Released_Amendment_18-R-0110-0002.pdf

MISSION AND INSTALLATION CONTRACTING

MISSION CONTRACTING OFFICE (MCO)

36000 DARNALL LOOP, ROOM 1300B

FORT HOOD TX 76544-5095

0010815382

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)

30-105-04EXCEPTION TO SF 30

APPROVED BY OIRM 11-84

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

FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

The purpose of this amendment is to answ er industry questions and add language at Addendum to 52.212-1, C.4.

See continuation page.

1. CONTRACT ID CODE PAGE OF PAGES

J 1 47

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

16C. DATE SIGNED

BY 15-Feb-2018

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA15C. 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 W91151-18-R-0110

X 9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

19-Jan-2018

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 1 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

13-Feb-2018

CODE

MISSION AND INSTALLATION CONTRACTING

MISSION CONTRACTING OFFICE (MCO)

36000 DARNALL LOOP, ROOM 1300B

FORT HOOD TX 76544-5095

W91151 7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than item 6)

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.

CODE

FACILITY CODECODE

EMAIL:TEL:

W91151-18-R-0110

SECTION SF 30 BLOCK 14 CONTINUATION PAGE

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

SECTION SF 30 - BLOCK 14 CONTINUATION PAGE

The following have been added by full text:

AMENDMENT 0002

a. Questions from industry and Government responses are below.

Question from Industry 1) Part 5: Specific Tasks; Section 5.7 Certificates.

a. The question is, are the certificates provided to the KO in paper or electronic form.

Government Response 1) a.: The certificates can be provided to the KO in paper.

Question from Industry 1) Part 5: Specific Tasks; Section 5.7 Certificates.

b. The second half of the question is who will receive the certificates, and will a name be provided with a physical address or email address?

Government Response 1) b.: Performance Work Statement (PWS) 5.7 states The Contractor shall provide completed certificates, in paper form, to the onsite Government representative appointed by the KO, within one (1) business day after course completion. The name and address of the Government representative will be provided after contract award.

Question from Industry 2) Part 5: Specific Tasks; Section 5.8 Transcript or Evaluated Post-Secondary Credit.

a. We are unsure what is meant by “the contractor shall provide a minimum of 40 hours in length for each transcript or evaluated post-secondary credit” and it states that for each course listed on attachment 7 some type of credit should be awarded, however not all classes meet the 16 hour requirement for credit to be awarded. We do however provide credit or some type of certificate for all the classes; is this acceptable?

Government Response: Each course on Attachment 7 - MSE Course Instruction for which transcript or evaluated post-secondary credit is provided, shall be a minimum of 40 hours in length. Acceptability will be determined after proposal submission.

Question from Industry 3) Part 5: Specific Tasks; Section 5.9 Reports.

a. Section 5.9 states that the “contractor shall use electronic and hardcopy transmissions to deliver the reports to the Government”. Our question is, are the reports delivered both at the same time or is the electronic report provided first, and then the hardcopy later, i.e...At the end of the month? And to whom name, physical address or email address.

Government Response: The Contractor shall provide electronic and hardcopy transmission on the same day. The Contractor shall deliver the electronic and hardcopy transmission to the onsite Government representative appointed by the KO. The name and address of the Government representative will be provided after contract award.

b. The language below is added to Addendum to 52.212-1, C.4.:

The Acquisition Source Selection Interactive Support Tool (ASSIST):

During the conduct of this acquisition, the Acquisition Source Selection Interactive Support Tool (ASSIST) will be used by the Government to support the proposal evaluation and source selection process. A separate tool, the ASSIST2Industry, will be used in conjunction with ASSIST to accomplish all exchanges with Offerors after receipt of proposals pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.306. ASSIST2Industry provides the ability for the Government to issue, and the Offerors to receive and respond to, all Evaluation Notices (ENs) in a secure online environment.

In order to initiate the use of ASSIST2Industry, the Government requires the names, company titles, telephone numbers, and email addresses of two (2) individuals that the Offeror has designated as responsible for receiving and responding to Government ENs through ASSIST2Industry. The designation of two (2) individuals is for the purpose of insuring availability of one individual if the other individual is not available. The required information regarding these two (2) individuals must be submitted with the Offeror’s proposal and included in the cover letter.

After the solicitation’s closing date of 21 February 2018 the Government will establish an account in ASSIST2Industry for each individual identified by the Offeror that has submitted a proposal in response to this solicitation. The two individuals named by the Offeror will be authorized access to that account. Two (2) separate system generated emails will be sent to each individual. One of the emails will contain the individual’s ASSIST2Industry username. The other email will contain the individual’s temporary password. Using the provided username and temporary password, each individual shall then go to https://ASSIST2Industry.army.mil to access the account. NOTE: The first time a user logs in, the user will be required to change the temporary password before the user can proceed to use the site.

Whenever the Government issues ENs to the Offeror through ASSIST2Industry, the Government’s Contracting Officer will notify the Offeror through a medium independent of ASSIST2Industry (e.g., e-mail) that the Offeror has ENs in ASSIST2Industry waiting for a response. There will be no ENs in ASSIST2Industry until such notice is issued by the Contracting Officer.

All Offerors are advised that ASSIST2Industry has been updated and it is now the responsibility of PRIME Contractors to establish accounts for their SUBCONTRACTORS to respond to Government ENs. A separate area within ASSIST2Industry has been created to allow authorized Subcontractor POCs to upload proposal files only.

Subcontractors will not be able to access any other information on the ASSIST2Industry website (e.g.

Questions/Evaluation Notices, Responses, etc.). Once a Subcontractor has been added, they will receive a user ID (e.g. subcontractor0001) and password (an initial password) that will be sent via two separate system generated e-mails. A Subcontractor will have one user ID for all PRIMES and solicitation responses, i.e. if you are a Subcontractor to multiple Prime Contractors and multiple solicitation responses, you will only have one user ID.

Once an account has been established for the Subcontractor, go to https://ASSIST2Industry.army.mil to access the account. Prime Contractors will only be able to see the number of files submitted by their Subcontractors; but, will be UNABLE TO VIEW the Subcontractor’s files.

NOTE: Both Prime Contractors and Subcontractors are instructed to review the ASSIST2Industry User’s Guide, located under the “Getting Started” tab on the website. The guide has been updated and provides step by step instructions on how to perform functions and navigate the website.

Offerors can contact Adam Rothschild at (609) 562-7050 or the ASSIST2Industry helpdesk at (609) 562-5988 for any technical assistance that may be needed.

Offerors are cautioned that the system generated emails referred to above are intended for administrative purposes only. Receipt of these emails does not constitute the commencement of any type of exchange with the Offeror in accordance with FAR 15.306(a), (b), or (d) (i.e., Clarifications, Communications, or discussions). Receipt of these emails does not signify that a competitive range determination in accordance with FAR 15.306(c) has been made or that the Offeror’s proposal will be included in the competitive range when that determination is made. All notifications that any type of exchange with the Offeror has commenced and the Offeror has Evaluation Notices (ENs) available to respond to, or any notification that the Offeror’s proposal has been included in or excluded from the competitive range, will be sent to the Offeror by the Contracting Officer independently of the ASSIST2Industry.

c. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers is not extended.

d. All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.

a. Basis for Contract Award.

(1) This is a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) best value continuum source selection conducted in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items, and Part 15, Contracting by Negotiation, as supplemented by the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and the Army Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (AFARS). Award will be made to a single Offeror who has the technically acceptable proposal with the lowest evaluated price in accordance with the FAR, and whose proposal conforms to the requirements set forth in the solicitation.

(2) The Government anticipates adequate price competition for this solicitation and will evaluate proposals in accordance with FAR 15.404 – Proposal Analysis, and instructions in FAR Clause 52.212-1 (Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Items) and the addendum to FAR 52.212-1. Trade-offs between cost/price and non-cost/price factors will not be permitted. Unreasonably high, unbalanced, inaccurate or incomplete price proposals, may be ineligible for award. The objective of proposal analysis is to ensure that the final agreed-to price is fair and reasonable.

b. Award for All of the Work. The Government intends to award a single contract as a result of this solicitation.

Offers received for less than the stated number of items listed on the SF 1449 may be ineligible for award. The Government intends to evaluate proposals and make award without discussions. The Government may consider conducting limited exchanges (clarifications) if required in accordance with FAR 15.306 Exchanges with Offerors After Receipt of Proposals. Therefore, the Offeror’s initial proposal must contain the Offeror’s best offer from a mission capability, past performance, and price standpoint. The Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if the Contracting Officer determines discussions are necessary. In the event that discussions are held, a competitive range determination will be made. If the Contracting Officer determines that the number of proposals that would otherwise be in the competitive range exceeds the number at which an efficient competition can be conducted, the Contracting Officer may limit the number of proposals in the competitive range to the greatest number that will permit an efficient competition and LPTA best value continuum.

c. Evaluation Criteria. Evaluation criteria consist of factors and subfactors. The proposals will be evaluated under three evaluation factors: Mission Capability, Past Performance, and Price. Proposals will be evaluated for technical acceptability but not ranked using the non-price factors (Factor 1 and Factor 2). Proposals will be also evaluated for the lowest evaluated price (Factor 3) - LPTA best value continuum.

Factor 1: Mission Capability Subfactor 1: Personnel Qualifications Subfactor 2: Accreditation Factor 2: Past Performance Factor 3: Price

(1) Factor 1 – Mission Capability Factor. Factor 1 evaluation provides an assessment of the Offeror’s capability to satisfy the Government’s minimum requirements. This factor contains two (2) subfactors, Personnel Qualifications, and Accreditation. To receive an overall acceptable rating for the Mission Capability Factor, the Offeror must receive an acceptable rating for each subfactor as described below.

i. Subfactor 1: Personnel Qualifications. The Government will evaluate written documentation in the form of certificates, resumes with names included (excluding personally identifiable information), and diplomas that prove that all skill categories to include Project Manager (PM), alternate PM, Quality Control Personnel, Technical Instructor/Course Developer, and Technical Instructor required for performance of this contract meet the following qualifications.

1. The Government will evaluate personnel qualifications to ensure instructors possess a minimum of five (5) years of military experience and certification in the Army Basic Instructor Course (ABIC), or Foundation Instructor Facilitator Course (FIFC). The Government will evaluate personnel qualifications to ensure instructors possess at least one (1) year instructional/training experience, in the courses on Attachment 1 – Estimated Workload Data, which the instructors will be teaching. (PWS 1.25.) The Government will evaluate personnel qualifications to ensure instructors in automation-based programs have at least one (1) year instructional experience in automation-based programs.

(PWS 1.5.7.)

2. The Government will evaluate personnel qualifications to ensure the PM can supervise all personnel hired under this contract except for the Quality Control Personnel. The Government will evaluate personnel qualifications to ensure the PM has the same qualifications as Instructors and has three (3) years documented experience or education in management or supervision, curriculum development, adult learning theories, and evaluative methods. The Government will evaluate personnel qualifications to ensure the PM has technical expertise in one or more of the areas listed in Attachment 1 – Estimated Workload Data. The Government will evaluate personnel qualifications to ensure the alternate PM has the same qualifications as the PM. (PWS 1.24.1.)

ii. Subfactor 2: Accreditation. The Government will evaluate written documentation to prove accreditation for performance of this contract.

The Government will evaluate accreditation to ensure the Offeror and sub-Offeror possess accreditation to be eligible for contract award. (PWS 1.36.)

iii. Each Mission Capability Subfactor will receive one of the adjectival ratings defined in Table 1. The

Subfactor ratings will be used to determine an overall rating for the factor. If any of the subfactors receive an unacceptable rating, the Mission Capability Factor will be rated overall unacceptable and the Offeror’s proposal will not be considered for award.

Table 1. Mission Capability - Acceptable/Unacceptable Ratings Rating Description Acceptable Proposal clearly meets the minimum requirements of the solicitation.

Unacceptable Proposal does not clearly meet the minimum requirements of the solicitation.

(2) Factor 2 - Past Performance. To be eligible for contract award, the Offer must receive an acceptable past performance rating.

i. The Government will evaluate past performance information to prove aspects of an Offeror's recent and relevant Past Performance. The Government will evaluate performance which is relevant to the effort as it directly relates to the work being procured under this solicitation. The Government will evaluate past performance information required on the Offeror and all subcontractors, teaming partners, and/or joint venture partners proposed to perform the proposed effort based on the total proposed price. The Government will evaluate the percentage of work performed by each subcontractor, teaming partner, and/or joint venture based on the total proposed price. The Government will evaluate the consent letter (see Technical Exhibit A), to ensure the consent letter is completed by each subcontractor, teaming partner, and/or joint venture partners, authorizing release of adverse past performance information. The Government will evaluate the client authorization letter, to ensure the client authorization letter is completed for each identified effort for a commercial customer authorizing release to the Government of requested information on the Offeror's performance.

1. Recent and Relevant Past Performance. The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s documentation regarding their recent and relevant past performance as it directly relates to the work being procured under this solicitation. The Government will evaluate the successful history of past contract performance. The

Government will evaluate data concerning the Offeror first, followed by each proposed major subcontractor, teaming partners, and/or joint venture partners in alphabetical order.

2. Past Performance Sources. The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s Past Performance Volume and information obtained from other sources, such as the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) or similar systems, Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) and commercial sources. The Government will evaluate independent data and data provided by Offerors in their proposals to evaluate Offeror past performance. The Government will evaluate and consider all past performance comments received. The Government will not evaluate and consider any proposal that does not contain the information requested in this paragraph.

3. Record of Relevant Past Performance. The Government will evaluate Offerors without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available or so sparse that no meaningful past performance rating can be reasonably assigned. In these cases, the Offeror may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance (see FAR 15.305(a)(2)(iv)). Therefore, the Government will evaluate and consider “unknown” past performance as “acceptable.”

ii. Submission Requirements. The Government will evaluate the Offerors submission requirements to include: table of contents, summary page, consent letters, client authorization letters, organization structure change history, and specific relevant contracts formats.

iii. Past Performance Questionnaire. The Government will evaluate a completed Technical Exhibit C for the contracts identified on each Specific Relevant Contract Reference. The Government will not review and evaluate any questionnaires not returned directly to the KO and CS.

iv. Assigning Ratings. The Past Performance Factor will be assigned one of the ratings defined below.

Table 2. Past Performance Evaluation Ratings

(3) Factor 3 – Price.

i. The Government will evaluate the CLINs on the solicitation, SF 1449. The Government reserves the right to evaluate data Other Than Certified Cost or Pricing Data, after receipt of proposals. The Government will not score or rank the price volume. The Government will evaluate price using one or more of the proposal analysis techniques in FAR 15.404. The Government is responsible for evaluating the reasonableness of the offered prices. The analytical techniques and procedures described in FAR 15.404 may be used, singly or in combination with others, to ensure that the final price is fair and reasonable.

ii. The Government will evaluate proposals for unbalanced pricing in accordance with FAR 15.404-1(g).

Unbalanced pricing may increase performance risk and could result in payment of unreasonably high prices. Unbalanced pricing exists when, despite an acceptable total evaluated price (see paragraph

(3)iii.), the price of one or more line items is significantly over or understated as indicated by the application of cost or price analysis techniques. The Government will evaluate all offers with separately priced line items to determine if the prices are unbalanced. The Government may reject an offer if the lack of balance poses an unacceptable risk to the Government.

iii. Non-Exempt Labor: The Government will evaluate proposals to ensure proposals reflect, at a minimum, the latest wages and fringe benefit rates for all non-exempt skill categories proposed.

iv. Non-Exempt Labor: The Government will evaluate Technical Exhibit E - Baseline Pricing Spreadsheet to ensure #1 through #5 below are included.

1. Identify the CLIN for Each Non-Exempt Skill Category

2. Wage Determination (WD) Occupation Code for All Non-Exempt Skill

Categories

3. All Non-Exempt Skill Categories

4. Direct Labor Hourly Wage (not loaded rates) Associated with Each Non-Exempt

Skill Category

5. Productive Hours for Each Non-Exempt Skill Category

v. Exempt Labor: The Government will evaluate proposals to ensure exempt labor crosswalks to a Bureau of Labor Statistics skill category and that exempt labor is escalated for each contract year.

vi. The Government will evaluate proposals for award by adding the total price of the base period and all options, including phase-in and phase-out. As part of price evaluation, the Government will evaluate its option to extend services (see FAR Clause 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services) by adding one-half of the Offeror's final option period price to the Offeror's total price. The Government will evaluate the total price by adding the phase-in, base period, 1st option, 2nd option, 3rd option, 4th option, phase-out and 1/2 of the 4th option. The Government evaluation of option periods will not commit the Government to extend the term of the contract.

SECTION SF 1449 - CONTINUATION SHEET

The following have been modified:

ADDENDUM TO 52.212-1

FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Items is tailored as follows:

FAR 52.212-1(c) Period for acceptance of offers. The period of acceptance of offers is changed from 30 days to 270 days. This paragraph now reads: The Offeror agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm for 270 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers.

FAR 52.212-1 (d) Product samples is deleted.

FAR 52.212-1 (e) Multiple offers is deleted.

FAR 52.212-1 (h) Multiple awards is deleted.

I-PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Proposal Submittal and Inquiries

1. Proposals shall be submitted electronically to the:

U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center Safe Access File

Exchange (AMRDEC SAFE) secure website: https://safe.amrdec.army.mil/SAFE/ to the Contract Specialist (CS) and Contracting Officer (KO) email addresses.

Offeror's proposals are due by 12:00pm Central Time, 21 February 2018.

2. Offeror’s proposals are due by the date and time specified in Block 8, central time, of the Solicitation Form (SF1449). Hard copies or CDs will not be accepted. All Offeror’s shall click on “Non-CAC Users” once the site is entered. Enter the Offeror’s name and email address. The Offeror can upload up to a maximum of 25 files, (total size cannot exceed 2GB). The Offeror shall place a Description of each file uploaded located in the “Description of File(s)” box located on the right. The Offeror shall give access to Ms. Mary Chamberlin at mary.a.chamberlin4.civ@mail.mil and Ms. Pamilla Lazare at pamilla.a.lazare.civ@mail.mil. The Offeror shall manually enter each email address one at a time and click add after each entry. The Offeror shall ensure that the box next to “Require CAC for Pick-up (all recipients will need to log in with a CAC to download file(s))” is checked.

The Offeror shall click the “Upload” button once all instructions have been followed. Once this is done, the Offeror will be notified to verify their email address. The Offeror will receive an email with a website and password to verify their email address. If you do not verify your email address your proposal will not be downloaded for evaluation. Please use the link provided in the email address and enter the password given in the email address.

Once the Offeror hits the submit button please click on verify and your proposal will be sent to the Government.

3. The point of contact responsible for supplying additional information and answering all inquiries is the KO via the CS. Address all questions or concerns the Offeror may have to the Contract Specialist, Ms. Mary Chamberlin, mary.a.chamberlin4.civ@mail.mil, and Contracting Officer, Ms. Pamilla Lazare, pamilla.a.lazare.civ@mail.mil. All questions regarding this solicitation shall be submitted in writing via email no later than 10:00am central time on 31 January 2018. The subject line of the email shall read: RFP - W91151-18- R-0110- Military Skills Enhancement (MSE) Instruction. Questions, comments, or inquires made by telephone will not receive a response. The Government will issue an amendment to provide responses to industry questions via posting to the Federal Business Opportunities website at https://www.fbo.gov. Explanations or instructions given in a form other than an amendment to the solicitation shall not be binding. Industry questions and answers may or may not have a bearing on the substantive content of the solicitation. Industry should NOT assume that the date set for receipt of proposals will be extended due to questions and answers.

4. Site Visit: The Government will hold a site visit at Fort Hood, TX at 9:00am central time on 26 January 2018 in building 36000, Darnall Loop, Room 1300B. All interested companies may attend with a limit of three (3) attendees per company. Please submit, in writing, the names of attendees to the KO and CS by 12:00pm central time on 25 January 2018. Technical questions will not be answered during the site visit. If questions arise as a result of the site visit, they may be submitted in writing via email. Attendees shall register at the Visitors’ Center for admittance onto the Fort Hood installation. This process can take up to an hour. Attendees should arrive early in order to obtain a visitor’s pass and arrive at the site visit on time. A visitor’s pass is required to be displayed at all times while on the installation.

B. General Instructions

1. These instructions prescribe the format for the proposal and describe the approach for the development and presentation of the Offerors proposals. These instructions are provided in order to ensure a complete and thorough evaluation of the Offerors proposals.

2. The selection of a source for award purposes will be conducted using Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)

Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items, and Part 15, Contracting by Negotiation, as supplemented by the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and the Army Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement

(AFARS).

3. Submission of the proposal will constitute the Offeror's acceptance of the terms and conditions of the RFP, understanding of the Performance Work Statement (PWS), and concurrence of the firm fixed price contract type.

4. The Government intends to make award without discussions. Therefore, the Offeror’s initial proposal must contain the best offer in accordance with the solicitation. The Government reserves the right to make award with discussions, as deemed necessary, in accordance with (IAW) FAR Part 15.306. If discussions are to be conducted, a competitive range will be established. The competitive range may be limited for purposes of efficiency IAW FAR Part 15.306(c)(2).

5. The Offeror shall submit to the KO and CS questions about any solicitation error, ambiguity, or omission during the solicitation issuance phase.

6. In accordance with FAR Subpart 4.8 (Government Contract Files), the Government will retain one copy of all unsuccessful proposals.

7. All referenced documents for this solicitation are available on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website at http://www.fbo.gov. Potential Offerors are encouraged to subscribe for real-time e-mail notifications when information has been posted to the website for this solicitation.

8. Notifications to Unsuccessful Offerors. The KO shall notify Offerors promptly in writing when their proposals are excluded from the competitive range or otherwise eliminated from the competition IAW FAR 15.503.

9. Pre-award Debriefing of Offerors. Offerors excluded from the competitive range or otherwise excluded from the competition before award may request a debriefing before award IAW FAR 15.505.

10. Post-award Debriefing of Offerors. An Offeror, upon its written request received by the agency within 3 days after the date on which that offeror has received the notification of contract award, shall be briefed and furnished the basis for the selection decision and contract award IAW FAR 15.506.

C. Proposal Preparation Instructions

1. Offerors are required to follow the proposal preparation instructions. Failure to comply with the Request for

Proposal (RFP) Instructions to Offerors will prohibit the Government's ability to evaluate the proposal and may eliminate the proposal from further consideration for award.

2. Proposal Format

b. Exceptions/assumptions. Offerors are required to meet all solicitation requirements, such as terms and conditions, representations and certifications, and technical requirements, in addition to those identified as evaluation factors or subfactors (FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Items). If the Offeror takes exception/makes an assumption to any of the requirements specified in this solicitation, the Offeror shall clearly identify the applicable Volume, PWS reference, and clause with a complete explanation of why the exceptions/assumptions are taken. The Offeror shall explain how the exceptions/assumptions benefit the Government. Offerors are cautioned that taking exceptions/assumptions may render the offer ineligible for award.

Exceptions/assumptions shall be provided in the format below.

Table 1 – Solicitation Exceptions/Assumptions Solicitation References

Page/Paragraph Requirement Rationale & Impact

CLINs, PWS, FAR 52.212-1 (and Addendum), FAR 52.212-2 (and Addendum), Technical

Applicable Page and Paragraph Numbers

Identify the requirement to which exceptions/assumptions are taken

Describe the rationale and impact of the exceptions/assumptions

Exhibits.

c. Proposal Volume. The proposals shall be organized into four (4) volumes. All text shall be single spaced with black font on white paper (Black and white requirement does not apply to graphics, photos; Company stationary and logos are acceptable). Text shall be easily readable (12 or 10 point font spacing.) Cross-references should be utilized to preclude unnecessary duplication of data between sections. Digital copies shall be provided in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and/or Excel. File names to be “Volume #, Company Name – Initial” for the first submission. File name of later submissions (if discussions are held), shall be “Volume #, Company Name – Revision X’ with X indicating the number of the revision.

d. Proposal Limitation. The proposal shall not exceed the limits stated in Table 2 – Page Limits. If the page limits are exceeded, the excess pages will not be included in the RFP evaluation. Offerors are cautioned that AMRDEC SAFE has a file size limit, see https://safe.amrdec.army.mil/SAFE/ for details. The Offeror must ensure the proposal is submitted correctly. The Government will not accept any revisions to the Offeror’s proposal after the solicitation closing date (See FAR 15.208 for further information regarding late proposals). If discussions become necessary, page limitations will be placed on the responses to Evaluation Notices (ENs) provided by the Government. The page limitations for EN responses will be identified in the letters containing the ENs to the Offerors.

e. Page Limit Includes: All appendices, charts, graphs, diagrams, tables, photographs, drawings, matrices.

f. Page Limit excludes covers for volumes, tables of contents, glossary of abbreviations and acronyms, indices, title pages, cross reference indices, and section dividers/tables if they are inserted solely to provide ease to the reader in locating parts/sections of the proposal. Pages will be counted if they contain any other information, i.e., diagrams, extraneous data. Pages marked “This page intentionally left blank” will not be counted.

g. What Counts As A Page? A page shall be an 8 ½ X 11” size page. Letter size and spacing requirements for illustrations and tables shall be 12 or 10 point font spacing, and shall be legible. Margins shall be at least 1 inch on the top and bottom and 3/4 inch on the side. The Contractor shall number each page in order to eliminate any confusion. In the event the contractor creates an ambiguity in the numbering of pages (such as skipping pages) the Government may exercise its own discretion in counting pages. Page limitations are as follows:

Table 2 – Page Limitations Volume Title Page Limits I General 30 II Mission Capability 45 III Past Performance 3 pages per contract IV Price 20

h. Indexing. Each volume shall contain a detailed table of contents to delineate the subparagraphs within that volume.

i. Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms. Each volume shall contain a glossary of all abbreviations, acronyms, and a detailed definition for each abbreviation and acronym.

3. Proposal Content

a. Volume I – General

i. Offerors are required to submit a completed SF1449 (Solicitation, Contract/Order for Commercial Items) (including acknowledgment of all Amendments), completed Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs), and FAR 52.212-3 Representations and Certification --Commercial Items. All final monetary extensions shall be in whole U.S. dollars and two decimal places.

ii. Submission Requirements. The General Volume shall be organized as follows and contain the information below.

(1) TAB A – Exceptions/Assumptions – The Offeror shall identify and explain any exceptions/assumptions.

(2) TAB B – The Offeror shall submit a fully completed SF 1449. The Offeror shall ensure that block 30.a. of the SF 1449 contains a signature. The Offeror shall acknowledge all amendments to the RFP in accordance with the SF 1449, FAR 52.212-1(b)(9), and FAR 52.215-1(b), Instructions to Offerors - Competitive Acquisition. The Offeror shall provide the name, title and telephone number of the company point of contact who can contractually bind the Offeror. The Offeror shall provide the name, title and telephone number of the company point of contact authorized to negotiate on behalf of the Offeror.

(3) TAB C – The Offeror shall submit a fully completed and accurate Contract Line Items

Numbers (CLINs) (SF 1449 Continuation Sheet Supplies/Services and Prices/Costs).

(4) TAB D - FAR Clause 52.212-3 (Offeror Representation and Certifications) – The Offeror shall submit a fully completed Offeror Representation and Certifications.

(5) TAB E – Subcontracting Plan (Large Businesses Only). A large business Offeror shall submit a subcontracting plan. Failure by the Offeror to submit an acceptable subcontracting plan shall make the Offer ineligible for award.

i. Each Large Business Offeror shall provide a Small Business Subcontracting Plan that contains all the elements required by FAR Clause 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan.

ii. The Subcontracting Plan is not required for evaluation, but rather, is a requirement for award to a Large Business and it will be incorporated into the resultant contract.

iii. The Offeror shall document clear, detailed, logical, and realistic approaches in a Subcontracting Plan for establishment, oversight, and quality control of subcontracts which comply with FAR 19.702(a)(1).

iv. Current goals are:

Small Business ---------------------------------------------------------------34.5% Small Disadvantaged Business ---------------------------------------------5.0% Woman-Owned Small Business --------------------------------------------5.0% Hubzone Small Business ----------------------------------------------------3.0% Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business -----------------------3.0%

v. These goals may be met by any combination of vendor purchases, subcontracts, or other business arrangements. The Offeror shall list and describe any subcontracts to be used to perform the requirement of the PWS.

b. Volume II – Mission Capability

i. The Mission Capability Volume shall be clear, concise, and coherent, and include sufficient detail for effective evaluation and for substantiating the validity of stated claims in the Offeror’s proposal. Proposals will be evaluated against the Mission Capability evaluation factor for award, stated in FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation – Commercial Items and the Addendum to FAR 52.212-2. The proposal shall not simply rephrase or restate the Government's requirements, but rather shall provide convincing rationale to address how the Offeror intends to meet the solicitation requirements. Statements that the Offeror understands, can, or will comply with the Performance Work Statement (PWS) (including referenced publications, technical data); statements paraphrasing the PWS or parts thereof (including applicable publications, technical data); and phrases such as “standard procedures will be employed” or “well known techniques will be used,” will be considered unacceptable. Offerors shall understand that the Government has no prior knowledge of the Offeror’s facilities and expertise, and the Government will base its evaluation on the information presented in the Offeror's proposal. Elaborate brochures or documentation, binding, detailed art work, and other embellishments will be deemed unnecessary and will not be considered.

ii. The Mission Capability Volume shall, at a minimum, be prepared in a form consistent with the PWS and the evaluation criteria for award set forth in FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation – Commercial Items. The volume shall be prepared in an orderly format and in sufficient detail to enable the Government to conduct a thorough evaluation of the Offerors mission capability competence and ability to comply with the solicitation requirements. The Offerors shall address as specifically as possible the actual methodology used for accomplishing the solicitation requirements.

The Mission Capability Volume shall be organized according to the following general outline:

(1) Table of Contents

(2) List of Table and Drawings

(3) Cross Reference Matrix

(4) Exceptions/Assumptions (Identify and explain any exceptions/assumptions).

(5) Mission Capability Factor:

Subfactor (1): Personnel Qualifications Subfactor (2): Accreditation

iii. Subfactor 1: Personnel Qualifications. The Offeror shall provide written documentation in the form of certificates, resumes with names included (excluding personally identifiable information), and diplomas that prove that all skill categories to include Project Manager (PM), alternate PM, Quality Control Personnel, Technical Instructor/Course Developer, and Technical Instructor, required for performance of this contract meet the following qualifications.

The Offeror shall provide personnel qualifications for instructors with a minimum of five (5) years of military experience and certification in the Army Basic Instructor Course (ABIC), or Foundation Instructor Facilitator Course (FIFC). The Offeror shall provide personnel qualifications for instructors who possess at least one (1) year instructional/training experience, in the courses on Attachment 1 – Estimated Workload Data, which the instructors will be teaching. (PWS 1.25.) The Offeror shall provide personnel qualifications for Instructors in automation-based programs with at least one (1) year instructional experience in automation-based programs. (PWS 1.5.7)

The Offeror shall provide a PM who can supervise all personnel hired under this contract except for the Quality Control Personnel. The PM shall have the same qualifications as Instructors and shall have three (3) years documented experience or education in management or supervision, curriculum development, adult learning theories, and evaluative methods. The PM shall have technical expertise in one or more of the areas listed in Attachment 1 – Estimated Workload Data. The alternate PM shall have the same qualifications as the PM. (PWS 1.24.1)

iv. Subfactor 2: Accreditation. The Offeror shall provide written documentation as proof of its accreditation in performance of this contract.

The Offeror and sub-Offeror shall possess accreditation to be eligible for contract award. (PWS 1.36)

Each Mission Capability Subfactor will receive one of the adjectival ratings defined in Table 1. The Subfactor ratings will be used to determine an overall rating for the factor. If any of the subfactors receive an unacceptable rating, the Mission Capability Factor will be rated overall unacceptable and the Offeror’s proposal will not be considered for award.

Table 1. Mission Capability - Acceptable/Unacceptable Ratings Rating Description Acceptable Proposal clearly meets the minimum requirements of the solicitation.

Unacceptable Proposal does not clearly meet the minimum requirements of the solicitation.

c. Volume III – Past Performance

i. The Offeror shall provide past performance information to support aspects of an Offeror's recent and relevant Past Performance. The Offeror shall focus on and target performance which is relevant to the effort as it directly relates to the work being procured under this solicitation. The Offeror shall provide past performance information required on the Offeror and all subcontractors, teaming partners, and/or joint venture partners proposed to perform the proposed effort based on the total proposed price. The Offeror shall detail the percentage of work performed by each subcontractor, teaming partner, and/or joint venture based on the total proposed price. The Offeror shall submit, along with the information required in this paragraph, a consent letter (see Technical Exhibit A), executed by each subcontractor, teaming partner, and/or joint venture partner, authorizing release of adverse past performance information to the Offeror so the Offeror can respond to such information. The Offeror shall also submit a client authorization letter, for each identified effort for a commercial customer authorizing release to the Government of requested information on the Offeror's performance.

1. Recent and Relevant Past Performance. The Offeror shall provide documentation regarding their recent and relevant past performance as it directly relates to the work being procured under this solicitation. The Offeror SHALL NOT go back any farther than three (3) years, from the issue date of this RFP, for the submitted data. The past performance data shall document a successful history of past contract performance.

Relevant efforts are defined as services/efforts that are the same as or similar to the effort (as compared to NAICS code 611210 – Junior Colleges) required by the RFP. Data concerning the Offeror shall be provided first, followed by each proposed major subcontractor, teaming partners, and/or joint venture partners in alphabetical order.

2. Past Performance Sources. The Offeror is reminded that in conducting the Past

Performance evaluation, the Government reserves the right to use both the information provided in the Offeror’s Past Performance Volume and information obtained from other sources, such as the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) or similar systems, Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) and commercial sources.

Offerors are reminded that both independent data and data provided by Offerors in their proposals may be used by the Government to evaluate Offeror past performance.

However, the burden of providing thorough, complete, and current past performance information as requested in this paragraph remains with the Offerors. Proposals that do not contain the information requested by this paragraph will not be considered. All past performance comments received will be taken into account and could affect the overall rating. The overall past performance evaluation is a subjective decision based on the whole of all data received.

3. Record of Relevant Past Performance. In the case of an Offeror without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available or so sparse that no meaningful past performance rating can be reasonably assigned. In these cases, the Offeror may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance (see FAR 15.305(a)(2)(iv)). Therefore, the Offeror shall be determined to have unknown past performance. In the context of acceptability/unacceptability, “unknown” shall be considered “acceptable.”

ii. Submission Requirements. The Offeror shall submit a Past Performance Volume containing the following:

(1) Table of Contents

Summary Page - describing the role of the Offeror and each subcontractor, teaming partner, and /or joint venture partner. The submission shall consist of a matrix that indicates functional areas, performance periods, and customers, with a brief description of the work performed, sufficient to demonstrate a clear understanding of the mission, and major PWS functional areas. The intent of this element is not to provide a technical discussion of each functional area of the contract, but rather to demonstrate the Offeror’s experience in each functional area of the PWS through a quantitative assessment of current and previous work performed. New entities that have no past performance shall annotate on the Summary Page that they have had no previous clients and that questionnaires cannot be provided.

(2) Consent Letters – Technical Exhibit A, executed by each subcontractor, teaming partner, and/or joint venture partner, authorizing the release of past performance information so the Offeror can respond to such information.

(3) Client Authorization Letters - for each identified effort for a commercial customer authorizing release to the Government of requested information on the Offeror’s performance.

(4) Organization Structure Change History - Organizational Structure Change History. Many companies have acquired, been acquired by, or otherwise merged with other companies, and/or reorganized their divisions, business groups, subsidiary companies, etc. In many cases, these changes have taken place during the time of performance of relevant present or past efforts or between conclusion of recent past efforts and this source selection. As a result, it is sometimes difficult to determine what past performance is relevant to this acquisition. To facilitate this relevancy determination, include in this proposal volume a "roadmap" describing all such changes in the organization of your company. As part of this explanation, show how these changes impact the relevance of any efforts you identify for past performance evaluation/performance confidence assessment. Since the Government intends to consider present and past performance information provided by other sources as well as that provided by the Offeror(s), your "roadmap" should be both specifically applicable to the efforts you identify and general enough to apply to efforts on which the Government receives information from other sources.

(5) Specific Relevant Contracts Format – Technical Exhibit B is limited to 3 pages per reference.

The Offeror shall provide documentation outlining the Offeror’s past performance with contracts, as a prime or major subcontractor, which is the same or similar in nature, size, and complexity to the services being procured under this solicitation. The submittal shall include rationale supporting your assertion of relevance and how it was determined that the work performed previously was the same or similar in nature, size, and complexity to the work specified by this solicitation. Offerors are required to explain what aspects of the contracts are deemed relevant to the proposed effort, and to what aspects of the proposed effort they relate.

iii. Past Performance Questionnaire – The Offeror shall provide a completed Technical Exhibit C for the contracts identified on each Specific Relevant Contract Reference.