W81XWH21R0035-0003.pdf

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

30-105-04 EXCEPTION TO SF 30

APPROVED BY OIRM 11-84

STANDARD FORM 30 (Rev. 10-83) Prescribed by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

Subject solicitation is amended for the following purpose:

1. Experience will be evaluated using an "acceptable" or "unacceptable" rating.

Acceptable - Offeror possess the experience as outlined in the solicitation.

Unacceptable - Offeror does not possess the experience as outlined in the solicitation.

2. See Summary of Changes for Details.

1. CONTRACT ID CODE PAGE OF PAGES

J 1 13

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

16C. DATE SIGNED

BY 14-Apr-2021

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 15C. DATE SIGNED15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

(Signature of Contracting Officer) (Signature of person authorized to sign)

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., Street, County, State and Zip Code) X W81XWH21R0035

X 9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

16-Mar-2021

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

X The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offer is extended, X is not extended.

Offer must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended by one of the following methods:

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted;

or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN

REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required)

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS.

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE

CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(B).

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not, is required to sign this document and return copies to the issuing office.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

10A. MOD. OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 5. PROJECT NO.(If applicable)

6. ISSUED BY

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

14-Apr-2021

CODE

USA MED RESEARCH ACQ ACTIVITY

820 CHANDLER ST

FORT DETRICK MD 21702-5014

W81XWH 7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than item 6)

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.

CODE

See Item 6

FACILITY CODECODE

EMAIL: TEL:

W81XWH21R0035

SECTION SF 30 BLOCK 14 CONTINUATION PAGE

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

SECTION SF 1449 - CONTINUATION SHEET

The following have been modified:

ADDENDUM TO 52.212-1

ADDENDUM TO 52.212-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS-COMMERCIAL ITEMS

1.1 General Instructions and Notices : This section provides guidance for preparation of the offer as well as specific instructions on the format and content of the offer. The Offeror’s proposal must include all data and information requested and must be submitted in accordance with these instructions. The proposal shall also be compliant with all requirements as stated in the Performance Work Statement (PWS). The Government intends to award a single contract to a responsible Offeror after evaluation in accordance with the factors in the solicitation. This will be a firm fixed-price (FFP) award.

The Offeror shall submit documentation illustrating its approach for satisfying the requirements of this solicitation.

The offer/quote must be clear, coherent, and prepared in sufficient detail for effective evaluation of the Offeror’s proposal against the evaluation criteria. This documentation shall cover all aspects of this solicitation.

The Offeror may describe its offer/quote through the use of graphs, charts, diagrams and narrative in sufficient detail for the Government to understand and evaluate the nature of the approach.

The Government will evaluate only one offer/quote from the prime Offeror. The Government will not accept alternate offer/quote.

All offer/quote information is subject to verification by the Government. Falsification of any offer/quote submission, documents, or statements may subject the Offeror to civil or criminal prosecution under Section 1001 of Title 18 of the United States Code.

Offerors must comply with FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management. In complying with this provision, the Offeror must ensure that all representations and certifications contained in this solicitation are completed and uploaded to its SAM record at http://www.sam.gov by the date specified for receipt of proposals. If the Offeror does not have an active SAM record or has a record that does not include all representations and certifications required in this solicitation, they may be considered ineligible for award.

Any data previously submitted in response to another solicitation to USAMRAA or another agency shall be assumed to be unavailable during this proposal evaluation and source selection process.

The Government will not reimburse the Offeror for costs incurred as a result of preparation and submission of a proposal in response to this solicitation. Size Standard: The NAICS code and small business size standard for this acquisition is 541380, with a size standard in dollar value of $16.5M.

1.2 Point of Contact: The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) is the sole point of contact for this action for addressing any questions or concerns. The Contract Specialist is the point of contact for this acquisition.

U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity ATTN: Ms. .Brenda Mena (brenda.i.mena.civ@mail.mil) 820 Chandler Street Fort Detrick, MD 21702-5014

1.3 Proposal Questions: Questions regarding this solicitation shall be submitted electronically via e-mail no later than 22 March 2021 , 11:00 AM Eastern Time, to Ms. Brenda Mena at brenda.i.mena.civ@mail.mil. No telephone calls will be accepted. Follow-up/additional questions will not be accepted after this date. An amendment to the solicitation will be posted providing the Government’s responses.

Proposal Content: The Offeror’s submission shall include two separate parts: a Non-Cost/Price proposal and a Cost/Price Proposal.

1.3 Proposal DUE DATE is: Wednesday, 14 April 2021, 12:00 PM Eastern Time, to Ms. Brenda Mena at brenda.i.mena.civ@mail.mil.

1.4 Submission of Offer: Failure to submit all documents concurrently and in accordance with these instructions may render a proposal UNACCEPTABLE.

The offeror's proposal shall consist of two (2) volumes. The 2 Volumes are:

Volume I: Non-Cost/Price Proposal Volume II: Price/Business Proposal The Offeror shall complete the attached OCI Certification and provide (if necessary) an OCI Avoidance or Mitigation Plan (Attachment 3).

1.5 Document Format Submission: The submission shall be clearly indexed and logically assembled. 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 RFQ number in the header and/or footer. A Table of Contents should be created using the Table of Content feature in MS Word. MS Word (doc) files shall use the following page setup parameters:

Margins - Top, Bottom Left, Right - 1" Gutter - 0" From Edge - Header, footer - 0.5" Page Size, Width - 8.5" Page Size, Height - 11"

Printing should be single spaced. Each paragraph shall be separated by at least one blank line. A standard, 12-point minimum font size applies. Arial font is required. Tables and illustrations may use a reduced font size no less than 10-point and may be landscape. Quotes must be submitted in a Microsoft 2000 (or newer) program on Microsoft Word. PDF Format is also an acceptable format for electronic submissions.

Files shall not contain classified data. The use of hyperlinks in quotes is prohibited. Offeror is cautioned that “regurgitation” of the Technical requirements or the PWS with a statement of intent to perform does not reflect an understanding of the requirement or capability to perform. Offeror is responsible for including sufficient details to permit a complete and accurate evaluation of each quote. Proprietary information shall be clearly marked.

Content Requirement: All information shall be confined to the appropriate file. The Offeror shall insure that submissions are clear, specific, complete and limited to essential matters, sufficient to define the proposal in a concise manner, to permit a complete and accurate evaluation of each proposal. Content shall be indexed (cross indexed, as appropriate) and logically assembled. Each file of the proposal shall consist of a Table of Contents, Summary Section, and the Narrative discussion. The Summary Section shall contain a brief abstract of the file.

The proposal shall follow the following page limits:

Volume Number Page Limitations Volume I: Technical Approach, Experience, and Past Performance

Non-cost/price offer/quote are limited to 30 single-sided pages total

Volume II: Price No Limit

Pages should be numbered consecutively throughout the document and not by sections. For any sections of the offer/quote with a defined page limit, pages exceeding the specified limit will be removed and not forwarded for evaluation. The following sections are not subject to page limits:

• Table of Contents

• Title page

• Offeror’s POC Cover Page

The Offeror's proposal must stipulate that it is predicated upon all the terms and conditions of this solicitation.

1.5.1 Volume 1. Non-Cost/Price proposal:

The Offeror’s non-cost/price proposal shall clearly reflect the offeror’s approach to execute and comply with the Performance Work Statement. The non-cost/price proposal shall include the following:

Factor 1: Technical Approach Factor 2: Experience Factor 3: Past Performance Factor 4: Small Business Participation Plan and Subcontracting Plan

The Offeror’s non-cost proposal shall contain the following:

(1) Factor 1. Technical Approach.

(a) The Offeror shall submit a written technical approach which effectively demonstrates the Offeror’s clear understanding of all the tasks to be performed, the methodology that will be utilized, and how the approach will accomplish the requirements outlined in the PWS, specifically:

Facilities, equipment, and personnel, required to fulfill the technical requirements Offeror’s Proposed Subcontractor’s to fulfill the technical requirements of the specific analyses which

Offeror has specified Management in a manner that will ensure the successful operation of all work associated with the requirements to include the required time frames identified in the PWS (Key Task 2) for analysis Turn Around and media preparation.

Quality control that demonstrate how the Offeror will meet and comply with the quality standards established in the PWS, providing a Scope of Accreditation that includes all methods identified on the schedule of services and Proper Laboratory Accreditation of Offeror’s Proposed Subcontractor(s). Identify each method intended to be sub-contracted.

(2) Factor 2. Experience:

(a) The Offer shall submit written information which effectively demonstrates the Offrors relevant experience (for this purpose, experience refers to what an Offeror has done, not how well it was accomplished) identical to, similar to or related to performing services contain within the PWS in performing proposed processes and procedures, to include analyses on drinking water matrices and provide the results showing any organic, inorganic, and/or biological compounds in each sample.

(b) The Offeror’s proposal shall demonstrate the amount of relevant corporate experience the Offeror possesses. Offeror’s relevant experience should support and substantiate that the organization (to include support contractors, consultants, key personnel, and business partners) has current capabilities for assuring performance of this requirement. Experience should show: (a) Appropriate mix and balance of education and training of team members (b) Quality and effectiveness insofar as the allocation of personnel and resources and (c) Specific minimum qualifications/experience:

All qualifications as defined in the TNI Standard (most current version).

Qualifications as defined in ISO 17025 (most current version) Experience in project oversight and managing teams of analysts Experience in managing high volumes of analyses and data reporting Current capabilities for assuring performance of this requirement, which includes but not limited to the analysis under the accreditations identified in the PWS.

Contract and sub-contract laboratory(ies) accreditation to the ISO 17025 standard through a third party accrediting body for the contractor and sub-contract laboratories. All methods and compounds in this PWS are to be on their ISO17025 accreditation scope. If any method in this PWS is not on the ISO17025 scope of accreditation, those methods must be clearly identified in the bid package.

(c) The Government has identified the following positions to be filled by Key Personnel.

Program Manager Quality Manager

For all Key Personnel positions, provide an attachment naming the individuals proposed to fill

Key Personnel positions along with a description of the portion of the solicitation’s Performance Work Statement that each individual is being proposed to perform.

The Quality Manager shall meet the following minimum qualifications:

o Shall meet all qualifications as defined in the TNI Standard (most current version) o Shall meet all qualifications as defined in ISO 17025 (most current version) o Shall have experience in quality systems management within an environmental laboratory o Shall be able to evaluate data objectively and perform assessments without outside

(e.g., managerial) influence o Shall have a general knowledge of the analytical methods for which data review is performed o Shall have documented training and/or experience in QA/QC procedures and the laboratory’s quality system A resume is required for all individuals proposed to fill Key Personnel positions. Do not submit resumes for all labor proposed, only for those Key Personnel identified above. A signed a letter of intent is required for those individuals proposed as Key Personnel. This includes letters of intent for key personnel proposed by subcontractors, teaming partners and consultants.

The resumes must provide thorough and detailed documentation of the experience, abilities, and background for proposed Key Personnel or equivalent statements of qualifications. Such documentation shall include but not be limited to: name, curriculum vitae, type and description of experience.

(3) Factor 3. Past Performance:

The Offeror shall submit no more than three (3) references of relevant contracts within the past three (3) years for its own performance. The contracts may be past or current as long as the performance did not end more than three years ago and the contracts may have been with Federal, State and/or City agencies and commercial customers.

(a) Past Performance Reference Content: It is the Offeror's responsibility to provide valid, current and verifiable references. References must include:

Name of the Organization that will be providing the reference Name of the POC POC Telephone Number POC Email address Contract Number NAICS Code of Same or Similar Relevant to this Requirement (541380) Period of Performance, and Scope of Work

(b) Past Performance Questionnaire (Attachment 6 and 7): 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 Office POC (Ms. Brenda Mena at brenda.i.mena.civ@mail.mil) no later than 15 calendar days after receipt of request or the proposal deadline of (INSERT DATE), whichever occurs first. The Offeror shall e-mail to the Contracting Office POC listed above a list of all the POC's who were sent the questionnaire. The Government must receive this list no later than the proposal due date. The Offer is responsible for validating that the reference has completed and submitted the questionnaire by the required timeframe.

(c) Information From Other Sources: The Government may consider information obtained through other sources. The Government reserves the right to consider other past performance information at its disposal (i.e., information provided in the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System, Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System), in addition to any information obtained from the references provided.

(4) Factor 4. Small Business Participation and Subcontracting Plans:

(a) Small Business Participation Plan (Attachment 6): As part of the requirement all Offeror's (both large and small businesses) are required to complete a Small Business Participation Proposal. Offeror's should propose the level of participation of small businesses (as a small business prime and/or small business subcontractors) in the performance of the acquisition relative to the objectives/goals set forth in the evaluation of this area.

(b) Subcontracting Plan: If applicable (for large business concern Offerors under the assigned NAICS code herein), the Offeror shall submit a subcontracting plan in accordance with FAR Clause 52.219-9 and DFARS Clause 252.219-7003 (for reference see FAR 19.704 and DFARS 219-704). The negotiation of a subcontracting plan shall not be considered discussions or a reopening of the solicitation. The subcontracting plan requirement is not applicable to small business concerns qualified as such under the NAICS code assigned to this solicitation. Master subcontracting plans can be included as an appendix to the subcontracting plan and will not count towards the page count. Offerors shall include the name of any proposed subcontractors and any applicable references.

Volume 2. The Price proposal shall include the following:

(a) A price proposal to meet the firm, fixed price nature of the contract. The Offeror shall provide a statement of the methodology and assumptions used as the basis for the pricing of the effort. The price must be sufficiently detailed to evaluate the fair and reasonableness of the price. All prices shall be rounded to two decimal places. The Offeror shall ensure mathematical computations are correct.

(b) A completed pricing sheet in the attached format (Attachment 4). The Offeror shall ensure mathematical computations are correct. Errors in addition or multiplication may be considered a reason to remove proposal from the competition.

(c) Offerors’ proposals shall remain valid for a minimum of 90 days from the date of submission.

(d) If available, published price list

(End of provision)

52.212-2 EVALUATION--COMMERCIAL ITEMS (OCT 2014)

A. The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

A Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract shall be made on a competitive best value basis, using “best value tradeoff” among price and non-price factors. A best value tradeoff process will be used, thus, the Government may elect to award to other than the lowest priced offeror, or other than the offeror with the highest rated non-price proposal. Past Performance will be evaluated independently from the other non-price evaluation factors using different standards. The non-price evaluation factors (numbered in descending order of importance) are as follows:

(1) Technical Approach,

(2) Experience

(3) Past Performance

(4) Small Business Participation Plan and Subcontracting Plan

(5) Price

Government evaluators will not assume that the offeror possesses any capability or knowledge unless it is specified in the proposal.

After each of the above non-price factors are rated individually, an overall rating will be assigned collectively to these factors. If any of the above non-price evaluation factors receives an individual rating of “Unacceptable”, the collective overall rating will also be “Unacceptable”. Only proposals receiving an overall rating of “Acceptable” or higher will be considered for award.

The non-price factors are more important than price.

B. Non-Price Evaluation Criteria: The following criteria will be used to evaluate the non-price aspects of the proposal.

(1) Technical Approach

The technical approach shall be evaluated to the degree to which the Offeror’s technical approach demonstrates:

Offeror’s clear understanding of all the tasks to be performed, the methodology that will be utilized, and how the approach will accomplish the requirements outlined in the PWS, specifically:

Capability of facilities, equipment, and personnel, required to fulfill the technical requirements Offeror’s Proposed Subcontractor’s ability to fulfill the technical requirements of the specific analyses which Offeror has specified Ability to manage in a manner that will ensure the successful operation of all work associated with the requirements to include the required time frames identified in the PWS (Key Task 2) for analysis Turn Around and media preparation.

A quality control that demonstrates ability to meet and comply with the quality standards established in the PWS, providing a Scope of Accreditation that includes all methods identified on the schedule of services and Proper Laboratory Accreditation of Offeror’s Proposed Subcontractor(s) and its ability to identify each method intended to be sub-contracted.

(2) Experience:

Experience will be evaluated based on the Offeror's demonstration of:

(a) Offerors relevant experience (for this purpose, experience refers to what an Offeror has done, not how well it was accomplished) identical to, similar to or related to performing services contained within the PWS in performing proposed processes and procedures, to include analyses on drinking water matrices and provide the results showing any organic, inorganic, and/or biological compounds in each sample.

(b) The Offeror’s relevant corporate experience the Offeror possesses, supports, and substantiates, that the organization (to include support contractors, consultants, key personnel, and business partners) has current capabilities for assuring performance of this requirement to include: (a) Appropriate mix and balance of education and training of team members (b) Quality and effectiveness insofar as the allocation of personnel and resources and (c) Specific minimum qualifications/experience:

o All qualifications as defined in the TNI Standard (most current version).

o Qualifications as defined in ISO 17025 (most current version) o Experience in project oversight and managing teams of analysts o Experience in managing high volumes of analyses and data reporting o Current capabilities for assuring performance of this requirement, which includes but not limited to the analysis under the accreditations identified in the PWS.

o Contract and sub-contract laboratory(ies) accreditation to the ISO 17025 standard through a third party accrediting body for the contractor and sub-contract laboratories. All methods and compounds in this PWS are to be on their ISO17025 accreditation scope. If any method in this PWS is not on the ISO17025 scope of accreditation, those methods must be clearly identified in the bid package.

(c) Resumes or curriculum vitae (CVs) for Key Personnel who have a signed letter of intent in order to demonstrate overall corporate experience.

(3) Past Performance:

The Government will conduct an evaluation of the Offerors Past Performance as well as that of its subcontractors. Past Performance consists of two aspects for evaluation, past performance relevancy and performance confidence; thus, the Offeror will be assigned two ratings for past performance.

(a) The Government will evaluate the Offeror's past performance references to determine how relevant a recent effort accomplished by the Offeror is to the requirement to be acquired through this source selection. Common aspects of relevance include similarity of service/support, complexity, magnitude of effort, dollar value, and contract type.

(b) The Government will evaluate the Offeror's past performance references to determine the quality of work performed and assess the level of expectation that the Offeror can successfully perform the required effort. This second portion of the Past Performance evaluation is the confidence assessment. This assessment will included information from, but not be limited to, Past Performance Questionnaires and other Government resources at its disposal (i.e., information provided in the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System, Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System), in addition to any information obtained from the references provided based on the NAICS code of 541380 identified for this requirement. An overall Relevancy and Confidence rating will be assigned collectively on the references provided.

(4) Small Business Participation Plan and Subcontracting Plan:

(a) Small Business Participation Plan (Attachment 6): All Offerors (both large and small businesses) will be evaluated on the level of small business commitment that they are demonstrating for the proposed acquisition, and their level of commitment to utilizing small businesses in performance of prior contracts. The small business participation plan factor will be evaluated on an “Acceptable (Pass)” or “Unacceptable (Fail)” basis and one of these ratings will be assigned accordingly. The small business plan will be evaluated on the following: (1) The extent to which such firms are specifically identified in proposals; (2) The extent of commitment to use such firms (for example, enforceable commitments are to be weighted more heavily than non-enforceable ones); (3) The complexity and variety of the work small firms are to perform. An acceptable rating will consist of 5% or more small business participation.

(b) Subcontracting Plan: If applicable (for large business concern Offerors under the assigned

NAICS code herein), the Offeror shall submit a subcontracting plan in accordance with FAR Clause 52.219-9 and DFARS Clause 252.219-7003 (for reference see FAR 19.704 and DFARS 219-704). The subcontracting plan requirement is not applicable to small business concerns qualified as such under the NAICS code assigned to this solicitation.

C. Price:

Price will be evaluated separately from non-price and past performance factors. A price analysis will be performed in order to evaluate the fairness and reasonableness of the proposed price.

Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

Evaluation of 52.217-8: The Government will evaluate offers by establishing a Total Evaluated Cost/Price which will consist of the total cost/price proposed for all base contract line items, option contract line items, and the amount associated with FAR 52.217-8. The amount evaluated under FAR 52.217-8 will be calculated using the rates proposed for the last option period, prorated six months.

A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer's specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

D. Rating Standards for the Non Price Proposal*

Rating Description Outstanding Proposal meets requirements and indicates an exceptional approach and understanding of the requirements. Strengths far outweigh any weaknesses. Risk of unsuccessful performance is very low.

Good Proposal meets requirements and indicates a thorough approach and understanding of the requirements. Proposal contains strengths which outweigh any weaknesses. Risk of unsuccessful performance is low.

Acceptable Proposal meets requirements and indicates an adequate approach and understanding of the requirements. Strengths and weaknesses are offsetting or will have little or no impact on CONTRACT performance. Risk of unsuccessful performance is no worse than moderate.

Marginal Proposal does not clearly meet requirements and has not demonstrated an adequate approach and understanding of the requirements. The proposal has one or more weaknesses which are not offset by strengths. Risk of unsuccessful performance is high.

Unacceptable Proposal does not meet requirements and contains one or more deficiencies. Proposal is not awardable.

Experience Rating Standards

Rating Definition Acceptable Offeror possess the experience as outlined in the solicitation Unacceptable Offeror does not possess the experience as outlined in the solicitation.

*Offerors' experience will be evaluated based solely on the information requested for that factor

E. Past Performance Relevancy Rating Standards for the Non-Price Proposal

Rating Definition

Very Relevant Present/past performance effort involved essentially the same scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this solicitation requires.

Relevant Present/past performance effort involved similar scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this solicitation requires.

Somewhat Relevant Present/past performance effort involved some of the scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this solicitation requires.

Not Relevant Present/past performance effort involved little or none of the scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this solicitation requires.

F. Past Performance Confidence Assessments Standards for the Non Cost Proposal

Rating Description Substantial Confidence Based on the Offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has a high expectation that the Offeror shall successfully perform the required effort.

Satisfactory Confidence Based on the Offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has a reasonable expectation that the Offeror shall successfully perform the required effort.

Limited Confidence Based on the Offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has a low expectation that the Offer shall successfully perform the required effort.

No Confidence Based on the Offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has no expectation that the Offeror shall successfully perform the required effort.

Unknown Confidence (Neutral) No recent/relevant performance record is available or the Offeror’s performance record is so sparse that no meaningful confidence assessment rating can be reasonably assigned.

G. Best Value Tradeoff Evaluation Standard Definitions

Clarifications Limited exchanges between the Government and Offerors that may occur when award without discussions is contemplated.

Communications

Exchanges, between the Government and Offerors, after receipt of proposals, leading to establishment of the competitive range.

Deficiency A material failure of a proposal to meet a Government requirement or a combination of significant weakness in a proposal that increases the risk of unsuccessful contract performance to an unacceptable level.

Discussions Negotiations conducted in a competitive acquisition. Discussions take place after establishment of the competitive range.

Performance Confidence Assessment An evaluation of the likelihood (or Government’s confidence that the Offeror will successfully perform the solicitation’s requirements; the evaluation is based upon past performance information.

Recency As it pertains to past performance information, is a measure of the time that has elapsed since the past performance reference occurred. Recency is generally expressed as a time period during which past performance references are considered relevant.

Relevancy As it pertains to past performance information, is a measure of the extent of similarity between the service/support effort, complexity, dollar value, contract type, and subcontract/teaming or other comparable attributes of past performance examples and the source solicitation requirements;

and a measure of the likelihood that the past performance is an indicator of future performance.

Risk The potential for unsuccessful contractor performance. The consideration of risk assesses the degree to which an Offeror’s proposed approach to achieving the technical factor or sub factor may involve risk of disruption of schedule, increased cost (not applicable to firm-fixed price contracts) for degradation of performance, the need for increased Government oversight, and the likelihood of unsuccessful contract performance.

Significant Strength A significant strength appreciably enhances the merit of a proposal or appreciably increases the probability of successful contract performance.

Significant Weakness A flaw that appreciably increases the risk of unsuccessful contract performance.

Strength An aspect of an Offeror’s proposal that has merit or exceeds specified performance or capability requirements in a way that will be advantageous to the Government during contract performance.

Weakness A flaw the proposal that increases the risk of unsuccessful contract performance.

(End of provision)

(End of Summary of Changes)