RFQ 75H70426Q00033.pdf

Request for Quote 75H70426Q00033

SECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION

General This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services prepared in accordance with Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) Part 12. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. Quotes are being requested and a separate written solicitation will not be used.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Indian Health Service (IHS), Division of Acquisition Policy (DAP), on behalf of the IHS Office of Public Health Support (OPHS)/Division of Program Statistics (DPS), intends to award a single, firm-fixed-price (FFP) purchase order for commercial PhD-Level Demographic Research and Statistical Analysis Services to support accurate IHS demographic reports and data products for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations.

This effort will be procured under the authority of RFO Part 12 and competed as a total small business set-aside. The associated NAICS code is 518210 (Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing) with a small business size standard of up to $40M.

Please submit your quote in accordance with the requirements and instructions contained herein. See Request for Quote (RFQ) Section 4 for Quotation Preparation Instructions and Section 5 for Evaluation of Quotations.

Anticipated Award Type The Government anticipates an award of a Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) Purchase Order as a result of this RFQ.

Delivery Digitally delivered to IHS.

Travel: Four, one-week trips per year to IHS Headquarters in Rockville, MD.

Period of Performance (PoP) This effort will be performed from the contractor’s location. The period of performance (POP) includes a Base Period, and four (4) Option Periods (OP) is as follows:

Base Period: 10/2026 –10/2027

OP 1: 10/2027 – 10/2028

OP 2: 10/2028 – 10/2029

OP 3: 10/2029 – 10/2030

OP 4: 10/2030 – 10/2031

6-Month Services Extension Per RFO 52.217-8: 10/2031 – 4/2032

Administrative Considerations Correspondence - To promote timely and effective post-award administration, correspondence shall be subject to the following procedures:

1. Technical correspondence (where technical issues relating to compliance with the requirements herein) shall be addressed to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)/Government Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) with an information copy to the Contracting Officer (CO) and Contract Specialist (CS).

2. All other correspondence, including invoices which propose or otherwise involve waivers, deviations or modifications to the requirements, terms or conditions of the purchase order shall be addressed to the CS/CO with an information copy to the

COR/TPOC

Contracting Officer’s Authority:

The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to make or approve any changes in any of the requirements of this purchase order and notwithstanding any provisions contained elsewhere in this purchase order, the said authority remains solely with the CO. In the event the Contractor makes any changes at the direction of any person other than the CO, the change will be considered to have been made without authority, and no adjustment will be made in the contract terms and conditions, including price.

Government Point of Contact:

Attn: Dan Poehling – Contracting Officer Email: daniel.poehling@ihs.gov

SECTION 2 – DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS

IHS seeks PhD-Level Demographic Research and Statistical Analysis Services to support the correction of racial misclassification in vital statistics data and the production of demographic analyses used for IHS health planning, policy development, resource allocation, budget formulation, and outcome measurement.

See Attachment 1 – Performance-Based Work Statement (PWS) – for a detailed requirement description.

Schedule of Services

Base Period (10/2026-10/2027) CLIN Description Qty Unit Price Total Price

1 Demographic Services (1,912 estimated labor hours for entire Base Period PoP)

1 $ $

2 Travel (one-week trip to Rockville, MD, to include transportation, lodging and M&IE)

4 $ $

Base Total $ mailto:daniel.poehling@ihs.gov

OP 1 (10/2027-10/2028)

CLIN Description Qty Unit Price Total Price

3 Demographic Services (1,912 estimated labor hours for entire OP 1 PoP)

1 $ $

4 Travel (one-week trip to Rockville, MD, to include transportation, lodging and M&IE)

4 $ $

OP 1 Total $

OP 2 (10/2028-10/2029)

5 Demographic Services (1,912 estimated labor hours for entire OP 2 PoP)

1 $ $

6 Travel (one-week trip to Rockville, MD, to include transportation, lodging and M&IE)

OP 2 Total $

OP 3 (10/2029-10/2030)

7 Demographic Services (1,912 estimated labor hours for entire OP 3 PoP)

1 $ $

8 Travel (one-week trip to Rockville, MD, to include transportation, lodging and M&IE)

OP 3 Total $

OP 4 (10/2030-10/2031)

9 Demographic Services (1,912 estimated labor hours for entire OP 4 PoP)

1 $ $

10 Travel (one-week trip to Rockville, MD, to include transportation, lodging and M&IE)

OP 4 Total $

Six-Month Services Extension (10/2031-4/2032)

11 Demographic Services (956 estimated labor hours for entire PoP)

1 $ $

12 Travel (one-week trip to Rockville, MD, to include transportation, lodging and M&IE)

2 $ $

Six-Month Services Extension Total $

Note: In accordance with RFO 52.217-8, the quoted rate for the six-month extension of services shall be the same rate as the final option year.

SECTION 3 – GENERAL ORDER TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Clauses

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. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):

https://www.acquisition.gov/content/part-52-solicitation-provisions-and-contract-clauses

Clause Title Date

52.203-17 Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights Nov 2023

52.203-19 Prohibition on Requiring Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements Jan 2017

52.204-13 System for Award Management Maintenance Oct 2018

52.204-9 Personal Identify Verification of Contractor Personnel Jan 2011

52.204-10 Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards Jun 2020

52.204-13 System for Award Management Maintenance Oct 2018

52.204-19 Incorporation by Reference of Representations and Certifications Dec 2014

52.209-6 Protecting the Government’s Interest When Subcontracting With Contractors Debarred, Suspended, Proposed for Debarment, or Voluntarily Excluded

Jan 2025

52.209-10 Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations Nov 2015

52.212-4 Terms and Conditions-Commercial Products and Commercial Services Nov 2025

52.219-6 Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside Nov 2020 52.219-8 Utilization of Small Business Concerns Jan 2025 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting Oct 2022 52.219-28 Postaward Small Business Program Representation Jan 2025 52.222-3 Convict Labor Jun 2003

52.222-19 Child Labor-Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies Jan 2025

52.222-35 Equal Opportunity for Veterans Jun 2020 52.222-36 Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities Jun 2020 52.222-37 Employment Reports on Veterans Jun 2020

52.222-40 Notification of Employee Rights under the National Labor Relations Act Dec 2010

52.222-50 Combating Trafficking in Persons Oct 2025 52.224-3 Privacy Training Jan 2017

52.226-8 Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving May 2024

52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-System for Award Management Oct 2018

52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors Mar 2023

52.233-3 Protest After Award Aug 1996 52.233-4 Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim Oct 2004 52.240-91 Security Prohibitions and Exclusions Nov 2025

52.240-93 Basic Safeguarding of Covered Contractor Information Systems Nov 2025

Department of Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR)

Clause Title Date 352.203-70 Anti-Lobbying Jun 2026 352.208-70 Printing and Duplication Feb 2026 352.224-70 Notification of System of Records Notice Feb 2024 352.224-71 Confidential Information Feb 2024 352.237-75 Key Personnel Dec 2015

Clauses in Full Text

FAR 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. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. 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 3 days before the contract expires.

(End of clause)

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 terms of the contract; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 7 days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension.

(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 5 years.

(End of clause)

FAR 52.222-90 – Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors (July 1, 2026)

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause— Program participation means membership or participation in, or access or admission to:

training, mentoring, or leadership development programs; educational opportunities;

clubs; associations; or similar opportunities that are sponsored or established by the contractor or subcontractor.

Racially discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities means disparate treatment based on race or ethnicity in the recruitment, employment (e.g., hiring, promotions), contracting (e.g., vendor agreements), program participation, or allocation or deployment of an entity's resources.

(b) In connection with the performance of work under this contract, the Contractor agrees as follows:

(1) The Contractor will not engage in any racially discriminatory DEI activities;

(2) The Contractor will furnish all information and reports, including providing access to books, records, and accounts, as required by the Contracting Officer, for purposes of ascertaining compliance with this clause;

(3) In the event of the Contractor's or a subcontractor's noncompliance with this clause, this contract may be canceled, terminated, or suspended in whole or in part, and the Contractor or subcontractor may be declared ineligible for further Government contracts;

(4) The Contractor will report any subcontractor's known or reasonably knowable conduct that may violate this clause to the Contracting Officer and take any appropriate remedial actions directed by the Contracting Officer; and

(5) The Contractor will inform the Contracting Officer if a subcontractor sues the Contractor and the suit puts at issue, in any way, the validity of this clause.

(6) The Contractor recognizes that compliance with the requirements of this clause are material to the Government's payment decisions for purposes of 31 U.S.C. 3729(b)(4).

(c) The Contractor must include the substance of this clause, including this paragraph (c), in subcontracts at any tier, including those for commercial products and commercial services, except those where the place of delivery or performance is outside the United States.

(End of clause)

HHSAR 352.232-71 – Electronic Submission of Payment Requests (Feb 2022) Electronic Submission of Payment Requests

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause— Payment request means a bill, voucher, invoice, or request for contract financing payment with associated supporting documentation. The payment request must comply with the requirements identified in FAR 32.905(b), “Content of Invoices” and the applicable Payment clause included in this contract.

(b) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this clause, the Contractor shall submit payment requests electronically using the Department of Treasury Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) or successor system. Information regarding IPP, including IPP Customer Support contact information, is available at www.ipp.gov or any successor site.

(c) The Contractor may submit payment requests using other than IPP only when the Contracting Officer authorizes alternate procedures in writing in accordance with HHS procedures.

(d) If alternate payment procedures are authorized, the Contractor shall include a copy of the Contracting Officer's written authorization with each payment request.

(End of clause)

HHSAR 352.239-79 Information and Communication Technology Accessibility (Feb 2024)

(a) Pursuant to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, all information and communication technology (ICT) supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, and services support developed, acquired, maintained or delivered under this contract or order must comply with the Revised 508 Standards, which are located at 36 C.F.R.

1194.1 and Appendices A, B, and C, and are available at https://www.access-board.gov/ict/. Information about Section 508 is available at https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/index.html.

(b) Additional Section 508 accessibility standards applicable to this contract or order may be identified in the specification, statement of work, or performance work statement. If it is determined by the Government that ICT supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, and services support provided by the Contractor do not conform to the described accessibility standards in the contract, remediation of the supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, or services support to the level of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its own expense.

(c) In the event of a modification(s) to this contract or order, which adds new ICT supplies or services or revises the type of, or specifications for, supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, or services support, the Contracting Officer shall require that the Contractor submit a completed HHS Section 508 Accessibility Conformance Checklist (see https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/accessibility-checklists/index.html) or an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) (based on the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) see https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat), and any other additional information necessary to assist the Government in determining that the ICT supplies or services conform to Section 508 accessibility standards. If it is determined by the Government that ICT supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, and services support provided by the Contractor do not conform to the described accessibility standards in the contract, remediation of the supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, or services support to the level of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its own expense.

(d) If this is an Indefinite-Delivery type contract, a Blanket Purchase Agreement, or a Basic Ordering Agreement, the task/delivery order requests that include ICT supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, or services support will define the specifications and accessibility standards for the order. In those cases, the Contractor shall be required to provide a completed HHS Section 508 Accessibility Conformance Checklist (see https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/accessibility-checklists/index.html) or an ACR (based on the VPAT see https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat), and any other additional information necessary to assist the Government in determining that the ICT supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, or services support conform to Section 508 accessibility standards. If it is determined by the Government that ICT supplies and services provided by the Contractor do not conform to the described accessibility standards in the provide documentation, remediation of the supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, or services support to the level of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its own expense.

(e) The Contractor shall identify to the Contracting Officer any perceived exception or exemption to Section 508 requirements.

(End of clause)

Provisions

52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998) This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions 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. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):

Provisions in Full Text

52.212-2 Evaluation-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2025)

(a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: SEE SECTION 5 of RFQ for evaluation factors.

(b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced.

The evaluation of options does not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

(c) 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 binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government 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.

(End of provision)

HHSAR 352.239-78 – Information and Communication Technology Accessibility Notice (FEB 2024)

(a) Any offeror responding to this solicitation must comply with established HHS Information and Communication Technology (ICT) accessibility standards. Information about Section 508 is available at https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/index.html.

(b) The Section 508 accessibility standards applicable to this solicitation are stated in the clause at 352.239-79 Information and Communication Technology Accessibility. In

Provision Title Date

52.203-18 Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements-Representation Jan 2017

52.204-7 System for Award Management Nov 2025

52.209-2 Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations- Representation Nov 2015

52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors—Commercial Products and Commercial Services Nov 2025

52.217-5 Evaluation of Options Nov 2025 52.219-1 Small Business Program Representations Feb 2024

52.222-18 Certification Regarding Knowledge of Child Labor for Listed End Products Feb 2021

52.222-56 Certification Regarding Trafficking in Persons Compliance Plan Oct 2025 52.229-11 Tax on Certain Foreign Procurements—Notice and

Representation Jun 2020

52.240-90 Security Prohibitions and Exclusions Representations and Certifications

Nov 2025 order to facilitate the Government’s determination whether proposed ICT supplies, products, platforms, information, and documentation meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, offerors must submit an appropriate HHS Section 508 Accessibility Conformance Checklist (see https://www.hhs.gov/web/section- 508/accessibility-checklists/index.html or an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) (based on the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) see https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat), in accordance with the completion instructions. The purpose of the checklists and conformance reports are to assist HHS acquisition and program officials in determining whether proposed ICT supplies, products, platforms, information, and documentation conform to applicable Section 508 accessibility standards. Checklists and ACRs evaluate—in detail—whether the ICT conforms to specific Section 508 accessibility standards and identifies remediation efforts needed to address conformance issues.

(c) If an offeror claims its supplies or services meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, and it is later determined by the Government, i.e., after award of a contract or order, that supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, or services support delivered do not conform to the described accessibility standards, remediation of the supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, or services support to the level of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its expense.

(d) In order to facilitate the Government's determination whether proposed ICT supplies meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, offerors must submit an Accessibility Conformance Report, in accordance with its completion instructions and tailored to the requirements in the solicitation. The purpose of the Report is to assist HHS acquisition and program officials in determining whether proposed ICT supplies conform to applicable Section 508 accessibility standards. The template allows offerors or developers to self-evaluate their supplies and document, in detail, whether they conform to a specific Section 508 accessibility standard, and any underway remediation efforts addressing conformance issues. Instructions for preparing the HHS Section 508 Evaluation Template are available at https://Section508.gov.

(e) In order to facilitate the Government's determination whether proposed ICT services meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, offerors must provide enough information to assist the Government in determining that the ICT services conform to Section 508 accessibility standards, including any underway remediation efforts addressing conformance issues.

(f) Respondents to this solicitation must identify any inability to conform to Section 508 requirements. If an offeror claims its supplies or services meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, and it is later determined by the Government, i.e., after award of a contract or order, that supplies or services delivered do not conform to the described accessibility standards, remediation of the supplies or services to the level of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its expense.

(g) Items delivered as electronic content must be accessible to HHS acceptance criteria.

Checklist for various formats are available at http://508.hhs.gov. Materials, other than items incidental to contract management, that are final items for delivery should be accompanied by the appropriate checklist, except upon approval of the Contracting Officer or Contracting Officer’s Representative.

(End of provision)

SECTION 4 - QUOTATION PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

Quotation Preparation Instructions IHS is issuing this RFQ to solicit quotations for the purpose of entering into a FFP Purchase Order. This acquisition is competed among small business vendors registered under NAICS code 518210.

Quoters shall submit quotations in accordance with the instructions contained in this section. Quotations shall be clear, concise, and sufficiently detailed to demonstrate the quoter's ability to successfully perform the requirements of the Performance Work Statement (PWS).

The quotation shall consist of the following:

1. Volume I – Technical Quotation

2. Volume II – Price Quotation

3. Assumptions, Conditions, and Exceptions, if any

Information submitted in the Technical Quotation should correspond to the technical evaluation factors identified in Section 5.

1. Volume I - Technical Quotation

The Technical Quotation shall address the following evaluation factors:

Factor 1 – Technical Approach, Corporate Experience, and Past Performance The quoter shall describe its technical approach for successfully performing the requirements of the PWS. The response should demonstrate the quoter's understanding of the requirement and describe its approach to accomplishing the required demographic and statistical analyses, including applicable methodologies, racial-misclassification adjustment, reproducibility, quality assurance, and use and documentation of Government-owned SAS and R code.

The quoter shall describe its relevant corporate experience performing work similar in scope and complexity to this requirement, particularly experience involving demographic analysis, vital-statistics analysis, racial or ethnic misclassification adjustment, and Federal or comparable data environments.

The quoter shall provide information regarding relevant past performance sufficient to permit the Government to assess the quality of performance on prior work. The quoter should identify up to three recent and relevant contracts, orders, or other engagements and provide, at a minimum:

• Customer/organization name;

• Contract/order or project number, if applicable;

• Brief description of the work;

• Period of performance;

• Contract/order value, if applicable; and

• Customer point of contact, including email address and telephone number, if available.

The Government is not limited to the past-performance information provided by the quoter and may consider information obtained from other Government or commercial sources.

Factor 2 – Management Approach and Staffing/Key Personnel The quoter shall describe its approach to managing, staffing, scheduling, and quality-controlling performance of the PWS. The response should address the quoter's approach to maintaining adequate staffing and continuity, meeting required schedules and milestones, assuring the accuracy and quality of deliverables, coordinating with Government personnel, and satisfying applicable security, privacy, accessibility, and transition requirements.

The quoter shall identify the proposed Lead Demographer and provide a resume demonstrating that the individual meets the applicable education, experience, and technical qualification requirements identified in the PWS.

The quoter shall describe the availability of the proposed Lead Demographer and its approach to maintaining continuity of key personnel throughout performance.

2. Volume II - Price Quotation

The Price Quotation shall provide pricing for the Base Period, each Option Period, and the 6-month extension of services in accordance with the Schedule of Services contained in this RFQ. The Price Quotation shall include, as applicable: labor category; estimated labor hours, fully burdened hourly rate, travel, subtotals, and total price for the base period, each option period, and the 6-month extension of services.

The Price Quotation shall also include:

• Tax Identification Number (TIN)

• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

• Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code

• Business mailing address

• Contact name, telephone number, and email address

• RFQ Number

• Quote Number

Assumptions, Conditions, and Exceptions Quoters shall identify, under separate cover, all assumptions, conditions, or exceptions to the terms and conditions of this RFQ. If no assumptions, conditions, or exceptions are identified, the Government will assume that the quoter takes no exception to the requirements, terms, and conditions of the RFQ.

Quoters are cautioned that if the Government deems the terms and conditions to be unacceptable, the quoter may be found ineligible for award. For each non-compliant term and/or condition, the quoter shall identify technical and price impacts to its quote if it is not accepted by the Government.

A quote may be rejected without further consideration for failure to submit any of the information requested in this RFQ.

The potential quoter is required to be registered in the Systems for Award Management (SAM) website as of the date the quote is submitted, which can be accessed at https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/#1. The registration must be in active status.

Method of Quotation Delivery Quotations shall be submitted via email to the Contracting Officer (CO) listed below no later than the specified date and time:

Daniel Poehling (CO) Email: daniel.poehling@ihs.gov U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Indian Health Service Division of Acquisition Policy

Include “RFQ 75H70426Q00033” in the subject line of the email.

It is the quoter’s responsibility to ensure and verify that the Government receives their submission on or before the date and time specified. If the quote is not received by the Government on or before the date and time specified, the quoter’s submission may be removed from further consideration for award.

Quotation Due Date and Time Quotations are due via email by September 21, 2026, no later than 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Questions Due Date Questions regarding this RFQ shall are due via email by September 17, 2026, no later than 12:00 PM EST.

Other General Information The Government reserves the right to communicate with quoters regarding their Technical and Price Quotations, including requesting clarifications and additional price mailto:Mario.Henriquez@ihs.gov discounts, as permitted under the applicable acquisition procedures. The Government reserves the right not to make an award. This RFQ does not obligate the Government to award a purchase order or reimburse any quoter for costs incurred in preparing or submitting a quotation.

SECTION 5 - EVALUATION OF QUOTATIONS

Basis for Award and Relative Importance The Government intends to award a purchase order to the responsible quoter whose quotation, conforming to the requirements of this RFQ, represents the best value to the Government. The Government will use a best-value tradeoff approach in making the award decision considering the following factors in descending order of importance.

Technical factors, when combined, are more important than price. Factor 1 is more important than Factors 2. Factors 1 and 2, when combined, are more important than factor 3, Price. As quotations become more technically equivalent, price may become increasingly important in the award decision.

The Government will evaluate a quote using the following evaluation factors in descending order of importance:

Factor 1 – Technical Approach, Corporate Experience, and Past Performance

Factor 3 – Price

Factor 1 – Technical Approach, Corporate Experience, and Past Performance The Government will evaluate the quoter's demonstrated understanding of the requirement and the soundness and feasibility of its proposed technical approach. The Government will consider the quoter's approach to accomplishing the demographic and statistical requirements of the PWS, including applicable demographic methodologies, racial-misclassification adjustment, reproducibility, quality assurance, and use and documentation of Government-owned SAS and R code.

The Government will evaluate the relevance of the quoter's corporate experience performing work similar in scope and complexity to this requirement, including experience involving demographic analysis, vital-statistics analysis, racial or ethnic misclassification adjustment, and Federal or comparable data environments.

The Government will also evaluate the quality of the quoter's past performance on relevant prior work. In evaluating past performance, the Government may consider the recency, relevance, and quality of available past-performance information. The Government may consider information provided by the quoter as well as information obtained independently from CPARS and other Government or commercial sources available to the Government.

A quoter without a record of relevant past performance, or for whom relevant past-performance information is not available, will not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably solely on the basis of the absence of relevant past-performance information.

The Government will evaluate the quoter's management and staffing approach and its ability to successfully manage, staff, and timely perform the requirements of the PWS.

The Government will consider:

• Qualifications and relevant experience of the proposed Lead Demographer;

• Availability and continuity of key personnel;

• Feasibility of the management and schedule approach;

• Approach to quality assurance and meeting applicable PWS acceptable quality levels;

• Approach to coordination, reporting, and communication with the Government;

and

• Approach to applicable security, privacy, accessibility, and transition requirements.

The Government will consider the extent to which the proposed management and staffing approach demonstrates a realistic and effective means of accomplishing the requirement.

Factor 3 – Price The Government will evaluate the quoter's total evaluated price for completeness and reasonableness. For award evaluation purposes, the total evaluated price will include the Base Period, all four Option Periods, and the six-month extension of services. The Government may also evaluate pricing for material imbalance and consistency with the quoter's proposed technical, management, and staffing approach.

The Government may determine a quotation unacceptable if its option pricing is significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of option pricing does not obligate the Government to exercise any option.

SECTION 6 – PURCHASE ORDER AWARD

The Government will evaluate quotations for compliance with the material requirements of this RFQ. A quotation that fails to address a material requirement, or that demonstrates an inability or unwillingness to meet a material requirement, may be determined unacceptable and may be removed from further consideration for award.

The Government intends to make a single FFP Purchase Order award using the procedures applicable to this acquisition. Award will be made to the responsible quoter whose quotation is determined to represent the best value to the Government in accordance with Section 5 of this RFQ.

ATTACHMENTS:

Attachment 1 – PWS Demographic Analysis Services