part, in any manner or form, nor authorize or permit others to do so, taking reasonable measures to restrict access to the information while in his or her possession to those employees who must have the information to perform work on the order, contract, or agreement (i.e., a “need-to-know” basis). The contractor agrees to immediately notify the contracting officer (CO) in writing in the event the contractor determines, or has reason to suspect, a breach of confidentiality. The contractor is responsible for ensuring all employees involved in the performance of this order, contract or agreement sign a

“Non-Disclosure Agreement” that is attached. The contractor shall provide a signed agreement to the CO prior to each employee beginning work.

EOP retains full legal control over any information and records submitted by it to the contractor and may, to the extent permitted by law, modify such information or request that it be withdrawn from the contractor’s files and systems. Such information, to the extent permitted by law, shall not become part of contractor records. If the contractor receives a request for EOP information, or a request to which EOP information would be responsive, the contractor shall not provide EOP information in response to the request and shall instead refer the request to EOP. EOP will address the request in accordance with applicable law. Requests included within this paragraph include, but are not limited to, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, Congressional requests and litigation-related requests. Any such request shall be sent in writing to the Office of

Administration, Office of General Counsel through the CO.

All information regarding the procedures developed under this order, contract, or agreement must be regarded as sensitive information by the contractor and not to be disclosed to anyone outside the contractor's organization without the written permission of the CO.

PROHIBITION OF ADVERTISING OF AWARD [FEB 2014]

The contractor shall not refer to this award in commercial advertising or similar promotions in such a manner as to state or to imply that the product or services provided is endorsed, preferred, or is considered superior to other products or services by the Executive Office of the President (EOP), the Office of Administration, or the White House. This includes advertising, or similar promotions, in all forms of electronic, broadcast, and print media.

In addition, the contractor is restricted from reproducing the image(s) of the EOP in any form of commercial advertising or promotion. This includes images of official seals and buildings. The reproduction of official seals and the images of buildings are a matter controlled by statute, regulation and Executive Order. Any proposed usage of such symbols must be brought to the attention of the contracting officer.

POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST [FEB 2014]

(a) The contractor shall inform the contracting officer (CO) whether or not, to the best of its knowledge and belief, it has or does not have any organizational or personal conflicts of interest as defined below:

In accordance with FAR Part 2, Definitions, “Organizational conflict of interest” means that because of other activities or relationships with other persons, a person is unable or potentially unable to render impartial assistance or advice to the Government, or the person’s objectivity in performing the contract work is or might be otherwise impaired, or a person has an unfair competitive advantage.

In accordance with FAR Subpart 9.502, an organizational conflict of interest may result when factors create an actual or potential conflict of interest on an instant contract, or when the nature of the work to be performed on the instant contract creates an actual or potential conflict of interest on a future acquisition. In the latter case, some restrictions on future activities of the contractor may be required.

(b) If the contractor discovers an organizational conflict of interest with respect to this order, contract, or agreement prior to award, the contractor shall immediately notify the CO in writing and provide its plan to mitigate the conflict. Personal conflicts of interest will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis by the CO. Depending on the severity of the conflict, alternative staff may be appointed to work on the requirement. If that solution does not remove the conflict or the appearance of conflict of interest, the contractor may be excused by the Government from participation in the requirement.

(c) The contractor agrees that if, after award, it discovers or creates an organizational or personal conflict of interest with respect to the order, contract, or agreement, it shall make an immediate and full disclosure in writing to the CO and Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), which shall include a description of the action the contractor has taken or proposes to take to avoid, eliminate or neutralize the conflict. The Government may, however, terminate the order, contract, or agreement for the convenience of the Government.

(d) In the event that the contractor was aware of the organizational or personal conflict of interest prior to the award of the order, contract, or agreement and intentionally did not disclose the conflict to the CO, the Government may terminate the order, contract, or agreement at no cost to the

Government and demand payment of any out-of-pocket costs, including costs associated with reissuance of the order, contract, or agreement.

(e) The contractor shall also inform the CO and COR of any business or other relationships which create a potential conflict of interest or which might present an appearance of a conflict of interest on the part of the contractor or the contractor’s employees, including all instances in which a former or existing client of the contractor is or is likely to become the subject of a lawsuit. In addition, the contractor must agree that any information provided to the contractor in the course of the requirement is confidential and cannot be used for financial gain.

CONTRACTOR’S INTERFACES/COLLABORATION [FEB 2014]

The contractor and/or its subcontractors may be required as part of the performance of this requirement to work with other contractors working for the Government. Such other contractors shall not direct this contractor and/or their subcontractors in any manner. Also, this contractor and/or its subcontractors shall not direct the work of other contractors in any manner.

The Government will establish the initial contact between the contractor and other contractors and will participate in an initial meeting at which the conventions for the scheduling and conduct of future meetings and contacts will be established. The designated contracting officer’s representative (COR) for all associated efforts will be included in any establishment of conventions.

LIMITED USE OF DATA [FEB 2014]

Performance of this requirement may require the contractor to access and use data and information proprietary to the Government which is of such a nature that its dissemination or use, other than in performance of this effort, would be adverse to the interests of the Government.

Contractor and/or contractor personnel shall not divulge or release data or information developed or obtained in performance of this effort until made public by the Government, except to authorized

Government personnel or upon written approval by the contracting officer (CO). The contractor shall not use, disclose, or reproduce proprietary data that bears a restrictive legend, other than as required in the performance of this effort. Nothing herein shall preclude the use of any data independently acquired by the contractor without such limitations or prohibit an agreement at no cost to the Government between the contractor and the data owner which provides for greater rights to the contractor.

Contractor shall release all required deliverables and data or other works developed under this order, contract, or agreement solely in accordance with the EOP terms and conditions. All data collected and remaining in the custody of the contractor at the close of any order, contract, or agreement shall be delivered to the contracting officer’s representative or destroyed in accordance with the terms of the order, contract, or agreement. No copies or parts of data derivative files

(encrypted and/or individually identifiable) shall be kept by the contractor.

PAYMENT FOR UNAUTHORIZED SUPPLIES OR SERVICES [FEB 2014]

No payments shall be made for any unauthorized supplies and/or services or for any unauthorized changes to the work specified herein. This includes any services performed by the contractor of its own volition or at the request of an individual other than a duly appointed contracting officer (CO).

GOVERNMENT CONTACT INFORMATION/ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

[FEB 2014]

Contracting Officer (CO):

Executive Office of the President

Office of Administration

Office of the Chief Financial Officer

Procurement and Contract Management Division

ATTN: Ron Hansen

Telephone: (202) 395-1726

Email: rhansen@oa.eop.gov

Contracting Officer (CO):

The CO is responsible for:

1) Negotiation and award of orders, contracts, or agreements: COs have full authority to legally bind their organization within their designated warrant level.

2) Administration: Although COs have the ability to manage the orders, contracts, or agreements, the day-to-day administration activities will generally be carried out by the contracting officer’s representative.

mailto:rhansen@oa.eop.gov

3) Settlement and Resolution of Contracting Issues: The CO is authorized to settle and resolve contracting issues.

4) Contract Records: The CO is responsible for maintaining a complete record of all contracting documents (electronically and/or manually).

Contract Specialist (CS):

The CS is responsible for:

1) The daily interactions of the orders, contracts, or agreements, which include communicating with the contractor in resolving concerns, drafting requirements, award documents, modifications, etc.

2) The CS has no authority to change the terms and conditions of the order, contract, or agreement, including the schedule and price.

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR):

1) The CO’s authorized COR will be designated after award. Additionally, each order, contract, or agreement will specify the designated COR.

2) The COR is the individual within the program management function who has overall technical responsibility for this effort. The COR supports the CO during administration of this effort by:

a. Providing technical clarification relative to overall workload matters;

b. Providing guidance to the contractor in the preparation of deliverables and services;

c. Providing acceptance of delivered products and services in accordance with the order or contract terms and conditions; and

d. Making final decisions regarding any recommended rejection of deliverables.

3) The COR also provides technical direction to the contractor, i.e., shifting work emphasis between areas of work, fills in details, or otherwise serves to accomplish the purposes of this effort. Technical direction shall be within the general scope of this effort. The

COR does NOT have the authority to issue any technical direction that:

a. Constitutes an assignment of work outside the general scope of this effort;

b. Constitutes a change as defined in the “Changes” clause (See FAR 52.243);

c. In any way causes an increase or decrease in cost or the time required for performance;

d. Changes any of the terms, conditions, or other requirements of this effort; or

e. Suspends or terminates any portion of this effort.

4) All technical direction shall be issued in writing by the COR or will be confirmed by the

COR in writing within 10 calendar days after verbal issuance. A copy of the written direction will be furnished to the CO.

5) In addition to providing technical direction, the COR will:

a. Monitor the contractor’s technical progress, including surveillance and assessment of performance, and recommend to the CO any changes in the requirement;

b. Assist the contractor in the resolution of technical problems encountered during performance;

c. Perform inspection and acceptance or recommendation for rejection of contractor deliverables and identify deficiencies in delivered items. This does not replace any other quality assurance inspection requirements that are specified elsewhere within the order, contract, or agreement; and

d. Ensure invoice payments are processed in a timely manner in accordance with the

Prompt Payment Act (FAR Subpart 32.9).

INVOICE REQUIREMENTS [DEC 2015]

Address for Submission of Invoices

The contractor shall submit invoices via email (PDF format) for the supplies delivered or services rendered to the following:

Financial Management Division

Office of Administration invoices@oa.eop.gov

Address invoice questions to 202-395-7259

Invoice Description

Invoices shall be submitted to the Government office designated in the order, contract, or agreement to receive invoices. To constitute a proper invoice, the invoice must include the following information and/or documentation:

Name of business concern, invoice number and date;

Contract or order number, or other authorization for delivery of property or services;

Description, price, and quantity of supplies/services actually delivered or service rendered for each item billed;

Shipping and payment terms;

Name (where practicable, title, phone number, and complete mailing address of responsible official to whom payment is to be sent). The “remit to” address must correspond to the remittance address in the order, contract, or agreement; and

Other substantiating documentation or information as required by the order, contract, or agreement.

Payment shall only be made once delivery occurs or services are rendered.

SECTION 508 CONFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS [AUG 2015]

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L.

105-220) requires that when the Federal Government develops, procures, maintains, or uses

Electronic and Information Technology (EIT), they must ensure that it is accessible to people with disabilities. Federal employees and members of the public who have disabilities must have equal access to and use of information and data that is comparable to that enjoyed by nondisabled Federal employees and members of the public.

All EIT deliverables within this work statement shall comply with the applicable technical and functional performance criteria of Section 508 unless exempt. Specifically, the following applicable

EIT accessibility standards have been identified:

Section 508 Applicable EIT Accessibility Standards

36 CFR 1194.21 software Applications and Operating Systems, applies to all EIT software applications and operating systems procured or developed under this work statement including, but not limited to, GOTS and COTS software. In addition, this standard is to be applied to web-based applications when needed to fulfill the functional performance criteria. This standard also applies to some web based applications as described within 36 CFR 1194.22.

mailto:invoices@oa.eop.gov

36 CFR 1194.22 web-based Intranet and Internet Information and Applications, applies to all web-based deliverables, including documentation and reports procured or developed under this work statement. When any web application uses a dynamic (non-static) interface, embeds custom user control(s), embeds video or multimedia, or uses proprietary or technical approaches such as, but not limited to, Flash or Asynchronous Javascript and XML (AJAX), then 1194.21 software standards also apply to fulfill functional performance criteria.

36 CFR 1194.31 Functional Performance Criteria, applies to all EIT deliverables regardless of delivery method. All EIT deliverables shall use technical standards, regardless of technology, to fulfill the functional performance criteria.

36 CFR 1194.41 Information Documentation and Support, applies to all documents, reports, as well as help and support services. To ensure that documents and reports fulfill the required 1194.31

Functional Performance Criteria, they shall comply with the technical standard associated with

1194.22 web-based Intranet and Internet Information and Applications at a minimum. In addition, any help or support provided in this work statement that offer telephone support including, but not limited to, a help desk shall have the ability to transmit and receive messages using TTY.

Section 508 Applicable Exceptions

The Executive Office of the President (EOP)'s Office of Administration (OA) has determined the exceptions for this work statement and only the exceptions described herein may be applied. The following exceptions has identified that may apply: 36 CFR 1194.3(b) Incidental to Contract, all

EIT that is exclusively owned and used by the contractor to fulfill this work statement does not require compliance with Section 508. This exception does not apply to any EIT deliverable, service, or item that will be used by any Federal employee(s) or member(s) of the public. This exception only applies to those contractors assigned to fulfill the obligations of this work statement and for the purposes of this requirement, are not considered members of the public.

Section 508 Compliance Requirements

36 CFR 1194.2(b) (products including COTS/GOTS), When procuring a product, the Government shall procure products which comply with the provisions in this part when such products are available in the commercial marketplace or when such products are developed in response to a

Government solicitation. The Government cannot claim a product as a whole is not commercially available because no product in the marketplace meets all the standards. If products are commercially available that meet some but not all of the standards, the Government must procure the product that best meets the standards. When applying this standard, all procurements of EIT shall have documentation of market research that identify a list of products or services that first meet the Government's business needs, and from that list of products or services, ' + 'an analysis that the selected product met more of the accessibility requirements than the non-selected products as required by FAR 39.2. Any selection of a product or service that meets less accessibility standards due to a significant difficulty or expense shall only be permitted under an undue burden claim.

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE [FEB 2014]

Place of Inspection and Acceptance

Inspection and acceptance of the products or services to be furnished hereunder shall be made by the appropriate COR, or other authorized representative designated in the order, contract or agreement.

Scope of Inspection

All deliverables will be inspected for content, completeness, accuracy and conformance to order, contract or agreement requirements by the COR, or other authorized representative designated in the order, contract or agreement. Inspection may include validation of information or inspection of the deliverables, as specified in the order, contract or agreement. The scope and nature of this inspection will be sufficiently comprehensive to ensure the completeness, quality and adequacy of all deliverables.

Basis of Acceptance

The basis for acceptance will be in compliance with best commercial practices and those requirements provided in the order, contract or agreement.

Support products and travel will be accepted upon receipt of proper documentation.

Reports, documents and narrative type deliverables will be accepted when all discrepancies, errors or other deficiencies identified in writing by the Government have been corrected.

Draft Deliverables

The Government will provide written acceptance, comments and/or change requests, if any, within five workdays from receipt from the contractor of the draft deliverable, unless otherwise specified in the order, contract, or agreement due to time constraints.

Upon receipt of the Government comments, the contractor shall have up to three workdays to incorporate the Government's comments and/or change requests and to resubmit the deliverable in its final form unless otherwise noted in the order or contract due to time constraints.

All of the Government's comments to deliverables must either be incorporated in the succeeding version of the deliverable or the contractor must demonstrate to the Government's satisfaction why such comments should not be incorporated.

If the Contractor requires additional government guidance to produce an acceptable draft, the contractor shall arrange a meeting with the appropriate COR or CO.

Final Deliverables

The Government will provide written notification of acceptance or rejection of all final deliverables within five workdays, unless otherwise specified in the order, contract, or agreement from the date of receiving the deliverables. All notifications of rejection will be accompanied with an explanation of the specific deficiencies causing the rejection.

If the Government finds that a draft or final deliverable contains spelling errors, grammatical errors, improper format, inaccurate information or statistics, or otherwise does not conform to the requirements stated within the order, contract or agreement, the document may be immediately rejected without further review and returned to the Contractor for correction and resubmission.

Non-Conforming Products or Services

Unless specified otherwise in the orders or contracts, non-conforming products or services will be rejected. Deficiencies will be corrected, by the contractor, within three workdays of the rejection notice or as time constraints deem necessary. If the deficiencies cannot be corrected within three workdays, the contractor shall immediately notify the COR, or other authorized representatives designated in each order, contract, or agreement of the delay and provide a proposed corrective action plan within three workdays or as time to conform dictates more urgent action.

TRANSITION [FEB 2014]

The contractor shall ensure a smooth phase-in and phase-out of the order, contract or agreement, including service continuity, and knowledge transfer at the end of the administration and/or contract period of performance (including options).

The phase-in transition shall occur within 90 days after contract award. This includes working with the current contractor on a successful transition in accordance with the phase-in plan approved by the government. The contractor shall be at full performance at the completion of the phase-in period.

The phase-out transition shall start 90 days prior to the end of the contract period of performance and be completed by the end of the contract period of performance. This includes working with the new contractor on a successful transition in accordance with the transition phase-out plan approved by the government.

PROTECTING EOP DATA AND INFORMATION [DEC 2014 DEVIATION OCT 2017]

(a) Applicability: This clause applies to contractor and subcontractor (at all tiers) personnel and addresses specific requirements for protecting EOP data and information.

(b) Responsibilities for Handling and/or Storing EOP Data and Information: All contractor and subcontractor employees are responsible for the proper handling and/or storing of EOP data and information, regardless of location. Contractors shall be responsible for any costs associated with the loss, breach, or compromise of EOP information held by contractors. All contract employees shall be responsible for:

(1) The proper control and handling of EOP data and information residing on their computer, on removable media, and on paper documents;

(2) Ensuring portable data storage and communication devices are properly controlled and secured at all times; and,

(3) Following the procedures for reporting a breach to EOP data and information as outlined in section (c) below.

(c) Procedures for Reporting a Breach of EOP Data and Information:

(1) A breach of EOP data and information includes loss of control, compromise, unauthorized disclosure, unauthorized acquisition, or unauthorized access of EOP data and information whether physical or electronic.

(2) All contractors and subcontractors shall report any breach, including, but not limited to, network or asset breaches to the EOP’s Computer Network Defense (CND) team within

24 hours of becoming aware of the breach regardless of the time or day of the week. All breaches shall be reported, even if it is believed the breach is limited, small, or insignificant. The initial report of the breach shall be made by telephone to the CND;

however, the contractor or subcontractor shall follow up in writing within one hour of the verbal notification to the SOC, CA, and the CAR. Do NOT include sensitive information in the e-mail notification.

(3) When available, breach reports shall include:

Nature of the event (loss, theft, unauthorized access);

Description of the event, including:

o Date and time of occurrence o Types of data elements involved;

Number of individuals affected or potentially affected;

Names of individuals or groups affected or potentially affected;

Ease of logical data access lost, stolen or improperly accessed data in light of the degree of protection for the data, e.g., unencrypted, plain text;

Amount of time the data has been out of contractor or subcontractor control;

The likelihood that EOP data and information will or has been compromised (made accessible to and usable by unauthorized persons);

Known misuses of EOP data and information, if any; and, Assessment of the potential harm to the affected individuals.

Contractor shall provide such information, or other information, that may help EOP determine the impact of the breach. For example, if the breach was estimated to occur on a date range, a list of all EOP search queries that occurred during that date range, if available.

(4) The EOP and the contractor will mutually establish additional reporting requirements based on the nature and severity of the breach.

(5) In instances of theft, break-in, or other criminal activity affecting or involving EOP data and information, the contractor/subcontractor must concurrently report the incident to the appropriate law enforcement entity (or entities) of the jurisdiction. The contractor, its employees, and its subcontractors as well as their employees shall cooperate with the EOP and any law enforcement authority responsible for the investigation and prosecution of any possible criminal law violation(s) associated with any incident. The contractor/subcontractor shall cooperate with the EOP in any civil litigation to recover EOP information, obtain monetary or other compensation from a third party for damages arising from any incident, or obtain injunctive relief against any third party arising from, or related to, the incident.

(d) Points of Contacts: Contractors and subcontractors shall report a breach or potential breach of

EOP data and information to the CND at 202-757-6211 (available 24/7/365). Any questions regarding these procedures shall be directed to the Contracting Authority.

(vii) The government anticipates that the services shall be available January 1, 2018.

(viii) 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors—Commercial Items (Jan 2017) applies to this acquisition.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF QUOTES

At a minimum, Offerors must submit quotes in three separate volumes (Technical, Past

Performance, and Price):

Volume 1 – Technical Quote: The technical quote shall not exceed 125 pages (includes all content). Pages beyond 125 will not be read or evaluated; however, Attachment E detailing the newspaper and magazine coverage that is requested as a part of this Revised Solicitation shall not be included as a part of this page limit. Offerors shall not include any price information in

Volumes 1 and 2. Only include price information in Volume 3. The technical quote shall include the following:

(1) The solicitation number;

(2) The name, address, email address and telephone number of the Offeror’s primary point of contact for this effort;

(3) A description of the services being offered that specifically addresses the content and functionality requirements listed in Section 4 of the Statement of Work. Offerors shall not simply state that its quote meets Government requirements, but rather explain how the specific features, functions, and content offered satisfies the Government’s

Statement of Work;

(4) A statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation;

(5) A completed Requirements Traceability Matrix (Attachment D) that traces the requirements in the RFQ to the quote;

(6) A completed Attachment E MS Excel Workbook in MS Excel format that addresses the coverage requirements of Sections 4.2.1 and 4.2.6 as follows:

(a) The first tab entitled “Top 100 Newspapers” lists the Top 100 newspapers by circulation as of 2015. Please indicate whether you include access to these 100 newspapers, and the dates of coverage. The second tab entitled “Additional State

Coverage” lists states that do not have a “Top 100” newspaper. Please include the name of at least one newspaper from that state if you provide access, along with the dates of coverage. In accordance with Section 4.2.1, indicate your coverage for major U.S.

newspapers back to 1980 or the beginning of electronic archive availability per title. At least thirty years of archive preferred when news resource is available in digitized form.

(b) The third tab is entitled “Magazine Coverage”. To satisfy the 20 year requirement of

Section 4.2.6, only include titles that have coverage dates starting in 1997 or earlier. The government prefers journals that cover the areas of foreign affairs, economics, defense, natural resources, agriculture, business, labor, health, housing, transportation, energy, education, veterans affairs, trade, intelligence, the environment, small business, and general consumer interest. When providing your revised quote, at a minimum please include the following data fields: Title, Subject Area, Publication Type, Start Date, End

Date.

(7) Offeror’s must ensure that their firm is registered with the System for Award

Management (SAM) and the NAICS Code is registered. For information, refer to https://www.sam.gov;

(8) Offeror shall state the company’s DUNS’s Number.

(9) Pursuant to FAR 52.219-9, Offeror shall submit a subcontracting plan that separately addresses subcontracting with small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business concerns. The government will consider accepting a corporate-level subcontracting plan if no direct subcontracting opportunities are available for the requirement.

Volume 2 – Past Performance: The Offeror shall demonstrate its relevant experience in projects having similar characteristics in size, scope, and complexity.

The Past Performance questionnaire shall be presented using Attachment B, and be sent directly to the Government by the customers (not Offerors). The Offerors should instruct the providers of past performance references to submit responses by email to solicitations@oa.eop.gov and by the closing date/time of this RFQ.

In addition to ensuring submission of the Past Performance questionnaire, the Offeror shall describe its relevant past performance on at least three and no more than five similar contracts it has held within the last three years that are of similar size, scope, and complexity to the requirements detailed in RFQ. The Offeror shall demonstrate the relevance of the contracts to the requirements of the RFQ. NOTE: DO NOT include any classified information in any submissions.

The Offeror shall provide the following information regarding its past performance references:

- Company – Contract holder, and position of the Contract Holder on the Offeror’s team (e.g., prime or subcontractor)

- Contract Number(s)

- Name(s), phone number(s), fax number(s) and e-mail(s) of a verified point of contact at the federal, state, local government or commercial entity for which the contract was performed.

Note: The submitted information shall allow the Government to verify the Offeror’s past performance information. Each reference shall include both a contracting and a technical / functional point of contact. The Offeror shall ensure that information presented for points of contact are accurate and current (i.e., current phone numbers, titles, etc.). The

Government will not attempt to “track down” reference data in cases where inaccurate data is presented.

- Dollar value of the contract

- Contract start and end dates

- Contract type

- Detailed description of the work performed

Volume 3 – Price Quote: The price quote does not have a page limitation. The price quote shall include the following:

(1) A completed Attachment C – Pricing Schedule, in MS Excel format with prices for all

CLINs.

(2) A completed copy of the representations and certifications at FAR 52.212-3 (see FAR

52.212-3(k) for those representations and certifications that the Offeror shall complete electronically), if not registered in the System for Award Management

(https://www.sam.gov/);

(3) A completed non-disclosure agreement (Attachment A) signed by an authorized agent of the Offeror acknowledging agreement to its terms and conditions.

(4) Acknowledgment of Solicitation Amendments, if applicable;

(5) Period for acceptance of offers: The offeror agrees to hold the prices in its quote firm for 60 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of quotes, unless another time is specified in an addendum to the solicitation.

Live Test Demonstration: The Contracting Officer will schedule demonstrations after the receipt of the written quotes. The Government will provide predetermined test scenarios to the Offerors before the demonstration. The live test demonstration shall be limited to the features offered in the written quote and the provided test scenarios.

Live Test Demonstration Constraints: Attendance at the demonstration and the subsequent question and answer session should be limited to five corporate representatives of the Offeror’s team.

mailto:solicitations@oa.eop.gov

The Offeror will be given 30 minutes for set up. After opening remarks by the Government, the

Offeror will be given a total of 90 minutes (excluding setup) to demonstrate the capabilities of their product, perform the provided test scenarios, and answer Government questions. The time will be equally divided into three segments. Each segment will be stopped precisely after 30 minutes.

Upon completion of the first two segments (demonstration of capabilities and test scenarios), the

Government will caucus to discuss the Offeror’s demonstration and to formulate any questions regarding the presentation. The Offeror will then address any questions or clarifications posed by the Contracting Officer or the Technical Evaluation Team (TET) Chair. The question and answer session will last no more than 30 minutes. If necessary, the Offeror may briefly caucus to coordinate responses to specific questions or clarifications. The total setup, presentations, caucus, and question and answer sessions are expected to last approximately 2 hours. The times discussed in this paragraph, other than that given for the live test demonstration and test scenarios, are for planning purposes only, and may extend beyond the time-frames provided as may be required to ensure a complete understanding of the contractor’s capabilities.

During the Live Test Demonstration the Offeror shall not present or discuss any information related to the price evaluation factor.

(ix) 52.212-2 Evaluation -- Commercial Items (OCT 2014) applies to this solicitation.

The Government will award a contract resulting…