Section L - Instructions to Offerors.pdf

Addendum to 52.212-1: Instructions to Offerors

The Government intends to award an IDIQ with Firm Fixed Pricing structure task order contract as a result of this solicitation in accordance with FAR Part 12 and 13 Procedures. The source selection structure referenced in section M utilizes best value trade off procedures noted in Part 15. An Award will be made to that offeror whose proposal is most advantageous to the Government under the selection criteria set forth in this solicitation.

In addition to FAR 52.212-1, “Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Items” and any other instructions contained elsewhere in this solicitation, the following information is provided:

Initial proposals and any amendments thereto are to be submitted electronically via email in accordance with the Submission Instructions in paragraph 2 below, on or before the closing date and time cited in the solicitation. Faxes, mailed, and/or responses through SAM.gov or any method other than email are not acceptable. Offerors shall comply with the detailed instructions for the format and content of the proposals contained herein; proposals that do not comply may be considered unacceptable and may render the proposal ineligible for award. Offerors shall respond to all requirements of the solicitation. Offerors are cautioned not to alter the solicitation.

All electronic files and versions of offerors proposals shall be compatible with the current release of Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Office Suite version 2010 (Excel). The offeror shall be responsible for ensuring that their electronic proposals are virus free.

All proposal submissions and questions shall be in English.

HAND-CARRIED PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS ARE NOT AUTHORIZED.

1. General:

a. It is the offeror's responsibility to be familiar with applicable clauses and provisions.

Clauses and provisions may be accessed via the Internet at website https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far.

b. To be eligible to receive an award resulting from this solicitation, the contractor must be registered in the System for Award Management at the time of initial offer and award. To register apply via the Internet at http://www.sam.gov. For questions on registration contact Federal Service Desk at 866-606-8220.

c. Include FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications with offer or indicate if it is available online at SAM.gov.

d. The completed RFP shall consist of the completed (complete all applicable blocks on the face page and all applicable provisions/clauses) and signed RFP, to include any amendments issued.

e. Notice of Intent to Award Contract without Discussions: The Government intends to evaluate proposals and award a contract based on initial proposals. Therefore, the offeror's initial proposal should contain the offeror's best terms from a Technical, Past http://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far http://www.sam.gov/

Performance, and Price standpoint. The Government reserves the right to award a contract to other than the lowest priced offeror and award a contract without discussions.

e. Acceptance of Offer: A written notice of award shall be provided to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the proposal.

2. Submission Instructions:

a. Please send questions and proposals to Amy Holder at zts0@cdc.gov AND Arianna Williams at xsm2@cdc.gov. No telephonic inquiries or proposals will be processed.

All questions must be received NLT 10:00 A.M. EDT on December 16, 2024.

All proposals must be received NLT 12:00 P.M. A.M. EDT on January 06, 2025.

b. Offerors should include the following information in the Subject Line of their electronic submission: Proposal – RFP Number – (Name of Offeror) – (“Prime” or “Sub”) – Email (#) of

3. Proposal Format and Content Instructions

a. Format

i. These instructions establish the acceptable minimum requirements for the format and content of proposals. Documents shall not exceed the page limitations specified below. A page is defined as 8 ½ inch by 11 inch sheet of paper with one-inch margins on all four sides. Text shall be in Times New Roman, 12-point font, and single spaced between lines.

Text pages should use portrait orientation. The page limitations specified include any drawings, diagrams, and illustrations. Offerors may use no less than 8-point font on graphs and 10-point font on tables (Arial font acceptable for graphics and tables).

Header/footer information (which does not include any information to be evaluated) may be included in the 1” margin space. Offerors shall number each page in order to eliminate any confusion. In the event that the Offeror creates an ambiguity in the numbering of pages, the Government will exercise its own discretion in the counting of pages. Pages in excess of the limitations outlined below will not be evaluated.

ii. Offerors should submit two separate volumes:

Volume I, Factor 1 – Technical Proposal Volume I, Factor 2 – Past Performance Volume II, Factor 3 – Price Proposal

iii. The following shows the organization and page limits to which Offerors’ submissions must adhere:

Volume I, Factor 1, Technical Proposal – Page limit: 80 pages

Volume I, Factor 2, Past Performance – Page limit: 10 pages mailto:zts0@cdc.gov

Volume II, Factor 3, Price Proposal – Page limit: Not applicable; see price paragraph below for instructions on the Price Proposal

b. Volume I, Factor 1 – Technical Proposal

The following information shall be provided in the written technical proposal and will be evaluated to assess the proposed technical approach in accordance with Section M, Evaluation Basis for Award. The written technical proposal shall address each of the following subfactors in sufficient detail to describe the offeror’s proposed approach to performing the requirements set forth in the Statement of Work. For each subfactor, the offeror shall identify risks, if any, associated with the proposed approach and actions the offeror will take to mitigate the identified risks. If no risks/mitigations are identified in the offeror’s proposal, it indicates the offeror does not consider there to be any risk associated with their proposed approach. The Government reserves the right to independently identify risks with the proposed approach outside of those risks identified by the offerors themselves.

NOTE: The Technical Proposal must not contain any reference to price; however, resource information such as data concerning labor hours and categories, materials, subcontracts, etc., shall be included so that the contractor’s understanding of the detail and complexity of the requirements may be evaluated.

A proposal that merely offers to conduct a program in accordance with the requirements of the Government’s scope of work will not be eligible for award. Contractors must submit an explanation of the proposed technical approach in conjunction with their proposed approach to achieving the contract objectives.

Subfactor One: Technical Approach. The proposal shall provide a detailed narrative of the technical approach in the offeror’s own words that it will use to meet the scope, objectives, and requirements of this contract identified in the Statement of Work, and identifying/resolving potential problems that may be encountered in successfully completing this project. Provide a detailed plan and solutions for overcoming difficulties involved with performing the work requirements, including plans for repairs of malfunction freezers and a detailed description of the security and back-up measures should the freezers fail due to loss of power or other unanticipated events.

Subfactor Two: Staffing and Management. 1) The proposal shall provide a detailed narrative of the staffing plan that demonstrates an understanding of the labor requirements and the personnel required to complete the requirements identified in the Statement of Work. 2) The proposal shall provide a detailed narrative of the management plan that describes the approach for managing the work, including a description of how tasks will be phased to meet the deadlines for contract deliverables. The proposal shall include a detailed description of the project organization including individuals and staff that will be working on this requirement and curriculum vitae detailing relevant training and experience. The proposal shall provide details to demonstrate the experience, expertise, and qualifications to perform the duties described in the scope of work, including qualifications for proper specimen storage and handling techniques. The functions for these individuals, therefore, must be described and related to each individual’s qualifications.

Subfactor Three: Facilities and Equipment. The proposal shall provide a detailed description of the equipment, location and space available for performance of the contract. A diagram of the proposed storage area may be provided as well as a description of the space to be utilized. The physical security access controls shall be described, including a description of the physical security and access restrictions and plan to monitor for fire, smoke, intrusion, mechanical freezer failure, and freezer alarm systems, and any available backup systems redundancies. The proposal shall provide a detailed description of the available computing capability for transmitting data in a computer readable format for electronic transmission and ensuring confidentially of all NHANES data, records, and reports.

c. Volume I, Factor 2 – Past Performance Proposal

1. The offeror should submit three (3) contracts completed, or currently ongoing, within the past five (5) years (from the issuance date of the solicitation) that clearly demonstrate the offeror’s past performance in performing projects of similar scope, size, and complexity to the requirements described in the Statement of Work.

2. The Government will not consider submittals for work occuring before the five year period.

Contracts listed may include those with the Federal Government, agencies of state and local governments and commercial customers. Past Performance may include contracts or orders which the vendor served as either the prime contractor or subcontractor. Offerors shall furnish all available CPARS for the efforts submitted for evaluation, as applicable.

Submittal of any CPARS for the efforts submitted for evaluation are not included in the page limitations.

3. The following information must be included for each contract listed:

1. Name of Contracting Organization;

2. Contract Number;

3. Description of services provided under the contract and the ways the services performed are relevant to the services required under this RFP (please be specific);

4. Names, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail address (if known) and facsimile numbers of the Contracting Officer and the Project Officer for all Government contracts. Names, addresses, telephone numbers, and facsimile numbers of private sector contacts equivalent of a Federal Government Contracting Officer and Project Officer (operation manager);

5. The dollar value of the contract;

6. Contract type (Firm-fixed price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, etc.);

7. Period of Performance;

8. Place of performance;

9. The number and type of personnel assigned in performance of the contract;

10. Information on any problems encountered, corrective actions, and significant accomplishments on the identified contracts;

11. Copies of the most recent Past Performance Evaluation issued to the offeror under each contract listed, a copy of the completed CPARS (if applicable) and any other quality indicators.

If a joint venture is contemplated for the performance of this contract, offerors should provide complete information about this arrangement, including any joint venture agreements. Each party to the arrangement must provide the required list of relevant contracts and information required above.

d. Volume II, Factor 3 – Price Proposal

1. The offeror shall submit pricing in Volume II only. The offeror shall complete the RFP

Attachment 1 – Price Proposal Volume. No proposal prices shall be entered in Section B of the Schedule in the RFP. In the event that prices are entered in Section B of the Schedule in the RFP, they will NOT be considered. NOTE: Only input information in the applicable yellow highlighted cells in Attachment 1 – Price Proposal Volume. DO NOT attempt to modify the other cells of Attachment 1 – Price Proposal Volume. Alteration(s) to these cells (non-yellow highlighted) may result in rejection of the offeror’s proposal. SEE STATEMENT OF WORK for information pertaining to the pricing of CLINs 0001 – 0003.

2. All information relating to pricing data shall be included in this volume. Should such pricing data be included in the technical capability and/or past performance proposals, the result will be removal of such pricing data and all other information included on the same page with such data. This could result in the exclusion from evaluation of critical technical and/or past performance information,

3. Price Assumptions, Conditions, or Exceptions: Submit all (if any) assumptions, conditions, or exceptions with any of the terms and conditions of this SOW. If not noted in this section of the proposal, it will be assumed that the Contractor proposes no assumptions for award and agrees to comply with all of the terms and conditions as set forth herein. It is not the responsibility of the Government to seek out and identify assumptions, conditions, or exceptions buried within the Proposal.

All questions must be received NLT 10:00 A.M. EST on December 16, 2024.