RFQ 19CG5026Q0018 - Dedicated Internet Connectivity for CDC.pdf

U.S. Embassy Kinshasa

August 25, 2026

Dear Prospective Quoter:

Subject: Request for Quotations number 19CG5026Q0018 – Dedicated Internet Connectivity

Services for CDC Office

Enclosed is a Request for Quotations (RFQ) for Dedicated Internet Connectivity Service for CDC

Office. If you would like to submit quotation, follow the instructions in Section 3 of the solicitation, complete the required portions of the attached document, and submit it to the address shown on the

Standard Form 1449 that follows this letter.

The U.S. Government intends to award a contract to the responsible company representing best value using comparative evaluation authorized under FAR 13.106-2(b) (3). A comparative evaluation is defined as the act of comparing two or more offers in response to the RFQ. The item-by-item comparison is performed by comparing each offer directly to one another to determine which provides the best value to the Department.

Comparative evaluation is NOT a low price technically acceptable (LPTA) or trade-off process.

Prospective offers must still meet basic standards for responsibility at FAR 9.104 and solicitation compliance to be eligible for award. We intend to award a contract based on initial quotations, without holding discussions, although we may hold discussions with companies if there is a need to do so.

The Embassy intends to conduct a pre-quotation conference at the site. The pre-proposal conference will be held on September 3, 2026, at 09:30 (local time) at the U.S. Embassy Kinshasa, CDC Office located at 498, Avenue Lt. Colonel Lukusa – Gombe / Kinshasa. Prospective offerors/quoters should contact send names of attendees no later than August 29, 2026, at 12:30. Only two participants per organization are permitted.

Quotations are due no later than September 11, 2026, at 17:00. No quotations will be accepted after this time. Proposals must be in English and incomplete proposals will not be accepted.

Your quotation must be submitted electronically to Kinshasabid@state.gov. It is important to make sure the submission is made in specific size and format; in MS-Word 2007/2010 or MS-Excel

2007/2010 or Adobe Acrobat (pdf) file format. The file size must not exceed 30MB. If the file size should exceed the 30MB, the submission must be made in separate files and attached to separate emails with less than 30MB each.

In order for a quotation to be considered, you must also complete and submit the following:

1. SF-1449

2. Section I, Pricing

3. Section 5 Representations and Certifications

4. Additional information as required in Section 3

5. Proof of SAM Registration mailto:Kinshasabid@state.gov

6. CYBERSECURITY SUPPLY CHAIN RISK MANAGEMENT C-SCRM Questionnaire and/or

State Department Secure Software Development Attestation Form.

Offerors shall be registered in the SAM (System for Award Management) database at https://www.sam.gov prior to submittal of their offer/proposal as prescribed under FAR 4.1102.

Failure to be registered at time of proposal submission may deem the offeror’s proposal to be considered non-responsible and no further consideration will be given. Therefore, offerors are highly encouraged to register immediately if they are interested in submitting a response to this requirement.

Sincerely, Vernetta Wheeler

Contracting Officer

Enclosure: SF-1449 https://www.sam.gov/

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS

OFFEROR TO COMPLETE BLOCKS 12, 17, 23, 24, & 30

1. REQUISITION NUMBER

PR16171717

2. CONTRACT NO.

3. AWARD/EFFECTIVE

October 06, 2026

4. ORDER NUMBER

5. SOLICITATION NUMBER

19CG5026Q0018

6. SOLICITATION ISSUE DATE

August 25, 2026

7. FOR SOLICITATION

INFORMATION CALL:

a. NAME

Vernetta Wheeler

b. TELEPHONE NUMBER(No collect calls)

+243815560151

8. OFFER DUE DATE/ LOCAL

TIME

September 11, 2026, 17:00 Local Time

9. ISSUED BY CODE 10. THIS ACQUISITION IS UNRESTRICTED OR SET ASIDE:____ % FOR:

AMERICAN EMBASSY KINSHASA

498 AVENUE COLONEL LUKUSA, GOMBE,

ATTN GSO/PROCUREMENT

KINSHASA

DEM REP OF CONGO

SMALL BUSINESS WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS

HUBZONE SMALL

BUSINESS

(WOSB) ELLIGIBLE UNDER THE WOMEN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM NAICS:

SERVICE-DISABLED

VETERAN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS

EDWOSB

8 (A) SIZE STANDARD:

11. DELIVERY FOR FOB DESTINAT-

TION UNLESS BLOCK IS

MARKED

SEE SCHEDULE

12. DISCOUNT TERMS 13a. THIS CONTRACT IS A

RATED ORDER UNDER

DPAS (15 CFR 700)

13b. RATING

14. METHOD OF SOLICITATION

RFQ IFB RFP

15. DELIVER TO CODE 16. ADMINISTERED BY CODE

AMERICAN EMBASSY KINSHASA

498 AVENUE COLONEL LUKUSA, GOMBE,

KINSHASA

DEM REP OF CONGO

17a. CONTRACTOR/

OFFERER

TELEPHONE NO.

CODE FACILITY

CODE

18a. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY CODE

17b. CHECK IF REMITTANCE IS DIFFERENT AND PUT SUCH ADDRESS IN

OFFER

18b. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN BLOCK 18a UNLESS BLOCK

BELOW IS CHECKED SEE ADDENDUM

19.

ITEM NO.

20.

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

21.

QUANTITY

22.

UNIT

23.

UNIT PRICE

24.

AMOUNT

Dedicated Internet Connectivity Service for CDC Office

Performance Period: Base Year with two option years.

(Use Reverse and/or Attach Additional Sheets as Necessary)

25. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

26. TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT (For Govt. Use Only)

27a.SOLICITATION INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-1, 52.212-4 ARE ATTACHED. ADDENDA ARE ARE NOT ATTACHED

27b.CONTRACT/PURCHASE ORDER INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-4 IS ATTACHED. ADDENDA ARE ARE NOT ATTACHED

28. CONTRACTOR IS REQUIRED TO SIGN THIS DOCUMENT AND RETURN ____

COPIES TO ISSUING OFFICE. CONTRACTOR AGREES TO FURNISH AND DELIVER ALL

ITEMS SET FORTH OR OTHERWISE IDENTIFIED ABOVE AND ON ANY ADDITIONAL

SHEETS SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SPECIFIED HEREIN.

29. AWARD OF CONTRACT: REF. _________________ OFFER DATED

____________. YOUR OFFER ON SOLICITATION (BLOCK 5), INCLUDING ANY

ADDITIONS OR CHANGES WHICH ARE SET FORTH HEREIN, IS ACCEPTED AS

TO ITEMS:

30a. SIGNATURE OF OFFEROR/CONTRACTOR 31a. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (SIGNATURE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER)

30b. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

30c. DATE SIGNED

31b. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

31c. DATE SIGNED

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION STANDARD FORM 1449 (REV. 02/2012)

PREVIOUS EDITION IS NOT USABLE Computer Generated Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.212

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1 - THE SCHEDULE

* SF 1449 cover sheet

* Continuation To SF-1449, RFQ Number 19CG5026Q0018, Prices, Block 23

* Continuation To SF-1449, RFQ Number 19CG5026Q0018, Schedule Of Supplies/Services, Block 20 Description/Specifications/Work Statement

* Description/Specifications/Statement of Work, Government furnished Property

* List of Attachment

* Attachment 1 CYBERSECURITY SUPPLY CHAIN RISK MANAGEMENT (C-SCRM) and/or State Department Secure Software Development Attestation Form

SECTION 2 - CONTRACT CLAUSES

* Contract Clauses

* Addendum to Contract Clauses - FAR and DOSAR Clauses not Prescribed in Part 12

SECTION 3 - SOLICITATION PROVISIONS

* Solicitation Provisions

* Addendum to Solicitation Provisions - FAR and DOSAR Provisions not Prescribed in Part

SECTION 4 - EVALUATION

* Evaluation

* Addendum to Evaluation - FAR and DOSAR Provisions not Prescribed in Part 12

SECTION 5 - OFFEROR REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

* Offeror Representations and Certifications

* Addendum to Offeror Representations and Certifications - FAR and DOSAR Provisions not

Prescribed in Part 12

SECTION 1 - THE SCHEDULE

CONTINUATION TO SF-1449,

RFQ NUMBER S-19CG5026Q0018

PRICES BLOCK 23

I. SCOPE OF SERVICES

The Contractor shall complete all work, including furnishing all labor, material, equipment, and services, unless otherwise specified herein, required under this contract for stated services within the time specified herein. The price listed below shall include all labor, materials, overhead, and profit.

In consideration of satisfactory performance of all scheduled services required under this contract, the Contractor shall be paid a firm fixed price for all services.

II. BASE PERIOD

The contract will be for a one-year period from the date of the contract award and a notice to proceed with two (2) option years.

1. The Contractor shall furnish all engineering, labor, tools, equipment, materials, supplies and services to provide the required circuit as specified under Section 1, hereof.

2. Prices. In consideration of satisfactory performance of the services required under this contract, the Contractor shall be paid a firm fixed price (FFP) per month as stated in the schedule below in USD.

JAMES ZADROGA 9/11 VICTIMS HEALTH AND COMPENSATION ACT OF

2010 NOTICE: UNLESS A WAIVER OR EXCEPTION APPLIES, PAYMENTS

SUBSEQUENT TO THIS PROCUREMENT ARE SUBJECT TO AN EXCISE

TAX OF 2% PERSUANT TO 26 U.S.C. 5000C.

2.1 VALUE ADDED TAX

VALUE ADDED TAX. Value Added Tax (VAT) is not applicable to this contract and shall not be included in the CLIN rates or Invoices because the U.S. Embassy has a tax exemption certificate from the host government.

2.2. The firm fixed-prices are in USD.

BASE YEAR: October 6, 2026 – October 5, 2027

Contract

Line

Item # Description of Services

Number of

Months Monthly Price Total Firm-Fixed Price

Symmetrical Internet bandwidth for CDC Office

498, Avenue Lt Colonel

Lukusa, Gombe - Kinshasa.

at minimum 50 Mbps download and 50 Mbps upload.

Initial Installation (Non-

Reoccurring)

TOTAL FOR BASE YEAR

OPTION YEAR 1: October 6, 2027 – October 5, 2028

Item # Description of Services

Number of

Months Monthly Price Total Firm-Fixed Price

Symmetrical Internet bandwidth for CDC Office

498, Avenue Lt Colonel

Lukusa, Gombe - Kinshasa.

at minimum 50 Mbps download and 50 Mbps upload.

TOTAL FOR OPTION YEAR 1

OPTION YEAR 2: October 6, 2028 – October 5, 2029

Item # Description of Services

Number of

Months Monthly Price Total Firm-Fixed Price

Symmetrical Internet bandwidth for CDC Office

498, Avenue Lt Colonel

Lukusa, Gombe - Kinshasa.

at minimum 50 Mbps download and 50 Mbps upload.

TOTAL FOR OPTION YEAR 2

GRAND TOTAL CONTRACT PRICE, INCLUDING ALL OPTION YEARS

Base Period Total Price

First Option Year Total Price

Second Option Year Total Price

GRAND TOTAL FIRM-FIXED PRICE

FOR BASE YEAR PLUS ALL OPTION YEARS

CONTINUATION TO SF-1449, RFQ NUMBER S-19CG5026Q0018

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES, BLOCK 20

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/WORK STATEMENT

1. SCOPE OF WORK

A. Purpose

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires a qualified Internet Service Provider

(ISP) to provide dedicated Internet connectivity for the CDC Democratic Republic of the Congo

(DRC) Country Office. The Contractor shall furnish all labor, equipment, materials, installation, monitoring, maintenance, and technical support necessary to provide reliable Internet services throughout the period of performance.

B. Background

The CDC Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Country Office requires reliable Internet connectivity to support secure communications, enterprise applications, collaboration services, and public health mission activities. The existing dedicated Internet service currently supports the CDC

Global Wi-Fi solution. This contract will ensure uninterrupted operations. Upon activation of the

Government Wi-Fi project, this service is intended to transition, upon activation of the Government

Wi-Fi project, to serve as the secondary Internet transport within the CDC enterprise Software-

Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) architecture.

To improve continuity of operations, the renewed service will be integrated into the Government-managed SD-WAN environment to provide automatic failover and load balancing with an alternate

Internet Service Provider (ISP). This capability will improve network availability, optimize bandwidth utilization, and maintain connectivity during service disruptions.

The current corporate Internet service provides redundancy only within a single ISP and does not provide true provider diversity. Consequently, a provider-wide outage may interrupt all Internet connectivity, requiring manual intervention to restore service and disrupting mission-critical operations. Renewing this service with an alternate ISP will eliminate this single point of failure, enable provider diversity, and improve network resilience and operational continuity.

C. Scope

The Contractor shall provide a fully managed, dedicated Internet service for the CDC Democratic

Republic of the Congo (DRC) Country Office. The Contractor shall furnish all labor, supervision, equipment, materials, installation, testing, activation, monitoring, maintenance, and technical support necessary to provide reliable Internet connectivity throughout the period of performance.

The Contractor shall provide all services in accordance with the requirements of this Statement of

Work (SOW) and the resulting contract.

D. Technical Requirements

The Contractor shall:

1) Provide one (1) dedicated Internet circuit with true Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) delivery, ensuring uninterrupted optical continuity from the ISP’s distribution node to the

Embassy’s telecommunications demarcation point.”

2) Provide a minimum of 50 Mbps symmetrical Internet bandwidth (50 Mbps download and

50 Mbps upload). The 50 Mbps symmetrical service level constitutes the minimum bandwidth requirement for contract award. However, the proposal should include pricing for tiers, 35/75/100, for informational purposes.

3) Install, configure, test, and activate the Internet service.

4) Terminate the Internet circuit at the Government-designated demarcation point and connect it to Government-furnished network equipment located at the CDC DRC

Country Office.

5) Provide one (1) dedicated /29 public IPv4 subnet, with a minimum of five (5) usable public IP addresses, upon service activation.

6) Ensure the Internet service is not provisioned through Carrier-Grade Network Address

Translation (CGNAT).

7) Permit unrestricted transit of standard Internet protocols, including TCP, UDP, ICMP, and IPSec, necessary to support Government-managed applications and secure communications.

8) Not implement filtering, proxying, firewall policies, or other network restrictions that interfere with Government-managed VPNs, SD-WAN tunnels, or encrypted communications.

9) Provide a secure web-based monitoring portal that allows authorized Government personnel to monitor, at a minimum:

• Circuit operational status

• Bandwidth utilization

• Service availability

• Outage history

• Trouble ticket status

10) Provide preventive maintenance, corrective maintenance, and technical support twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week, including holidays.

11) Submit a monthly Service Level Agreement (SLA) performance report documenting:

• Service availability (uptime)

• Outage summary and root cause (if applicable)

• Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)

• Bandwidth utilization

• Planned maintenance activities

• Open and closed trouble tickets

• SLA compliance

12) Provide and maintain an independent last-mile access path that is physically diverse from the primary last-mile connection and supports automatic failover or manual switchover.

13) Support Government-managed routing requirements, including static routing and/or

Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), as directed by the Government.

14) Provide unrestricted public Internet connectivity that supports automatic failover and load balancing when integrated into the Government-managed SD-WAN environment.

15) Identify and clearly label the network demarcation point and provide all cabling, connectors, and Contractor-furnished equipment necessary to terminate the service at the

Government-designated location.

16) Not use network devices that include or rely on ZTE, Huawei, Xiaomi, or any affiliated products or services.

17) Contractor Responsibilities

The Contractor shall:

a. Provide all labor, supervision, equipment, materials, tools, transportation, and technical resources necessary to perform the services required under this Statement of Work.

b. Install, configure, test, activate, operate, monitor, and maintain the Internet service throughout the period of performance.

c. Maintain Internet services in accordance with the Service Level Requirements specified in this Statement of Work.

d. Coordinate all installation, maintenance, testing, and service activities with the

Government and minimize disruption to Government operations.

e. Notify the Government at least seventy-two (72) hours before any planned maintenance that may affect service availability. Whenever practicable, scheduled maintenance shall be performed outside the Government's normal business hours.

f. Respond to, troubleshoot, and restore service interruptions in accordance with the

Service Level Requirements.

g. Maintain all Contractor-furnished equipment in good working order and replace defective equipment at no additional cost to the Government.

h. Provide qualified technical support personnel twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week, including holidays.

i. Notify the Government immediately of any outage or event that may adversely affect service availability and provide regular status updates until service has been restored.

j. Coordinate with the Government to perform installation testing, service validation, and acceptance testing.

18) Government Responsibilities

The Government shall:

a. Designate a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) as the primary technical point of contact.

b. Provide the Contractor with reasonable access to the Government facility for installation, maintenance, testing, and repair activities.

c. Coordinate facility access and escort requirements, as applicable.

d. Review deliverables and provide acceptance or identify deficiencies within a reasonable period after receipt.

e. Coordinate acceptance testing with the Contractor.

f. The Government shall not be responsible for the operation, maintenance, or repair of

Contractor-furnished equipment or services.

19) Deliverables

The Contractor shall provide the following deliverables in accordance with the schedule specified below.

Deliverable Description Delivery Schedule

Operational Internet

Service

Fully installed, tested, and operational dedicated Internet service

Upon service activation

Dedicated Public

IPv4 Addressing

One (1) dedicated /29 public IPv4 subnet Upon service activation

Web-Based

Monitoring Portal

Secure portal providing real-time circuit monitoring and reporting

Upon service activation

Network

Implementation

Report

Documentation of the installed service, including circuit identification, public IPv4 allocation, routing configuration, demarcation point, monitoring portal

Within five (5) business days of service activation information, NOC contacts, and escalation procedures

Monthly

Service

Performance Report

Monthly report documenting service availability, outages, bandwidth utilization, maintenance activities, and SLA compliance

Monthly

Incident/Outage

Report

Report describing the outage, root cause, corrective actions, and restoration timeline

As required

Planned Maintenance

Notification

Written notification of scheduled maintenance affecting service availability

Minimum seventy-two (72) hours before maintenance

20) Performance Standards

The Contractor shall provide Internet services that meet or exceed the performance requirements specified in this Statement of Work throughout the period of performance.

The Contractor shall ensure that Internet services remain continuously available except during approved maintenance windows or events beyond the Contractor's reasonable control.

a. Service Level Requirements

The Contractor shall meet, at a minimum, the following service levels:

Performance Metric Minimum Requirement

Service Availability 99.5% per calendar month

Packet Loss ≤ 1%

Initial Response to Critical Outage Within 30 minutes

Service Restoration Within 4 hours

Technical Support 24×7×365

Planned Maintenance Notice ≥ 72 hours

Monthly Reporting Required

b. Performance Requirement Summary

Performance

Objective

Performance Standard Acceptable

QualityLevel

(AQL)

Method of

Surveillance

Internet

Availability

99.5% uptime per month

≥99.5% Monthly SLA reports;

Government verification

Bandwidth Minimum 50

Mbps symmetrical

100% compliance Bandwidth testing

Outage Response Response within 30 minutes

100% compliance Trouble ticket review

Service

Restoration

Restore within 4 hours 95% of outages Incident reports

Monitoring Portal Continuous

Government access

100% availability Government verification

Last-Mile

Failover

Successful failover demonstration

100% Government-witnessed acceptance testing

Monthly

Reporting

Reports submitted by the

5th business day

100% COR review

Failure to meet these minimum performance standards may constitute failure to perform in accordance with the contract and may require corrective action by the Contractor.

21) Inspection and Acceptance

The Internet service shall be considered acceptable upon successful completion of Government acceptance testing. At a minimum, the Contractor shall demonstrate that:

a. The dedicated Internet circuit has been installed, configured, tested, and activated.

b. The Internet service provides the contracted minimum symmetrical bandwidth of 50

Mbps.

c. The dedicated /29 public IPv4 subnet has been provisioned and is operational.

d. The Internet circuit successfully terminates to Government network equipment at the designated demarcation point.

e. The secure web-based monitoring portal is operational and accessible to authorized

Government personnel.

f. The independent redundant last-mile access solution is installed and operational.

g. Government-witnessed simulated failure of the primary last-mile connection without loss of Internet connectivity exceeding the thresholds established in the Service Level

Requirements.

h. The primary connection is restored upon recovery without requiring manual reconfiguration by Government personnel.

i. All required technical documentation, including the Network Implementation Report, has been delivered to the Government.

j. All deficiencies identified during Government acceptance testing have been corrected.

k. The Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) has provided written acceptance of the service within a reasonable period following completion of acceptance testing.

22) Transition Support

Upon expiration or termination of the contract, the Contractor shall cooperate with the Government and any successor contractor to ensure an orderly transition of services with minimal disruption to

Government operations.

Transition support shall include, at a minimum:

a. Coordination with the Government and successor contractor, as applicable.

b. Transfer of technical information necessary to facilitate continuity of service.

c. Support for service cutover activities, if requested by the Government.

d. Removal of Contractor-furnished equipment, if applicable, upon Government authorization.

23) Bandwidth Scalability and Flexibility

a. To accommodate availability of funds, changes in operational and business needs during the period of performance, the Contractor shall support bandwidth adjustments among the following symmetrical service tiers: 30 Mbps, 50 Mbps, 75Mbps and 100 Mbps.

b. The Government may request movement between these bandwidth tiers during the period of performance.

c. Any bandwidth adjustment shall be implemented only upon authorization by the

d. Contracting Officer and shall not affect the Contractor's ability to meet the other technical, availability, redundancy, and performance requirements of this SOW.

e. The Contractor shall provide applicable pricing and implementation timelines before any change, without affecting other SOW requirements.

2. Credit for Circuit Downtime by Situation

Below Availability Level: If the downtime accumulated for a circuit adds up to 26.28

(8760 x 0.3%) cumulative hours or more during any one contract year (365 calendar days) or depending on the number of hours for the month (example 744 x .3%) cumulative hours per month (example: 31 calendar day month) the Contractor shall grant an hourly credit to the

Government for each hour of downtime. Each additional one-hour increment or portion thereof will be assessed as an additional hour.

Extended Downtime Credit(s): Cumulative time of more than 18 hours but not greater than 24 hours for any one outage shall be assessed at a daily rate. Any increment of 24 hours beyond the initial 24 hours of any one outage shall be assessed at the standards for the hourly rate up to 12 hours, however between 12 and 24 hours the credit shall be assessed at the daily rate.

3. Exceptions to Cumulating of Downtime

Cumulating of circuit downtime shall include all unscheduled downtime deemed to be the responsibility of the Contractor, with the following exceptions:

a. When the failure to perform arises out of causes beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of the Contractor or Sub-contractor as defined in the Termination for Default clause in Section I of this contract.

b. Malfunction of equipment, frequency fading and interference, errors of commission and/or omission by the Contractor or Sub-contractor, and commercial power surges or failures are considered to be normal hazards of the industry and therefore do not qualify as causes beyond the control of the Contractor or Sub-contractor. The Contractor shall be charged with credits for all reported outages determined “no trouble found” or “came clear while testing” but which exceed 45 minutes.

The Contracting Officer shall make final determination as to whether downtime is the responsibility of the Contractor. If requested by the Contracting Officer, the Contractor shall provide documentation to support claims of excusable downtime. For downtime determined to be the Contractor’s responsibility, the Contracting Officer may elect to assess a credit for each instance of non-performance.

4. Payment Reduction for Downtime Credits

When Circuit Downtime credit(s) is owed to the Government, the total number of creditable hours shall be accumulated for the month and will be deducted from the payment due the Contractor in the month they accrued.

5. Trouble Escalation Procedure

a. The Government shall refer the problem to the carrier after performing tests as prescribed in the Trouble Analysis procedure. Obtain the name of the carrier test person and a carrier ticket number; record this information on the Government’s Remedy Ticket.

b. After the trouble has been referred to the carrier for two (2) hours, recall the carrier for an update on the current trouble. Record the carrier’s response, the name of the individual you talked with, and the carrier ticket number on the Remedy Ticket.

c. After the trouble has been referred to the carrier for four (4) hours, recall the carrier for an update on the current trouble. If the carrier’s response is not satisfactory escalate the trouble to the carrier’s management. Record the carrier’s response, the name of the individual you talked with, and the carrier ticket number on the Remedy Ticket.

d. After the trouble has been referred to the Contractor for six (6) hours the COR shall escalate the trouble to the Contractor’s manager; also notify IRM/IMO and the Contracting Officer and the STATE IRM/ISC Office. Record the contractor’s response, the name of the individual you talked with, the Contractor ticket number, and the names of the IRM managers that were notified on the Remedy Ticket.

e. Continue to status the Contractor for the remainder of the outage or until you have received a problem resolved status.

6. Technological Refreshment

After contract award, the Government may; pursuant to FAR clause 52.212-4 - Contract Terms and Conditions –Commercial Items, paragraph (c), Changes; request changes within the scope of the contract. These changes may be required to improve performance or react to changes in technology.

The Contractor may propose for the Government’s technological refreshment, substitutions or additions for any provided products or services that may become available as a result of technological improvements. The Government may, at any time during the term of this contract or any extensions thereof, modify the contract to acquire products which are similar to those under the contract and that the Contractor has, or has not, formally announced for marketing purposes. This action is considered to be within the scope of the contract. At the option of the

Government, a demonstration of the substitute product may be required. The Government is under no obligation to modify the contract in response to the proposed additions or substitutions.

Such substitutions or additions may include any part of, or all of, a given product(s) provided that the following conditions are met and substantiated by documentation in the technological refreshment proposal:

a. The proposed product(s) shall meet all of the technical specifications of this document and conform to the terms and conditions cited in the contract.

b. The proposed product(s) shall have the capacity, performance, or functional characteristics equal to or greater than, the current product(s).

c. The proposal shall discuss the impact on hardware, services, and delivery schedules. The cost of the changes not specifically addressed in the proposal shall be borne entirely by the

Contractor.

d. Contractor has the right to withdraw, in whole or in part, any technological refreshment proposal prior to acceptance by the Government. Contractor will use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that prices for substitutions or additions are comparable to replaced or discontinued products. If a technological refreshment proposal is accepted and made a part of this contract, an equitable adjustment, increasing or decreasing the contract price, may be required and any other affected provisions of this contract shall be made in accordance with FAR clause 52.212-4, paragraph (c), Changes, and other applicable clauses of the contract.

7. QUALITY ASSURANCE AND SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP)

This plan provides an effective method to promote satisfactory contractor performance. The QASP provides a method for the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) to monitor Contractor performance, advise the Contractor of unsatisfactory performance, and notify the Contracting Officer of continued unsatisfactory performance. The Contractor, not the Government, is responsible for management and quality control to meet the terms of the contract.

The role of the Government is to monitor quality to ensure that contract standards are achieved.

Performance Objective Scope of Work Para Performance Threshold

Services.

Performs all internet services set forth in the scope of work.

1. thru 6.

All required services are performed and no more than two

(2) customer complaint is received per month.

SECTION 2 - CONTRACT CLAUSES

52.212-4 TERMS AND CONDITIONS—COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND

COMMERCIAL SERVICES. (NOV 2025) IS INCORPORATED BY

REFERENCE. (SEE SF-1449, BLOCK 27A)

52.229-12 TAX ON CERTAIN FOREIGN PROCUREMENTS (JUL 2025)

ADDENDUM TO CONTRACT CLAUSES

FAR AND DOSAR CLAUSES NOT PRESCRIBED IN PART 12

52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. In addition, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at: Acquisition.gov this address is subject to change.

If the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is not available at the location indicated above, use the Department of State Acquisition website at e-CFR to see the links to the FAR. You may also use an Internet “search engine” (for example, Google, Yahoo or Excite) to obtain the latest location of the most current FAR.

CYBERSECURITY SUPPLY CHAIN RISK MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS (AUG

2024)

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause:

Covered article - The term "covered article" includes-

(1) "Information and Communications technology" which is an industry term for information technology that is involved in integrating telecommunications (e.g., telephone lines and wireless signals) and computers to enable users to access, store, manipulate, transmit, and receive digital information. This includes software, software as a service, digital and data services, and hardware components that support information creation, storage, transfer, and management, like computers and smartphones.

(2) "Telecommunications Equipment", which means equipment, other than customer premises equipment, used by a carrier to provide telecommunications services, and includes software integral to such equipment (including upgrades).

(3) "Telecommunications Service", which means the offering of telecommunications for a fee directly to the public, or to such classes of users as to be effectively available directly to the public, regardless of the facilities used.

https://acquisition.gov/browse/index/far https://gov.ecfr.io/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=d9a7851186785ba2b1896db79b1b6b29&mc=true&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title48/48tab_02.tpl

(4) “Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk”, which means the risk that a person may sabotage, maliciously introduce unwanted function, extract data, or otherwise manipulate the design, integrity, manufacturing, production, distribution, installation, operation, maintenance, disposition, or retirement of covered articles to surveil, deny, disrupt, or otherwise manipulate the function, use, or operation of the covered articles or information stored or transmitted on the covered articles.

(5) “Incident,” which means, per the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014, “an occurrence that (A) actually or imminently jeopardizes, without lawful authority, the integrity, confidentiality, or availability of information or an information system; or (B) constitutes a violation or imminent threat of violation of law, security policies, security procedures, or acceptable use policies.”

(6) "Vulnerability,” means any weakness in an information system, system security procedures, internal controls, or implementation that could be exploited or triggered by a threat source.

(b) Contractor Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management Responsibilities. The Contractor must regularly identify, assess, monitor, and mitigate cybersecurity supply chain risks when providing covered articles or services to the Government. The Contractor shall maintain artifacts (i.e., any byproduct of hardware or software development that helps describe the architecture, design, and function of that hardware or software) that document its compliance with this paragraph and shall provide these artifacts to the Government within 48 hours of request, which may be redacted to remove sensitive proprietary information.

(c) Supporting Government Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Assessments. No more than an estimated once per year, the Contractor must provide any requested information related to its supply chain within 10 business days except information that is protected by a non-disclosure agreement with its customers (e.g., another federal agency).

(d) Novation Agreement Notice. FAR 42.1203 require Government approval of novation agreements. For proposed novation agreements for this contract, the Contractor shall provide any information requested by the Government regarding the proposed successor’s identity and information regarding its supply chain.

(e) Notification procedures for cybersecurity supply chain incidents. When an incident occurs, the Contractor must contact the CO or their designee within 72 hours of the incident.

(f) Subcontracts. The Contractor shall insert the substance of this clause in all subcontracts and other contractual instruments in support of this contract.

(g) Attestation following Major Version Change. For software provided under the contract that required an approved Secure Software Development Attestation Form, the responses on this form apply to the software’s major version changes (e.g., using a semantic versioning schema of

Major, Minor, Patch, the software version number goes from 2.5 to 3.0) unless the Contractor otherwise notifies the Contracting Officer that the form is no longer valid. This notification to the Contracting Officer must be submitted within 15 days of the major version change and must include a new completed and signed Secure Software Development Attestation Form.

(end of clause)

THE FOLLOWING FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATIONS (FAR) CLAUSES ARE

INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE:

CLAUSE TITLE AND DATE

52.203-17 CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEE WHISTLEBLOWER RIGHTS (NOV 2023)

52.204-9 PERSONAL IDENTITY VERIFICATION OF CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL

(JAN 2011)

52.204-13 SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT MAINTENANCE (NOV 2025)

52.222-19 CHILD LABOR-COOPERATION WITH AUTHORITIES AND REMEDIES

(NOV 2025)

52.228-3 WORKERS’ COMPENSATION INSURANCE (DEFENSE BASE ACT)

(JUL 2014)

52.228-4 WORKER’S COMPENSATION AND WAR-HAZARD INSURANCE

OVERSEAS (APRIL 1984)

52.228-5 INSURANCE - WORK ON A GOVERNMENT INSTALLATION (JAN 1997)

52.229-6 TAXES-FOREIGN FIXED-PRICE CONTRACTS (JUL 2025)

52.232-39 UNENFORCEABILITY OF UNAUTHORIZED OBLIGATIONS (JUNE 2013)

52.232-40 PROVIDING ACCELERATED PAYMENTS TO SMALL BUSINESS

SUBCONTRACTORS (MAR 2023)

52.244-6 SUBCONTRACTS FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL

SERVICES (NOV 2025)

THE FOLLOWING FAR CLAUSE(S) IS/ARE PROVIDED IN FULL TEXT:

52.217-8 OPTION TO EXTEND SERVICES (NOV 1999)

The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting

Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within the performance period of the contract.

52.217-9 OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT (MAR 2000)

(a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the

Contractor within the performance period of the contract or within 30 days after funds for the option year become available, whichever is later.

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

(c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed three (3) years, including base and all options years.

52.232-19 AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR (APR 1984)

Funds are not presently available for performance under this contract beyond September 30, 2027. The Government's obligation for performance of this contract beyond that date is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds from which payment for contract purposes can be made. No legal liability on the part of the Government for any payment may arise for performance under this contract beyond September 30, 2027, until funds are made available to the Contracting Officer for performance and until the Contractor receives notice of availability, to be confirmed in writing by the Contracting Officer.

THE FOLLOWING DOSAR CLAUSE(S) IS/ARE PROVIDED IN FULL TEXT:

CONTRACTOR IDENTIFICATION (JULY 2008)

Contract performance may require contractor personnel to attend meetings with government personnel and the public, work within government offices, and/or utilize government email.

Contractor personnel must take the following actions to identify themselves as non-federal employees:

1) Use an email signature block that shows name, the office being supported and company affiliation (e.g. “John Smith, Office of Human Resources, ACME Corporation

Support Contractor”);

2) Clearly identify themselves and their contractor affiliation in meetings;

3) Identify their contractor affiliation in Departmental e-mail and phone listings whenever contractor personnel are included in those listings; and

4) Contractor personnel may not utilize Department of State logos or indicia on business cards.

(End of clause)

652.204-70 DEPARTMENT OF STATE PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION CARD

ISSUANCE (FEB 2015)

(a) The Contractor shall comply with the Department of State (DOS) Personal Identification

Card Policy and Procedures for all employees performing under this contract who require frequent and continuing access to DOS facilities, or information systems. The Contractor shall insert the substance of this clause in all subcontracts when the subcontractor's employees will require frequent and continuing access to DOS facilities, or information systems.

(b) The DOS Personal Identification Card Policy and Procedures may be accessed at http://www.state.gov/m/ds/rls/rpt/c21664.htm.

652.215-70 EXAMINATION OF RECORDS

(a) With respect to matters related to this contract or a subcontract hereunder, the Department of

State Office of the Inspector General, or an authorized representative, shall have upon request:

(1) Complete, prompt, and free access to all Contractor and Subcontractor files (in any format), documents, records, data, premises, and employees, except as limited by law; and

(2) The right to interview any current Contractor and Subcontractor personnel, individually and directly, with respect to such matters.

(b) This clause may not be construed to require the contractor or any subcontractor to create or maintain any record that the contractor or subcontractor does not maintain in the ordinary course of business or pursuant to a provision of law.

(c) The Contractor shall insert a clause containing all the terms of this clause, including this paragraph (c), in all subcontracts under this contract other than acquisitions described in Federal

Acquisition Regulation 15.209(b)(1).

652.225-71 SECTION 8(A) OF THE EXPORT ADMINISTRATION ACT OF 1979, AS

AMENDED (AUG 1999)

(a) Section 8(a) of the U.S. Export Administration Act of 1979, as amended (50 U.S.C.

2407(a)), prohibits compliance by U.S. persons with any boycott fostered by a foreign country against a country which is friendly to the United States and which is not itself the object of any form of boycott pursuant to United States law or regulation. The Boycott of Israel by Arab http://www.state.gov/m/ds/rls/rpt/c21664.htm https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-48/section-652.215-70#p-652.215-70(c)

League countries is such a boycott, and therefore, the following actions, if taken with intent to comply with, further, or support the Arab League Boycott of Israel, are prohibited activities under the Export Administration Act:

(1) Refusing, or requiring any U.S. person to refuse to do business with or in Israel, with any Israeli business concern, or with any national or resident of Israel, or with any other person, pursuant to an agreement of, or a request from or on behalf of a boycotting country;

(2) Refusing, or requiring any U.S. person to refuse to employ or otherwise discriminating against any person on the basis of race, religion, sex, or national origin of that person or of any owner, officer, director, or employee of such person;

(3) Furnishing information with respect to the race, religion, or national origin of any

U.S. person or of any owner, officer, director, or employee of such U.S. person;

(4) Furnishing information about whether any person has, has had, or proposes to have any business relationship (including a relationship by way of sale, purchase, legal or commercial representation, shipping or other transport, insurance, investment, or supply) with or in the State of Israel, with any business concern organized under the laws of the State of Israel, with any

Israeli national or resident, or with any person which is known or believed to be restricted from having any business relationship with or in Israel;

(5) Furnishing information about whether any person is a member of, has made contributions to, or is otherwise associated with or involved in the activities of any charitable or fraternal organization which supports the State of Israel; and,

(6) Paying, honoring, confirming, or otherwise implementing a letter of credit which contains any condition or requirement against doing business with the State of Israel.

(b) Under Section 8(a), the following types of activities are not forbidden ``compliance with the boycott,'' and are therefore exempted from Section 8(a)'s prohibitions listed in paragraphs

(a)(1)-(6) above:

(1) Complying or agreeing to comply with requirements:

(i) Prohibiting the import of goods or services from Israel or goods produced or services provided by any business concern organized under the laws of Israel or by nationals or residents of Israel; or,

(ii) Prohibiting the shipment of goods to Israel on a carrier of Israel, or by a route other than that prescribed by the boycotting country or the recipient of the shipment;

(2) Complying or agreeing to comply with import and shipping document requirements with respect to the country of origin, the name of the carrier and route of shipment, the name of the supplier of the shipment or the name of the provider of other services, except that no information knowingly furnished or conveyed in response to such requirements may be stated in negative, blacklisting, or similar exclusionary terms, other than with respect to carriers or route of shipments as may be permitted by such regulations in order to comply with precautionary requirements protecting against war risks and confiscation;

(3) Complying or agreeing to comply in the normal course of business with the unilateral and specific selection by a boycotting country, or national or resident thereof, of carriers, insurance, suppliers of services to be performed within the boycotting country or specific goods which, in the normal course of business, are identifiable by source when imported into the boycotting country;

(4) Complying or agreeing to comply with the export requirements of the boycotting country relating to shipments or transshipments of exports to Israel, to any business concern of or organized under the laws of Israel, or to any national or resident of Israel;

(5) Compliance by an individual or agreement by an individual to comply with the immigration or passport requirements of any country with respect to such individual or any member of such individual's family or with requests for information regarding requirements of employment of such individual within the boycotting country; and,

(6) Compliance by a U.S. person resident in a foreign country or agreement by such person to comply with the laws of that country with respect to his or her activities exclusively therein, and such regulations may contain exceptions for such resident complying with the laws or regulations of that foreign country governing imports into such country of trademarked, trade named, or similarly specifically identifiable products, or components of products for his or her own use, including the performance of contractual services within that country, as may be defined by such regulations.

652.229-70 EXCISE TAX EXEMPTION STATEMENT FOR CONTRACTORS WITHIN

THE UNITED STATES (JUL 1988)

This is to certify that the item(s) covered by this contract is/are for export solely for the use of the U.S. Foreign Service Post identified in the contract schedule.

The Contractor shall use a photocopy of this contract as evidence of intent to export. Final proof of exportation may be obtained from the agent handling the shipment. Such proof shall be accepted in lieu of payment of excise tax.

652.232-70 PAYMENT SCHEDULE AND INVOICE SUBMISSION (FIXED-PRICE)

(AUG 1999)

(a) General. The Government shall pay the contractor as full compensation for all work required, performed, and accepted under this contract the firm fixed-price stated in this contract.

(b) Invoice Submission. The contractor shall submit invoices electronically to the office identified in Block 18b of the SF-1449. To constitute a proper invoice, the invoice shall include all the items required by FAR 32.905(e).

The contractor shall show Value Added Tax (VAT) as a separate item on invoices submitted for payment, if applicable.

(c) Contractor Remittance Address. The Government will make payment to the contractor’s address stated on the cover page of this contract, unless a separate remittance address is shown below:

652.237-72 Observance of Legal Holidays and Administrative Leave (FEB 2015)

(a) The Department of State observes the following days as holidays:

New Year’s Day

Martin Luther King’s Birthday

Washington’s Birthday

Memorial Day

Juneteenth

Independence Day

Labor Day

Columbus Day

Veterans Day

Thanksgiving Day

Christmas Day

Any other day designated by Federal law, Executive Order, or Presidential Proclamation.

(b) When New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day or Christmas Day falls on a

Sunday, the following Monday is observed; if it falls on Saturday the preceding Friday is observed. Observance of such days by Government personnel shall not be cause for additional period of performance or entitlement to compensation except as set forth in the contract. If the contractor’s personnel work on a holiday, no form of holiday or other premium compensation will be reimbursed either as a direct or indirect cost, unless authorized pursuant to an overtime clause elsewhere in this contract.

(c) When the Department of State grants administrative leave to its Government employees, assigned contractor personnel in Government facilities shall also be dismissed. However, the contractor agrees to continue to provide sufficient personnel to perform round-the-clock requirements of critical tasks already in operation or scheduled, and shall be guided by the instructions issued by the contracting officer or his/her duly authorized representative.

(d) For fixed-price contracts, if services are not required or provided because the building is closed due to inclement weather, unanticipated holidays declared by the President, failure of

Congress to appropriate funds, or similar reasons, deductions will be computed as follows:

(1) The deduction rate in dollars per day will be equal to the per month contract price divided by 21 days per month.

(2) The deduction rate in dollars per day will be multiplied by the number of days services are not required or provided.

If services are provided for portions of days, appropriate adjustment will be made by the contracting officer to ensure that the contractor is compensated for services provided.

(e) If administrative leave is granted to contractor personnel as a result of conditions stipulated in any “Excusable Delays” clause of this contract, it will be without loss to the contractor.