W15QKN-17-R-0214_SECTION_L.docx

SECTION L - INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

Offerors who previously submitted a proposal under solicitation W15QKN-15-R-0240, including amendments 0001 thru 0005, can submit an update to their originally submitted proposal. This update shall reflect all the changes set forth in amendment W15QKN-15-R-0240 0006 and future amendments released. A cover letter shall be included with this update that summarizes all the changes to their originally submitted proposal and those changes the offeror may have made that are not associated with the changes set forth in amendment W15QKN-15- R-0240 0006 and future amendments released.

An offeror may either submit an update or a new proposal but not both. If an update is submitted then the update and the originally submitted proposal shall be considered the offerors entire proposal and shall be evaluated as such.

All other offerors must submit a proposal that complies with the base solicitation W15QKN-15-R-0240 and all amendments.

L. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION:

L.1 Introduction: This section contains general proposal submissions instructions as well as specific proposal requirements for the M270A1 IAC Modification Kit.

L.1.1 General. The proposal shall be presented in sufficient detail to allow Government evaluation of response to the requirements of the Request for Proposal (RFP). The Government will not assume the Offeror possesses any capability, understanding, or commitment not specified in the proposal.

L.1.2 Review and Understanding of TDP: Proposal submission represents confirmation of full review and understanding of the TDP.

L.1.3 Offerors must demonstrate that they employ personnel that possess (or have possessed within two years prior to date of RFP posting) the capability to perform welds in accordance with TACOM standards for "Ground Combat Vehicle Welding Code - Steel 19207- 12479550" and "Ground Combat Vehicle Welding Code - Aluminum 19207-12472301". Both of these certification are critical to perform work in compliance with the associated TDP. Proposals that do not demonstrate proof of the aforementioned qualifications by submitting appropriate Procedure Qualification Records will be considered non-responsive and receive no further consideration.

L.2 PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS:

L.2.1 General:

L.2.1.1 Offerors shall provide information by addressing each Factor/Subfactor in the format and sequence identified in the solicitation. The Offerors must provide information in sufficient detail to allow the Government to make a best value assessment of theOfferors capability to support the proposed response to the evaluation criteria. Proposals that do not contain the information requested in the solicitation risk being determined unacceptable by the Government. The Government will not assume the Offeror possesses any capability, understanding, or commitment not specified in the proposal.

The proposal must not merely repeat the solicitation requirements, but rather must provide convincing documentary evidence in support of conclusive statements of how contract requirements will be met.

L.2.1.2 The Government intends to award without discussions (see FAR 52.215-1). Proposals that do not contain the information requested in the solicitation risk being determined Unacceptable by the Government. The Government will not assume the Offeror possesses any capability, understanding, or commitment not specified in the proposal.

L.2.1.3 Alternate Proposals: Alternate proposals will not be accepted.

L.2.1.4 Originally submitted proposals and their update or a new proposal shall be valid for 270 calendar days from solicitation closing date.

All offerors shall submit a newly signed and dated SF33 with their update or their new proposal.

L.2.2 All questions concerning this procurement, either technical or contractual must be submitted in writing to the Contracting Officer. No direct discussion between the technical representative and a prospective Offeror shall be conducted. Questions and proposals shall be submitted to the following points of contact:

Army Contracting Command New Jersey ACC-NJ- SW, Bldg. 9 ATTN: Catherine John-Angle Telephone: (973)724-3841 Picatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806-5000 E-mail: catherine.e.johnangle.civ@mail.mil

Army Contracting Command New Jersey ACC-NJ- SW, Bldg. 9 ATTN: John Hynes Telephone: (973)724-4137 Picatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806-5000 E-mail: john.w.hynes2.civ@mail.mil Please note that electronic e-mail proposal submissions will not be accepted.

L.2.3 The proposal shall consist of the following:

L.2.3.1 Each proposal shall be submitted in the English language and consist of and include all of the following:

One (1) signed and completed paper copy of the attached Standard Form 33 (SF 33) and continuation sheets (Sections A through M) signed by a person authorized to enter into the proposed contract on behalf of the Offeror. Acknowledgment of all amendments to the solicitation and all continuation sheets are to be filled in as directed, i.e., proposed prices in the CLINs/Pricing Matrices in Section B, any fill-ins required, such as Contract Data Requirements List: DD Form 1423 with Blocks 17 and 18 completed if required, and Certifications and Representations in Section K. Offerors are directed to thoroughly read the solicitation and fill in the required information in the appropriate solicitation clauses. For any fill-ins that are not applicable, the Offeror must acknowledge by indicating N/A. The proposal must also include computation for the use of Government Property, if applicable.

a. Original (hard copy) and 3 electronic CD copies of the proposal volumes, as reflected in L.3., shall be compiled using the Microsoft Office for Windows suite of applications, submitted on a single-write CD-ROM to prevent accidental erasure of the data therein, and formatted for an MS Windows compatible computer. The Price Factor shall be contained on a separate CD from non- price Factors. Price breakdown, when applicable, will include MS Excel spreadsheets with formulae intact. Process flows may be delivered in hard copy if not compatible with the above software. CD copy must mirror the submitted hard copies. If the CD copy and hard copy differ, the CD copy supplied for each Factor will be used for the evaluation. Each CD must be clearly marked with the Offerors Name and the Solicitation Number. Alternatively, files may be provided in Portable Document Format (.pdf).

b. Representations through System for Award Management: The purpose of electronic Representations and Certifications is to provide all Offerors with a portal in which to submit Reps/Certs in a publicly accessible format, nullifying the requirement to submit identical information in response to each and every Federal contract solicitation. As a requirement under the IAC Modification Kit solicitation, all Offerors must submit Reps/Certs data into the System for Award Management (S.A.M.) at https://www.sam.gov/ and provide one (1) hard copy and one (1) electronic copy (on CD) submitted as an .XPS file. Any Offeror that has previously submitted Reps/Certs data into SAM is reminded to update the data prior to submitting with the proposal.

L.3 FORMAT FOR PROPOSALS:

The Offerors proposal shall be submitted in severable volumes based on the Factors as set forth below and all information specific to each Factor shall be confined to that volume. Each proposal must include all volumes and shall be submitted by the closing date and time of the solicitation. Failure to provide any volume may result in the proposal being given an Unacceptable rating. Informationprovided shall be specific to each Factor.

Page limitation for each Volume is as follows:

Volume I: Factor 1 Technical Factor (Maximum of 100 pages) Volume II: Factor 2 Past Performance Factor (No Maximum) Volume III: Factor 3 Price Factor (No Maximum) Volume IV: Solicitation, Offer and Award Documents L.3.1 Each volume shall be clearly identified and shall begin at the top of a page. All pages of each volume shall be appropriately numbered and identified by the complete company name, date and solicitation number in the header and/or footer. A Table of Contents should be created using the Table of Contents feature in MS Word. MS Word (.doc) files shall use the following page setup parameters:

Margins Top, Bottom, Left, Right - 1 inch From Edge Header, Footer 0.5 inch Page Size, Width 8.5 inches Page Size, Height 11 inches L.3.2 Length:

L.3.2.1 Each volume shall be as brief as possible, consistent with complete submission. The page count will be made by counting the pages from left to right, consecutively. Pages that exceed the page limitation will be returned to the Offeror and will not be evaluated. Each paragraph shall be separated by at least one blank line. Annexes, documentation and attachments that are submitted by the Offeror, which are not required as part of the solicitation, will count against the page limitations. If pages are printed on both sides, each side will count as a separate page. The following will not count against page limitations: volume title pages, table of contents pages, cross-referencing pages, indices, acronym lists and page dividers (used to separate proposal sections). Pages should not exceed 8-1/2 inches in width by 11 inches in length; foldout pages depicting such items as sketches, factory floor layouts, etc. may be used, with each fold counted as one additional page. The font used shall not be less than 10 point.

Deviation from Requested Format. Request for deviations from the requested format shall be submitted to the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) no later than fifteen (15) days after release of the solicitation. Offerors shall provide an explanation, in a clearly relatable format such as a matrix, of any differences between the manner in which the proposal was requested and the manner in which it is proposed to be submitted.

L.3.2.2 The Offeror is responsible for including sufficient details to permit a complete and accurate evaluation of the proposal.

Offerors shall provide a proposal that, at a minimum, addresses those evaluation Factors and Subfactors required in Section M of the solicitation.

L.3.2.3 File Packaging: All of the proposal files shall be compressed (zipped) into one file using WinZip version 6.2 or later, or as separate uploads in their native format, i.e. doc, xls, ppt, etc. Please note Self extracting .exe files will not be accepted.

L.4 SPECIFIC PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

Offerors are responsible for including sufficient details (i.e. drawings, test data) to permit a complete and accurate evaluation strictly from a technical standpoint. The Technical Volume(s) shall have a separate index, which contains narrative titles that are cross-referenced to both the applicable SOW paragraph and page number. This index shall not count against the Page limitation for the Technical Volume. The narrative discussions shall also be related to the applicable SOW paragraph by placing the appropriate SOW number at the beginning of the discussion text. The proposal shall be detailed and clearly stated to allow an assessment by the Government without the need for additional clarifications. The Offeror shall provide detailed narrative discussions that address both the SOW and the Contract Data Requirements List (CDRLs) of the solicitation. All information and data provided shall be specific to the IAC Modification Kit, components and assemblies, except for the area of Past Performance. In the response to the Request for Proposal, the Offeror must address the following Factors and Subfactors:

L.4 Volume I FACTOR 1: TECHNICAL L.4.1 Subfactor 1: Manufacturing Approach The Offeror shall provide a detailed Manufacturing Approach for producing and testing of the IAC Modification Kit to meet the requirements of the solicitation. The Manufacturing Approach shall include a description of the essential manufacturing facilities and equipment and must be realistic and supportable. The Offeror shall use Aerospace Standard AS6500 entitled Manufacturing Management Program as a reference in defining the categories and terms listed below. Proposals shall address, at a minimum, the following:

a. Manufacturing Methods and Processes - Describe the process for planning, documenting, and controlling manufacturing processes.

Address proposed work instructions, visual aids, and process control techniques.

b. Production Scheduling and Control - Describe the process to be used to determine manufacturing progress and the extent that workin- process and materials support the delivery schedule.

c. Material Management - Describe the process for the procurement of purchased items in order to satisfy the delivery requirements.

Describe how material quantities and purchase order placement dates will be determined. Describe the process that will be used to identify and acquire long lead time items.

d. Subcontractor/Supply Chain Management - Describe how the performance of suppliers will be measured.

e. Scrap, Rework, and Repair - Discuss company standard operating procedures and policies.

f. Facilities - Discuss the planned production facility capacity to adequately support the delivery requirements of the IAC Modification program and how the current and projected production business base will impact that capacity.

g. Tooling - Describe the process for controlling tooling including processes for identification of tooling requirements, configuration control, validation, calibration, and maintenance. This section shall address the need/use of available Government tooling to include modification or additional tooling requirements that are not available commercially.

h. Manpower Requirements and Availability - Discuss skilled manpower requirements to include addressing a) identification and availability, b) training and certification requirement, and c) contingency plan for any foreseeable labor relations problems. Factory manpower resources versus other ongoing production programs shall be addressed.

i. Capital Commitments - Identify unique/specialized capital equipment and tooling to be used in production.

j. Environmental Controls - Address how the facility meets all federal, state and local regulatory requirements including special or peculiar environmental concerns for the area, pollution control, spill contingency plan, emergency notification plan, waste disposal procedures, etc.

k. Production Line Validation - Describe the process for establishing and maintaining a qualified production line, including the qualification of lines at new suppliers as well as production line audits.

l. Provide a complete flow diagram of the proposed assembly line, including test, inspection, and build.

m. Identification of essential manufacturing and test facilities, equipment and tooling. Indicate which of the facilities and equipment are not currently owned or leased by the Offeror and indicate plans for obtaining the facilities and equipment.

n. A listing of the proposed sub-contractors and their involvement in the manufacture of the IAC Modification Kit.

o. Welding Processes: a listing and description of the Offerors welding processes and welding equipment; maximum thickness of aluminum armor plate, per MIL-DTL-46027, that the Offeror has welded.

p. Welding Personnel: number of welding personnel qualified in accordance with Section 5 and Section 10 of the Ground Combat Vehicle Welding Code Aluminum (12472301); number of welding personnel qualified in accordance with Section 4 of the Ground Combat Vehicle Welding Code Steel (12479950).

L.4.2 Subfactor 2: Quality Assurance Plan The Offeror shall provide a description of the Quality Assurance Plan to meet the Quality Assurance requirements as defined in the solicitation. The Offeror shall describe in detail the plan that is to be used for the IAC Modification Kit. The Offeror shall provide as a minimum in their plan:

a. The Quality System (ANSI/ISO/ASQ/AS) to include copy of current certification or other Quality System Certification,

b. Certified Tooling Special Tooling and Special Inspection Equipment;

c. Key Processes (including welding certifications) - Include any Procedure Qualification Records (PQR) for aluminum welded joints comparable to IAC structural ballistic welded joints, per Appendix A of the Ground Combat Vehicle Welding Code Aluminum (12472301).

d. Product Acceptance System;

e. Parts Materials and Processes (PMP);

f. Corrosion Prevention and Deterioration Planning (Corrosion Prevention and Control Program, Corrosion Prevention and Deterioration Plan, Process/Finish Specification, Verification and Testing Methods);

g. Qualification;

h. Production Verification Units inspection

i. Process Line validation PLV L.4.3 Subfactor 3: Management Plan The Offeror shall provide a Management Plan with details on how the manufacturing of the IAC Modification Kit will meet the solicitation requirements. At a minimum this shall include:

a. An Integrated Master Schedule showing the schedule of events, inclusive of qualification and sequential environmental testing by statement of work tasks and significant milestones. Include a breakdown of the IAC Modification Kit in substantial detail showing specific piece-parts, sub-assemblies and components required. The contractor shall discuss parts and assemblies that have lead times in excess of 120 days.

b. Identification of any Six Sigma, Lean Design, cost reduction, reliability improvement and continuous quality improvement efforts to be applied to this acquisition.

c. Description of the Configuration Management System that would be used for this program. -Include a description of how engineering changes, deviations and waivers to drawings and specifications are processed, reviewed, and acted upon. The Government will assess the Offerors description of how the Physical Configuration Audits will be conducted for inseparable assembly Configuration Items (CIs) assembled at the Offerors facility, and for inseparable assembly CIs assembled at subcontractor and/or vendor facilities. The Configuration Management Organization shall also be described as well as how configuration changes are accomplished and controlled at the subcontractor level.

d. An organizational chart which identifies key individuals and their skills and experience relevant to this acquisition.

L.5 Volume II FACTOR 2: PAST PERFORMANCE L.5.1 Offerors shall identify pertinent past history, which indicates that similar efforts of equal or greater complexity have been performed using the Offerors existing plant capability and demonstrate satisfaction of customer requirements.

L.5.2 Offerors shall submit a list of all recent Government contracts (prime and subcontracts) in performance or awarded to the Offeror and any of its subcontractors within the past three (3) years, or awarded earlier than three (3) years ago, but for which deliveries/performance occurred or were scheduled to occur within the past three (3) years, which are relevant to the effort required by the solicitation. Data concerning the prime Offeror shall be provided first, followed by each proposed subcontractor, in alphabetical order. Offerors are reminded that both independent data and data provided by the Offerors in their proposals may be used to evaluate the Offerors past performance. The Government plans to rely on existing documentation from Federal databases to the maximum extent practicable. Sources of existing information available to the Government include, but are not limited to, Past Performance Information and Retrieval System (PPIRS), Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), and Electronic Subcontract Reporting System (eSRS). The Government may use past performance information obtained from sources other than those identified by the Offeror. The Government reserves the right to use or not use past performance information submitted by the Offeror based on whether or not adequate recorded past performance information is available in its Federal databases. Since the Government may not necessarily interview any or all of the sources provided by the Offerors, it is incumbent upon the Offeror to explain the relevance of the data provided. The burden of providing thorough and complete past performance information remains with the Offerors. Proposals that do not contain the information requested by this paragraph may result in rejection or receipt of a high performance risk evaluation by the Government. This volume shall be organized into the following sections:

(1) Section 1 Contract Descriptions: This section shall include the following information in the following format:

(a) Contractor/Subcontractor place of performance, Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code and Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number. If the work was performed as a subcontractor, also provide the name of the prime contractor and Point of Contact (POC) within the prime contractor organization (name, and current address, e-mail address, and telephone and fax numbers). PLEASE NOTE: While an Offeror may submit past performance information on relevant efforts where they performed as a subcontractor, the Government does not have privity with subcontracts and therefore, may not be able to obtain qualitative information.

(b) Government contracting activity, and current address, Procuring Contracting Officer's name, e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers.

(c) Governments technical representative/COR, and current e- mail address, telephone and fax numbers.

(d) Government contract administration activity and the Administrative Contracting Officer's name, and current e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers.

(e) Government contract administration activity's Pre-Award Monitor's name and current e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers.

(f) Contract Number and, in the case of Indefinite Delivery type contracts, GSA contracts, and Blanket Purchase Agreements, also include Delivery Order Numbers.

Contract Type (specific type such as Fixed Price (FP), Cost Reimbursement (CR), Time & Materials (T&M), etc.) In the case of Indefinite Delivery contracts, indicate specific type (Requirements, Definite Quantity, and Indefinite Quantity) and secondary contract type (FP, CR, T&M, etc)).

(g) Awarded price/cost.

(h) Final or projected final price/cost.

(i) Original delivery schedule, including dates of start and completion of work.

(j) Final or projected final, delivery schedule, including dates of start and completion of work.

(2) Section 2 Performance: Offerors shall provide a specific narrative explanation of each contract listed in Section 1 describing the objectives achieved and detailing how the effort is relevant to the requirements of the solicitation.

(a) For any contracts that did not/do not meet original schedule or technical performance requirements, provide a brief explanation of the reason(s) for the shortcomings and any corrective action(s) taken to avoid recurrence. The Offerors shall list each time the delivery schedule was revised and provide an explanation of why the revision was necessary. All Requests for Deviation and Requests for Waiver shall be addressed with respect to causes and corrective actions. The Offerors shall also provide a copy of any Cure Notices or Show Cause Letters received on each contract listed and a description of any corrective action implemented by the Offeror or proposed subcontractor. The Offerors shall indicate if any of the contracts listed were terminated and the type and reasons for the termination.

(b) For all contracts, the Offeror shall provide data on all manufacturing warranty returns. Data shall delineate total number of warranty returns, number of Could Not Duplicate (CND), number of failures attributable to GFE component failures, and number and nature of failures attributable to the Offerors delivered product.

(3) Section 3 Subcontracts: Offerors shall provide an outline of how the effort required by the solicitation will be assigned for performance within the Offerors corporate entity and among the proposed subcontractors. The information provided for the prime Offeror and each proposed subcontractor must include the entire company name, company address, CAGE Code, DUNS Number and type of work to be performed by citing the applicable Government SOW subparagraph number. This includes all subcontractors who will be providing critical hardware/services or whose subcontract is for more than 25% of the total proposed price.

(4) Section 4 New Corporate Entities: New corporate entities may submit data on prior contracts involving its officers and employees. However, in addition to the other requirements in this section, the Offeror shall discuss in detail the role performed by such persons in the prior contracts cited. Information should be included in the files described in the sections above.

(5) Past Performance Questionnaire: For all contracts identified in Section 1, Past Performance Questionnaires must be completed and submitted (ATTACHMENT 0017). The Offeror shall complete Part I of the Past Performance Questionnaire and e-mail the questionnaire to both the Government contracting activity and technical representative responsible for the past/current contract. The POCs shall be instructed to electronically complete Part II of the questionnaire and e-mail the entire questionnaire to the Contracting Officer within thirty (30) calendar days of the release of the solicitation, to gherin.fracasso.civ@mail.mil. The Offeror shall also e-mail to the Contracting Officer a list of all the POCs who were sent a questionnaire. The Government must receive this list within sixty (60) calendar days after release of the solicitation. The POC list shall be submitted in Word for Windows Table Format to include the following fields: Solicitation Number; Company Name; Contract Number; Government Agency; POC Last Name, First Name; POC Title; POC Telephone Number; POC E-Mail Address; Date E-Mailed to POC (month/day).

L.6 Volume III FACTOR 3: PRICE L.6.1 The Offerors shall submit pricing in Section B for all priced CLINs. The proposed price for production CLINS shall be inclusive of all fabricating, testing, inspection, packaging and delivery of the solicited item. Each Offeror must propose a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) for Production Verification Units (PVUs) CLINs for the Base and all option periods. Failure to provide a price for PVUs may result in the offer not being considered for award.

In accordance with FAR 45.202(a), the Government shall consider any potentially unfair competitive advantage that may result from an offeror using Government property. To eliminate the competitive advantage, a rental equivalent evaluation factor shall be added to each offer which is predicated on the use of Government property. Offerors shall refer to Local Clause 52.245-4003 Use and Rental of Government Property in Section L for submission instructions.

L.6.2 Unbalanced Pricing. If the Offerors unit prices appear unbalanced when comparing them from base and option years, the Offeror shall provide documentation, including calculations and supporting rationale, explaining the apparent unbalanced pricing.

L.7 Volume IV SOLICITATION, OFFER AND AWARD DOCUMENTS AND CERTIFICATIONS/REPRESENTATIONS L.7.1 Each Offeror shall complete (fill-in and signatures) the solicitation sections indicated below using the file (without modification to the file) provided with the solicitation. An authorized official of the firm shall sign the SF 33 and all certifications requiring original signature. An Acrobat PDF file shall be created to capture the signatures for submission.

Section A through M Fill-ins as required Section A Standard Form 33 (SF 33), Solicitation, Offer and Award Section B - Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs Section G Contract Administration Data Section J Contract Data Requirements List (DD1423) with blocks 17 & 18 completed Section K Completed Representations, Certifications and Other Statements of Offeror