Section_L_7_Feb_2018.docx

Section L. Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Bidders A. Proposal Submissions Proposals are due via e-mail no later than 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on DD MMM YY to the Point of Contact (POC) listed below. The Government does not anticipate extending the closing date for receipt of offers.

Stephen Smith Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground Natick Contracting Division stephen.f.smith.civ@mail.mil (508) 233-6510 The solicitation number shall be included in the subject line of the proposal submission e-mail. Offerors are encouraged to verify proposal receipt with the POC listed above. The Government does not authorize submission of hard copy, telegraphic, or facsimile offers for this solicitation.

B. Proposal Format

1. Proposals, to include all volumes requested, shall be submitted in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (pdf). Each volume shall be submitted as a separate file, with file names clearly identifying the company name, solicitation number, and volume name and number. Input for each Section required under each volume shall begin on a new page.

2. All pages of each volume shall be appropriately numbered.

3. The first page of the proposal shall reference the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 3.104 proprietary data notice. The header of each page shall include the company name and solicitation number, and the footer of each page shall state “PROCUREMENT SENSITIVE”.

4. A Table of Contents shall be included at the beginning of each written (i.e., non-Cost/Price) volume, and a Requirements Matrix shall be included at the end of the Technical Volume to cross-reference the solicitation requirements with the contents of the proposal.

5. Written proposal volumes shall be single spaced, in the portrait orientation, and use 11-point Calibri font. Offerors may use a reduced font size, not less than 8-point, and landscape orientation, but only for charts, tables, and graphics within the Technical Volume. Foldout sheets are not permitted.

6. Page set-up shall follow the parameters below.

a. Margins (All): 1” b. Gutter: 0” c. From Edge (Header/Footer): 0.5” d. Page Size: 8.5” x 11” C. General Instructions

1. Solicitation Questions: Interested parties shall submit questions regarding this Request for Proposals (RFP) by e-mail to the POC listed below.

Stephen Smith Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground Natick Contracting Division stephen.f.smith.civ@mail.mil (508) 233-6510 The solicitation number shall be included in the subject line of the e-mail. The Government will answer all questions through the issuance of a solicitation amendment prior to the deadline for proposal submissions, provided it receives those questions not later than 5:00 PM EST on DD MMM YY. Questions received after the deadline may not be answered prior to the deadline for proposal submissions.

2. Proposing by Company Division: A company with multiple divisions (with each division registered separately in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR)) is NOT permitted to submit a separate proposal by division for award consideration. Offerors are further cautioned that a proposal should address requirements uniquely based on the particular capabilities of the proposing division. In other words, the proposal must be organic to the division submitting the proposal.

3. Proposal Validity: Proposals submitted in response to this RFP shall be valid for not less than the duration of the awarded contract, with the exception of 1) Pricing, 2) the Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) Mitigation Plan, and 3) Teaming Agreements. Pricing adjustments to successful offerors’ ceiling rates will be permitted at the three (3) year mark of the ordering period. Updates to the OCI Mitigation Plan will be permitted as needed, and Teaming updates will be approved by the Contracting Officer (KO) on a case-by-case basis. The offeror shall make a clear statement that the proposal is valid until such date in the Administrative Volume (i.e., Volume I) of the proposal.

4. Classified Information: Proposals shall not contain any classified information.

5. Page Limitations: Pages exceeding the maximum page limitation provided for each volume will be excluded from evaluation, with the exception of cover pages, tables of contents, acronym lists, requirements matrices, and any other items specifically called out within this solicitation.

6. Restrictions to Volume Contents: To facilitate independent evaluation, each volume shall be written on a stand-alone basis, with information being confined to the appropriate volume so that the Government can evaluate its contents without cross-referencing to other volumes of the proposal. The Government will consider information it requires for proposal evaluation not found in its designated volume as the Offeror having omitted it from the proposal.

7. Reference to Other Sources: Any data previously submitted in response to another solicitation, whether submitted to the Department of Defense (DoD) or another agency, should be assumed to be unavailable during this proposal evaluation and source selection process. Proposal data shall not be incorporated into the proposal by referring to another proposal or other source.

8. Submission of Data Not Requested: Elaborate brochures or other presentations beyond what is sufficient to present a complete and effective proposal are neither necessary nor desired.

9. Alternate Proposals: Alternate proposals will not be accepted for this effort.

10. Participation of Commercial Firms in the Evaluation Process: The Government may utilize the contractor personnel to provide administrative support during the evaluation of proposals submitted in response to this solicitation. Contractor personnel supporting the evaluation effort are to be restricted by the “Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI)” provision of their respective contract from participating as a contractor, subcontractor, or consultant on the proposed program other than on a non-competitive basis under a Prime contract with the Government.

By submitting a proposal, Offerors agree to permit contractor personnel restricted by OCI to view proposal information to the extent necessary to provide administrative support to the Government’s proposal review process. Pursuant to FAR Part 9.505-4, and if requested by an Offeror, the contractor will execute a “Certificate of Non-Disclosure (NDA)” prior to review of the proposal that states that they will protect the Offerors information from unauthorized use or disclosure for as long as it remains proprietary and refrain from using the information for any purpose other than that for which it was furnished. On request by the Offeror, the name(s) and company of the supporting contractor the evaluation will be provided prior to the Offeror prior to the submittal of proposals. To expedite the Government’s evaluation process, each Offeror must contact the contractor’s POC to effect execution of such an agreement prior to the submission of proposals. Each Offeror shall submit copies of the agreement with their proposal. The agreements shall be attached to Volume I as an appendix, and will not be included in the page count.

11. Consideration for Award: To be considered for award, proposal submissions shall be in compliance with all of the terms and conditions set forth in this RFP. Acceptable proposals shall address all evaluation factors. In addition, proposals eligible for award must demonstrate that the offeror has an understanding of the requirements. The Government considers statements that the prospective offeror understands, can, or will comply with the specifications, and/or statements paraphrasing the requirements or parts thereof, to be inadequate and unsatisfactory. The Government further considers mere reiteration of the requirement or standard reference material to also be inadequate and unsatisfactory.

12. Clarifications and Discussions: The Government intends to evaluate proposals and award a contract without engaging in discussions with Offerors (except clarifications as described in FAR 15.306(a)); therefore, the Offeror’s initial proposal should contain the Offeror’s best terms from a cost or price and technical standpoint. However, the Government reserves the right to request additional information after receipt of the Offeror’s proposal should the Contracting Officer deem it necessary. This request may be received in the form of clarifications and/or evaluation notifications (EN’s).

13. Award Date: The anticipated award for this requirement is 3rd Quarter of Fiscal Year 2018 (3QFY18).

D. Proposal Contents

Proposal submissions shall contain the following volumes:

Table 1 Proposal Naming Conventions, Content, and Limitations

Volume A - Administrative:

Section I: Executive Summary

Section II: Solicitation Documents

Section III: Company POC's, DCMA POCs, CAGE, DUNs and TIN

Section IV: Representations & Certifications.

Section V: Financial Documentation.

Section VI: Signed Teaming Agreements

Section VII: OCI Mitigation Plan

Sec I: 5 page limit Sec II: No page limit Sec III : No page limit Sec IV: No page limit Sec V: No page limit Sec VI: No page limit Section VII: No page limit

ADMIN

Volume I - Past Performance (Evaluation Factor I)

Recruitment competency Transition Approach Management of Resources

Priced Sample Task Order (fill in)

a. Fill in the excel spread sheet as provided

b. 2 Pages (Explanation of pricing information as deemed necessary by the Proposer)

c. Priced Sample Task – Spread Sheet –fill in as provided.

CP

SBPP

1. Volume A - Administrative

a. Section I: Executive Summary (Page Limit = 5 Pages) The Executive Summary shall include, at a minimum, the following elements:

i. Statement of Compliance: The Offeror shall either indicate complete compliance with the solicitation or define any objections, exceptions, contingencies, or additions. Any data not in complete compliance with the solicitation must be cross referenced to the applicable solicitation paragraph and the corresponding proposal paragraph.

ii. Format and Content: The Offeror shall describe any deviations from the specified proposal guidelines for format and content, and provide corresponding rationale.

iii. Security Clearance: The Offeror shall provide disclosure of the level of its Facility Security Clearance and its cognizant Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Support Services (DSS) office (i.e., address and POC name, phone number, and e-mail address).

iv. Authorized Negotiators: The Offeror shall provide a list of authorized negotiators (i.e., name, position title, phone number, and e-mail address).

b. Section II: Solicitation Documents (No page limit) An authorized official from each offeror shall complete and sign the Standard Form 33 (i.e., Solicitation/Contract Form) and all subsequent amendments.

c. Section III: Company POC’s, DCAA/DCMA POCs, CAGE, DUNs and TIN (No page limit)

i. The Offeror shall provide addresses for its cognizant Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) and Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) offices, to include POC information (i.e., names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses) for each respective office.

d. Section IV: Representations and Certifications (No page Limit)

i. Using Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), the Offeror shall enter the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this effort (i.e., 541330) and complete the Representations and Certifications information appropriately. Offerors must be registered in ORCA to be determined responsive and responsible at the time of proposal submission. Please refer to the websites: https://orca.bpn.gov and http://CCR.gov.

ii. The Offeror shall print the ORCA documentation and submit it as Section 7 of the Administrative Volume.

e. Section V: Financial Documentation (No page limit)

i. In order for the Government to determine financial responsibility, the Offeror shall submit the following financial statements, as applicable to both the past fiscal year and current reporting period (as of the date of proposal submission):

Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Cash Flow Statement, Statement of Retained Earnings, Dun & Bradstreet Report (if available; if not, state so), Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s Ratings (if available; if not, state so).

Also, the Offeror shall submit a certified copy of its Line of Credit and its current status at the time of proposal submission. Prior to submission, a company officer or Certified Public Accountant (CPA) will certify the statements. Small businesses are not required to submit CPA audited or reviewed financials, but shall have their Chief Financial Officer (CFO) sign off on their financials.

f. Section VI: Teaming and Subcontracting (Page Limit = 6 Pages, Not Inclusive of Teaming Agreements) As applicable, the Offeror shall provide the following:

i. A summary describing the teaming or subcontracting arrangement established for this solicitation

ii. A list of all proposed team members, to include the company name, Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code, and address of each proposed team member

iii. One signed document per team member, in a format established by the Offeror, indicating a legally binding agreement among the parties (i.e., teaming agreements) and outlining the type of work to be performed, complexity and approximate level of work assigned, and socio-economic categories (if applicable) of the team member Also, Other Than Small Business Offerors shall submit a Master Subcontracting Plan in accordance with FAR Clause 52.219-9 and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) Clause 252.219-7003 (for reference, see FAR 19.704 and DFARS 219704). The Master Subcontracting Plan need not include specific subcontracting percentages. Individual subcontracting plans will be required at the Task Order level.

g. Section VII. OCI Mitigation Plan (No page limit) The Offeror shall provide a mitigation plan in accordance with the provisions listed in Section H of this solicitation.

2. Volume I – Factor I, Past Performance (Sections 1 and 2 -15 page Limit) The Offeror shall submit up to but no more than three (3) Government contracts (performing as the Prime contractor or performing as a “major” subcontractor) which are currently in performance or were awarded during the past five (5) years and are relevant to the efforts required by this solicitation. This volume shall be organized into the following sections:

a. Section 1: Contract Descriptions For each contract, the Offeror shall provide the following:

i. Prime Contractor or as a ”Major” Subcontractor - CAGE Code and Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number. If the work was performed by the Offeror as a “Major” Subcontractor (i.e. 25% or greater percentage of the contracted work is performed as a subcontractor), also provide the name of the Prime contractor and POC information for the Prime contractor organization (name, e-mail address, and phone and fax numbers).

ii. Government contracting activity and contact information for the Procuring Contracting Officer (name, e-mail address, and phone and fax numbers).

iii. Government contract administration activity (if different from the contracting activity) and contact information for the Administrative Contracting Officer and Pre-Award Monitor (name, e-mail address, and phone and fax numbers).

iv. Contact information for the Government Contracting Officer’s Representative (name, e-mail address, and phone and fax numbers).

v. Contract or Delivery or Task Order number (in the case of Indefinite Delivery type contracts, GSA contracts, and Blanket Purchase Agreements, include Delivery or Task Order Number(s)).

vi. Awarded contract price and contract type (e.g., Fixed Price, Cost Reimbursement, Time & Materials (T&M), etc.); in the case of Indefinite Delivery type contracts, indicate specific type (i.e., Requirements, Definite Quantity, or Indefinite Quantity) and secondary contract type (i.e., FP, CR, T&M, etc.).

vii. Final or projected final price.

viii. Original delivery schedule, including dates of start and completion of work.

ix. Final or projected final schedule, including dates of start and completion of work.

b. Section 2: Contract Performance The Offeror shall provide a narrative explanation of each contract listed in Section 1, which describes the requiring office and support location, services and support provided, and detail how the effort is relevant to the requirements of this solicitation. The Offeror shall include all performance aspects of schedule, performance, and supportability, including the Offeror’s record of:

i. Conforming to contract specifications, to include the timely supply of personnel resources

ii. Maintaining program execution for cost (if other than an FP type contract), schedule, and performance

iii. Ability to resolve technical problems quickly and effectively

iv. Professional concern for the interest of the customer

v. Establishing and maintaining adequate management of subcontractors

vi. Complying with small business participation goals For any contracts that did not/do not meet original schedule or technical performance requirements, Offerors are required to provide a brief explanation of the reason(s) for the shortcomings and any corrective action(s) taken to avoid recurrence. The Offeror shall list each time the delivery schedule was revised and provide an explanation of why the revision was necessary. Also, the Offeror shall provide a copy of any Cure Notice or Show Cause Letter received on each contract listed and a description of any corrective action implemented by the Offeror or proposed subcontractor. Additionally, the Offeror shall indicate if any of the contracts listed were terminated and the type and reasons for the termination.

c. Section 3: Past Performance Assessment Questionnaire (No page limit) For each contract identified in Section 1, Past Performance Assessment Questionnaires must be completed and submitted.

i. The Offeror shall complete Part I of the Past Performance Assessment Questionnaire and e-mail the questionnaire to both the Government contracting activity and responsible organization for the past (or) current contract.

ii. The Government POCs shall be instructed to electronically complete Part II of the questionnaire and e-mail the entire questionnaire to the POC listed below by the proposal deadline, 12:00 PM EST on DD MMM YY.

iii. The Offeror shall also e-mail a list of all the POCs who were sent a questionnaire to the POC listed in ii above by 5:00PM EST on DD MMM YY. The POC list shall be submitted in Microsoft Word for Windows and include the following information:

Solicitation Number; Company Name; Contract Number; Government Agency; POC Last Name, First Name; POC Title; POC Phone Number; POC E-Mail Address, and; the date (DD MMM YY) on which the POC received the Questionnaire

3. Volume II - Factor II Technical/Management (Page Limit = 10 Pages) The Offeror shall provide a narrative proposal response to the Performance Work Statement (PWS) attached to this solicitation to address the specific JE-OPETS MA IDIQ contract being proposed.

a. Section 1: Organizational Plan

i. The Offeror shall outline and explain the management organization to be used to recruit, transition personnel and resources after award, and monitor performance throughout the performance period.

ii. The Offeror shall define responsibilities, lines of authority, and span of control across its management structure, from management to direct support staff. This discussion should include Site Supervisors assigned at each on-site support location and the intended level of their authority as compared to the corporate management team.

iii. The Offeror shall identify Key Corporate Personnel (and provide resume highlights) who will provide IDIQ and Task Order management oversight.

iv. The Offeror shall explain the interface, interaction (i.e., flow of information), and communication planned across its team and the Government requiring office(s).

v. The Offeror shall describe how major subcontractors fit into its overall corporate structure.

b. Section 2: Recruitment Competency

i. The Offeror shall describe its detailed recruitment process, to include the interview and selection of qualified current employees and new hires, the strategy to contact and secure qualified incumbents, and the approach to retain contingent hires until the start of work date.

ii. The Offeror shall identify core resources and/or capabilities which enable it to efficiently meet immediate Government requirements within thirty days or less.

iii. The Offeror shall describe its plan to ensure that the workforce is qualified and capable of fulfilling contractual requirements.

c. Section 3: Transition Approach

i. The Offeror shall demonstrate its intended approach to transition and exit personnel and resources at both the start of work and at contract completion. The transition plan shall include, at a minimum, the Offeror’s plan for the recruitment of qualified personnel, formation of a contingent workforce, and appropriate in-processing activities (e.g., training, security, equipment, etc.), as well as all necessary exit transition actions, such as transfer of knowledge to the incoming Prime, out-processing activities, and equipment turn-in.

ii. The Offeror shall include master schedules for transition in and out of work that begin no less than thirty days prior to the start of work of any Task Order Period of Performance (POP) and ends no less than thirty days leading up to the end of the Task Order POP. In developing the master schedule, the offeror should include consideration of time necessary to obtain security clearances and any difficulties in locating and hiring “hard to find” technical candidates.

d. Section 4: Management of Resources

i. The Offeror shall describe its plan to manage on- and off-site support personnel without Government interference throughout the period of performance.

ii. The Offeror shall include a description of quality control processes and procedures planned (to include any certifications and quality management systems used), as well as the quantitative metrics intended, to execute and monitor compliance with contractual requirements.

iii. The Offeror shall provide a strategy to address retention of support throughout the period of performance. The strategy shall include a description of the Offeror’s mitigation plan to address not assigning personnel by the Start of Work date, the termination or resignation of personnel, the unavailability of support systems (e.g., facilities, equipment, software, etc.), surge requirements, and poor performance.

4. Volume III - Factor III Price (Limited to the Template Provided) Offerors shall use the Microsoft Excel template provided in Section J of this solicitation to populate Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) ceiling rates for future Task Order price proposals. For each labor category, both the hourly rate and fully-burdened rate are required.

A blank cell is provided within the pricing template for each rate required. (NOTE: If OCONUS rates are required at any time throughout the duration of the IDIQ contract, they will be requested at the Task Order level.)

To be found responsive, Offerors must submit a completed Pricing Worksheet. Subcontractor rates shall not exceed proposed Prime rates. One composite rate, to include Prime and Subcontractor price data as applicable, will be submitted for all requested input.

5. Volume IV Factor IV. Small Business Participation Plan (SBPP), (5 page limit) Offerors, “Other Than Small Businesses”, proposing to this solicitation are required to submit a SBPP in accordance with DFARS 215.304, which includes the following types of socio-economic categories:

· Small Business (SB);

· Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB);

· Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB);

· Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Zone Small Business;

· Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), and;

· Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB).

NOTE: Universities submitting a proposal as Prime are required to submit a Socioeconomic University Participation Plan in lieu of an SBPP.

The Small Business Participation Plan Factor (Factor IV) will receive a rating of Acceptable, or Unacceptable.

The SBPP shall indicate the Offeror’s approach to provide “realistic goals,” while maximizing opportunities for Small Business in terms of the percentage of an overall “Example Task Order” dollar value. To facilitate consistent evaluation across all proposals, Offerors shall assume a Task Order award of the contract dollar value as the Offeror proposes as Price for the Sample Task Order (see Factor III- Price).

The first page of the SBPP shall include a table that a) lists the Offeror’s SB participation (i.e., the socio-economic categories anticipated to be utilized) and b) summarizes the Offeror’s SBPP percentage and dollar values (i.e., goals). Offerors will complete a spread sheet (provided). The dollar and percentage goal calculations - total dollars allocated to each socioeconomic category as identified below, divided by total evaluated price of the sample task order (Factor III Price).

· Small Disadvantaged Business;

· Women-Owned Small Business;

· HUBZone Small Business, and;

· Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), and;

· Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business.

Subsequent page(s) of the SBPP shall identify the extent and nature of SB participation by each socio-economic category anticipated to perform on the Sample Task Order. For each selected SB firm, the SBPP shall specifically provide:

· An explanation of the firm’s commitment, including the extent of the commitment and whether or not the commitment is enforceable (i.e., teaming agreement(s) etc.).

· Clear identification and description of the complexity and variety of work that the SB firm is anticipated to perform.

· Provide Small Business Past Performance information substantiating the offeror’s track record of utilizing Small Businesses on past contracts, including copies of Cumulative Contractor Fiscal Year Summary Subcontracting Reports (SSR), if applicable.

· Any information concerning long‐term relationships with Small Business subcontractors, such as signed, mentor‐protégé relationships, may be provided.