Attachment_0003-_SECTION_L_PROPOSAL_INSTRUCTIONS_20170420.docx

L.1. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS. These instructions are a guide for preparing proposals in response to W52P1J-16-R-0050. They describe the extent of information the offeror should provide and emphasize the significant topic areas the offeror should address in its proposal. Each offeror shall submit a maximum of one proposal. The Government will not reimburse the offeror for costs incurred in association with the preparation of its proposal. The offeror is expected to review the PWS contained in Section J of this solicitation for further insight into the areas that the proposal must address. The offeror shall include in its proposal sufficient information to enable the Government to determine the offeror’s understanding of the requirements in each of the evaluated areas. Offerors are cautioned that repeating language of the PWS with a statement of intent to perform does not reflect understanding of the requirement. Offerors shall not specifically prepare samples or descriptive literature for submission with its proposal. Adherence to the prescribed format is required. Data not submitted with the proposal, but submitted previously or presumed to be known, will not be considered as part of the proposal. Failure to provide a proposal in compliance with the instructions specified in this solicitation shall render the offeror’s proposal non-compliant. The proposal will not be further evaluated and will not be further considered for award. The offeror must provide information in sufficient detail to allow the Government to make an assessment of the offeror’s ability to successfully execute the LOGAUTO effort. The proposal shall be prepared in a clear and legible manner. In addition, the offeror shall write the proposal in English and the proposal must be specific and complete as described in these instructions.

Offerors shall complete all applicable portions of Box 12 of Standard Form 1449, Solicitation. Additionally, within its Volume I submission, the offeror shall indicate that, Offer and Award, indicating its offer may be accepted within 180 calendar days of the solicitation closing date.

L.2. POINT OF CONTACT. The Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) is the sole point of contact for this acquisition. Any questions or concerns shall be addressed, in English, to the PCO (with a carbon copy sent to Charles.M.Williamson12.civ@mail.mil). Except as otherwise indicated, e-mail is the only method of communication.

The PCO for this acquisition is:

Stephanie A. Brown E-mail: stephanie.a.brown127.civ@mail.mil

L.3. STANDARD PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS. This section specifies the format each offeror shall use in preparing its proposal. The intent is not to restrict the manner in which proposals are prepared, but rather to ensure a certain degree of uniformity in proposal format for evaluation purposes. Three separate volumes shall be submitted. These volumes shall be self-contained and shall not be cross-referenced, with the exception of the Price Volume. Unless specifically requested, pricing information shall not be contained in any volume except the Price Volume. Proposals not structured in accordance with (IAW) these instructions may be considered non-responsive and may not be evaluated. The Government will not assume the duty to search for data or information to cure problems discovered in any proposal submitted. The burden of providing complete and thorough information to address the elements below remains with the offeror. The proposal shall include the following volumes subject to the limitations discussed below:

Exclusions. Each page shall be counted except for the following:

- Cover pages

- Table of contents

- List of figures

- Glossaries

- Tabs / Dividers

- Other items as indicated in each Volume

- Teaming Arrangements / Joint Ventures

- DCMA/DCAA Audits and Reviews

L.3.1. Offerors shall submit one copy on CD/DVD to the address listed below in section L.5 or electronically to the e-mail addresses listed in Section L.2., for each Volume of the proposal, which must be virus free. If the files are compressed, the necessary decompression program must be included. Offerors are responsible for ensuring CD/DVDs function properly. Upon receipt of proposals, all CD/DVDs, emails and attachments submitted will be scanned for viruses with an anti-virus program. If a virus is detected, the CD/DVDs or email shall not be considered when evaluating the offeror’s proposal. At the Government’s discretion, the offeror may not be given the opportunity to resubmit this information. Offerors shall redact all company names/logos/pictures/personnel names from all pages of the proposal with the exception of Volume I (Supplemental Documents and Facility Clearance) and Volume III (Price). The electronic copies shall be submitted using Microsoft Office (MS) Word, MS Excel (for the Price Volume only) and Adobe Acrobat software (SF1449 signature page and any other RFP pages, as required). All copies of an individual volume shall be identical. The use of hyperlinks in proposals is prohibited. An authorized official of the firm shall sign the electronic submission of the offeror’s proposal to include SF1449, and all amendment cover sheets, SF30, and all certifications requiring signature.

L.3.2. Each page is defined as one sheet, one-side. Excess pages will be removed from the back of each volume and will NOT be read or evaluated. Page limitations do not prohibit the Government from requesting additional supporting data.

L.3.3. Offerors shall use 8-1/2 x 11 inch size pages and a 12 point, or greater, Arial font. Font requirements apply to bullets and other special text formatting. 10 point Arial font may be utilized for tables and graphic displays. 11 x 17 inch size pages are acceptable for tables/graphic representations; however, each 11 x 17 inch size page counts as two pages.

L.3.4. Proposal Organization. No classified material shall appear anywhere in the proposal. All proposal volumes shall include:

L.3.4.1. Front cover, a table of contents, and the body of the proposal. All factor and subfactor narratives shall be clearly identified.

L.3.4.2. List of Tables and Figures for each Volume.

L.3.4.3. Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms for each Volume.

L.3.5. At a minimum, all cover sheets shall contain the following information:

L.3.5.1. Offeror’s Proposal in response to Solicitation W52P1J-16-R-0050 IAW solicitation instructions

L.3.5.2. Volume Number and Title

L.3.5.3. Name and Address of offeror (with the exception of Volume II)

L.3.5.4. Date of Submission

L.3.5.5. Offeror’s POC information to include phone number and e-mail (with the exception of Volume II)

L.4. THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA). FOIA and its amendment have resulted in an increasing number of requests from outside the Government for copies of contractors' proposals and other documents submitted to federal agencies. If an offeror's submission contains information that it believes should be withheld from such requestors under FOIA on the grounds that it contains trade secrets and commercial or financial information [5 USC 552(b)(4)], the offeror should mark its submissions in accordance with FAR 52.215-1 and in the following manner:

L.4.1. The following notice should be placed on the title page: Some parts of this document, as identified on individual pages, are considered by the submitter to be privileged or confidential trade secret or commercial or financial information not subject to mandatory disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Material considered privileged or confidential on such grounds is contained on page(s) ___.

L.4.2. Each individual item considered privileged or confidential under FOIA should be marked by placing the text within {brackets} with the following notice placed in the right margin: Privileged or Confidential.

Failure to do so may result in an involuntary release via a FOIA request.

L.5. PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL. All proposals and related information shall be submitted in the format identified above, to the Army at the address shown below, no later than the date and time specified in the solicitation. The Government will not accept e-mailed proposals for this RFP, as outlined in L.3.

Army Contracting Command - Rock Island ATTN: Stephanie A. Brown 3055 Rodman Avenue Rock Island Arsenal, IL 61299-8000

L.5.1. Offerors are responsible for ensuring that a full and complete proposal is received by the date and time established within the solicitation for receipt of timely proposals. Receipt means actual receipt by PCO, not merely receipt on the U.S. Government Installation. Failure to confirm receipt will result in the waiver of any argument of an offer being timely sent, but not delivered to the PCO. It is highly recommended that offeror’s request a delivery confirmation or other form of acknowledgement to verify the proposal submission was received. Absent the opening of discussions, if required, the Government will not accept any changes, additions, or deletions for evaluation purposes. Should an Offeror have difficulties with the delivery of proposals, please immediately notify the PCO or her representative via e-mail to: stephanie.a.brown127.civ@mail.mil and charles.m.williamson12.civ@mail.mil. Any proposal, or partial proposal, received after the time and date established for receipt of timely proposals will be considered late and will not be considered for award.

L.6 VOLUME I - SUPPLEMENTAL DOCUMENTS, PROOF OF FACILITY CLEARANCE, AND AFFIRMATIVE STATEMENT AS TO KUWAIT AND OTHER HOST NATION LABOR LAW COMPLIANCE FACTOR. There is no page limit to this volume, except as noted below.

- Facility Clearance Documentation

- Completed and Signed Solicitation and any Amendments

- Executive Summary (10 page limit) -Affirmative Statement as to Kuwait and Other Host Nation Labor Law Compliance

L.6.1. Facility Clearance. This SECRET level Facility Clearance requirement applies to affiliates, team members, subcontractors, etc., which will require access to classified information. For the SECRET Facility Clearance, the offeror shall provide at the time of proposal submission the following information: name of company; company CAGE code; company facility clearance level; company Facility Security Officer (FSO) contact information (name, phone number, and email address). The offeror shall also include the name of its company or managing partner of a partnership, joint venture, or limited liability company that possesses the SECRET Facility Clearance if the offeror is a newly formed partnership, joint venture, or limited liability company. The PCO will verify the offeror and the teammates/ subcontractors/ managing partner identified possess a SECRET Facility Clearance via the DSS ISFD. Failure to have submitted the required SECRET Facility Clearance by the proposal closing date shall render the offeror ineligible to receive a contract award and will result in the proposal not being evaluated further. If the CAGE code for the offeror, managing partner, teammate or subcontractor, provided does not possess a Secret Facility Clearance, the Offeror will be found noncompliant. The offeror’s proposal will not be further evaluated and will not be further considered for award.

L.6.2. Solicitation. Utilizing Adobe Acrobat, offerors must provide a completed and signed copy of the solicitation including all sections and any Amendments.

L.6.3. Kuwait Labor Law. Offerors are responsible for complying with the Kuwait and other host nation labor laws. Offerors shall provide an affirmative statement in their Volume I submission that they understand and will fully comply with the current Kuwait and other host nation (Iraq and Afghanistan) labor laws. If the Offeror fails to provide the above statement, its proposal will not be further evaluated and will not be further considered for award.

L.6.4. Additionally, within its Volume I submission, the offeror shall indicate that its offer may be accepted within 180 calendar days of the solicitation closing date.

Offerors are hereby put on notice that the U.S. Government will not reimburse the LOGAUT contractor for any costs, including labor costs, arising out of violation of host nation labor laws.

L.7 VOLUME II – Technical. The volume shall be organized into the following sections:

Technical Proposal shall address the Resources Plan subfactor, the Quality Control (QC) Plan subfactor, and Transition Plan subfactor. These subfactors will be evaluated on an Acceptable/Unacceptable basis. If an offeror fails to achieve an “Acceptable” rating on any of the three subfactors, it will receive an ‘Unacceptable’ rating for Technical and may not receive further consideration for award.

L7.1. The Resources Plan shall be specific, detailed and complete enough to demonstrate that the offeror has the resources and/or the ability to recruit, train, and retain the necessary staffing levels of qualified personnel needed to meet the requirements outlined within the PWS to perform this mission. The offeror shall describe its approach to and demonstrate its understanding of the processes, procedures, capabilities and experience it will employ and rely upon to ensure successful execution of the requirements of the resulting contract from on-set through the final performance period. The offeror’s proposal should include but is not limited to discussion of the following aspects of resources planning and management:

· The offeror’s approach to recruiting, hiring, and management of the various skills and personnel resources required for contract execution. The offeror’s approach should address U.S. Citizen, Host Nation Country, and Foreign National personnel resources, as necessary. The offeror should include and address its understanding of and implementation approach to the numerous Kuwait Labor Laws to include Sponsorship and Visa processing and other international requirements associated with staffing this mission.

· The offeror’s approach to manage retention of personnel. The approach should include the Offeror's tools and any incentivization mechanisms that will be employed to retain staff and quickly fill vacancies in an austere Outside the Continental United States environment. In addition, the Offeror's approach should include its plan to proactively manage attrition of personnel to minimize disruption to performance of services. Any costs workforce attrition costs are the sole responsibility of the offeror and be will not be separately billed to the Government.

· The offeror’s approach for Combating Trafficking in Persons (CTIP) IAW FAR 52.222-50. The approach should not merely convey compliance with minimum requirements but should demonstrate the Offeror’s commitment to comply with the spirit and intent of CTIP regulations. The approach should describe the Offeror's approach and commitment to preventing trafficking in persons in all aspects of personnel management and contract execution. The Offeror's approach should discuss the Offeror's processes and procedures for self-assessments and its reporting and mitigation procedures should a CTIP violation be discovered or reported.

· The offeror should identify the risks associated with its proposed approach and describe the methods and procedures the Offeror will employ to mitigate such risks throughout the contract's life.

L.7.2. The QC Plan shall be specific, detailed and complete enough to clearly and fully demonstrate a sound technical approach, and a thorough understanding of quality methods and techniques for meeting performance standards and customer requirements. The QC Plan shall include: 1) A comprehensive, independent plan for developing and maintaining the QC program; 2) Internal and external quality control methods and policies for measuring, tracking, analyzing, reporting and implementing preventive and corrective actions required to ensure the quality performance standards required by the PWS and customer satisfaction is met; 3) A plan to ensure a workable relationship, to include reporting requirements, between the offeror’s management personnel and the Government; 4) Feedback mechanisms and corrective action methods for correcting defects in each functional area established in the PWS; 5) Integration of QC system into daily operations; and 6) Methods to be used for communications with the Government, measuring customer satisfaction, including a customer feedback program and a customer satisfaction reporting system.

L.7.3. The Transition Plan shall detail how the offeror will prepare its company to become fully operational in performing the requirements of the PWS, within 90 days. The offeror shall demonstrate that it has the understanding, ability, and experience to successfully manage the processes, procedures, and timelines necessary to transition operations both in-coming as the offeror positions to begin full-scale performance on the established date; and out-going as the Offeror demobilizes operations to ensure planned, coordinated, and professionally executed transitions. The offeror’s proposal shall include, but not be limited to the following:

· The offeror's approach to the phase in of operations, and how it will ensure uninterrupted services to the Government. The approach should include scheduling and sequencing of activities to include hand-off/assumption of services, communication strategies, logistics considerations, coordination procedures and planned interaction with both the out-going Contractor and appropriate Government personnel.

· The offeror’s approach shall include the detail for recruiting and retaining the staffing necessary to reach full performance levels in accordance with the PWS.

· The offeror's approach to the phase out of operations at the conclusion of contract performance and how it will ensure uninterrupted services to the Government. The approach should include scheduling and sequencing of activities to include hand-off of services, communication strategies, logistics - demobilization considerations, coordination procedures, and planned interaction with both the in-coming performer and appropriate Government personnel.

· The offeror's approach should identify the risks associated with its proposed approach and describe the methods and procedures the Offeror will employ to mitigate such risk throughout transition of operations. The offeror’s approach shall also identify any technical or management issues that may impact transition and provide a mitigation plan for those technical or management issues.

L.8 VOLUME III – Price. Prices shall be proposed under FFP CLINs. Competition under those FFP CLINs will be utilized to determine price reasonableness.

L.8.1. Organization of Volume III – Price

Volume III shall contain the offeror’s price proposal. Offerors need to fill out Attachment 0006 Price Matrix of the solicitation.

The offeror must provide information as follows:

L.8.1.1. CLINs 0001AA, 1001AA, 2001AA, 3001AA, 4001AA, and 5001AA - Labor are Firm-Fixed Price. The offerors shall propose FFPs associated with contract performance beginning at time of award in the Price Matrix, Attachment 0006. Prices for the transition period shall be included within the base year prices and proposed under CLIN 0001AA

L.8.1.2. CLINs 0002AA, 1002AA, 2002AA, 3002AA, 4002AA, and 5002AA –Other Direct Costs (ODCs) and Equipment are FFP. These costs may include but are not limited to: sponsorship, housing (apartment rentals), transportation (vehicle rental), cell phones, in-country transportation costs, R&R travel, etc. ODCs shall also include Defense Base Act (DBA) insurance costs. The Defense Base Act requires contractors to provide insurance coverage for all employees working on a military base outside the United States. The offerors shall propose FFPs associated with contract performance beginning at time of award in the Price Matrix, Attachment 0006. Prices for the transition period shall be included within the base year prices and proposed under CLIN 0002AA. .

L.8.1.3. CLINs 0003AA, 1003AA, 2003AA, 3003AA, 4003AA and 5003AA Mission Essential Travel – is a cost reimbursable CLIN. The Government has provided a surrogate amount of $50,000 for each period of performance; base year through option year four.

L.8.1.4. CLINs 0004AA, 1004AA, 2004AA 3004AA, 4004AA, and 5004AA - Contractor Manpower Requirement are Not Priced Separately.

L.8.1.5. All proposed prices for this acquisition shall be stated in U.S. dollars and include escalation, as appropriate.

L.8.1.9. The proposals are assumed to represent the Offeror’s best efforts, as final proposal revisions may not be requested.

· The following option periods apply as specified in Attachment 0006 :

· Base Year: Three months of transition, nine months of full performance

· Option Year One: 12 months of performance

· Option Year Two: 12 months of performance

· Option Year Three: 12 months of performance

· Option Year Four: 12 months of performance

· FAR Clause 52.217-8: Six months of performance under FAR Clause 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services

· If an offeror fails to propose for all blue shaded cells in Attachment 0006, the Government may reject that offeror’s proposal.

· With respect to pricing, the proposal response is presumed to represent the offeror’s best effort to respond to the solicitation. Any significant inconsistency between promised performance and price should be explained in the offer. For example, if the use of new and innovative techniques has an impact on unit price, the impact on price should be explained by the offeror. If a management decision has bene made to absorb a portion of the program prices that have not been included in the proposed pricing, that decision should be stated and qualified in the proposal. Any significant inconsistency, if not explained, raises a fundamental issue of the offeror’s understanding of the nature and scope of the work required, and may be grounds for rejection of the proposal. The burden of proof as to price credibility rests with the offeror.

· All proposals shall be in compliance with Kuwait and local labor laws. Inclusion of any Kuwait and local labor laws considerations (i.e. Overtime, Paid time off, etc.) shall be included within the proposed FFPs. The Government will not provide interpretations of the Kuwait or local labor laws for offerors.

· Pricing for Defense Base Act Insurance and Contractor Manpower Reporting (not separately priced) shall be included within the proposed FFPs.