Pluto RFI_SAM_26 MAR 24.docx

SYNOPSIS FOR PROCUREMENT ACTION

1. NOTICE TYPE: Special Notice (RFI)

2. SOLICITATION NO. : FA875024RB001

3. RELATED NOTICE: There is a current similar Sources Sought Notice FA8750-24-R-B001 also posted on GSA e-Buy / ALLIANT II website.

4. TITLE: PLUTO

5. ISSUE DATE: 27 MARCH 2024

6. RESPONSE DATE: 24 APR 2024 1700 EST

7. INACTIVE POLICY : NONE

8. IS THIS A RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT ACTION? NO

9. ALLOW VENDORS TO ADD/REMOVE FROM INTERESTED VENDORS? NO

10. ALLOW VENDORS TO VIEW INTERESTED VENDORS LIST? YES

11. SET-ASIDE STATUS. TBD

12. PRODUCT SERVICE CODE: DA01

13. NAICS CODE: 541512

14. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE LOCATION: Rome, NY, 13341, USA in addition to various CONUS and OCONUS locations

15. DESCRIPTION:

The Air Force Research Laboratory, Information Directorate, Rome NY (AFRL/RI), has a requirement for Program Management Services, DoDIIS RDT&E Services, Cybersecurity Testing Services, Data Analytics Research Development and Integration, and IT Systems Architecture, Development, Integration, and Maintenance.

Anticipated deliverables are represented within the DRAFT Performance Work Statement (PWS) which has been attached herein. A Cost-Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) Level-of-Effort (LOE) type contract with a period of performance of 60 months is anticipated.

The anticipated effort includes all aspects of IT systems engineering including, configuration, database management, life cycle engineering of systems through certification and fielding, requirements and solution analysis, and engineering operational and technical assessment. Specifically, emphasis is on integration of requirements across the enterprise including incorporating emerging sensors into the Intelligence Community (IC) supporting global Processing, Exploitation, and Dissemination (PED) architecture, or managing integration between IC members and DoD Command and Control (C2) mission partners, and Intelligence producers. The services will include, but are not limited to the following:

As such, this effort is anticipated to architect, engineer, design, develop, enhance, integrate, test, transition, deploy and sustain HW and SW systems. In addition, this effort will provide Command, Control, Communications, Computer, Cybersecurity Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) services for Air Force Research Laboratory and customers including AF Space Command, AF Space and Missile Command, Air Force Lifecycle Management Center, NSA, and the Intelligence Community.

The approach will utilize experienced systems engineers and subject matter experts to perform analysis of alternatives, create system architectures, and engineer, design, develop, enhance, integrate, test, transition, and sustain C5ISR software and hardware systems. The objective is to reduce the amount of time to transition and field critical technology to our customers while simultaneously reducing and managing risk. This effort will assist organizations such as AFRL, USSF, ACC, NSA, and the IC in creating, transitioning, and sustaining existing and new technologies/systems to the war fighter in a streamlined methodology. The length of effort will be 60 months.

NAICS CODE: The NAICS code for this effort is 541512 and the small business standard is average annual receipts of $34M.

ADVANCE NOTICE: IT SERVICES SOURCES SOUGHT

Responses to this sources sought are requested from small businesses and will be used for market research purposes and possible set-aside. Should the determination be made to select this as a small business set-aside, another notice will be posted reflecting such. Request large businesses also respond to Matthew Collins, Contract Specialist, only to express their interest in submitting a proposal, should this acquisition not be a small business set-aside. Respondents to this announcement should indicate whether they are a small business, 8(a) concern, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, or women-owned small business. As discussed at FAR 19.502-2(b)(1) and (2), in making small business set-asides, there must be a reasonable expectation that offers will be obtained from at least two responsible small business concerns and, for R&D work, a reasonable expectation of obtaining from small businesses the best scientific and technological sources consistent with the demands of the proposed acquisition for the best mix of cost, performances, and schedules.

In addition please note that FAR 19.505(b)(1) states that a small business concern is subject to the limitations on subcontracting, regardless of dollar value for 8(a), HUBZone, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, and women-owned small business, and is required to comply as follows:

For a contract or order assigned a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for services (except construction ), it will not pay more than 50 percent of the amount paid by the Government for contract performance to subcontractors that are not similarly situated entities. Any work that a similarly situated entity further subcontracts will count towards the concern’s 50 percent subcontract amount that cannot be exceeded. Other direct costs may be excluded to the extent they are not the principal purpose of the acquisition and small business concerns do not provide the service, such as airline travel, cloud computing services, or mass media purchases according to 13 CFR §125.6. When a contract includes both services and supplies, the 50 percent limitation shall apply only to the service portion of the contract. See FAR 19.505(b) for complete details.

For a contract or order assigned a NAICS code for supplies or products (other than a procurement from a nonmanufacturer of such supplies or products), the concern will not pay more than 50 percent of the amount paid by the Government for contract performance, excluding the cost of materials, to subcontractors that are not similarly situated entities. Any work that a similarly situated entity further subcontracts will count towards the concern's 50 percent subcontract amount that cannot be exceeded. When a contract includes both supplies and services, the 50 percent limitation shall apply only to the supply portion of the contract.

A similarly situated entity is defined as a small business subcontractor that is a participant of the same small business program as the prime contractor and is small for the NAICS code assigned by the prime contractor to the subcontract. Only a first-tier subcontractor, however, can be counted as a similarly situated entity.

The period of time used to calculate compliance with the limitations on subcontracting will be the base term and then each subsequent option period. For task orders issued under total or partial set-aside contracts, the contracting officer can also require the firm to comply with the limitations on subcontracting for each order. For task orders set aside for small business under full-and-open contracts, the agency will use the period of performance for each order to determine compliance.

The 50 percent participation for supplies and services can be achieved by small businesses using a joint venture as long as the joint venture agrees that their combined effort meets the 50 percent requirement. If the joint venture involves a small business protégé and its mentor approved by the SBA, the small business protégé must perform at least 40 percent of the work performed by the joint venture. This work must be more than administrative functions. See FAR 52.219-14(g) for complete details.

Respondents should provide the following:

1. A statement of capabilities and information demonstrating management and technical experience on similar acquisitions and resources necessary to successfully compete for this award. This information will assist the Air Force in making a set-aside decision.

2. Provide information on at least three (3) contracts for similar work within the past five (5) years. Include a brief description of the work, explanation of its relevance to the technical requirement, complete references, contract titles, dollar values, points of contact and telephone numbers. The Government will evaluate relevant experience information based on (1) information provided by the respondent, (2) information obtained from the references provided by the respondent, and/or (3) data independently obtained from other Government and commercial sources.

3. Describe your organizations ability to meet the technical requirements described in the Performance Work Statement Attachment 1. Do not simply restate the technical requirements. Specifically describe how the type, quantity, experience, and qualifications of personnel/labor categories and other organizational resources that would be used to meet the technical requirements. To scope the magnitude of effort required, it assumes approximately 2,728,700 labor hours (total), with industry average burdened rates in the range of $115-$160 per hour, including travel, and other direct costs accounting for an additional 15% of burdened labor. Address the availability of personnel with security clearances, to include TS/SCI. It is anticipated that at least 40% of proposed personnel will need to be TS/SCI cleared and available at time of award, with graduated increases in proportion over time. Work may need to be performed simultaneously at 5-20+ Government and Contractor locations across the United States.

4. Indicate any factors concerning your organization’s ability to perform the technical requirements.

5. Indicate if your organization intends to submit a proposal in the event that a RFP is issued for the attached technical requirements.

6. Indicate whether your company is a foreign-owned/foreign-controlled firm and if you contemplate the use of foreign national employees on this effort.

7. Responses should identify any current or potential future regulatory and / or security concerns which could impact your company’s ability to perform on the upcoming effort.

8. Indicate if your organization is a holder on any GWACs. If so, please list them.

9. Confirm that your organization’s business systems currently are adequate for performing a cost-type task order.

10. Identify any areas which likely would require subcontracting or a teaming arrangement. Also state if it would be necessary to subcontract or team with another prime contractor on the same contracting vehicle.

11. Address how your organization would meet the requirement of FAR 52.219-14 “Limitations on Subcontracting,” whereby at least 50% of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel must be expended for employees of the prime Contractor.

In addition to the above, please provide answers to the following questions:

1. Name of Business Unit Responding to the RFI (if applicable)

2. DUNS Number

3. GWAC Name and Contract Number

4. Web site URL

5. Small business under NAICS 541512 (Yes/No)

6. Type of Small Business, if applicable (e.g., Service Disabled Veteran Owned, 8(a), HUBZone, etc.)

7. How many people does your company employ?

8. Do you have an Approved Purchasing System?

9. Do you have a cost accounting system deemed adequate by a cognizant audit agency? (e.g., DCAA)

10. How many TS/SCI and SECRET cleared personnel are currently available?

11. Do you have, at minimum, a TS FCL?

12. Will you need to hire additional personnel to perform this effort? If so, in what areas?

13. Please identify which, if any, formal accreditations or certifications are held by your firm that would assist with this RFI (e.g. ISSO, CMMI). Do not include any self-certifications.

14. Identify industry certifications that your personnel currently holds that are relevant to DoD/AF IT type requirements. (e.g. PMP, CISSP, SCRUM, AWS)

15. Interested as a Prime or Sub?

16. Include a brief (i.e. no more than 1 page total) description of your organization’s quality control, risk management, and safety practices as they would be applied to this effort.

17. Describe the staffing or recruitment strategy to meet headcount requirements beyond solely relying on any incumbent capture strategies or methods.

Responses to this RFI may be used for market research purposes and possible small business set-aside determination. Both large and small business organizations are invited to respond by email in a document not exceeding 15 pages, Times New Roman Size 12, with 1-inch margins. Microsoft Word or PDF files are preferred. If the file size exceeds 10MB, please utilize the Department of Defense Safe Access File Exchange (SAFE) site at https://safe.apps.mil/ and follow up with an email stating a submission has been sent. Please respond to the following items below, referencing the question number with each response:

TECHNICAL LIBRARY (EXPORT-CONTROLLED DATA):

A technical library relating to the subject area of this acquisition is available for review by potential offerors at Air Force Research Laboratory/RIEB, Bldg. 3, 525 Brooks Road, Rome, NY 13441. Appointments for access may be made by contacting Mark Esposito, 315-225-5190, e-mail mark.esposito.1@us.af.mil at least forty-eight hours in advance. The library contains technical data subject to export control. Prior to review, potential offerors must submit a copy of an approved DD Form 2345, "Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement" (may be obtained at http://www.dlis.dla.mil,) along with a letter from the Data Custodian designated on that form, authorizing access by whomever will be reviewing the library, to ATTN: Mark Esposito, 315-225-5190, e-mail mark.esposito.1@us.af.mil.

EXPORT-CONTROLLED DATA:

The selected contractor may receive technical data subject to export control in the performance of the contract. Therefore, prospective offerors must provide a completed and approved DD Form 2345 which certifies the offeror is on the Certified Contractors Access List (CCAL) or the offeror is seeking application to CCAL. The successful offeror must have a completed and approved DD Form 2345 prior to award. For further information on CCAL, contact the Defense Logistic Information Service at 1-877-352-2255 or on the web at http://www.dlis.dla.mil/jcp/.

FOREIGN DISCLOSURE REVIEW NOT DONE:

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) country sources must contact the Contracting Officer within 15 calendar days from the date of this synopsis to receive a copy of the solicitation package at the time it is initially issued. Issuance of the solicitation will not be delayed to review requests from MOU country sources received after the 15 calendar day time period or from non-MOU country sources.

FOREIGN PARTICIPATION EXCLUDED:

Foreign participation is excluded at the prime contractor level.

SECURITY CLEARANCES:

100% SECRET at time of award will be required for performance for the entire effort. Approximately 40% TS/SCI will be required at time of award. There will be an exception process for SECRET process so personnel can be on contract while attaining their clearance. No more than 3% will receive an exception to the exception process requirement.

OMBUDSMAN: In accordance with AFFARS 5301.91, an Ombudsman has been appointed to hear and facilitate the resolution of concerns from offerors, potential offerors, and others for this acquisition. Before consulting with an Ombudsman, interested parties must first address their concerns, issues, disagreements, and/or recommendations to the Contracting Officer, Shannon Sullivan, (315) 330-2103, shannon.sullivan.2@us.af.mil, for resolution. AFFARS Clause 5352.201-9101 Ombudsman, will be incorporated into the resultant contract. When requested, the Ombudsman will maintain strict confidentiality as to the source of the concern. The existence of the Ombudsman does not affect the authority of the program manager, contracting officer, or source selection official. Further, the Ombudsman does not participate in the evaluation of proposals, the source selection process, or the adjudication of protests or formal contract disputes. The Ombudsman may refer the party to another official who can resolve the concern. Consulting an Ombudsman does not alter or postpone the timelines for any other processes (e.g., agency level bid protests, GAO bid protests, requests for debriefings, employee-employer actions, contests of OMB Circular A-76 competition performance decisions). If resolution cannot be made by the Contracting Officer, concerned parties may contact the following AFRL Ombudsman: AFRL/PK Director, (Alternate Ombudsman: AFRL/PK Deputy Director), 1864 4th Street, WPAFB OH 45433; FAX (937) 656-7321; COM (937) 904-9700, afrl.pk.workflow@us.af.mil. Concerns, issues, disagreements, and recommendations that cannot be resolved at the AFRL level, may be brought by the concerned party for further consideration to the Air Force Ombudsman, Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary (ADAS) (Contracting), SAF/AQC, 1060 Air Force Pentagon, Washington DC 20330-1060, phone number (571) 256-2395, facsimile number (571) 256-2431. The Ombudsman has no authority to render a decision that binds the agency. Do not contact the Ombudsman to request copies of the solicitation, verify offer due date, or clarify technical requirements. Such inquiries shall be directed to the Contracting Officer.

RFI/SPECIAL NOTICE:

This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) or an indication that a contractual commitment will exist for this requirement. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this Request for Information. No funds are available to fund the information requested.

SOLICITATION RELEASE DATE.

The solicitation is expected to be released approximately 120 days from this notice.

SAM & REGISTRATION:

THE ENTIRE SOLICITATION WILL BE ISSUED ON THE https://sam.gov website under “Contract Opportunities”. https://sam.gov/content/opportunities offers a registration service that will send an e-mail notification when a change is made to this announcement. To register, click on the “Get started with login.gov” from the box named “Do I need a user account?”. This service is provided for convenience only and does not serve as a guarantee of notification. In addition to this registration, any prospective offerors interested in submitting a proposal for this solicitation must register by e-mail directly with the Contract Specialist at Matthew.Collins.31@us.af.mil in order to be placed on the List of Registered Parties. Include your company name, address, telephone number and point of contact, fax number, e-mail address and Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code. The Contract Specialist will post this list on the https://sam.gov/content/opportunities site along with the solicitation to facilitate subcontracting and teaming opportunities only. Offerors registering their name either on the https://sam.gov/content/opportunities site or with the Contract Specialist should not conclude that they will receive a paper copy of the solicitation in the mail. Paper copies will not be available. The solicitation and any amendments thereto will only be available by downloading the documents from the https://sam.gov/content/opportunities site. All prospective offerors are responsible for monitoring this site for the release of amendments (if any) or other information pertaining to this solicitation.

S&T PROTECTION

In accordance with AFRLI 61-113, S&T Protection, Contractors/Recipients are required to submit with their proposal a Standard Form 424, "Research and Related and Senior and Key Person Profile (Expanded), as well as a Security Program Questionnaire, which are included in the RI-Specific Proposal Preparation Instructions and can be accessed at:

https://sam.gov/opp/e628c811fafe041accdddf55fb8539bf/view?keywords=AFRL-BAA-GUIDE&sort=-relevance&index=&is_active=true&page=1.

Always reference the newest versions of these documents. Complete and submit the required forms with your proposal to the technical point of contact (TPOC) listed in Section VII-Agency Contacts AND AFRL.RIOF@us.af.mil. Contractors will be required to provide documentation of their Security Program Plan for initial Institution S&T Protection Program Review. The purpose of requesting the plan is to evaluate the offeror’s capacity for protecting the Government’s S&T and failure to demonstrate a plan adequate to meet the needs of the requirement may be grounds for considering the proposal unawardable. In the event a security risk is identified and the Government has determined the security risk exceeds the acceptable threshold, the Contractor/Recipient will be notified and informed of the termination/decline of award. The Government will be only required to provide a general statement of the reasoning due to Government OPSEC measures. After award, the Contractor/Recipient will be required to re-submit the Standard Form 424 as an annual requirement to the points of contact listed above.

PRESOLICITATION NOTICE.

Based upon market research, the Government is not using the policies contained in Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items, in its solicitation for the described supplies or services. However, interested persons may identify to the contracting officer their interest and capability to satisfy the Government's requirement with a commercial item within 15 days of this notice.

All responsible sources may submit a proposal in response to the RFI which shall be considered.

16. ATTACHMENTS:

(1) DRAFT Performance Work Statement (PWS), dated 07 MARCH 2024

17. PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT: Shannon G. Sullivan, Contracting Officer, AFRL/RIKE, Shannon.Sullivan.2@us.af.mil

18. SECONDARY POINT OF CONTACT: Matthew J. Collins, Contract Specialist, AFRL/RIKE, Matthew.Collins.31@us.af.mil

19. TECHNICAL POINT OF CONTACT: Captain Sean A. Rist, Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR), AFRL/RIEBB, Sean.Rist@us.af.mil