RFI DRAFT L_M ADP 241217.pdf

SECTION L INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

L.1 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

If you choose to submit a proposal, it shall be submitted via email to the Government Points of Contact (POC):

Procurement Contracting Officer, Benjamin Geringer, and Contract Specialist, Babette Murphy.

Phase 1 Proposal submission shall be no later than (NLT) 10:00 AM Eastern Time on DATE TBD 2025. If necessary, Offerors may submit multiple emails. If a complete proposal is not submitted by this closing time, the Offeror’s proposal will not be considered for award. It is the responsibility of the Offeror to contact the Government POCs identified above to confirm their proposal has been received. Confirmation of email receipt(s) does not equate to confirmation of compliance for the contents of the proposal.

All questions shall be submitted via email to the POCs identified above NLT 3:00 PM Eastern Time on DATE TBD 2025. It is preferred that only one set of questions be submitted by each Prime Offeror/Team instead of submitting multiple sets of questions. Questions received after the date and time may not be answered prior to the closing date/time for receipt of the proposal submission. If an Offeror believes that the requirements in these instructions contain an error, omission, or are otherwise unsound, the Offeror shall notify the Government POCs identified above during the question period in writing with supporting rationale; the notification shall also include the remedies the Offeror is asking the Government to consider as related to the omission or error.

The Government intends to conduct a phased acquisition approach. Proposal Volumes I are to be submitted by the above listed proposal submission due date and time. Proposal Volumes, II is required to be submitted by the Offerors within the due dates specified in Phase 2. Volume III and IV are required to be submitted by the Offerors within the due dates specified in Phase 3.

All inquiries shall be conducted in writing and directly to the Government POCs identified above.

Offerors shall not contact any Government personnel other than the Government POCs identified above concerning this competition. Contacting any Government personnel other than the individual identified above may result in an organizational conflict of interest (OCI) and may result in an Offeror being excluded from competition and award.

Offerors shall NOT utilize OCONUS or foreign labor or reach back for any aspect, development or purpose of this RFP and resulting proposal submission(s).

Offerors shall not submit any assumptions, terms, conditions, caveats, or exceptions with their proposals. All concerns shall be addressed by submitting questions by the date specified in paragraph 2 above. No assumptions, terms, conditions, caveats or exceptions submitted with proposals in response to RFPs will be accepted or incorporated into the resulting award.

Offerors may encrypt and/or password protect proprietary information as they see fit. Proprietary information shall be clearly marked. However, if the Government is unable to access the documents, the proposal will not be considered for award. All Security permissions on the Excel spreadsheet (i.e. “.xlsx”) shall be set to allow the Government to select, cut, paste, review, and print text and graphics without the need for a password. Microsoft Office 2016 software or higher, and Adobe software if applicable, shall be used to create the required files.

Each volume shall be properly identified, numbered, clearly indexed, and logically assembled.

Each volume shall also contain clearly identified sections, and all pages shall be numbered and identified by the complete company name, date, and solicitation number in the header and/or footer. Information shall be confined to the appropriate volume to facilitate independent evaluation. Each volume shall be presented on a stand-alone basis so that the Government can evaluate its contents without cross-referencing to other volumes of the proposal. The Government may consider information it requires for proposal evaluation that is not found in its designated volume as having been omitted from the Offeror’s proposal.

Subcontractor cost proposals shall be submitted electronically directly to the above Government POCs email prior to the proposal due date and time if the subcontractor deems its proposal contains proprietary data. If the subcontractor does not deem that its proposal contains proprietary information, then the subcontractor shall submit its cost proposal to the prime contractor for inclusion in its proposal. The size per e-mail shall not exceed 24MB, and its proposal shall include all necessary supporting documents and narrative.

All proposals shall be valid for ten (10) years beyond the date of award to ensure that any Offeror(s) assigned to the Awardable, but Not Selected for Award pool can be On-Ramped during the ten (10) years after contract award without further proposal evaluations. Proposals offering a shorter period of validity will not be considered for award. All proposal submission files shall not contain classified data or information. To reduce proposal size, proposals shall be limited to the number of pages as outlined below for each volume. All proposal information shall be confined to the appropriate file. The page limit (identified in the table below) is viewed as total pages within a file, excluding a table of contents, cross reference matrixes, cover page, and glossary page. The Government will not evaluate any pages that exceed the page limitation(s) identified below. Unless noted otherwise in the Section below, pages containing text shall be typewritten using the standard letter size (8.5 x 11) in Microsoft Word. Text shall be a minimum of 12- point Times New Roman or Arial font and no less than one-inch margins/borders. Any headers/footers, call out boxes, captions, table, or graphic shall use a minimum of 10-point Times New Roman or Arial font. Drawings or other graphics shall be reduced only to the extent legibility is not lost.

Pages or minutes over the maximum limitation for any section of a volume will be excluded from evaluation (excluded pages will be removed from the page maximum through to the end of the proposal volume). Exceptions to the page limitations are cover pages, lists of acronyms, lists of figures, and indices/tables of contents. There are no exceptions to the time limitations. Website content that is hyperlinked within the proposal will not be evaluated.

The proposal/technical solution shall be clear, concise, and shall include sufficient detail for effective evaluation and for substantiating the validity of stated claims. The proposal should not simply rephrase or restate the Government's requirements but, rather, shall provide convincing rationale to address how the Offeror intends to meet these requirements. Offerors shall assume that the Government has no prior knowledge of their facilities or experience and will base its evaluation on the information presented in the Offeror's proposal.

All previous released Draft versions of the solicitation and question and answers relating to those Draft versions are non-binding and do not apply to this final released solicitation.

L.2 PHASED PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

The Government intends to conduct this procurement through a phased proposal submission and phased evaluation with three (3) phases as described in the table below:

Event Description Phase One Proposal Due - Vol 1

• This phase will evaluate the offerors response to Volume 1, Technical Corporate Experience.

• Cover Letter

• Technical Corporate Experience

• OCI Declaration / Mitigation Plan Advisory Down Select Notification

Phase Two Proposals Due - Vol 2

• This phase will evaluate the offerors response to Volume 2, Technical Approach and Program Management Approach.

Competitive Range Notification Phase Three Proposals Due – Vol 3 & 4

• This phase will evaluate the offerors response to Volume 3, Sample Integrated Data Platform Task Order Oral Demonstration, and Volume 4, Pricing

• Sample Integrated Data Platform Task Order Technical and Management Approach

• Sample Integrated Data Platform Task Order BOE MATOC Award

Participation in Phase One is required to be considered for Phase Two. Failure to participate in Phase One will preclude consideration of the Offeror’s proposal during Phase Two. Participation in Phase Two is required for consideration in Phase Three.

L.3 PROPOSAL CONTENTS

L.3.1 Format

Offeror’s proposals shall consist of Volumes 2 through 4, as set forth in the below table:

Volume Document File Name Convention, Page Limit, and Format

Phase 1: Technical Corporate Experience

Cover Letter; Table of Contents, Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms, OCI Declaration/Mitigation Plan; Data Rights

• Offerorname_GENERAL_yymmdd.docx (or PDF)

• No page limit cover letter

• Offeror’s format

Technical Corporate Experience

• Offerorname_EXP_yymmdd.xlsx

• 9-page limit

• Format as provided

Phase 2: Technical and Management Approach (Advisory Down-Select)

Technical Approach • Offerorname_TECH_yymmdd.docx (or PDF)

• 18-page limit

• Word or PDF format

• Page limits include pictures and diagrams

• 12-point font in text and 10-point font in tables and graphics

• Page limits do not include cover page, table of contents, and glossary of definitions and acronyms Management Approach • Offerorname_MGMT_yymmdd.docx (or PDF)

Volume Document File Name Convention, Page Limit, and Format

• 7-page limit

• Word or PDF format

• Page limits include pictures and diagrams

• 12-point font in text and 10-point font in tables and graphics

• Page limits do not include cover page, table of contents, and glossary of definitions and acronyms Phase 3: Pricing and Integrated Data Platform Task Order Oral Demonstration (Competitive

Range-Down-Select)

Price Narrative • Offerorname_PRICENARR_yymmdd.docx (or PDF)

• Offeror’s format

Price Proposal • Offerorname_PRICEyymmdd.xlsx

• Format as provided

Sample Integrated Data Platform Task Order Oral Demonstration Technical and Management Approach

• Offerorname_TO1CAP_yymmdd.docx (or PDF)

• 15-page limit

• Word or PDF format

• Page limits include pictures and diagrams

• 12-point font in text and 10-point font in tables and graphics

• Page limits do not include cover page, table of contents, and glossary of definitions and acronyms Sample Integrated Data Platform Task Order BOE

• Offeror Name_TO1CAP_yymmdd_BOE.docx (or PDF)

• 8-page limit

• Word or PDF

• Page limits include pictures and diagrams

• 12-point font in text and 10-point font in tables and graphics

• Page limits do not include cover page, table of contents, and glossary of definitions and acronyms Cover Page, Table of Contents, and Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms

• Offerorname_COVERPAGE_yymmdd.docx (or PDF)

• Offeror’s format

L.3.2 Phase 1 – Technical Corporate Experience

The following is required to be submitted under Phase One:

L.3.2.1 Volume 1 - General

L.3.2.1.1 Cover Letter

Offerors shall submit a cover letter on company letterhead. The following information shall be included in the cover letter:

a. The point of contact for the proposal, including the individuals name, company position/title, phone number, and e-mail address.

b. A statement that the offeror is proposing as either a small business or a large business.

c. An affirmative statement that the identified point of contact has the authority to enter into a binding contractual agreement on behalf of the offerors company.

d. An affirmative statement of agreement to all terms, conditions, and provisions of this solicitation and that the proposal does not include any assumptions, terms, conditions, caveats, or exceptions (except for an exemption to the requirement for a disclosure statement in accordance with FAR Provision 52.230-1, if applicable)

e. An affirmative statement that the offeror is not aware of any OCI with itself, subcontractors, partners, or any other offeror as it applies to this solicitation, or an affirmative statement that any OCI that the offeror is aware of for any including if disclosed with proposal submission.

f. The offerors Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code, Unique Entity ID number, and cognizant DCAA and DCMA offices

g. Information in accordance with FAR 52.215-1(e)(1) 802 Information for SF 33 Block 15C, if applicable (Restriction on disclosure and use of data)

h. The solicitation and if applicable to any amendments resulting from this shall be signed as required in accordance with FAR 4.102. Digital signatures or handwritten signatures on a scanned copy are acceptable. Submission is required only via email; no hard copies are required. Submission of the signature page is not included in the page limit for the cover letter and may be attached as an Appendix to the Cover Letter. Signature constitutes that the offeror acknowledges the Solicitation and Amendments and affirms the entire proposal will remain valid for 180 days from receipt of the Government. Offeror proposals that do not remain valid 180 days shall be deemed non-responsive to the requirement and shall not be considered for award.

L.3.2.2.2 Factor 1 – Technical Corporate Experience (Past Performance)

Each Prime Offeror shall complete in its entirety, the Technical Corporate Experience Worksheet found within Solicitation Attachment TBD. If an Offeror does not provide a completed Technical Corporate Experience Worksheet inclusive of the requirements set forth below, the Offeror’s proposal shall be considered nonresponsive and ineligible for award.

Technical Corporate Experience shall be demonstrated by providing three (3) examples of projects delivering a data platform with requirements of a similar scope and complexity to those in the PWS. Any U.S. Federal Government project supporting greater than five hundred (>500) users can be submitted as examples.

Offerors shall not provide a base IDIQ contract or a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) as an example, however offerors may provide individual orders as examples. One (1) contract, one (1) order, OR multiple orders under the same IDIQ contract or BPA for identical requirements, constitutes one (1) example.

The offeror shall describe each Technical Corporate Experience addressing the five (5) Focus Areas one (1) through five (5) listed below. Each Technical Corporate Experience example shall demonstrate all five (5) of the below Focus Areas:

(1) Usability, as described in PWS paragraph 2.2.1.

(2) Data Integration, as described in PWS paragraph 2.2.2.

(3) Security and Infrastructure, as described in PWS paragraph 2.2.3.

(4) Audit Capability, as described in PWS paragraph 2.2.4.

(5) Environment, as described in PWS paragraph 2.5.

Additionally, the offeror may describe each Technical Corporate Experience addressing any or all of the four (4) Focus Areas six (6) through nine (9) below:

(6) OPTIONAL - User Experience, as described in PWS paragraph 2.3.1.

(7) OPTIONAL – Classified Data Integration, as described in PWS paragraph 2.3.2.

(8) OPTIONAL – Protected Unclassified Data Integration, as described in PWS paragraph

2.3.3.

(9) OPTIONAL – Analytics and Visualization, as described in PWS paragraph 2.3.4.

Each example shall include the following information:

a) Contractor Name & CAGE Code

b) Government Contract Number

c) Order or Project Number, if applicable

d) Project Title

e) Requiring Activity, Customer, or Ordering Entity

f) Final (actual) or projected final (if ongoing) start and end dates of the period of performance, including option periods.

g) Initial Project Value

h) Final Project Value

i) Percentage of effort, based on the total cost of the work in the proposed example, performed by the offeror itself as prime contractor at the time of the proposal submission.

j) Point of Contact information (Name, Title, Agency/Company, Phone, and Email) of the agency/company point of contact with cognizance over the project.

k) Point of Contact information (Name, Title, Agency/Company, Phone, and Email) of the

COR/COTR.

l) Description of the work including specific tasks or activities performed by the offeror itself under the contract and explanation of how they demonstrate experience with the nine (9) Focus Areas above.

i. The scale of the data platform including the number of users and total storage utilized in terabytes (TB).

ii. Details demonstrating timeline required to develop and deliver complete and working capability, to include start date to end date of delivered capability.

iii. Structure of Team to include labor category and FTE levels executed on the effort.

iv. Methodologies and tools employed (e.g., agile, DevSecOps, CI/CD, Incremental

Release, Automation).

v. Experience of delivery and automated deployments of software into DoD cloud instances by Impact Level (IL) and/or a proven standardized commercial approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services.

vi. Experience of obtaining ATO or equivalent certification from other services, including information on the phase achieved in the Risk Management Framework Process (i.e.

IATT, ATO, CATO).

Each of the examples included in the corporate experience proposal shall satisfy all the following minimum requirements:

a) The entire portion of the contract, order, or project performance shall have occurred within five (5) years of the date of this solicitation.

b) Each example performance duration shall include work previously performed and not work anticipated to be performed in the future. Examples submitted with ongoing performance are cautioned, as the Government will not be able to determine or evaluate future work or example outcomes anticipated to be performed under a submitted example.

c) Each example shall have no less than 12-months of performance.

d) Percentage of effort, based on the total cost of the work required in the proposed contract or order, performed by the offeror as prime contractor, subcontractor, or as part of a Joint venture is not less than 30%.

e) The requirements of the contract, order, or project are the types of deliverables required in the PWS.

f) The specific tasks or activities performed by the offeror are the types of deliverables required in the PWS.

Volume 1 - Factor 1 - Technical Corporate Experience examples shall be experience performed as a (1) prime contractor, (2) subcontractor completing 30% or more of the technical requirement, and/or (3) individual partners of a Joint Venture completing 30% or more of the technical requirement. If an offeror proposes a Technical Corporate Experience example under a different CAGE Code from the offeror, the offeror shall describe the relationship within the legal entity of the offeror and include an affirmative statement that the example was performed by the same legal entity as the offeror and is not the Technical Corporate Experience of a subcontractor or teammate.

Predecessor companies. If the proposed corporate experience was performed by a predecessor company, provide the information for the contract of the predecessor company, document the history of the evolution from the predecessor company, and provide explanation for why the corporate experience information of the predecessor company should be attributed to the offeror, not to exceed one (1) page, which does not count towards the page limitations. Any corporate experience of a company that in the future might, but has not yet, become part of the offeror's company, including but not limited to any pending novation agreements, mergers, and acquisitions, will NOT be considered. Any corporate experience of a predecessor company or division divested away from the offeror will also NOT be considered.

Joint ventures. If an offeror proposes as a legal joint venture, the CAGE Code provided shall be specifically for the joint venture submitting the proposal as the offeror. That company shall be considered the one and only offeror, If an offeror proposes as a legal joint venture, experience examples from individual partners may be submitted; the offeror shall note the relationship of the partner to the joint venture. Offerors are limited to one proposal submission, to include participation in a legal Joint Venture. If an offeror enters a legal joint venture, they cannot submit a proposal as a standalone prime offeror, nor can they be included in another joint venture submission.

Offeror shall sanitize information relative to proprietary and/or classified contracts or orders.

L.3.2.2 Phase One Advisory Down-Select

Any offer found to be non-compliant with the submission instructions under Volume 1 - General Technical Corporate Experience will not be evaluated.

The Government will provide each Offeror with an advisory down-select notification via email from the Contracting Officer. The notification is for informing each offeror of their likelihood to be competitive in the requirement based on the results of Phase 1. The Government will advise low rated offerors to consider whether the benefit of proceeding to Phase 2 will outweigh the risk of moving on due to their detrimental Phase 1 Rating. Offerors who are highly rated in Phase 1 will be advised to consider proceeding to Phase Two of the proposal submission process.

Offerors who receive a neutral rating will be advised to consider whether the benefit of proceeding to Phase 2 will outweigh the risk of moving on. The intent of this advisory down-select notification is to minimize proposal development costs for those Offerors with a lessened chance of receiving an award. All offerors should consider time and expense when deciding to continue to proceed to Phase Two as the Government will not reimburse any proposal preparation costs for offerors. However, the Government’s advice will be a recommendation only. The Government does not intend to provide debriefings after the completion of the Phase 1 advisory down select notifications. Offerors must respond to the advisory down-select email with its intent to proceed or not to proceed, by the date specified in the email That response will effectuate that the Offeror willingly and independently decided to proceed or not and negates the offeror’s right to file protest in relationship to Phase 1.

L.3.3 Phase 2 – Technical and Management Approach

L.3.3.1 Volume 2 – Technical and Management Approach

Offerors shall address factors 2 and 3 within Phase Two.

Factor 2: Technical Approach

The Offeror shall discuss how their technical approach will adequately support execution in accordance with the PWS. In addition, the Offeror shall address the software and associated enabling technologies to meet the requirements in the PWS. Offerors shall provide the following information:

Technical Approach (18 pages)

1. The Offeror shall provide an overarching description of the proposed approach to meeting the requirements of the High-Level Objectives in Table 1 of the PWS.

2. In addition, the Offeror shall address the software and associated enabling technologies to meet the requirements in the PWS paragraphs cited below:

a. Describe the overall technical approach to meet the PWS tasks.

b. Describe the approach to meet the Threshold Requirements in Section 2.2 of the

PWS, specifically addressing:

i. Usability, as described in PWS paragraph 2.2.1.

ii. Data Integration, as described in PWS paragraph 2.2.2.

iii. Security and Infrastructure, as described in PWS paragraph 2.2.3.

iv. Audit Capability, as described in PWS paragraph 2.2.4.

v. Key System Attributes, as described in PWS paragraph 2.2.5.

3. In addition, the Offeror may address the software and associated enabling technologies to meet the requirements in the PWS paragraphs cited below:

a. Describe the approach to meet the Threshold Requirements in Section 2.3 of the

PWS, specifically addressing:

i. User Experience, as described in PWS paragraph 2.3.1.

ii. Classified Data Integration, as described in PWS paragraph 2.3.2.

iii. Protected Unclassified Data Integration, as described in PWS paragraph

2.3.3.

iv. Analytics and Visualization, as described in PWS paragraph 2.3.4.

v. Key System Attributes, as described in PWS paragraph 2.3.5.

2. In addition, the Offeror shall provide an overarching description of how the offeror will meet the Objective Requirements in Section 2.4 of the PWS.

3. In addition, the Offeror shall provide an overarching description of the proposed hosting environment, addressing how the offeror will meet the requirements in Section 2.5 of the

PWS.

4. Provide any supporting rationale and risks associated with formulating the approach.

Identify plans for risk mitigation.

Factor 3: Management Approach

Management Approach (7 pages)

The Offeror shall discuss how its management approach will adequately support execution in accordance with the PWS. Offerors shall provide the following information:

1. Collaboration and Communication: The Offeror shall describe stakeholder involvement and team collaboration utilized throughout the development process.

2. The Offeror shall describe the agile methodologies utilized to prioritize flexibility and adaptability, allowing teams to respond to changes quickly and efficiently.

3. Project Controls, Metrics and Performance Tracking:

a. The Offeror shall describe their process(es) for planning, monitoring, and controlling work effort and communicating the information to the Government.

b. The Offeror shall describe how they ensure all deliverables will be completed accurately and on time, including, if applicable, the integration of subcontractors into the work process without extensive Government intervention and oversight.

The Offeror’s shall demonstrate a firm understanding of the requirement.

c. The Offeror shall discuss the project metrics utilized to track project risks, planning, and budget to ensure the project stays on track. The Offeror shall discuss the process and metrics utilized to monitor team performance, incidents, and defects to identify areas for improvement.

4. The Offeror shall describe its management approach to attract and maintain personnel with necessary skills to address the continuously evolving diverse technologies being implemented during the life of the contract in accordance with the PWS.

L.3.3.2 Phase 2 - Competitive Range Down Select

Offerors are advised that only the highest rated proposals will be invited forward to Phase Three. The Government will only accommodate approximately ten (10) Offerors in Phase Three.

Accordingly, only the highest technically rated proposals will receive invitations to continue.

Offerors are advised that any proposal found to be “unacceptable” under Phase Two evaluations will not be evaluated further. Additionally, Offerors who are not among the highest rated in Phase Two may not be among those invited further into Phase Three and may not be evaluated further. The Government reserves the right to advance approximately ten (10) proposals to Phase Three.

The Government will provide each Offeror a notification via email from the Contracting Officer.

This notification will advise the Offeror of the Government’s evaluation and whether the Offeror has been selected to continue on to Phase Three.

L.3.4 Phase 3 – Pricing and Integrated Data Platform Task Order Oral Demonstration

Offerors shall address factors 4 and 5 within Phase Three.

L.3.4.1 Volume 3 – Pricing

Factor 4: Pricing

L.3.4.1.1 General Instructions

This solicitation is for the award of a hybrid Firm Fixed Price (FFP), Labor Hour (LH), and Time and Materials (T&M) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract for ADP and the necessary licenses, travel, and Other Direct Costs (ODCs) to support those services.

L.3.4.1.2 Price Matrix

The Offeror shall complete and submit Attachment 0002 the Pricing Model. No other format will be considered. The Pricing Model consists of 10 years, a (1) one-year base and (9) nine one-year options for pricing categories as identified in the spreadsheet. The proposed rates will be evaluated for reasonableness as a condition of award and utilized as the pricing for various rates and categories ranges (i.e. labor, licenses, utility consumption, etc.) when Task Orders solicited.

The proposed pricing shall be fully burdened; costs encompassing all direct and indirect costs, and profit in accordance with your companies accounting system.

The Offeror shall propose median rates applicable to Labor Hour type orders. These rates are to be based upon an analysis of the median labor rate within a given labor category, working in the highest paid area within CONUS, on a complex ADP requirement including work requiring a secret clearance. All rates Labor shall be the ceiling rates that can be charged for the (1) one-year base and (9) nine one-year options.

See ADP MATOC ordering guide, section XXXX for information on the labor rate range process.

L.3.4.1.3 Cost/Price Template Instructions In Rows 5 and 6 of the Solicitation Attachment 0002 – Pricing Model. Offerors shall enter the Official Legal Offering Entity name and SAM UEI.

In Column C of the Solicitation Attachment 0002 – Pricing Model, Offerors shall enter the fully burdened labor hour rate for all labor categories. All rates shall be rounded to two decimal places.

L.3.4.1.4 Basis of Estimate The Offeror shall provide a Basis of Estimate, and any supporting documentation in a single document. The Basis of Estimate shall only encompass the “Continental United States (CONUS),” defined as the 48 contiguous states plus the District of Columbia and should reflect a clear understanding of work to be performed, the complexity of various disciplines, and professional job difficulty.

The Basis of Estimate shall address the Offeror’s basis of proposed labor hour rates consistent with their organization’s accounting system, estimating system, and, if applicable, FPRAs, FPRRs, PBRs, or other rate agreements. If an Offeror does not currently have employees to fulfill the duties under a labor category or labor categories, the Offeror shall explain its methodology for establishing labor rates for such categories. Identifying specific subcontractors or separate subcontractor pricing shall not be included in the Basis of Estimate.

Certification of cost or pricing data is not required; however, the Offeror is cautioned to provide clear and concise explanations of their pricing methodology; the contracting officer may elect to request other than certified cost and pricing data.

L.3.4.2 Volume 4 - Sample Integrated Data Platform Task Order Oral

Factor 5- Sample Integrated Data Platform Task Order Oral Demonstration

The Offeror shall provide an oral presentation that demonstrates the Offeror’s Technical and Management approach to a Sample Integrated Data Platform Task Order conforming to all instructions provided in this section. The Sample Integrated Data Platform Task Order Oral Demonstration will be used to assess the Offeror’s capability to satisfy the requirements set forth in the Task Order SOO and PWS.

The oral demonstration shall not contain any price information. Failure to comply with this requirement shall result in the proposal being deemed non-responsive; therefore, not being evaluated and considered for award. Presentations shall be evaluated on seven elements further defined in this section.

The Government will not pay for any travel or other costs associated with the oral presentation.

Specific timelines and instructions for the demonstration will be provided by the Government at least (5) days prior to the Offeror’s scheduled virtual oral presentation. Additionally, the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer will provide: Assigned date, time, format, and rules of engagement for the oral presentation.

The Sample Integrated Data Platform Task Order Oral Demonstration does not provide the Offeror any opportunity to revise or change any of the previously provided written proposal documentation and is therefore not construed to be discussions with the Offeror.

Oral Demonstration Instructions:

Location: The Government will be utilizing Microsoft Teams as the platform for the oral presentations. The Government and the Offeror may agree to test the connection at a convenient time prior to the oral presentation.

Recording of Oral Presentations: Recording of oral presentations by the Offerors is strictly prohibited, notwithstanding local laws and regulations with regards to virtual meetings or voice-only telephone oral presentations. The Government reserves the right to record oral presentations. If recorded, the recording is source selection sensitive and will be handled accordingly.

Participants: The selected web-based conference platform will support up to six (6) Offeror participant users, to include all proposed Key Personnel, from different locations. Web links to the Offeror specific web-based conference (MS Teams) platform shall not be shared with anyone other than the authorized Government participants and the authorized Offeror participants and shall be treated as source selection sensitive. The Offeror participants in the oral presentations shall be limited to no more than five (5) contract personnel proposed by the Offeror, and one (1) prime company representative. No more than six (6) total Offeror participants shall attend the oral presentation. All Key Personnel proposed shall be required to be a presentation participant. The Offeror will provide a written list of Oral Presentation attendees: the names of the people who will attend the oral presentation, their current employers, their intended roles on the contract and whether they are proposed as key personnel and the designated position. Employees must be U.S Citizens.

Teaming Arrangements are allowed, but a company shall only be involved in one Proposal submission. An individual shall not participate in more than one Offeror’s oral presentation.

Exchanges During Oral Presentation: The Government intends to engage in interactive dialogue during the oral presentations but also reserves the right to not engage in interactive dialogue at its sole discretion. These exchanges during interactive dialogue are viewed as a component of the oral presentation itself and do not constitute discussions. Potential questions will not be provided to Offerors in advance of the Offeror’s scheduled oral presentation day.

During the presentations, Offerors shall adhere to the format specified in the oral presentation guidance in addition to the rules of engagement for oral presentations. The Government desires that oral presentation participants not read aloud or rely heavily on pre-written versions of the Offeror’s oral presentation. The order in which Offerors are scheduled will be selected by the Contracting Officer. The Government reserves the right to reschedule any Offeror’s Oral Presentation at its sole discretion.

Time Limit: Oral presentations are limited to 60 minutes in duration, exclusive of any needed clarification period. Any set-up of visual aids and remarks made by the Contracting Officer prior to the presentation will not count against the Offeror’s 60-minute time limit. Separate from the 60-minute oral presentation, the Government might take up to 30 minutes to ask questions to clarify certain aspects of the information, to enhance Government's understanding, allow reasonable interpretation, or facilitate the Government's evaluation process.

Sample Integrated Data Platform Task Order (XXXX Domain TO), as defined in Attachment L- XX (XXXX Domain TO) Specification Document, is a representative sample task order that would be executed under the ADP MATOC.

The Offeror shall describe its technical and management approach to the sample project (Finance Domain TO), addressing the following at a minimum:

1. Describe proposed technical solution to meet the (XXXX Domain TO) requirements.

Discuss the rationale for the proposed solution.

2. Describe technical approach to perform PWS Section XX requirements for the (XXXX Domain TO).

3. Submit an unpriced version of its Basis of Estimate (BOE) for the sample project scenario (XXXX Domain TO Attachment L-XX) that includes, at a minimum, the following:

a. Reference and provide traceability to the applicable PWS section/subsection and

CLIN.

b. Explain the rationale behind all choices made, innovative solutions used, and assumptions used. Descriptions of the work to be performed shall be explicit regarding what work will or will not be included and shall distinguish between recurring and nonrecurring effort.

c. Use Attachment L-XX, Professional Labor Category Information Sheets in the preparation of the BOE (Offeror Name_XX_XX_Sample-TO_ _BOE). In the event the Offeror’s labor category designations do not align precisely with the Professional Labor Category designations, provide cross references between Offeror’s labor category designations.

d. Provide project plan/schedule and any supporting rationales and any assumptions made in formulating the approach.

e. Discuss project management approach including but not limited to the Offeror’s communication plan and project organizational structure.

f. Discuss performance management approach to ensure the project is executed within cost/hour ceiling, schedule, quality, and performance parameters.

g. Discuss risks associated with the Offeror’s proposed technical solution, technical approach, project plan, management approach, and performance management approach. Identify plans for risk mitigation.

Proposal elements: The following seven proposal elements shall be utilized to evaluate oral proposals:

Element #1 - Overview Present a high-level overview of the platform architecture and components.

Element #2 User Experience

Sub-Element #2a Decision-Maker Experience:

Demonstrate an application with drill-down, point and click capabilities to quickly comprehend large-scale data for non-technical users.

Sub-Element #2b Data Analyst Experience:

Demonstrate an intuitive searchable interface to quickly locate, connect to, and integrate data sources to create customized ingests, and automate data/information updates.

Sub-Element #2c Data Quality Reporting:

Demonstrate a platform that provides intuitive identification of problems with data extraction, transformation, integration, and export automation.

Sub-Element #2d Decision Making:

Demonstrate a platform that can be easily adapted to support decision making activities and staff processes for collaboration at echelon.

Element #3 Data Integration Sub-Element #3a Automated and Manual Data Ingest:

Demonstrate an automated and a manual data ingest from a RESTful web API.

Sub-Element #3b Data Export or Subscription:

Demonstrate an automated and a manual extract of data from the platform using a RESTful web API.

Sub-Element #3c Metadata:

Demonstrate how the platform exposes high-quality metadata on source system and data lineage such that other Data Analytic and Software Development environments may consume that metadata.

Sub-Element #3d Data-agnostic Data Integration:

Demonstrate how the platform supports structured, unstructured, and semi-structured data integration capabilities at terabyte scale and generate and curate a searchable catalog of analytic content.

Sub-Element #3e Data Protection:

Demonstrate how the platform protects data in accordance with applicable laws, regulation and policies governing Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Protected Health Information (PHI).

Element #4 Analytics and Visualization

Sub-Element #4a Data Integration and Visualization:

Demonstrate how the platform integrates, analyzes, and visualizes information in real/near real-time from multiple disparate data sources, with an intuitive, interactive, top-down and large-scale data exploration application.

Sub-Element #4b Data Display and Sharing:

Demonstrate the processing of current and historical data with the ability to filter, view, and share information with other users.

Sub-Element #4c Plain Text Searching:

Demonstrate the ability to perform plain text searching and return relevant and accurate results.

Element #5 Security and Infrastructure Sub-Element #5a Data at Rest and In Transit:

Demonstrate how the platform protects data at rest and in transit using Federal Information Processing Standards.

Sub-Element #5b Role and Organizational Based Access Controls:

Demonstrate how the platform employs role and organization-based access control that meet the DoD Risk Management Framework Authority to Operate requirements.

Sub-Element #5c Dynamic Scaling and Metering:

Demonstrate how the platform can dynamically scale compute up and down to meet analytic needs and how that utilization can be monitored and metered.

Element #6 Challenges & Best Practices

Sub-Element #6a Challenges:

Discuss common challenges encountered during setup, such as data quality issues, scaling problems, or security concerns.

Sub-Element #6b Best Practices:

Summarize key best practices for setting up a data platform, such as automation, monitoring, and continuous optimization.

Element #7 Q&A and Wrap-Up

Sub-Element #7a: Open the floor to questions from the audience.

Sub-Element #7b: Summarize the key takeaways.

Details regarding the Sample Integrated Data Platform Task Order Oral Demonstration will be provided with the Phase 3 Successful Offeror invitation or no later than three (3) business days prior to the Offerors scheduled Oral Demonstration session. The scenario and relevant working details of the Oral Demonstration will be provided by email to invited Offerors. The Offeror shall upload and confirm successful submission of the Oral Demonstration proposal submission prior to the upload cut-off.

The Government reserves the right to request clarification(s) or limited exchanges of the Factor 5, Sample Integrated Data Platform Task Order Oral Demonstration submission. Deficiencies and/or Weaknesses will not be cured through clarifications or limited exchanges. The Government may ask a standard set of questions to the Offeror, as well as clarifying questions.

The Offeror will have 24-hours to respond to the Government’s clarifying questions. The Government’s intention is any exchange posed by the Government in response to the submission will be for elucidation only and is not for the purpose of changing or altering the Offeror’s video submission; however, the Offeror’s response will be considered part of their submission.

Proposal submission for Volume 4 – Sample Integrated Task Order Oral Demonstration submission shall include a Technical and Management Approach. The Offeror shall describe its technical and management approach to the Sample Task Order addressing the following:

1. Describe proposed technical solution to meet the Sample Task Order (SOO) requirements. Discuss the rationale for the proposed solution.

2. Describe technical approach to perform the SOO requirements for the Sample Task Order.

3. Submit a BOE for the Sample Task Order that includes, at a minimum, the following:

a. Reference and provide traceability to the applicable SOO section/subsection.

b. Explain the rationale behind all choices made, innovative solutions used, and assumptions used. Descriptions of the work to be performed shall be explicit regarding what work will or will not be included and shall distinguish between recurring and nonrecurring effort.

c. Use Labor Category Information Sheets in the preparation of the BOE.

d. Provide project plan/schedule and any supporting rationales and any assumptions made in formulating the approach.

e. Discuss project management approach including but not limited to the Offeror’s communication plan and project organizational structure.

f. Discuss performance management approach to ensure the project is executed within cost/hour ceiling, schedule, quality, and performance parameters.

g. Discuss risks associated with the Offeror’s proposed technical solution, technical approach, project plan, management approach, and performance management approach. Identify plans for risk mitigation.

Offerors may not share information obtained during the scheduled Sample Integrated Data Platform Task Order Oral Demonstration session outside of their company or proposed teaming arrangement.

(End of Section L)

SECTION M: EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

M.1 BASIS FOR AWARD

In accordance with FAR Part 12.602 and the principles of FAR Part 15.101-1, the acquisition will utilize a best value trade-off process to select the Offeror that provides the optimal balance of performance, quality, and cost.

The Government anticipates award to between 3 and 6 offerors. The Government will review the proposals to determine the highest technically rated Offerors based on the non-price factors (Factors 1-3 and 5):

Relative Order of Importance:

Factors are listed in descending order of importance:

Factor 5: Task Order Oral Presentation (most important) Factor 2: Technical Approach Factor 3: Management Approach Factor 1: Corporate Technical Experience Factor 4: Price (least important)

Offerors receiving a “Limited Confidence” or “Unacceptable” rating for any of the non-price factors identified above shall not be considered for award.

The non-price factors play a dominant role in the basis for award; however, an Offeror whose price volume is determined not to be “Fair and Reasonable” will not be awarded a contract regardless of the Government’s evaluation of the non-price factors of the Offeror’s proposal.

M.1.1 Award Eligibility

To be considered eligible for award, an Offeror’s proposal, at a minimum, shall provide all submission requirements for all Volumes, be compliant with Volume 1-General Requirements, and receive a rating as stated below:

Factor Factor Title Minimum Rating

Factor 1 Technical Corporate Experience Satisfactory Confidence or Substantial Confidence

Factor 2 Technical Approach Acceptable, Good, or Outstanding Factor 3 Management Approach Satisfactory Confidence or Substantial

Confidence Factor 4 Pricing Fair and Reasonable

Factor 5 Sample Integrated Data Platform Task Order Oral Demonstration

Acceptable, Good, or Outstanding

M.1.2 Evaluation Process

The Government intends to conduct a three-phased acquisition approach. Offerors are cautioned that the Government may not necessarily select the Offeror with the lowest priced quote. In determining the best value for award, the Government is more concerned with obtaining a technically superior solution rather than with obtaining the lowest priced solution.

The Government reserves the right to award to a higher priced Offeror for a more technically superior solution. As such, the Government may award to other than the lowest priced Offeror or other than the Offeror with the highest technically rated quote. As the ratings of the technical evaluation factors and/or the merits of the technical quotes become closer or even, price will become a distinguishing factor for award.

Phase 1:

The Government will first evaluate Factor 1 – Technical Corporate Experience as outlined in M.2.2. Any offer found to be non-compliant with the submission instructions under Volume 1 - General will not be evaluated further.

Phase 2:

The Government will next evaluate Factor 2 – Technical Approach and Factor 3 - Management Approach as outlined in M 2.3 and 2.4. Offerors who are rated as “unacceptable” for Factor 2 and “no confidence” for Factor 3 are un-awardable and will not continue. Based on a competitive range analysis of Factor 2 and Factor 3, the Government will select approximately ten (10) of the highest rated offerors to proceed to Phase 3. The Government reserves the right to select fewer Offerors. It is the Government’s intent not to enter discussions during Phase 2.

Phase 3:

Phase 3 will evaluate the final two, Factor 5 – Sample Integrated Data Platform Task Order Oral Demonstration and Factor 4 – Price as outlined in M 2.5 and 2.6. As part of the evaluation process, the Government will assess the Offeror’s response to a sample task order. The evaluation of the sample task order will include a review of the Offeror’s approach, technical capability, and pricing to determine the Offeror’s ability to successfully perform the requirements of the IDIQ contract.

MATOC Award: The Government will award the base MATOC contract to holders on the outcome of all five factors.

Task Order Award: The Government reserves the right to make an award based on the Offeror’s response to the sample task order without further discussions. The Government plans to award Task Order 1 to (1) one of the selected base contract holders.

M.2 EVALUATION APPROACH

The Government reserves the right at its sole discretion to enter into discussions or chose not to hold discussions. Therefore, the Offeror’s initial proposal should contain the Offeror’s best terms from a price and technical standpoint. For the purposes of the evaluation, the term “Offeror” refers to the Offeror and all major subcontractors.

Statements of compliance with contractual requirements not back by evidence of such within the proposal are an insufficient basis for an acceptable rating. “Parroting” the technical requirements or the PWS with a statement of intent to perform does not reflect an understanding of the requirement or capability to perform.

M.2.1 General

All elements of Volume 1 – General; will be reviewed for compliance. Failure to fully comply with all requirements of Volume I – General may result in the offeror being ineligible for award.

For Volume 1, OCI Declaration/Mitigation: If the contracting officer determines that any actual or potential OCIs cannot be mitigated, then the OCI/Declaration/Mitigation Plan will be found non-compliant, and the Offeror shall be ineligible for award.

M.2.2 Factor 1 - Technical Corporate Experience (Past Performance)

The Government will assess a level of confidence that the Offeror can successfully perform the requirements of the RFP based on the Offeror’s prior technical corporate experience demonstrated through the Offeror’s proposal as set forth in section L for Technical Corporate Experience.

Rating Definition Substantial Confidence Based on the Offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the

Government has a high expectation that the Offeror will successfully perform the required effort.

Satisfactory Confidence Based on the offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has a…