RFQ 8246 EPPIS Cover Letter Ammendment 1.docx

REQUEST FOR QUOTE (RFQ) #8246 GSA MAS

EPPIS – Cover letter Amendment 1 Changes are highlighted Notice to GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) and will be competed under Special Item Number (SIN) 54151S, IT Professional Services

Date: November 07, 2023

Subject: Enterprise Program Project Integration Services (EPPIS) Multiple Award Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) Request for Quote

Contractual History:

EPMSS BPA list of vendors

Booz Allen Hamilton.

Accenture Federal Services LLC

Deloitte Consulting LLP

Technatomy Corp

Integrated System Incorporated (ISI)

Human Touch

Chevo Consulting, LLC e-Telligent

Paragon Technology Group, Inc.

Specific Requirements:

See the BPA Performance Work Statement (Attachment 1).

The estimated value for the Multiple Award BPA suite will be $1,898,012,437.19 across all BPAs. There is no minimum guarantee.

The Period of performance of the BPA will be seven (7) years.

The Period of Performance are estimated as follows:

Year 1: April 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025 Year 2: April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026 Year 3: April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2027 Year 4: April 1, 2027, through March 31, 2028 Year 5: April 1, 2028, through March 31, 2029 Year 6: April 1, 2029, through March 31, 2030 Year 7: April 1, 2030, through March 31, 2031

Questions on Request for Quote (RFQ):

If you have any questions email the Contracting Officer (CO) Susan Kreider at Susan.A.Kreider@irs.gov by November 15, 2023, at 12:00PM ET. All questions shall be submitted on RFQ 8246 Questions and Answers template (Attachment 6). Late submittal of questions will not be answered unless it is determined to be in the Government’s best interest. Please include RFQ #8246 in the subject line. All questions must reference the applicable RFQ section, clause, paragraph number, and/or page number. Any questions that do not following the submission format or that are submitted after the due date and time may not be addressed or considered. No telephonic inquires will be accepted.

General Instructions:

This acquisition is being conducted under FAR 8.405; therefore, the contracting techniques under FAR 15.3 do not apply. As such, the government is not obligated to determine a competitive range, conduct discussions with all contractors, or solicit final revised quotes. Vendors will be required to provide a price and technical quote in accordance with the instructions herein. The intent is to partially set aside two (2) BPA’s to small business and two (2) BPA’s to Other Than Small Business (OTSB) via competition under GSA MAS SIN 54151S NAICS 541519.

The Government will not consider pages submitted in excess of the stated page limitations, or materials not included in full text within the quote (no links to external information will be reviewed or considered). Page limitations include all text, graphs, pictures, appendices, references, exhibits, etc. Tabs, index sheets, tables of contents, dividers and other such aids that are solely used to assist the evaluator in locating information and are advisory in nature, imparting no other information other than the identification of content, will not be counted against any page limits stated within this RFQ.

Paper size shall be 8 1/2 by 11-inch white paper with printing on one (1) side only, using 12-point Arial or Times New Roman font. No reduction is permitted except for organization charts or other graphic illustrations, or in headers/footers. In those instances where reduction is allowable, Quoters shall ensure that the print is easily readable; no less than 8-point font on graphs and 12-point font on tables. Each page shall have adequate margins on each side (at least one (1) inch) of the page. Header/footer information (which does not include any information to be evaluated) may be included in the 1" margin space. Pages that exceed the maximum page limitation will not be evaluated. Due to system limitations of 10MBs, we are no longer able to accept zip files from external sources. Responses shall be sent in either MS Word, Adobe Acrobat (.pdf), or MS Excel attachments, as appropriate.

For the electronic copy of the quote, each file shall be submitted in a format readable by Microsoft Office 2013 or searchable PDF. It is the sole responsibility of the Quoter to ensure that the electronic media submitted is virus-free and can be opened and read by the Government. The deadline for submission of the electronic copy of the quote is firm. As the closing date and time draws near, heavy traffic on the web server may cause delays. Quoters are strongly encouraged to plan ahead and leave ample time to prepare and submit their quotes. Quoter bears the risk of web site inaccessibility due to heavy usage, which may occur during the final days/hours before the solicitation closing time. GSA eBuy records the submission date and time and constitutes the official copy for timely receipt.

Contractors are advised to review the RFQ carefully and adhere to all instructions.

Quotes that are not structured in accordance with the instructions set forth below or that do not include the required sections or documentation may be considered ineligible for award.

Submittal Format:

Responses shall be forwarded as separate files (contract documentation, technical, and price). Offerors shall submit one (1) original copy and one (1) redacted copy of Volume 1 and Volume 2. Technical. All information identifying the Offeror and its points of contact shall be removed from the redacted copy of the quotation. Failure to provide a redacted version of the quote will result in removal of the quote from consideration by the Agency without evaluation. Due to system limitations of 10MBs, we are no longer able to accept zip files from external sources. Responses shall be sent in either MS Word, Adobe Acrobat (.pdf), or MS Excel attachments, as appropriate.

EVALUATION PROCEDURES/METHOD OF AWARD

The Government intends to award multiple Blanket Purchase Agreements (up to 4) from this solicitation to the responsible Offeror whose offer conforming to this solicitation presents the greatest overall benefit or “best value” to the Government, price and other factors considered. The Government will employ a "trade-off" approach for making this determination. This acquisition is being conducted under FAR 8.405; therefore, the contracting techniques under FAR 15.3 do not apply. As such, the government is not obligated to determine a competitive range, conduct discussions with all contractors, or solicit final revised quotes. Offerors will be required to provide a price and technical quote in accordance with the instructions herein. The intent is to do a partial set aside to small business award two (2) BPA’s to small business and two (2) BPA’s to Unrestricted via competition under GSA MAS SIN 54151S NAICS 541519. Task orders with only project scheduling scope, only Risk management scope, only configuration and change management scope will all be automatically competed between the small business BPA’s. All other Task orders will be competed between all BPA’s. If a small business wants to be considered for only the small business set aside portion of work the vendor may submit a quote for only those sections.

The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers. The combined merit of the technical evaluation factors will be valued higher than price. All technical evaluation factors listed are weighted equally. Each of the sub-factors listed under the evaluation factor, Technical Approach, are weighted equally.

The evaluation will consist of a multi-phase process. Initially, Quotes will be evaluated against the Mandatory Requirements in Factor 1 on a Pass/Fail basis. Quotes must receive a rating of “Pass” for all mandatory requirements set forth under this factor to be considered for award. Quotes that do not receive a rating of “Pass” for all Mandatory Requirements shall be considered technically unacceptable and shall not be eligible for award or subject to further evaluation.

Quotes that successfully pass all requirements under Factor 1 shall then be assessed using the remaining factors. These factors are listed above in descending order of importance (Technical Approach, Management Approach, Small Business Participation Plan, Past Performance).

All non-price factors are more important than price. Quotes will be rated adjectively for each factor to allow the Government to conduct factor to factor comparisons. Price will not receive an adjectival rating but will be considered in conjunction with the other ratings.

The Quotation Package shall consist of three (3) volumes; Volume 1, Mandatory Requirements, Volume 2, Technical Approach, Volume 2, Management Approach, Volume 3, Small Business Participation Plan, Volume 2, Past Performance, and Volume 3, Pricing Information. Each volume shall be prepared in accordance with the table below:

Volume Number

Page Limit

Phase 1

7 Pages

Phase 2

1. Contractor’s Technical Quote for the PWS requirements

2. Labor Category Crosswalk

20 Pages

5 Pages

2 Pages maximum per Key Personnel

Contractors Complete GSA Price Schedule Fill-in Provisions

QASP

Attachment 4 No page limit No page limit Attachment 3 No page limit Attachment 5

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. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

EVALUATION OF OFFERS

A pass/fail rating will be assigned to Factor 1 Mandatory Requirements and an Adjectival Rating will be assigned to Factor (2 thru 5) based on the descriptions below:

Due Date and Instructions: Offeror responses shall be submitted via GSA eBuy and received by December 11, 2023, at 12:00PM ET. Submission(s) must be prior to GSA eBuy submission date(s) stated in eBuy.

FACTOR 1 – Mandatory Requirements: (Volume 1): (7 - page limit).

This evaluation will assess each quote under Factor 1 to determine if it meets the RFQ’s mandatory requirements as stated here and further defined in the performance work statement (PWS). Quotes will be rated on a Pass/Fail basis against each of the Mandatory Requirements. Quotes must be rated a "Pass" for all mandatory requirements set forth under this factor to be considered for award. Offerors may submit qualifications of subcontractors to address these requirements.

Ratings will be made in terms of the Government’s confidence in the Offeror’s prior experience and ability to meet the requirements. The Government is more interested in the quality and similarity of the Prior Experience examples to the requirement than the quantity of examples. Government will assess if the vendor’s proposal has specifically stated where and how they have acquired specific experience required for Mandatory Requirements and all the proposals that meet the Mandatory Requirements will receive “Pass” rating and proposals that do not meet the Mandatory Requirements will receive “Not Pass” rating and will not be considered for the next phase and subsequent factors.

Quotes that successfully pass all requirements under Factor 1 shall then be assessed using the remaining factors. The factors are listed above in descending order of importance. Quotes will be rated adjectively for each factor to allow the Government to conduct factor to factor comparisons. Price will not receive an adjectival rating but will be considered in conjunction with the vendor’s ratings. The best value decision may result in awards to other than the lowest priced quotes or award to other than the highest technically rated quotes.

Offeror shall fill in clauses and provisions (Attachment 3) (No page limit)

Mandatory Requirements Experience are as follows:

1. Integration Experience: The contractor shall show that they have at a minimum Seven (7) years Integration experience supporting integration of various processes, technology, and people at the agency enterprise level for the program of similar size, complexity, and scope of those described in the PWS. This experience shall include the contractor’s support of the integration of modern technologies to implement modernization efforts and show unification of effort between the projects and initiatives of programs in alignment with the needs of the agency. The contractor shall show Integration implementation experience of at least one private or governmental organization, including one or more implementation(s) of Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) to increase level of integration at a commensurate level of operational tempo and scope. The contractor shall describe how its experience, processes, and cross agency coordination contributed to their customer’s success.

2. Agile Methodology Experience: The contractor shall demonstrate that they have a minimum of Seven (7) years’ experience in scaling Agile methods, principles and practices and addressed the issues relating to governing a sizeable number of Agile teams at the agency enterprise level for the program of similar size, complexity, and scope of those described in the PWS. The contractor shall identify how its using multiple product management disciplines have shown to successfully deliver at least one product at the agency enterprise level for the program of similar size, complexity, and scope of those described in the PWS.

3. Systems Engineering and Architecture Solutions Support: The contractor shall have a minimum of Eight (8) years of experience defining, communicating, and implementing shared technical and architectural vision across a enterprise to help ensure the system or Solution under development is fit for its intended purpose at the agency enterprise level for the program of similar size, complexity, and scope of those described in the PWS. The contractor shall show experience of enabling the realization of successful systems and integrated all the disciplines and specialty groups into a team effort forming a structured development to produce quality deliverables that meet the user needs.

4. Program/Project Management Support: The contractor shall have a minimum of Seven (7) years of experience in managing programs, projects, implementing of strategies, streamline processes and improve the effectiveness of project management at the agency enterprise level for the program of similar size, complexity, and scope of those described in the PWS. The contractor shall show experience of aligning program/initiatives/projects and strategy and provided agency wide guidance, governance, standardized processes, and portfolio management best practices, and tools.

For each contract listed, provide the government (Federal/State Only) manager or Contract Officer Representative (COR) who can best address the contract work performed. Identify an alternate for each.

· Name and address of the government manager or COR

· Name, telephone numbers (both voice and fax if known) and e-mail address (if known) for a primary and alternate person as point of contact

· Period of performance (mm/dd/yyyy - mm/dd/yyyy) and contract number

· Narrative shall include:

· Description of services performed

· How it is similar or equal to the EPPIS BPA Performance Work Statement (PWS) size, scope, and complexity

· Contract work scope and responsibilities

· Description of how these contract efforts shows the required experience and contract effort in relation to the capabilities, knowledge, and skills listed in the PWS.

· Experience that has an estimated/actual annual value greater than $2,500,000.00 will be considered.

Provisions: Offerors must complete all fill-in provisions in Attachment 2. This does not count against the page count.

Re-Certification of Business Size: Contractors shall complete paragraph (c) of provision 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications—Commercial Items, regardless of their response to paragraph (b) (2) of the provision, to re-certify their socioeconomic status as of the date of their quotation submission subject to the NAICS code and associated size standard stated above.

FACTOR 2 – Technical Approach (Volume 2) This evaluation shall assess each quote to determine whether the contractor’s technical solution presents a comprehensive, sound and reasonable approach to meeting the requirements and objectives of the PWS. The quote should demonstrate a clear understanding of the required tasks and should allow the Government to assess the contractor’s capability and methodology to accomplish the requirements set forth in the RFQ. The Government’s assessment will be based on the contractor’s Technical Quote, and the Labor Category Crosswalk (Attachment 4). The Government will consider the contractor’s:

1. Ability to resolve technical issues under the designated task areas;

2. Ability to outline an effective, efficient, and achievable approach for accomplishing work; and

3. Ability to clearly articulate implementation of relevant best practices, knowledge and use of innovative tools and methodologies.

(BPA Technical Portion 20-page limit and Labor Category Crosswalk 5-page limit.)

FACTOR 3 – Management Approach (Volume 2)

The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s approach to effectively manage the project schedule, costs, deliverables, and personnel. The Offeror shall include an approach to effectively staff the project and manage all resources assigned to the BPA in support of the PWS.

The Offeror’s proposed solution for meeting the established subcontracting goals shall be explained as well as how the Offeror will manage the subcontractor participation. The Offeror shall also address in their management approach, each deliverable requirement identified throughout the PWS. (2-page maximum per key personnel) (10-page maximum for Management approach)

FACTOR 4 – Small Business Participant Plan (Volume 3):

The Offeror must complete Attachment #6, Small Business Participation Plan (SBPP). The SBPP will be incorporated into the contract and shall be binding on the Offeror. The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s approach and techniques that will be used to achieve small business participation. The Offeror shall identify the names and roles of the small business Offerors including the type of small business (e.g., Small, Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), Woman-Owned, Historically Underutilized Business (HUB)Zone, Veterans Owned, SDVOSB, Other by type), and the estimated value of each subcontract in relation to the total proposed amount. The plan shall clearly describe the following specific elements: 1. The Contractor’s approach for achieving small business participation; 2. How the plan is integrated within the overall management processes for this effort; 3. The measure used to achieve small business subcontracting in a cost- effective manner to the Government. The Government will evaluate the plan on its quality, level of appropriate detail, feasibility, cost effectiveness and the Offerors degree of compliance with the Small Business Subcontracting goals located below. Small Business Subcontracting Goals Small Business: 40% Small Disadvantaged: 5% Women-Owned: 3% HUBZone Business: 3% Small disadvantaged Veteran-Owned: 3% Upon award, the winning Offeror will be required to submit an annual report on actual subcontracted dollars compared to the proposed amounts for each socio-economic group. Any areas that fall short, a mitigation plan will have to be submitted to address the shortfall.

Adjectival Ratings for Factor 4 “Excellent” - The SBPP is clear, provides sufficient detail to meet or exceed 40% or more small business subcontracting opportunities. Large business offerors can receive an acceptable rating if they offer between 20 – 39% small business subcontractor opportunities. LB who proposes less than 20% (Treasury’s minimum) they will be receive a marginal rating and are ineligible for award.

FACTOR 5 – Past Performance (Volume 2):

The Government will evaluate Past Performance Questionnaire responses based three (3) complete questionnaires. The government may contact past performance customers and review other sources such as Contractor Performance Assessment Review System (CPARS) and the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS). Negative feedback from other sources will be considered and may result in an unacceptable rating. Quoters will receive a neutral rating for questionnaires that are not submitted to the CO from the Quoters Clients.

FACTOR 6 – Price Quote (Volume 3): Quotes shall clearly support the proposed technical approach. The price quote shall be in accordance with the Offeror’s GSA contract. The Government requests, Offerors provide discounts as available and clearly show the amount of the discount in the price response.

There is no established page limitation for the Price Quote.

The Offeror shall submit prices for all contract line items for the BPA (this includes a detailed price/cost breakdown for each line item) to be considered responsive/eligible for BPA award. Price evaluation will be undertaken concurrently with the technical evaluation by the Contracting Officer.

The price quote file names must include the Offeror’s name or initials and the RFQ number. The price quote data shall be submitted in a single Microsoft (MS) Excel file which may have as many worksheets as necessary for including all detailed data and information. Extended narrative or cover letters provided as support for the price quote must be submitted in a separate MS Word file or pdf type file format.

If known at the time of quote submission each subcontractor’s full name, address, phone number, DUNS and/or UEI number and internet address, if applicable, shall be included in the price quote narrative or explanatory notes. Subcontracted labor must be identified separately in the price quote by individual subcontractor. Offerors shall comply with the requirements of FAR 8.4 or provide any subcontract agreements already negotiated to support subcontractor’s rates. If subcontractors do not want to provide you information for their quotes, that information shall be sent directly to the Contracting Officer with a Cc to the Sr. Business Operations Specialist with reference to the prime’s quote.

To the extent that it is deemed that the price quote does not contain sufficient supporting documentation, the Government may request submission of such documentation and may use this information in the evaluation of the quote.

Travel related expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations and will be controlled by issuance of written instructions from the Government. Profit/Fee shall not be applied to travel expenses. (Note: Any additive factor, i.e., General &Administrative (G&A), should be identified in the quote, but not applied.)

Pricing Matrix (Attachment 4)

Offerors shall complete Attachment 4. The Government requires an hourly rate for all specified labor categories. These rates will be incorporated into the BPA to be utilized as the estimated value rates for all future task orders. The rates in these tables will apply to subcontractors too. These estimated value rates shall not exceed the GSA schedule rates. In addition, these estimated value rates shall include any discounts being proposed.

The offeror shall propose the price associated with the extension under FAR 52.217-8. For this price, the offeror shall propose 50% of the final option period of the BPA.

In addition to the requirements set-forth in attachment 3, Offerors shall comply with all skill set requirements stated in the BPA PWS.

Evaluation Criteria

Technical factors include all factors other than the price factor. Although these factors combined are significantly more important than price, the Government will not automatically award to an Offeror that submits a quote receiving the highest technical rating. The Government has the discretion to make an award to an Offeror whose technically acceptable quote is priced lower than an Offeror whose offer is technically superior and higher-priced. Although price is of less importance than technical factors combined, the closer the technical ratings of the various quotes are to one another, the more important price consideration becomes.

The evaluation will consist of a multi-phase process. Initially, quotes will be evaluated against the Mandatory Requirements in Factor 1 on a Pass/Fail basis. Quotes must receive a rating of “Pass” for all mandatory requirements set forth under this factor to be considered for award. Quotes that do not receive a rating of “Pass” for all Mandatory Requirements shall be considered technically unacceptable and shall not be eligible for award or subject to further consideration.

Quotes that successfully pass all requirements under Factor 1 shall then be assessed using the remaining factors. The factors are listed above in descending order of importance. Quotes will be rated adjectively for each factor to allow the Government to conduct factor to factor comparisons. Price will not receive an adjectival rating but will be considered in conjunction with the other ratings. Quotes will be assessed individually under each factor, then compared to determine which quote represents the best value to the Government. Incomplete quotes or those failing to conform to RFQ instructions may be excluded from further award consideration.

The following rating descriptors will be used to determine if the contractor has addressed the requirements of RFQ by allocating responses into categories of strength, weakness, or deficiency for factor 2 and factor 3:

· A “significant strength” is an attribute of the offeror's quote that exceeds the specified performance or capability requirements in a way that is substantially beneficial to the Government.

· A “strength” is an attribute of the offeror's quote that exceeds the specified performance or capability requirements in a way that is beneficial to the Government.

· A “weakness” is an attribute of the offeror's quote which is likely to increase the probability of unsuccessful contract performance.

· A “significant weakness” is an attribute of the offeror's quote which is likely to substantially increase the probability of unsuccessful contract performance.

· A “deficiency” is a material failure of a quote to meet a Government requirement or a combination of significant weaknesses in a quotel that increases the risk of unsuccessful contract performance to an unacceptable level.

In determining each rating, the Government will assess risk as follows:

· Low Risk – Contractor is more likely to succeed than fail.

· Moderate Risk – Contractor is somewhat likely to succeed or fail.

· High Risk - Contractor is more likely to fail than succeed.

Factors 1-6 are in descending order of importance and when combined these factors are of significantly more importance than price.

The Government will evaluate the quotes against the Mandatory Requirements.

FACTOR 1 –MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

Mandatory Requirements

FACTOR 2: TECHNICALAPPROACH AND FACTOR 3 MANAGEMENT APPROACH

FACTOR 4 – SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION PLAN

The Government will evaluate the offerors plan to utilize small businesses under this BPA. The Government will evaluate the offerors against the small business participation goals provided below:

FACTOR 5 – PAST PERFORMANCE QUESTIONAIRE

Noti

FACTOR 6 PRICE EVALUATION

For purpose of evaluation, the evaluated total price shall include the base period, option periods, extension under FAR 52.217-8 and all other costs or prices, as applicable. Price will be evaluated, but will not be assigned an adjectival rating, or scored. The Government will evaluate proposed prices to determine if the prices are fair and reasonable, reflect a clear understanding of the requirements, and are consistent with the Vendor’s technical quote.

The Government will evaluate proposed prices to determine the prices are fair and reasonable. The price evaluation may also include an evaluation of the Contractor’s price for assessing the risk inherent in the Contractor’s approach. The government is not obligated to conduct a price realism analysis on any quote unless the Agency determines that such analysis is necessary.

In accordance with FAR Contractors are strongly encouraged to provide additional discounts and price reductions from their GSA Schedule contract prices.

1. Price analysis will be conducted in accordance with the applicable techniques cited in FAR 8.4.

2. The total anticipated annual prices for the Base Period, each Option Period, the price associated with the extension under FAR 52.217-8 will be added together to arrive at the total evaluated price.

Basis for Award:

The Government anticipates awarding up to four (4) BPAs from this solicitation.

The BPA awards shall be made to the vendors whose quotes are determined to be the most advantageous to the Government based on the evaluation criteria set forth above. The selection of the contractors under this RFQ will be at the sole discretion of the Source Selection Authority (SSA) based on the “best value” overall to the Government. Best value means an acquisition process that results in the most advantageous acquisition decision for the Government performed through an integrated assessment and trade-off between technical factors and cost/price. Technical factors include all factors other than the cost/price factor. Although technical factors combined are significantly more important than cost/price, the Government will not automatically award to a vendor that submits a quote receiving the highest technical rating. In determining the best overall value, the Government has the discretion to make an award to a vendor whose quote cost/price is lower than that of a vendor whose quote receives the highest technical rating. Although cost/price is of less importance than technical factors combined, the closer quote technical ratings are to one another, the more important cost/price consideration becomes in determining the best value to the Government. Each Vendor’s quote will be rated in accordance with its content. The Government will not assume adequacy of performance in areas not specified in a vendor’s written quote.

Exchanges The Government intends to award based on the initial responses. However, the Government reserves the right to request clarifications or hold discussions if it is determined to be in the Government’s best interest.

Award of Full Quantity

Vendors must submit prices for all line items and all quantities, including option quantities to be eligible for award.

RFQ Updated Attachments to be submitted with quote.

Attachment 1 – BPA PWS Attachment 2 – BPA PWS Deliverable List Attachment 3 – BPA Provisions and Clauses Attachment 4 – Pricing Matrix Attachment 5 – BPA QASP Attachment 6 – Small Business Participation Plan Attachment 7 – Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ)