RFP SC-25-658 Legacy Card Reader Upgrade.pdf

Ames Laboratory is operated by Iowa State University for the U.S. Department of Energy.

DATE: 12/18/2024 Sent via email

TO:

ALL OFFERORS

SUBJECT: Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SC-25-658 for Legacy Card Reader Upgrade

The Procurement Office of Ames National Laboratory (referred to herein as the “Laboratory”) is seeking, through this Request for Proposal (RFP), to acquire the goods and services as more fully described in Appendix B – Project Specifications and Drawings, dated 12/18/2024, in support of Ames Laboratory located in Ames, Iowa.

https://www.ameslab.gov/about-ames-laboratory.

The Laboratory intends to award one subcontract(s) resulting from this solicitation to that offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Laboratory, the best value, price and other factors as specified, considered. Therefore, your firm is invited to submit a proposal for these requirements.

Below is pertinent information regarding this RFP:

A. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Educational Discounts.

Iowa State University (ISU) manages and operates Ames Laboratory for the Department of Energy (DOE) as a prime contractor under DOE Contract# DE-AC02- 07CH11358 (Prime Contract). Ames Laboratory is not a separate legal entity from ISU. ISU manages and operates Ames Laboratory as a single, integrated, autonomous entity. The relationship between ISU and the Laboratory is not a contractor – affiliated source relationship. Therefore, offerors are advised that Ames Laboratory is eligible to receive educational discounted pricing.

2. Authorization to utilize Government Sources.

Offerors are advised that Ames Laboratory is authorized by the Government (Department of Energy) to purchase from GSA, and NASA SEWP contract holders.

Therefore, offerors may propose discounted pricing off their contracts held with these agencies.

https://www.ameslab.gov/about-ames-laboratory

RFP No. SC-25-653

Form 48300.071 Procurement Revision 0, 3/1/2022 Page 2 of 17

Additionally, the Laboratory may place orders against DOE Integrated Contractor Purchasing Team (ICPT) agreements and agreements awarded by the Supply Chain Management Center (SCMC). If your firm has an active ICPT Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) or SCMS BOA for the supplies or services under this solicitation, please provide the Agreement No., and pricing information in your submission of offer.

3. Open Competition.

This RFP is conducted using full and open competition. Ames Laboratory offerors are expected to use small businesses and all classifications of small minority businesses including ANCs and Indian Tribes (SB), veteran-owned small business (VOB), service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOB), HUBZone small business (HUB), small disadvantaged business including ANCs and Indian Tribes (SDB), women-owned small business (WOSB), as sub-subcontractors to the maximum extent consistent with effective contract performance.

4. North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Code.

The NAICS code for this acquisition is 236220: Commercial and

Institutional Building Construction.

The small business size standard is $45 Mil.

The table of size standards can also be found online in the small business size regulations set forth in the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Offerors can also check whether your business is small using the size standards tool.

PLEASE NOTE: The small business size standard for a concern which submits an offer in its own name, but which proposes to furnish an item which it did not itself manufacture, is 500 employees.

5. Type of Contract.

The Laboratory plans to award a Firm Fixed Price subcontract under this solicitation, and all proposals must be submitted on this basis.

6. Alternate Contract Type.

Alternate proposals based on other contract types will ☐ will not ☒ be considered.

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=b919ec8f32159d9edaaa36a7eaf6b695&mc=true&node=pt13.1.121&rgn=div5#se13.1.121_1201 https://www.sba.gov/size-standards

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7. Exceptions to Terms and Conditions.

Offerors MUST agree to the Laboratory's terms and conditions or state any exceptions to the terms and conditions within your proposal response. No further objections to the Laboratory's terms and conditions may be made after a proposal is submitted. Offerors understand and agree that by submitting a proposal, they are indicating acceptance of all Ames Laboratory Terms and Conditions, as identified as attachments to this RFP, unless such a declaration is made in advance.

The Laboratory cautions Offerors that taking exceptions to any term or condition of this RFP (including submitting any alternate proposals that requires relaxation of a requirement) may make an offer unacceptable. The Laboratory reserves the sole discretion to consider exceptions to terms and conditions or to reject any exceptions.

All exceptions must be submitted with the Offeror’s proposal. Offer Acceptance Period.

“Acceptance period,” as used in this provision, means the number of calendar days available to the Laboratory for awarding a subcontract from the date specified in this solicitation for receipt of offers.

The Laboratory requires a minimum acceptance period of 60 calendar days. An offer allowing less than the Laboratory’s minimum acceptance period may be rejected.

8. Availability of Funds.

Funds are available up to the Laboratory’s approved budget amount. In the event offerors’ pricing exceeds the Laboratory’s funding limitation, this solicitation may be cancelled.

9. Proposal Preparation Cost.

This solicitation does not commit the Laboratory to pay any cost for the preparation and submission of a response to this RFP.

10. Firm’s Authorized Official.

The offeror’s proposal must be signed by an official authorized to bind your organization and must stipulate that it is predicated upon all the terms and conditions of this RFP. Offeror shall appoint and list a single point of contact for negotiations and Purchase Order administration once the agreement is awarded.

11. Discussions.

The Laboratory may evaluate offers and award a subcontract without discussions with offerors. Therefore, the offeror’s initial offer should contain the offeror’s best

Revision 0, 3/1/2022 Page 4 of 17 terms from a price and technical standpoint. Discussions may be conducted if the Laboratory determines they are necessary. The Laboratory may reject any or all offers if such action is in the best interest of the Laboratory; accept other than the lowest offer, and waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received.

12. Multiple Line Item Awards.

The Laboratory may accept any item or group of items of an offer, unless the offeror qualifies the offer by specific limitations. Unless otherwise provided in the Pricing Schedule, offers may not be submitted for quantities less than those specified. The Laboratory reserves the right to make an award on any item for a quantity less than the quantity offered, at the unit prices offered, unless the offeror specifies otherwise in the offer.

13. Pre-Proposal Conference

13.1. The Laboratory is planning pre-proposal meeting, during which potential offerors may obtain a better understanding of the work required.

13.2. The pre- proposal conference may not be attended virtually.

13.3. The date & time of the mandatory pre-proposal conference is: 1/09/2025 at 1:00 p.m. CST.

13.4. Location of the meeting is:

Ames National Laboratory 2408 Pammel Drive Ames, Iowa 50011 Room 140 of the Technical and Administrative Services Facility

(TASF).

Attendees must provide company name and all attendees names and country of citizenship to saxton@ameslab.gov by January 3, 2025

14. Preparation of Proposals (Construction).

14.1. Offerors are expected to examine the drawings, specifications, and all provisions and instructions. Failure to do so will be at the offeror’s risk.

14.2. Each offeror must furnish the information required by the solicitation. The offeror must sign the proposal and print or type its name on the proposal and each continuation sheet on which it makes an entry. Erasures or other changes must be initialed by the person signing the proposal.

mailto:saxton@ameslab.gov

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15. Bonds and Insurance (Construction).

15.1. For fixed-price, unit-priced and cost reimbursement construction subcontracts greater than $150,000, the subcontractor will be required to submit both payment and performance bonds for 100% of the subcontract price prior to proceeding with work.

15.2. For fixed-price, unit priced and cost reimbursement construction subcontracts greater than $35,000, but not greater than $150,000, the subcontractor shall provide a payment bond for 100% of the subcontract price prior to proceeding with work.

15.3. For this solicitation, a bid bond in the amount of 5% of the proposed base and all alternates is required with the price proposal submitted. Bids bond copies may be submitted via email with the price proposal package and a hard copy original shall be mailed to:

Ames National Laboratory 2408 Pammel Drive, 211 TASF Ames, IA 50011-1015 Attn. Andrew Saxton, Contract Manager.

Hard copies must be received prior to an award being issued.

15.4. Prior to commencing work, the subcontractor shall take out and maintain at its own cost and expense, until the work is completed and accepted by the Laboratory, insurance levels satisfactory to the Laboratory. Standard insurance provisions are included in the standard terms and conditions.

16. Notice of Award.

A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, emailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a subcontract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Laboratory may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

17. Solicitation Provisions

17.1 Construction Wage Rate Requirements (CWRR)

The minimum wages paid to laborers and mechanics engaged in construction work within the scope of this request shall be in accordance with the Department of Labor (DOL) minimum wage determination (see the applicable Labor Standards clauses in the enclosed Appendix A). The appropriate determination is attached to the proposal as Appendix H. It is incumbent upon

Revision 0, 3/1/2022 Page 6 of 17 the contractor to notice that one or more job categories is/are not listed on the Wage Determinations attachment provided in the Request for Proposal and notify The Ames Laboratory. The Ames Laboratory will request a conformance from the DOL for an approved wage in that category. It is not guaranteed that the wage will be determined before the Request for Proposal from offeror is due. The winning offeror will be required to submit weekly certified payrolls to the Ames Laboratory.

17.2 Buy American Act

The Buy American Act (41 U.S.C.10) generally requires that only domestic construction material be used in the performance of this contract (see the “Buy American Act – Construction Materials” clause in the enclosed Appendix A).

B. PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

1. Proposal Package.

The information you provide in your Proposal Package will be the basis for the evaluation of your company. The following instructions will establish the acceptable minimum requirements for the format and contents of proposals. Special attention is directed to the requirements for technical and price proposals to be submitted in accordance with these instructions.

Unnecessarily elaborate brochures or other presentations beyond those enough to present a complete and effective response to this solicitation are not desired and may be construed as an indication of the Offeror's lack of cost consciousness.

Elaborate artwork, expensive paper and bindings, and expensive visual and other presentation aids are neither necessary nor wanted.

2. Explanation to Prospective Offerors.

Any prospective Offeror desiring an explanation or interpretation of the solicitation, statement of work, etc., must request it via email to the Procurement Representative listed in section B.7 on or before the stated cut-off date for questions, to allow a reply to reach all prospective Offerors before the submission of their offers. Oral explanations or instructions given before the award of the purchase order will not be binding. Any information given to a prospective Offeror concerning this solicitation will be furnished promptly to all other prospective Offerors as an amendment to the solicitation, if that information is necessary in submitting offers or if the lack of it would be prejudicial to any other prospective Offerors.

3. Separation of Technical and Price Proposals.

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Each proposal shall reflect the unique capabilities and approaches of the offeror. Duplicate proposals are not acceptable. The proposal must be prepared in two parts: a "Technical Proposal" and a "Price Proposal." Each of the parts shall be separate and complete in itself so that evaluation of one may be accomplished independently of, and concurrently with, evaluation of the other. The technical proposal must not include pricing data, or total costs. The technical proposal should disclose your technical approach in as much detail as possible, including, but not limited to, the requirements of the technical proposal instructions.

4. Creating and Naming Files.

a. Create one ZIP file of your Technical Proposal Package, including all attachments. The Technical Proposal should be created in a PDF format that enables word searches to the maximum extent practicable. Forms and/or documents requiring signature(s) may be scanned but must be merged into the Technical Proposal PDF file.

b. Create one ZIP file of your Price Proposal Package, including all attachments.

DO NOT CONVERT THE EXCEL SPREADSHEET TO PDF.

c. File naming convention.

It is requested that the filenames for your Technical Proposal and Price Proposal include the name of your company, the solicitation number and the type of proposal (i.e., Technical, Price). Examples:

Technical Proposal:

XYZ Company RFP No. SC25- 658_Technical.pdf

Price Proposal:

XYZ Company RFP No. SC25- 658_Price.pdf

5. Submission of Proposals.

a. OFFEROR(S) PROPOSAL PACKAGE MUST CONTAIN THE FOLLOWING

ITEMS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR EVALUATIONS FOR AWARD:

Items

Document Description

Package Submission

Technical Proposal. Demonstrated ability to meet requirements listed in Appendix B – Specifications and Drawings dated 12/18/2024.

TECHNICAL

Past performance information, when included as an evaluation factor, to include recent and relevant contracts

Revision 0, 3/1/2022 Page 8 of 17 for the same or similar items and two (2) references (including contract numbers, points of contact with telephone numbers/email addresses, and other relevant information);

Completed Appendix C – Contractor Safety and Quality Assurance Questionnaire with an EMR rate of 1.0 or lower.

A copy of your company’s current Health and Safety Manual

Offers shall be submitted on your company’s letterhead stationary, to include the following information:

PRICE

1. The solicitation number;

2. The time specified in the solicitation for receipt of offers;

3. The name, address, and telephone number of the offeror;

4. A technical description of the items being offered in sufficient detail to evaluate compliance with the requirements in the solicitation. This may include product literature, or other documents, if necessary;

5. Terms of any express warranty;

6. Price Schedule and any discount terms;

7. “Remit to” address;

8. Offeror’s W-9 or W-8 BEN;

9. A bid bond in the amount of 5% of the base and alt’s combined. Per section 16 (c.) above.

10. A statement indicating if the products under this solicitation are export controlled, and, if so, the Export Control Classification Number (ECCN);

11. Acknowledgement of Solicitation Amendments (if any);

12. A statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation. Offers that fail to furnish required representations or information, or reject the terms and conditions of the solicitation may be excluded from consideration; and

13. ICPT BOA, SCMS BOA, GSA FSS, or NASA SEWP contract number and pricing information, if applicable;

and

14. A statement specifying that “Supplier Name [Offeror] agrees that Ames Laboratory may accept this offer up to the specified days in this solicitation in section A(7) (or specify longer) from the date of submission of this offer”.

Financial Condition and Capability Information.

Appendix G - Representations and Certifications.

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b. Offers and modifications thereof shall be submitted via email to the Procurement Agent identified in Section 7. below, in accordance with the proposal submission instructions in the solicitation.

6. Late Submissions, Modifications, Revisions, and Withdrawals of Offers.

a. Offerors are responsible for submitting offers, and any modifications, revisions, or withdrawals, so as to reach the Laboratory’s Procurement Agent designated in the solicitation by the time specified in the solicitation.

b. Late Offers.

1. Any offer, modification, revision, or withdrawal of an offer received by the

Procurement Agent designated in the solicitation after the exact time specified for receipt of offers is "late" and will not be considered unless it is received before award is made; the Procurement Agent determines that accepting the late offer would not unduly delay the acquisition; and-

i. If it was transmitted through an electronic commerce method authorized by the solicitation, it was received at the initial point of entry to the Procurement Agent not later than 5:00 p.m. one working day prior to the date specified for receipt of offers; or

ii. There is acceptable evidence to establish that it was received by the Procurement Agent designated for receipt of offers and was under the Laboratory’s control prior to the time set for receipt of offers; or

iii. If this solicitation is a request for proposals, it was the only proposal received.

2. However, a late modification of an otherwise successful offer, that makes its terms more favorable to the Laboratory, will be considered at any time it is received and may be accepted.

c. Acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at the Laboratory includes documentary evidence of receipt maintained by the Laboratory, or oral testimony or statements of Laboratory personnel.

d. If an emergency or unanticipated event interrupts normal Laboratory processes so that offers cannot be received by the Procurement Agent designated for receipt of offers by the exact time specified in the solicitation, and urgent Laboratory

Revision 0, 3/1/2022 Page 10 of 17 requirements preclude amendment of the solicitation or other notice of an extension of the closing date, the time specified for receipt of offers will be deemed to be extended to the same time of day specified in the solicitation on the first work day on which normal Laboratory processes resume.

e. Offers may be withdrawn by written notice received at any time before the exact time set for receipt of offers. Oral offers in response to oral solicitations may be withdrawn orally. An offer may be withdrawn in person by an offeror or its authorized representative if, before the exact time set for receipt of offers, the identity of the person requesting withdrawal is established and the person signs a receipt for the withdrawal of the offer.

7. Ames Laboratory Procurement Agent:

All communications or questions related to this RFP shall be directed to:

Andrew Saxton, Contract Manager Email: saxton@ameslab.gov Phone: (515) 294-4191

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD OFFERORS DIRECTLY CONTACT ANYONE

OTHER THAN THE PROCUREMENT REPRESENTATIVE OR HIS/HER DESGINEE

REGARDING THIS RFP.

8. Procurement Timeline Due date & time (All time listed are Central Time Zone)

RFP Issue Date

12/18/2024

Pre-Proposal Conference and Site Tour 01/09/2025 at

1:00 PM (CST)

Cut-off Date for Questions. Questions regarding the solicitation shall be submitted via email to the Procurement Representative identified in section 6. above, no later than:

01/14/2025 by

3:00 PM (CST)

Final RFP addendum issued if necessary 01/17/2025 Proposal Submission Due Date. Proposals shall be submitted via email to the Procurement Representative identified in section 6.

above, no later than:

01/24/2025 by

4:00 PM (CST)

Anticipated award date of PO is:

02/07/2025

C. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL PACKAGE

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1. Lowest Price, Technically Acceptable (LPTA).

(a) Basis for Award.

Award will be based on LPTA: selection of the technically acceptable proposal with the lowest evaluated price. The Laboratory will evaluate proposals for acceptability but will not rank proposals using the non-cost/price factors. Below are the ratings for LPTA:

Technical Acceptable / Unacceptable Rating Method

Rating Description Acceptable Quotation meets the requirements of this solicitation Unacceptable Quotation does not meet the requirements of this solicitation.

(b) The non-cost evaluation factors that establish the requirements of technical acceptability are as shown below:

Non-Cost Factor 1: Supplier Capability (includes Health and Safety Record, Technical Capability and Project Delivery Schedule submitted) Non-Cost Factor 2: Financial Condition Non-Cost Factor 3: Past Performance

2. Technical Evaluation Criteria.

Offerors responding to this RFP will be evaluated to determine the most highly qualified firm to perform the requirements in accordance with the technical evaluation factors listed below. THE FACTORS AND SUBFACTORS BELOW

ARE LISTED IN THE ORDER OF RELATIVE IMPORTANCE.

SUPPLIER CAPABILITY

Factor 2 – Technical Capabilities Subfactors 1.a Safety and Health Record

The offeror shall have an excellent safety record and successful strategies for fostering a safety culture and safe performance by all personnel working on this project and shall demonstrate supplier’s safety and health record, written programs, training, and OSHA compliance activity. The offeror shall provide in its proposal:

a) Information about the offeror’s EMR and OSHA safety record, by completing and submitting a Contractor Safety & Quality Assurance Information Questionnaire. If offeror’s EMR is greater than 1.0, offeror

Revision 0, 3/1/2022 Page 12 of 17 must provide a written explanation on insurance company letterhead signed by an officer of the company to be given further consideration under evaluation.

1.b Ability to meet specifications/requirements.

Offeror will demonstrate its ability to meet the requirements delineated in Appendix B – Specifications and Drawings.

1.c Delivery Schedule.

Demonstrate delivery schedule to include sufficient detail and milestone definitions and provide the best possible schedule in days from execution of the work required. Adequately identify tasks or work elements from the execution of the work described in the Specifications and Drawings. Provide a project timeline with estimated equipment lead times and major milestones to demonstrate ability to deliver the products and services delineated in the Specifications and Drawings.

FINANCIAL CONDITION AND CAPABILITY

Offeror's financial condition and capability will be evaluated to determine if adequate resources are available and committed for performance. During the evaluation, financial references may be requested and contacted to determine the Offeror's financial stability during past years. The adequacy of available working capital to facilitate performance under the purchase order will be evaluated.

The evaluation of this information will be subjective based the financial health of an offering subcontractor, and to determine if there are foreseeable and knowable financial issues that would threaten or undermine the success of a given subcontractor should they be awarded a subcontract resulting from this solicitation, and ultimately to minimize the overall risk to the Laboratory and the government.

Demonstrated proof of financial stability will be determined by a review of the following documentation:

i. Offeror’s credit rating report obtained from one of the credit monitoring bureaus, e.g., Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, or Dun & Bradstreet; or

ii. Offeror shall provide a copy of a Consolidated Balance Sheet for the previous fiscal year.

Offerors that are not approved by Ames National Laboratory in the above category will be eliminated from further evaluation.

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SUPPLIER PAST PERFORMANCE RECORD

Factor 2 – Past Performance - Min. of two (2) References Provided per section 5 a.

The Laboratory will evaluate offeror’s past performance for RELEVANCE and for CONFIDENCE with Government agencies and private industry in terms of work quality, compliance with schedules, cost control, and stakeholder/customer satisfaction.

Comparable Experience. A project will be considered as comparable if it meets the following criteria:

1. The project’s scope was comparable to the requirements under this RFP.

2. The project was completed within the last five years.

3. A description of the work which demonstrates the relevance to Ames Lab, DOE, State of Iowa or other government agencies, scientific institutions, and clients.

4. The offeror was the prime contractor for the project.

Quantity of Comparable Experience Projects:

Submit two (2) projects only. Note: If fewer than two (2) projects are submitted, offeror will not receive maximum score; if more than two projects are submitted, only the first two will be submitted to the evaluation team.

Evaluation of Comparable Projects:

1. Example projects that closely match the scope, complexity, location, and value of this RFP project will receive a higher rating.

2. Provide information and example projects that best illustrate your company’s capability, experience, and performance. You must provide all the information requested for each project.

3. You must provide current references (contact who is familiar with the project, company name, telephone number, email and address) for your comparable projects. If the evaluation team is unable to contact the references listed to verify experience and performance, that project may not be considered.

4. Projects not meeting all the criteria or missing project information may not be considered.

Failure to provide requested data, accessible points of contact, or valid phone numbers could result in a firm being considered less qualified.

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Offerors are advised that the Laboratory may also use data obtained via customer inquiries, information in Government databases, and other information available to the Government or the public.

AMES LABORATORY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO USE PAST PERFORMANCE

INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM SOURCES OTHER THAN THOSE THAT MAY BE

IDENTIFIED BY THE OFFEROR, E.G. GOVERNMENT REPOSITORIES. THIS PAST

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION MAY BE USED FOR THE EVALUATION OF THE

OFFEROR’S PAST PERFORMANCE. AMES LABORATORY DOES NOT ASSUME THE

DUTY TO SEARCH FOR DATA TO CURE THE PROBLEMS IT FINDS IN THE

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE OFFEROR OR CONTAINED IN OTHER

GOVERNMENT REPOSITORIES. THE BURDEN OF PROVIDING THOROUGH AND

COMPLETE PAST PERFORMANCE INFORMATION REMAINS WITH THE OFFEROR.

Past Performance Acceptable / Unacceptable Rating Method Rating Description

Acceptable Based on the offeror’s performance record, the Laboratory has a reasonable expectation that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort, or the offeror’s performance record is unknown.

Unacceptable Based on the offeror’s performance record, the Laboratory does not have a reasonable expectation that the offeror will be able to successfully perform the required effort.

3. Technical Adjectival Ratings.

The Technical Proposal for Factor 1 will be scored using the adjectival scoring matrix listed in Table 1., below.

Table 1 – Adjectival Ratings and Definitions

Adjectival Rating

Rating Definition

Unacceptable Proposal does not address the evaluation factor(s) or sub-factor(s) and poses an extremely high-performance risk.

Poor Proposal does not clearly meet requirements and has not demonstrated an adequate approach or indicated an understanding of the requirements of the factor(s)/sub-factor(s). The proposal has one or more weaknesses which are not offset by strengths and pose a high or extremely high-performance risk.

Fair Proposal meets requirements and indicates an adequate approach and minimal understanding of the requirements of the factor(s)/sub-factor(s).

Strengths and weaknesses are offsetting and may pose a moderate to high performance risk.

Good Proposal meets requirements and indicates a thorough approach and complete understanding of the requirements of the factor(s)/sub-factor(s).

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Proposal contains strengths which outweigh any weaknesses and pose low to moderate performance risk.

Very Good Proposal meets requirements and indicates a thorough approach and complete understanding of the requirements of the factor(s)/sub-factor(s) on a level that exceeds that which would be scored at as “Good”. Strengths outweigh any weaknesses and pose a low performance risk.

Excellent Proposal meets or exceeds requirements and indicates in extensive detail an exceptional approach and superior understanding of the requirements of the factor(s)/sub-factor(s). Strengths far outweigh any weaknesses and pose low performance risk.

4. Past Performance Adjectival Ratings.

Past Performance will be evaluated for RELEVANCE and for CONFIDENCE. The ratings for the RELEVANCE of past performance are shown in Table 2., and the ratings for CONFIDENCE are shown in Table 3., below:

Table 2 – Adjectival Ratings and Definitions for Past Performance RELEVANCE

Rating Rating Definition

Not Relevant

Present/past performance effort involved little or none of the scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this solicitation requires.

Somewhat Relevant

Present/past performance effort involved some of the scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this solicitation requires.

Relevant Present/past performance effort involved similar scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this solicitation requires.

Very Relevant

Present/past performance effort involved essentially the same scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this solicitation requires.

Table 3 – Adjectival Ratings and Definitions for Past Performance CONFIDENCE

Rating

Rating Definition

Unknown Confidence

No recent/relevant performance record is available, or the offeror’s performance record is so sparse that no meaningful confidence assessment rating can be reasonably assigned.

No Confidence

Based on the offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Laboratory has no expectation that the offeror will be able to successfully perform the required effort.

Limited Confidence

Based on the offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Laboratory has a low expectation that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort.

Satisfactory Confidence

Based on the offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Laboratory has a reasonable expectation that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort.

Substantial Confidence

Based on the offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Laboratory has a high expectation that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort.

5. Performance Risk. (if applicable)

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The final step of the past performance evaluation will be to determine the performance risk for performing the requirements of this solicitation. Below in Table 4., are the adjectival ratings that will be used during for these evaluations:

Table 4 – Adjectival Ratings and Definitions for Performance Risk

Rating Rating Definition

Very High or Unknown Risk

Offeror’s proposal or past performance record provides extreme doubt that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort, or Offeror has no relevant performance record - a thorough search was unable to identify any past performance information.

High Risk Offeror’s proposal or past performance record provides substantial doubt that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort.

Moderate Risk Offeror’s proposal or past performance record provides some doubt that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort.

Low Risk Offeror’s proposal or past performance record provides little doubt that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort.

Very Low Risk Offeror’s proposal or past performance record provides essentially no doubt that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort.

D. PRICE PROPOSAL PACKAGE

Offerors shall submit a complete Price Proposal package which includes the following:

1. Price Proposal.

Offeror’s price proposal will be evaluated for reasonableness. For a price to be reasonable, it must represent a price that a prudent person would pay when consideration is given to prices in the market

2. Bid Bond equal to 5% of the total offer (Base and alts)

3. Evaluation of Options.

a. The evaluation of options at time of award does not obligate the Laboratory to exercise the options.

b. Unless it is determined that the evaluation of options is not in the best interest of the Laboratory, proposals will be evaluated as to offered price(s) of the base requirement, option requirements, and in the aggregate.

c. If the Laboratory elects to exercise an option with the initial subcontract award, proposals will be evaluated by adding the price of the base subcontract to the price of the option(s) exercised with the initial award.

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d. Any proposal containing options that is materially unbalanced as to prices for base and option quantities may be disregarded as unacceptable. An unbalanced proposal is one that is based on prices significantly less than cost for some work and prices that are significantly overstated for other work.

4. Pre-Award Information and Representations and Certifications.

Offerors shall review, complete and return with its price proposal package the representations and certifications document contained under Appendix G.

5. W-9 or W-8 BEN.

Offeror shall submit in its price proposal package a current W-9 / W-8.

6. Documentation for proof of financial stability.

Offeror will demonstrate its financial condition and capability in response to the requirements under Section C.

E. SOLICITATION ATTACHMENTS

Appendix A - Ames Lab Ts and Cs for FP Construction Services dated 6-21-23 Appendix A1 - ESH Terms and Conditions dated 09-05-2024 Appendix B - Specifications and Drawings for Legacy Card Reader Upgrade, dated 12-18-2024 Appendix C - Contractor Safety and Quality Assurance Information Questionnaire Appendix D10 - IPP Construction requiring delivery of data 06-24-2021 Appendix E - Safety Requirements and Deliverables Appendix F – Affirmation & Certification of Subcontract Terms & Cond.

Appendix G – Reps and Certs Supplemental 12-8-2022 Appendix H - Story County WD IA20240074 Mod. 10 dated 10-04-24 Appendix I – SF1413 Appendix J – Proposal Form

Please review all attachments to this RFP and follow the proposal instructions before you submit your offer.

Sincerely, Andrew Saxton Procurement Agent