HR_Support_Services_RFP.pdf

STANDARD FORM 1449 (REV. 2/2012) BACK

19.

ITEM NO.

20.

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

21.

QUANTITY

22.

UNIT

23.

UNIT PRICE

24.

AMOUNT

32a. QUANTITY IN COLUMN 21 HAS BEEN

RECEIVED INSPECTED ACCEPTED, AND CONFORMS TO THE CONTRACT, EXCEPT AS NOTED:

41a. I CERTIFY THIS ACCOUNT IS CORRECT AND PROPER FOR PAYMENT

32b. SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT

REPRESENTATIVE

32c. DATE

41b. SIGNATURE AND TITLE OF CERTIFYING OFFICER 41c. DATE

42a. RECEIVED BY (Print)

42b. RECEIVED AT (Location)

42c. DATE REC'D (YY/MM/DD) 42d. TOTAL CONTAINERS

40. PAID BY

32d. PRINTED NAME AND TITLE OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT

REPRESENTATIVE

32e. MAILING ADDRESS OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE 32f. TELPHONE NUMBER OF AUTHORZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE

32g. E-MAIL OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE

33. SHIP NUMBER 34. VOUCHER NUMBER 35. AMOUNT VERIFIED

CORRECT FOR

PARTIAL FINAL

37. CHECK NUMBER

38. S/R ACCOUNT NO. 39. S/R VOUCHER NUMBER

36. PAYMENT

COMPLETE PARTIAL FINAL

ST-1330-14-RP-0096

SCHEDULE Continued

ITEM NO. SUPPLIES/SERVICES QUANTITY UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

PAGE 3 OF 5 ST-1330-14-RP-0096

0001 IDIQ Base Year - Labor

Human Resource Support Services

Period of Performance: 12 months after award date

PR NUMBER: NAAJ4000-14-00022

DELIVERY DATE: 05/11/2014

SHIP TO:

US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/NOAA

NOAA WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT

1305 EAST WEST HWY/STA 12309

SILVER SPRING MD 20910

1.00 EA

0002 IDIQ Base Year - Other Direct Costs

Human Resourse Support Services

Period of Performance: 12 months after award date

DELIVERY DATE: 07/28/2014

SHIP TO:

US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/NOAA

NOAA WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT

1305 EAST WEST HWY/STA 12309

1001 IDIQ Option Year One - Labor

Human Resource Support Services

Period of Performance: 12 months

PR NUMBER: NAAJ4000-14-00022

DELIVERY DATE: 05/11/2014

SHIP TO:

US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/NOAA

NOAA WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT

1305 EAST WEST HWY/STA 12309

1002 IDIQ Option Year One - Other Direct Costs

Period of Performance: 12 months

DELIVERY DATE: 07/28/2014

SHIP TO:

US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/NOAA

NOAA WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT

1305 EAST WEST HWY/STA 12309

2001 IDIQ Option Year Two - Labor

Period of Performance: 12 months

PR NUMBER: NAAJ4000-14-00022

DELIVERY DATE: 05/11/2014

PAGE 4 OF 5 ST-1330-14-RP-0096

SHIP TO:

US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/NOAA

NOAA WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT

1305 EAST WEST HWY/STA 12309

2002 IDIQ Option Year Two - Other Direct Costs

Period of Performance: 12 months

DELIVERY DATE: 07/28/2014

SHIP TO:

US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/NOAA

NOAA WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT

1305 EAST WEST HWY/STA 12309

3001 IDIQ Option Year Three - Labor

Period of Performance: 12 Months

PR NUMBER: NAAJ4000-14-00022

DELIVERY DATE: 05/11/2014

SHIP TO:

US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/NOAA

NOAA WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT

1305 EAST WEST HWY/STA 12309

3002 IDIQ Option Year Three - Other Direct Costs

Period of Performance: 12 months

DELIVERY DATE: 07/28/2014

SHIP TO:

US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/NOAA

NOAA WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT

1305 EAST WEST HWY/STA 12309

4001 IDIQ Option Year Four - Labor

Period of Performance: 12 months

PR NUMBER: NAAJ4000-14-00022

DELIVERY DATE: 05/11/2014

SHIP TO:

US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/NOAA

NOAA WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT

1305 EAST WEST HWY/STA 12309

4002 IDIQ Option Year Four - Other Direct Costs 1.00 EA

PAGE 5 OF 5 ST-1330-14-RP-0096

Period of Performance: 12 months

DELIVERY DATE: 07/28/2014

SHIP TO:

US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/NOAA

NOAA WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT

1305 EAST WEST HWY/STA 12309

July 11, 2014

To Prospective Offerors:

You are invited to submit proposals in response to this RFP (Solicitation #ST-1330-14-RP-0096 based upon the information provided herein:

(1) Attachment A: Overall Contract Statement of Work/Schedule of Deliverables

(2) Attachment B: Proposal Submission Instructions

(3) Attachment C: Evaluation Criteria/Factors

(4) Attachment D: Evaluation Adjectival Ratings for Technical Approach and Management

(5) Attachment E Evaluation Adjectival Ratings for Past Performance

(6) Attachment F: Terms and Conditions

Your attention is called to Attachment B for information on the submission of questions in response to this RFP. A sample Task Order to give Offerors a better idea of the specific tasks or types of tasks that the specialists will be conducting will be released as an amendment (A0001) to this solicitation.

Sincerely, /S/

Amar Medatia Contracting Officer

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

OFFICE OF ACQUISITION AND GRANTS

Attachment A — Overall Contract Statement of Work/Schedule of Deliverables

Statement of Work

Human Resources Support Services

A. Introduction

NOAA’s employees are its most important asset. Their competence, creativity, commitment, diversity, and innovation are vital to the accomplishment of the NOAA mission and the nation’s interests. The NOAA Workforce Management Office (WFMO) provides policies, programs, and processes that facilitate the recruitment, hiring, development, and retention of a diverse, highly skilled, motivated, and effective workforce capable of accomplishing the agency’s mission.

The WFMO serves as the operating human resources office for NOAA providing the full range of recruitment, staffing, pay administration, classification, management advisory services, retirement and benefits counseling, personnel and payroll processing, Human Resources Information Technology (HRIT) systems support, audit/accountability activities and partnership with management to carry out NOAA’s mission.

This requirement excludes human resources duties that are inherently governmental functions.

These inherently governmental functions and services are identified in Section A.2.3 of this Statement of Work. Additional information relating to inherently governmental functions is explained in detail in the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Policy Letter located at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/procurement_index_work_performance/. All HR functions considered to be inherently governmental shall be performed by the Government.

The Government anticipates awarding a single IDIQ Contract to one firm and placing the first Task Order shortly afterwards. The successful vendor shall be required to rapidly respond to Task Order(s) issued by the Government with high-quality Contractor support.

A.1 HR Services

The Contractor shall upon receipt of an appropriately executed Task Order, provide HR services that may include, but are not limited to, the following representative HR services for any component of NOAA’s Workforce Management Office (WFMO) that is authorized to procure services and products under this IDIQ Contract.

● HR Consulting

● Delegated Examining

● Staffing and Recruitment

● Pay Setting

● Process Overpayments

● Personnel/Pay Action Processing and Monitoring

● Classification and Position Management

● Performance Management

● Voluntary Leave Transfer Program

● Leave Counseling http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/procurement_index_work_performance/

● Reports

● Employee File Maintenance

● Open Season Marketing

● Requests for Preliminary Employment Data

● Reduction in Force (RIF)

● Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) and Voluntary Separations Incentive

Payments (VSIP)

● Major Hiring Initiatives & Job Fairs

● Pay for Performance

● Support HR-Related E-Government Initiatives

● Human Capital Initiatives, Workforce Analysis, and Strategic Workforce Planning

● HRIT Systems Support, Maintenance and Development

● Time and Attendance

● Training and Development

● Secretarial and/or clerical Support

● Employee Relations

● Benefits administration

● Human Resources technical writing for policy

A.2 Work Description/Methodology

A.2.1 Work Personnel Requirements/Competencies In fulfilling the requirements of a Task Order, the Contractor shall:

● Have staff who have performed HR work at the Federal government level;

● Ensure that all of its personnel working are U.S. citizens or are foreign nationals that meet the Department’s moderate security credentialing requirements to access Government facilities;

● Provide only personnel able to speak, read, write, and understand English fluently to facilitate communication with Government personnel;

● Provide qualified personnel who are flexible and able to support multiple complex requirements detailed in the scope of work as needed and on a quick reaction basis when required;

● Recruit, hire, and train a workforce sufficient to handle the duties and responsibilities of this IDIQ Contract;

● Ensure that all personnel entering the Department’s facilities to perform the services required under this IDIQ contract carry proper identification or documentation; and

● Verify that all individuals who perform some or all of the services under this IDIQ Contract are not excluded, suspended, or otherwise barred from participation in Government programs.

A.2.2 Work Administrative Information The following information is provided to clarify the expectations of the Contractor on administrative and personnel issues that they may experience when contracting with NOAA. This list is not meant to be all-inclusive, but rather indicative of some of the issues potentially facing the Contractors.

Normal working hours and location: The Contractor shall perform the tasks established in a Task Order during normal working hours, principally from a Government-provided location.

Federal Holidays:

• New Year's Day

• M.L. King Birthday

• President's Day

• Memorial Day

• Independence Day

• Labor Day

• Columbus Day

• Veterans Day

• Thanksgiving Day

• Christmas Day

• Inauguration Day and other Federal holidays granted to NOAA employees (if applicable)

Training: The Contractor is responsible for fulfilling all continuing educational requirements that apply to Government personnel and for keeping its workforce current and qualified in all HR laws, regulations, and related topics as necessary to fulfill the requirements of a Task Order. Any training costs that are not commercially available for contract staff, such as training on a proprietary Government computer application, will be negotiated at the time of the Task Order.

Security: Contractor staff shall be capable of complete and submit all security information requirements within 24 hours of request and successfully passing the required background investigation(s), as well as signing the appropriate confidentiality statements in order to have connectivity to Government laptops or desktops with patches, and encryption to the National Finance Center (NFC) and other HR databases, providing the Contractor access to employees' records.

Workforce Management: The Contractor shall manage its workforce to account for any planned or unplanned absence of assigned personnel such that all required work is performed satisfactorily and on time. Based on the nature of the Task Order, the Government may request a risk management plan from the Contractor.

Personnel Replacements: If any Contractor personnel require removal for misconduct, security reasons, or failure to perform work satisfactorily, as determined by the Government, the Contractor shall provide a qualified replacement.

Transition: The Contractor shall cooperate with successive Contractors or Government personnel to complete a transition of responsibilities with minimal impact at the end of this IDIQ Contract. The Contractor shall complete a transition mitigation plan at the end of the contract period of performance.

Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP): After award, the Contractor shall document a strategy to effectively minimize downtimes in case of an emergency, while providing the highest level of civilian personnel services possible until normal operations fully resume, and to facilitate the recovery and resumption process. The Contractor shall submit this strategy to the Government for review and approval within 10 business days of IDIQ contract award.

A.2.3 Inherently-Governmental Functions The following HR functions shall be excluded from coverage of this SOW, and shall only be performed by Government employees:

● Managing activities associated with transitioning functions from the incumbent provider to a successor provider;

● Acting as liaison between the U.S. Department of Commerce and the HR Connect, NFC (specifically regarding system ID management);

● Certifying position description accuracy;

● Assuring conformance with classification requirements;

● Reviewing and approving qualified candidate certificates;

● Interviewing and selecting candidates;

● Rendering oath of office;

● Approving policy;

● Conducting labor relations;

● Making final benefits determinations;

● Making final retirement determinations;

● Making final hiring decisions;

● Making final pay setting determinations;

● Making final awards determinations;

● Approving waiver of overpayment collections;

● Approving participation in Voluntary Leave Transfer Program;

● Approving of Performance Improvement Plans;

● Approving all proposed disciplinary actions;

● Approving all disciplinary actions;

● Deciding all employee grievance settlements/dispositions; and

● Approving all EEO settlements/resolutions.

A.2.4 IDIQ Contract Labor Categories and Descriptions At the Government’s request, the Contractor shall have the opportunity to respond to a Task Order SOW by providing a proposal that offers qualified personnel from the labor categories listed below, or those listed in the awarded proposal. The response to a Task Order SOW shall, at a minimum, include resumes of the offered personnel and a price proposal for the period of performance specified in the SOW.

Human Resources Assistant [Silver Spring, Boulder, and Kansas City] –The HR Assistant(s) shall have experience applying OPM’s Guide to Processing Personnel Actions. The HR Assistant shall have at least three (3) years’ experience coding the U.S.

Office of Personnel Management Standard Form 52s with the proper nature of action code, legal authority and remarks, processing personnel actions, performing work associated with the recruitment, examination, selection and placement of employees. The HR Assistant shall possess knowledge of and skill in applying, an extensive body of HR rules, procedures and operations concerning recruitment and placement, also possessing the ability to initiate the National Agency Check with Inquiry (NACI) for all candidates for federal employment. HR Assistant(s) shall be required to have knowledge of Homeland Security Presidential (HSPD) 12 policy and procedural guidance. Also, HR Assistant(s) should be knowledgeable of the automated hiring, National Finance Center (NFC)/ HR Connect and the electronic questionnaires for investigation processing system (eQIP).

Human Resources Assistant (Benefits Administration) [Silver Spring] – The HR Assistant(s) shall have experience applying OPM’s Guide to Processing Personnel Actions for health benefits and retirement. The HR Assistant shall have at least three (3) years’ experience coding OPM’s Standard Form 52s with the proper nature of action code, legal authority and remarks, processing personal actions, performing work associated with the health benefits and retirement of employees, former employees, annuitants, survivors, and eligible family members. The HR Assistant shall possess knowledge of and skill in applying, an extensive body of HR rules, procedures and operations concerning recruitment and placement. Also, they should be knowledgeable of the monster.gov, USA Staffing, and National Finance Center (NFC)/ HR Connect systems.

Human Resources Consultant [Silver Spring and Kansas City] – The HR Consultant(s) shall have at least three (3) years of relevant work experience providing analytical support to Federal HR initiatives. They provide advice, counseling, and program development ideas relevant to his/her field of subject matter expertise. An HR Consultant possesses expert level knowledge and experience and is capable of providing expert-level input into the development of HR programs, policies and proposals. An HR consultant possesses strong oral and written communication and shall be capable of conducting briefings for senior executives.

Human Resources Specialist [Silver Spring, Boulder, and Kansas City] – The HR Specialist(s) shall provide analytical support for HR programs. The HR Specialist shall have at least five (5) years of federal human resources experience in supporting more senior HR consultants to perform a variety of HR consulting tasks. These tasks may include workforce planning, competency/skills assessments, reduction-in-force, regulations and processes, and/or performance plan development. The Human Resources Specialist may be assigned the lead support role on component tasks of an HR consulting project.

Benefits Specialist [Silver Spring] – The Benefits Specialist(s) shall provide support for HR programs and have a minimum of three (3) years of experience performing the full range of health benefits and employee retirement administration, providing guidance and consultation to employees, former employees, annuitants, survivors, and eligible family members regarding retirement, insurance, and health benefits.

Staffing Specialist [Silver Spring, Boulder, and Kansas City] – The Staffing Specialist(s) shall provide support for HR programs and have a minimum of three (3) years of experience performing the full range of staffing and recruitment services required to support the federal hiring process, and is responsible for ensuring fair and equitable consideration of all candidates during the selection process. The Staffing Specialist shall be knowledgeable with current hiring flexibilities, qualification standards, merit promotion regulations, category rating regulations, Merit Systems Principles and Prohibited Personnel Practices. The individual shall also hold a current Delegated Examining Unit Certification.

Classification Specialist [Silver Spring and Kansas City] – The Classification Specialist(s) shall provide support for HR programs; a minimum of three (3) years of experience in this particular area of assignments is required. Individual(s) will be responsible for all classifications within the assigned area of responsibility, as well as the completion of various projects and reports. Shall be knowledgeable in applying general schedule and wage system classification standards, writing position description and evaluation statements.

Employee Relations Specialist [Silver Spring] – The Employee Relations Specialist(s) shall have at least three (3) years of functional expertise and analytical experience in supporting the employee relations functions. Individual(s) shall be responsible for drafting conduct, performance, and attendance letters and maintaining case files. They shall also be responsible for researching conduct, performance and attendance case law.

Payroll Specialist [Silver Spring, Boulder, and Kansas City] – The Payroll Specialist(s) shall have at least three (3) years of functional expertise and analytical experience supporting Federal Payroll Operations including experience with redesigning business processes to support organizational and/or operational changes in a payroll environment.

Areas of specialization may include Federal retirement case management, debt collection, resolution of complex pay problems and the processing of complicated back pay cases.

National Finance Center (NFC) Reporting Specialist [Silver Spring, Boulder, and Kansas City] – The NFC Reporting Specialist(s) shall be highly proficient in retrieving and validating data from the NFC/ HR Connect data base via FOCUS report writing. The candidate shall have at least one (1) year of experience using FOCUS reporting tools expected, along with experience working with the NFC database for reporting, as well as other related systems, such as Interactive System Productivity Facility (ISPF) and Table Management system (TMGT).

Administrative Assistant [Silver Spring, Boulder, and Kansas City] – The Administrative Assistant(s) shall support programmatic/project management by performing such secretarial/administrative services as scheduling meetings; maintaining files; preparing travel orders and vouchers; reserving conference rooms; receiving callers;

assisting with graphics preparation and presentations; photocopying; completing reports;

typing and reviewing correspondence; and other general office duties as assigned.

A.3 Deliverables/Schedule

The Contractor shall provide a bi-weekly work status report to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). The report shall provide status of active tasks including type of assignment, dates issued/completed, and any concerns or complications.

A.4 Level of Effort

Full time

A.5 Overtime

Overtime shall not be allowed for any Task Order(s) issued under this IDIQ Contract.

A.6 Information Security Risk Level

Moderate

A.7 Estimated Travel and Cost

Travel costs will be specified as part of any specific Task Order.

A.8 Government Furnished Facilities/Equipment

Tasks shall be performed using government-furnished offices, equipment and facilities.

A.9 Period of Performance

Base Period – 12 months from the time of award Option Period 1 – 12 months from end of Base Period Option Period 2 – 12 months from end of Option Period 1 Option Period 3 – 12 months from end of Option Period 2 Option Period 4 – 12 months from end of Option Period 3

A.10 Location of Work

Due to the nature of the work, Contractor staff shall work onsite at one or more of following locations based on WFMO needs:

• NOAA Workforce Management Office

1305 East West Highway, Room 12505 Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

• NOAA Workforce Management Office 325 Broadway, Bldg. DSRC, GB-109 Boulder, Colorado 80305

• NOAA Workforce Management Office 601 East 12th St., Room 1737 Kansas City, MO 64106

A.11 Points of Contact

Contracting Officer:

Amar Medatia (E): amar.medatia@noaa.gov (P): 301-628-1405

Contract Specialist:

Courtney Fletcher (E): courtney.c.fletcher@noaa.gov (P): 301-628-1406

Contract Officer Representative (COR):

Adam Santo

(E): adam.santo@noaa.gov (P): 301-713-6370

Different COR’s may be assigned to individual Task Orders. If a Task Order does not separately identify a COR, the IDIQ contract COR shall be the default COR.

Assumptions, Conditions, or Exceptions

Offerors shall submit, within the established deadline for Questions and Comments, all (if any) assumptions, conditions, or exceptions to any of the terms and conditions represented within the solicitation. If not distinguished prior to the submission date of all questions and comments, it shall be assumed that the Offeror holds no contrary assumptions for award, and understands/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 assumptions, conditions and/or exceptions presumed by Offerors will be clarified to all interested parties during the release of responses to all Questions/Comments received by the Government.

Performance Standards*

Task Required Service(s)

Performance Standard Method of Performance Assessment

Performance Correction

Provide HR support, including:

Payroll processing, employee benefits, policy, HRIT, training, and employee relations

Bi-Weekly status report

Quality Customer Service

Back-up Support

Status reports at the Task Order level are provided to the COR every two weeks.

Contractor shall return phone Task Orders to clients and the COR within 24 hours of the initial inquiry.

Contractor shall send COR and clients an email notification whenever there are issues that will prevent on-time delivery of products.

Bi-Weekly Status Reports are timely submitted.

Phone Task Orders shall be followed up with emails in order to adequately document the conversation.

The Contractor is required to cc the WFMO Manager in charge of any issues that prevent on-time delivery of products.

Re-perform task if necessary.

Provide qualified staff for the job.

Qualified staff

Provide the Government with resumes of contract staff to review within 2 business days of request

Contractor POC will email the resumes within 2 business days of request.

Re-perform task if necessary.

*The Performance Standards stated above are subject to change after award with bilateral agreement/consent of the IDIQ’s awardee.

Attachment B—Proposal Submission Instructions

1. Questions and comments concerning this solicitation shall be submitted in writing via electronic mail to Courtney.C.Fletcher@noaa.gov no later than Friday July 18, 2014 at 12:00 PM EDT. Questions/Comments shall be submitted per the attached excel spreadsheet to the e-mail specified above and shall reference the particular section of the RFP that the question and/or comment pertains to. All relevant and timely questions/comments will be addressed to all interested parties and will be conveyed via FedBizOpps (FBO) in a practical manner to allow for a timely submission. The Contractor shall disclose any potential, actual or apparent Organizational Conflicts of Interest that would arise as a result of it becoming the awardee, via email to Contract Specialist, Courtney.C.Fletcher@noaa.gov, no later than Friday, July 18, 2014 at 12:00 PM EDT.

2. The full proposal shall be submitted no later than Monday, July 28, 2014 at 16:00 PM

EDT.

3. The proposal shall be prepared in two volumes –

Volume I: IDIQ Technical Proposal Tab A: Executive Letter / Cover Letter Tab B: Technical Approach Tab C: Management Plan Tab D: Past Performance Tab E: Representations, Certifications, and Other Size/Status Information Volume II: IDIQ Cost/Price Quote

4. The Acquisition and Grants Office shall only accept the proposal via e-mail to the following address: (Courtney.C.Fletcher@noaa.gov). Each Offeror may only submit one proposal. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to ensure it arrives by the required date and time. For the purpose of establishing timely receipt of a proposal, the time will be established based upon the e-mail received time.

Award will be made to the Offeror whose proposal conforms to the RFP requirements; who is determined responsible in accordance with FAR Subpart 9.1 by possessing the financial and other capabilities to fulfill the requirements of the IDIQ; and whose proposal is judged, by an integrated assessment of the below mentioned non-price and price/cost evaluation factors, to provide the best value to the Government.

TECHNICAL SUBMISSION

The technical submission shall be in the following format:

• The Offeror shall submit their proposal as a single, compressed (.zip) file to the addressee mentioned above. The compressed file should be no larger than 25 MB.

• Offerors must respond to all aspects of the SOW as presented in this solicitation. To facilitate proposal review and evaluation, the Offeror shall provide the following as part of the proposal. The evaluation factors below are listed in order of descending importance and are significantly more important than cost/price when combined.

1 – Technical Understanding (Technical Approach)

2 – Project Management (Management Plan) 3 – Past Performance

• Page Limitation: The technical submission for Tabs A & B shall not exceed the page limitations identified below. All pages shall be single-sided and single-spaced. Past Performance is excluded from any page limitation. Any excess pages will not be read or considered in the evaluation of the proposal. Proposals must be submitted as Microsoft Word documents, using Version 2003 or newer. The proposal shall use minimum font 12 point (Times New Roman) on 8 1/2 x 11-inch paper. Each page shall be separately numbered. The following are excluded from the page count: Table of Contents, Past Performance documentation, and the Certifications, Representations, and Other Size/Status Information.

VOLUME I – TECHNICAL APPROACH

Tab A: Executive Letter / Cover Letter (two (2) pages – page limit does not include list of team members):

Tab A has a page limit of two (2) pages, and shall not be evaluated or given a technical rating, but will be used by the Government as an aid in understanding the organization, content, and interrelationships of the proposal material.

Tab A shall be prepared on the company’s letterhead stationery, and shall: state that the Offeror’s proposal is predicated upon all the terms and conditions of this RFP; identify all enclosures being transmitted as part of the proposal; reference the solicitation number; provide the name and address, e-mail and telephone and facsimile numbers of the Offeror point of contact(s);

acknowledge transmission of an offer in response to the solicitation; identify names and telephone numbers of persons authorized to conduct negotiations under the awarded contract, as well as the name of the official authorized to bind the Offeror’s organization; and, state the Offeror’s DUNS number.

In the interests of transparency, Tab A shall also include a listing of team members / subcontractors. The list shall include the company’s full name and address, point of contact information, and the company’s DUNS. This information shall neither count against the maximum page limit of two (2) pages for Tab A, nor shall it be evaluated. If an Offeror is awarded a contract as a result of this solicitation and new team members / subcontractors are added after award, it shall provide updates to the Government in the same format as was initially submitted under Tab A.

Tab B: Technical Approach (up to maximum of fifteen (15) pages)

The Offeror shall make a clear and concise presentation and case for its technical approach and methodologies to be used for the IDIQ and associated Task Orders. The Offeror shall describe its understanding and demonstrated knowledge of the Government requirements as described in the SOW elements. The capability, experience and knowledge of the relevant disciplines and communities, inside and external to NOAA, needed to successfully perform each scope of work should be identified.

Additionally, the Offeror shall identify methodologies to be used, describe the deliverables to be produced, describe its risk mitigation for performance of all work requirements, and include a quality control plan. Furthermore, the Offeror must demonstrate its ability to begin work no later than August 25, 2014 with appropriate level of skill and knowledge and with security clearances in place to alleviate any gaps in support services.

Proposal that merely restate the requirements within the scope of work without providing substantive descriptions of the planned requirement will be considered technically unacceptable.

Offerors shall demonstrate their ability and plan to recruit, and retain highly qualified staff – specifically in the human resources support services domain as reflected in the SOW. Offerors shall describe their approach to identifying, recruiting, developing and retaining the highest quality technical staff in the domain and scope of each SOW. If applicable, Offerors shall demonstrate understanding of the challenges, and to describe their approach and internal processes for employing foreign nationals. Offerors shall describe their experience with employing foreign nationals.

Tab C: Management Plan (up to maximum of ten (10) pages)

The Offeror shall describe its project management methodologies in detail. The Offeror shall also describe how its corporate experience will be incorporated into the project management methodologies to the Government’s requirements.

The Management Plan shall reference resource information, also covered in the Cost Volume, such as data concerning labor hours and categories, materials, and subcontractors. The Management Plan shall indicate the objectives or technical areas that will be subcontracted, to which Team Member, and how subcontracted work will be monitored. The Offeror shall demonstrate how lines of communication between the Contractor, NOAA/WFMO, and subcontractors work efficiently in the project organization. The proposal should demonstrate a well-developed approach for ensuring successful completion of this IDIQ and associated Task Orders.

The required resume(s) for the proposed Key Personnel(s) will not count against the page limitation established above for the Tab C portion of the Offeror’s proposal.

Offerors shall demonstrate:

1. A plan and ability to lead a technical Team,

2. The technical and management qualifications (in resume) and continuous availability of, and access to the Contractor Program Manager and other proposed Key Personnel,

3. Clear interfaces between Program and Corporate Management, whether on-site or off-site, to assure effective communication, and escalation pathways for issues that might occasionally require higher level attention.

4. A viable management structure, coordination, and internal and external reporting among on-site technical Contractor staff, and as required to identify any technical team sub-structure with area leads reporting to the Program Manager.

Specific topics to be addressed in this section, for Key Personnel qualifications, shall include:

o A description of specific experiences that Key Personnel have worked on including their responsibilities on the project.

o A brief description of relevant training, and certifications.

o Specification of anticipated degree of availability for the contract and any other work that might constrain the availability and at what times.

o Offerors shall describe their approach and contingency solutions for mitigating potential gaps in service levels, due to any staff changes that may occur.

Tab D: Past Performance

Offerors shall submit summaries of five recent contracts, subcontracts and task or purchase orders with NOAA, other Department of Commerce agencies, other U.S. Government organizations and commercial firms for the same or similar services required by this RFP. The list of directly related projects should cover the most recent three years and should include for each listing:

• Project title and contract number (for subcontracts, provide the prime contract number and the subcontract number)

• Contract dollar amount and period of performance

• Project description stressing the relationship to the work required by this solicitation

• Key project staff

• Sponsoring agency and its technical representative(s)

Please find attached the Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) to support the Government’s past performance review. PPQs shall be received prior to the due date of proposals. Any PPQs received after the established proposal submission deadline may not be used to support the past performance evaluation of the Offeror. The Government will evaluate information that demonstrates quality of performance relative to the size and complexity of the acquisition under consideration. The Government is not required to contact all references provided by the Offeror.

Also, references other than those identified by the Offeror may be contacted by the Government to obtain additional information that will be used to evaluate the Offeror’s past performance.

Tab E: Representations, Certifications, and Other Size/Status Information

Tab E shall include:

1) Representations, Certifications, and Other Information – Offerors shall include a completed FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations, Certifications – Commercial Items. This information should include all representations, certifications, and other contract information required by the solicitation. The DUNS number, certification of SAM registration, and county name in which the company is located and work is to be performed shall also be included.

2) Signed SF 1449 – The Offeror shall provide a signed copy of the SF-1449 and any addenda to the solicitation.

3) SAM registration verifying NAICS code 561110 classification.

VOLUME II –PRICE PROPOSAL

The cost/price submission shall be submitted using the attached pricing matrix. The pricing matrix includes costs broken down by labor categories, locations, and time periods. Please provide your “best customer pricing”. The rates proposed shall represent the ceiling rate for the applicable labor category and time period identified.

The Cost/Price Volume rates shall also be fixed on behalf of, and represent those of, any proposed Team members and subcontractors. Travel will be identified as an Other Direct Cost (ODC) and will be determined at the Task Order level, if necessary.

Attachment C—Evaluation Criteria/Factors

The Government will issue an IDIQ resulting from this RFP to the responsible Offeror whose proposal results in the best value to the Government. The proposal shall be evaluated using an integrated assessment of non-price and price/cost evaluation factors in accordance with FAR Part

15. The following criteria will be evaluated:

Factor 1 – Technical Approach Factor 2 – Management Plan Factor 3 – Past Performance Factor 4 –Price

When combined the non- price factors (1-3) are significantly more important than the price factor. If non-cost factors receive relatively equal adjectival ratings, the Price Factor will become more important in determining the best overall value.

Factor 1 – Technical Approach

Evaluation of this factor will be based on information contained in the technical proposal (Tab B) that demonstrates the degree of the Offeror's understanding of the requirements and proposed methodology for meeting the requirements as identified in the scope of the SOW.

The Offeror shall demonstrate relevant experience of the firm, their technical capability in meeting the requirements of the SOW. The cited experience must demonstrate substantial knowledge and understanding of NOAA/WMFO practices and procedures. The Offeror shall demonstrate experience with risk management and identify risks that may arise in the SOW and how to mitigate risks to avoid issues.

If the primary contractor will employ a teaming arrangement for meeting the services under this requirement, the teaming partner shall be identified and the relevant experience for each shall be addressed.

The Offeror shall make a clear presentation and case for its technical approach. The Offeror’s proposal will be evaluated to determine the extent to which it:

• Demonstrated an in-depth knowledge and comprehensive technical understanding of the disciplines and skill-sets relevant to the scope of work and technical requirements.

• Demonstrated understanding of advanced technical processes and project management methodologies relevant to the overall scope.

• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of relevant technical disciplines internal and external to NOAA, and the need to successfully engage and communicate with these disciplines orally and in writing.

• Demonstrated risk mitigation for performance of all work requirements.

• Demonstrated understanding and approach to locating, recruiting, developing, comprehending challenges and retaining the highest quality technical staff in the technical domain and scope of each SOW.

Factor 2 – Management Plan

The Government’s evaluation will consider the Offeror’s overall management approach including:

• Qualifications and relevant experience of Offeror’s proposed Program Manager.

• Soundness and efficiency of Offeror’s proposed organizational and management structure including: identification of work breakout or functional areas and responsible persons/organizations, internal and external reporting authority, interfaces between on-site and off-site management of technical activities, interfaces to Offeror’s corporate management, interfaces between prime and team partner organizations, leading a coordinated Prime/Subcontractor Team, and interfaces with Government functional and management counterparts.

• Program Manager Approach for a) coordinating and communicating with project management and technical staff, b) monitoring workflow and progress, and mitigating deficiencies, c) coordinating with any Offeror-designated technical team or area leads, and d) communicating status to government Task Monitors.

• Assignments of the objectives or technical areas that will be subcontracted, to which Team Member partner(s), and how subcontracted work will be managed and monitored at the technical level, whether on- or off-site, and at corporate business levels.

• Strategies for mitigating potential gaps in service levels, due to staff changes.

• Availability and other personnel constraints for proposed key personnel.

• The formal relationship between proposed staff and the Prime Contractor.

Factor 3 – Past Performance

The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s past performance on the relevancy of the experience and the Government’s confidence that the Offeror can successfully perform the required effort.

The Government evaluation team will conduct an in-depth review and evaluation of all past performance data submitted in accordance with the instructions. The Government will use all information provided in the Past Performance documentation as well as any additional information obtained from other sources, including additional customers known to the Government.

When a relevant performance record indicates adverse past performance problems, the Government will consider the number and severity of the problems and the appropriateness and effectiveness of any corrective actions taken. The Government may review more recent contracts or performance evaluations to ensure corrective actions have been effectively implemented. The Government may evaluate other information not provided by the Offeror. A rating of “Unknown Confidence” shall be given when relevant past performance is not submitted or available.

Factor 4 –Price

The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s Price Quote to determine whether the proposed rates to perform under each labor category (as described) are fair, reasonable and realistic. Proposed prices will be considered in the best value determination leading to award. Price Evaluation will examine the following:

• Total price of the Pricing Matrix

• Proposed individual rates per the labor category descriptions stated in the SOW.

• Completeness of the Pricing Matrix

• Reasonableness of prices based on the aforementioned labor category descriptions.

Price Reasonableness

Price reasonableness will be evaluated by considering several topics including whether the price, in its nature and amount, does not exceed that which would be incurred by a prudent person in the conduct of competitive business.

Rates may also be re-evaluated for price reasonableness at the Task Order level for cases where the qualifications for requested support staff is different from the qualifications (labor category experience) established herein.

Attachment D—Evaluation Adjectival Ratings

The following ratings will be used to evaluate each of the above evaluation criteria/factors for Technical Approach and Management Plan.

OUTSTANDING: Proposal meets requirements and demonstrates and exceptional approach and understanding of the requirement and offers many significant strengths that exceed the requirements and are highly beneficial to the Government.

Strengths significantly outweigh any weaknesses. Risk of unsuccessful performance is very low.

GOOD: Proposal meets requirements and demonstrates a thorough approach and understand of the requirements. Proposal contains some significant strengths that are highly beneficial to the Government. Strengths outweigh any weak.

Risk of unsuccessful performance is low.

ACCEPTABLE: Proposal does not clearly meet requirements and has not demonstrated an adequate approach and understanding of the requirements. The proposal contains a combination of significant weaknesses and/or a deficiency that could be made acceptable through negotiation. Risk of unsuccessful performance is moderate to high.

MARGINAL: Proposal does not clearly meet requirements and has not demonstrated an adequa approach and understanding of the requirements. The proposal contains a combination of significant weaknesses and/or a deficiency that could be made acceptable through negotiation. Risk of unsuccessful performance is moderate t high.

UNACCEPTABLE: Proposal fails to meet requirements and contains multiple significant weaknesses and/or deficiencies. Risk of unsuccessful performance is very high. Proposals with unacceptable ratings are not eligible for contract award.

The following ratings will be used to evaluate each of the above evaluation criteria/factors for Past Performance.

Rating

Definition

Outstanding Based on the Offeror’s recent/relevant past performance information, the Government has a high expectation that the Offeror will successfully perform for required effort.

Acceptable Based on the Offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has a reasonable positive expectation that the Offeror will successfully perform the required effort.

Marginal Based on the Offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has a lower expectation that the Offeror will successfully perform the required effort.

Unacceptable Based on the Offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has a very low expectation that the Offeror will be able to successfully perform the required effort.

Neutral

No recent/relevanat performance record is available or the offeror’s performance record is available or the offeror’s performance record is so sparse that a past performance rating cannot be assigned.

Attachment F—Terms and Conditions

The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and shall be included in the award document and shall be considered when developing a proposal. Formatting may differ in the IDIQ award. All provisions and clauses established and executed at the IDIQ level shall carry the same full force and effect at the subsequent Task Order level.

INVOICE INSTRUCTIONS

SUBMITTAL OF INVOICES

The Contractor shall prepare and submit an invoice to the Contracting Officer’s Representative for approval. All payments shall be submitted by the 10th day of the subsequent month.

To constitute a proper invoice, the Contractor’s invoice shall be prepared in accordance with, and contain all elements specified in, the paragraph entitled “Contractor’s Invoice” of the applicable prompt payment provision of the contract (e.g., FAR 52.232-25 Prompt Payment, FAR 52.232- 26 Prompt Payment for Fixed-Price Architect Engineer Contracts, or FAR 52.232-27 Prompt Payment for Construction Contracts). For contracts and orders for commercial items and services, paragraph (g) of FAR 52.212-4 entitled “Invoices” applies.

If the invoice does not comply with the applicable prompt payment provision of the contract, it will be returned to the Contractor within seven (7) days after the date the designated office received the invoice, with a statement as to the reasons why it is not a proper invoice.

a. Payment will be based on receipt of a proper invoice and satisfactory contract performance and guidelines in FAR 32.9, Prompt Payment. The Contractor shall provide two original copies of each invoice for work that is performed directly to the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) identified in CAR Clause 1352.201-72.

b. A proper invoice shall reflect the Contractor's information filed with the SAM at http://www.sam.gov/ and shall include the following information and the information identified in the Schedule and any Financial Report:

1. Name and address of the Contractor.

2. Invoice date and invoice number. (Contractors should date invoices as close as possible to the date of mailing or transmission).

3. Contract number or other authorization for supplies delivered or services performed (including order number and contract line item number).

4. Description, quantity, unit of measure, unit price, and extended price of services performed (for the IDIQ/Task Order).

5. Shipping and payment terms (e.g., shipment number and date of shipment, discount for prompt payment terms). Any bill of lading number and weight of shipment will be shown for shipments on Government bills of lading.

6. Name and address of Contractor official to whom payment is to be sent (must be the same as that in the contract or in a proper notice of assignment).

7. Name (where practicable), title, phone number, and mailing address of person to notify in the event of a defective invoice.

8. Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN).

http://www.sam.gov/

9. Electronic funds transfer (EFT) banking information.

10. Current invoice amount for the contract and for each IDIQ/Task Order and total cumulative amount invoiced under the contract and for each IDIQ/Task Order.

11. The detailed breakdowns of cost categories identified in the Schedule and the

Financial Report.

c. To assist the Government in making timely payments, the Contractor shall furnish the following additional information either on the invoice or on an attachment to the invoice:

1. IDIQ/Task Order covered by the current invoice

2. Copies of all travel authorizations (to include summary travel report and reference approved work plan).

3. Copies of all materials payments and authorizations (to include summary report and reference approved work plan).

4. Reference to progress report and work performed as well as a matrix of contract deliverables to invoiced labor.

d. The Government will return invoices that do not comply with these requirements.

PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS

Interim and final evaluations of Contractor performance will be prepared on this contract in accordance with FAR 42.15. The final performance evaluation will be prepared at the time of completion of work. In addition to the final evaluation, at least one interim evaluation will be prepared. Interim and final evaluations will be provided to the Contractor as soon as practical after completion of the evaluation. The Contractor will be permitted thirty (30) days to review the document and to submit additional information or a rebutting statement. If agreement cannot be reached between the parties, the matter will be referred to an individual one level above the Contracting Officer, whose decision will be final. Copies of the evaluations, Contractor responses, and review comments, if any, will be retained as part of the contract file, and may be used to support future award decisions.

NONPERSONAL SERVICES

a. Pursuant to FAR 37.1, no personal services shall be performed under this contract. All work requirements shall flow only from the Project Officer to the Contractor's Project Manager.