Attachment_0003_-_Instructions_to_Offerors_v2.pdf

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION (Section L – Instructions to Offerors- Incorporated as Attachment 0003 in Section J of the Solicitation)

L.1. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS. These instructions are a guide for preparing proposals in response to W52P1J-17-R-0060. 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 USG 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 USG 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 USG to make an assessment of the offeror’s ability to successfully execute the Up Armored NTV 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 Box 12 of Standard Form 1449, Solicitation, Offer and Award, indicating its offer may be accepted within 180 calendar days of the solicitation closing date.

L.2. POINT OF CONTACT. The 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 zachary.e.schuler.civ@mail.mil). Except as otherwise indicated, e-mail is the only method of communication.

The PCO for this acquisition is:

Michelle M. Talbot E-mail: michelle.m.talbot2.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. Two 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 IAW these instructions may be considered non-responsive and may not be evaluated. The USG 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:

Volume Title # of Copies Page Limit Due I Technical 2 each (1 redacted and 1 not redacted), electronic/emailed

25 pages RFP Closing Date

II Price 1 each (not redacted), electronic/emailed

No Limit RFP Closing Date

Supplemental Documents

Solicitation/ Amendments;

Signed

1 each (not redacted), electronic/emailed

No Limit RFP Closing Date

Executive Summary

2 each (1 redacted and 1 not redacted), electronic/emailed

3 pages RFP Closing Date

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

- List of Points of Contact (POCs) who were sent a questionnaire

- Signed Solicitation and Amendments

L.3.1. Offerors shall submit all required documents listed in the chart above, which must be virus free. If the files are compressed, the necessary decompression program must be included. Offerors are responsible for ensuring documents function properly. At the USG’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 where the chart above states they must be redacted.

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). 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 USG 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-17-R-0060 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 USG 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 email addresses shown below, no later than the date and time specified in the solicitation. The USG t will only accept e-mailed proposals for this RFP:

Michelle M. Talbot: michelle.m.talbot2.civ@mail.mil Zach Schuler: Zachary.e.schuler.civ@mail.mil

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 time of receipt by PCO. If files are large, send Volumes in separate emails and state how many emails are being sent. 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 USG 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 via e-mail to:

michelle.m.talbot2.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.

*NOTE*: THE USG SYSTEM WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY ATTACHMENTS THAT

CONTAIN A PERIOD IN ITS TITLE.

L.6 VOLUME I – Technical. The volume shall be organized into the following sections:

Logistical Readiness Plan subfactor, Maintenance Plan subfactor and the QC 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.

L6.1. The Logistical readiness plan shall include a thorough plan on what resources the offeror has available to be at full operating capacity within two months of contract award, to include delivery of the initial 26 vehicles. This shall include, if applicable, inventory available, inventory available with a partnership, and/or a plan to convert vehicles to the standards of the PWS. If the offeror is proposing any vehicles that have been owned, leased, or maintained by anyone other than the USG or the Offeror, the Offeror shall mailto:michelle.m.talbot2.civ@mail.mil mailto:Zachary.e.schuler.civ@mail.mil mailto:michelle.m.talbot2.civ@mail.mil provide a complete vehicle custody history. The logistical readiness plan shall include how the offeror will be able to provide up to five additional vehicles within 14 days at the Government’s request.

L6.2. The maintenance plan shall include a thorough plan of how the offeror is to carry out all scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. Scheduled maintenance shall consist of all maintenance that will be done to vehicles based upon time or mileage, with no regard to the operating condition of the vehicle. Unscheduled maintenance shall consist of any repair or work done to vehicles when they are not currently operating in like new condition. The plan shall detail information about replacement vehicles in case of accident or necessary scheduled or unscheduled maintenance. The offeror shall state how they will replace and/or repaint (to a different color) vehicles up to two times per year at the USG’s request. The plan shall also thoroughly detail plans for replacement of vehicles taken out of service for maintenance, whether scheduled or unscheduled and the plan for recovery and replacement of any vehicle that is inoperable. The recovery plan shall include information about who will be bring the recovery equipment and how the contractor will ensure the immobile vehicle remains in their control until arrival at the secured facility IAW the PWS. The plan shall discuss how the contractor will deal with all law enforcement issues to ensure the safety of USG personnel. The maintenance plan shall detail where scheduled and unscheduled maintenance will take place and what equipment is available for use by the contractor or their partners. The maintenance plan shall detail the secured maintenance facility, including locked doors and security cameras as required IAW the PWS.

L.6.3. 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 USG ; 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 USG , measuring customer satisfaction, including a customer feedback program and a customer satisfaction reporting system.

L.7 VOLUME III – Price. Prices shall be proposed under FFP CLINs. Competition under those FFP CLINs will be utilized to determine price reasonableness.

L.7.1. Organization of Volume II – Price

Volume II shall contain the offeror’s price proposal. Offerors need to fill out Attachment 0002 Price Matrix of the solicitation in its entirety.

The offeror must provide information as follows:

L.7.1.1. CLINs 0001, 1001, 2001, 3001, 4001, and 5001 – Full-Size Sedan, 0002, 1002, 2002, 3002, 4002, and 5002 – Mid-Size SUV, 0003, 1003, 2003, 3003, 4003, and 5003 – Full-Size SUV, 0004, 1004, 2004, 3004, 4004, and 5004 – Extended Full-Size SUV, 0005, 1005, 2005, 3005, 4005, and 5005 – Crew Cab Pickup Truck (4x2), and 0006, 1006, 2006, 3006, 4006, and 5006 – Crew Cab Pickup Truck (4x4) are Firm-Fixed Price. The offerors shall propose FFPs associated with contract performance beginning at time of award in the Price Matrix, Attachment 0002.

L.7.1.2. CLINs 0008AA, 1008AA, 2008AA 3008AA, 4008AA, and 5008AA - Contractor Manpower Requirement are Not Priced Separately.

L.7.1.3. CLINs 0007, 1007, 2007, 3007, 4007, and 5007 - Damages – is a cost reimbursable non fee bearing CLIN. The Government has provided a surrogate amount of $100,000 for each period of performance; base year through option year four.

L.7.1.4. All proposed prices for this acquisition shall be stated in U.S. dollars and include escalation, as appropriate.

L.7.1.5. 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 0001 :

o Base Year: Two months of transition and 10 months of performance o Option Year One: 12 months of performance o Option Year Two: 12 months of performance o Option Year Three: 12 months of performance o Option Year Four: 12 months of performance o FAR Clause 52.217-8: Up to six months of performance under FAR

Clause 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services

- If an offeror fails to propose for all shaded cells in Attachment 0002, the USG 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 Lebanon and local labor laws. Inclusion of any Lebanon and local labor laws considerations (i.e. Overtime, Paid time off, etc.) shall be included within the proposed FFPs. The USG will not provide interpretations of the Lebanon 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.