Amendment_00001_for_W9124D-20-R-0012.pdf

Amendment 00001 for W9124D-20-R-0012 Tactical Connection Issue date: 1 November 2019

1. The hour and date specified for the receipt of offer is not extended and remains due

8 November 2019 at 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

2. The following questions were received from Industry. Provided are the corresponding answers.

Q.1. Could you please tell me if this is a new requirement, or if there is a current or previous contractor who has performed similar services? If available, can you please send along the incumbent contract or task order number?

A. This is a new requirement, there is no incumbent contractor.

Q.2. On page 8 – Item e. Proposal Content: The RFP states that for Part I: General, we need to include (1) contact info for the person who can obligate its company contractually (2) the Pricing Schedule and (3) Representation and Certification.

However, Under Part II: Technical on page 9, the RFP included Past Performance and Price under the Technical Proposal. Can you tell us exactly where Price and Past Performance should be written in the proposal?

A. As referenced on page 9, paragraph (3) Price: . . . “However, it is required that the pricing schedule be completed and provided in the format as identified in the CLIN schedule of this RFP.” Past Performance is to be provided in the Technical portion within the page limits established.

Q.3. Part I – General. Is there a page count for this file? We note a 20 page limit for the Technical Portion and a 10 page limit for Past Performance.

A. Attachment 2 Addendum to FAR Provision 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Items has been revised and hereby replaces in its entity.

-Paragraph d proposal format, subparagraph iv General: no page limit has been added.

Attachment 2 Addendum to FAR Provision 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items

Revised: 1 November 2019, Amendment 00001

Solicitation/Request for Proposal Requirements – Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors

The provision at 52.212-1 is hereby tailored to modify the following elements of the provision:

Submission of Offers: Proposals shall be submitted NO LATER THAN THE EXACT DATE AND TIME, 8 November 2019 at 2:00 PM, Eastern Time, to the Contracting Officer identified below.

Offeror’s proposal shall include separate parts for the general, technical, past performance, and price proposal sections. Maximum size limitation for e-mail receipt for the contracting office is 20 MB (including all attachments). If offeror’s proposal is larger than 20 MB, offeror may submit proposal via separate emails. When submitting proposal via separate emails, the offeror shall clearly state how many other emails will be submitted (i.e., 1 of 4, 2 of 4, etc.). Multiple emails may have to be sent in order to not exceed the size limit. It is the offeror’s responsibility to ensure files are not too large and are Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel only, and that the Government receives all emails with appropriate attachments timely. A complete proposal received after the exact time stated shall be handled in accordance with FAR 52.212-1(f). Facsimile proposal shall not be accepted.

Offerors shall review the solicitation and its amendments (if applicable) and submit only written questions and or comments with the subject line: W9124D-20-R-0012, TACTICAL CONNECTION, QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/ EXCEPTIONS. All questions shall be submitted to the attention of the assigned KO as follows:

Contracting Officer (KO): Ms. Barbara J. Mattingly, Barbara.j.mattingly2.civ@mail.mil.

Written questions shall be submitted electronically NO LATER THAN, 9:00 AM ET, 30 October 2019.

Late submission may not be given consideration. Questions shall identify the solicitation or statement of objectives reference with each question. Responses to questions shall be provided to offerors simultaneously via amendment, if applicable. KO reserves the right to NOT respond to all questions received. Telephonic inquiries may not be entertained.

AWARD MAY NOT BE MADE TO AN OFFEROR WHO IS NOT PROPERLY REGISTERED IN

SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM). Offeror's SAM registration shall be active in order to be eligible for award. Proposals containing a name and address different from that registered in SAM may be deemed ineligible for award.

AWARD SHALL BE MADE ON A STANDARD FORM 1449 to the successful offeror.

(1) Proposals shall include the following:

a. A cover letter containing the following information:

Company Name

Company Address

Point of Contact

Phone Number

Email Address

DUNS Number

CAGE Code

Tax Identification Number

i. Proposal Acceptance Period: Offeror’s proposal shall remain valid for a period of 90 calendar days after the closing date and time identified in the combined synopsis/solicitation. Proposals offering a shorter period of time than 90 calendar days may be rejected as non-responsive.

ii. Acknowledgement of all solicitation amendments (if applicable).

b. General Instructions:

i. The selection of a source for award purposes will be conducted utilizing FAR Subpart 12.6, “Streamlined Procedures for Evaluation and Solicitation for Commercial Items,” and supplemented by the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and the Army Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (AFARS). Offers will be evaluated using the criteria under Addendum to FAR Clause 52.212-2, “Evaluation Factors for Award.”

ii. The Government is utilizing a two-phase approach to determine which offer proposes a COTS web-based platform which best meets the intended outcome of the Government objectives as outlined in the statement of objectives.

iii. Award will be made to a single Offeror who is deemed responsible in accordance with the FAR, and whose proposal is deemed most advantageous to the Government based on the factors contained in the solicitation.

iv. It is the Government’s intent to award without discussions. Offeror’s initial offer should contain the offeror’s best terms from a price and technical standpoint. However, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if later determined by the Contracting Officer to be necessary. The Government may reject any or all offers if such as is in the public interest; accept other than the lowest offer; and waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received.

v. Noncompliance with the RFP requirements may hamper the Government's ability to properly evaluate the proposal and may result in elimination of the proposal from further consideration for contract award.

vi. The submission of the documentation specified will constitute the Offeror's acceptance of the terms and conditions of the RFP and contract type.

vii. Instructions outlined in paragraph C, D, and E below, prescribe the format for the proposal, and describe the approach for the development and presentation of proposal data. These instructions are designed to ensure the submission of necessary information to provide for the understanding and comprehensive evaluation of proposals.

viii. If an Offeror believes that the requirements in these instructions contain an error, an ambiguity, omission, or are otherwise deemed unsound, the Offeror shall immediately notify the KO in writing with supporting rationale. The Offeror is reminded that the Government reserves the right to award this effort based on the initial proposal, as received, without discussion.

ix. In accordance with FAR Subpart 4.8, Government Contract Files, the Government will retain one copy of all unsuccessful proposals. Unless the Offeror requests otherwise, the Government will destroy extra copies of such unsuccessful proposals.

x. The KO will notify offerors who are not selected for award electronically. Upon such notification, unsuccessful offerors may request to receive debrief in accordance with FAR 52.212-1(l).

c. Proposal Preparation Instructions: The proposal shall consist of two (2) separate electronic parts and the evaluation process shall consist of two phases.

i. Part I: General

ii. Part II: Technical;

(1) Phase 1-Technical: Proposal shall address the following:

a. System Capabilities

b. System User Interface

c. Capacity and Scale

d. Security

Those proposals which are most advantageous to the Government based on the factors contained in the solicitation, will be notified and afforded opportunity to move to phase two and required to provide an on-site demonstration of the proposed web-based platform as it relates to the technical submission and as further defined herein.

ii. Phase 2: On-site Live Demonstration of COTS web-based platform

d. Proposal Format

i. Offerors shall submit one (1) original electronic copy of Parts I, and II, of their proposal to the e-mail address of the KO identified above.

ii. Exceptions: Offerors are required to meet all solicitation requirements, such as terms and conditions, representations and certifications, and technical requirements, in additional to those identified as evaluation factors found in Addendum to FAR Clause 52.212-2. Failure to meet any requirement in this solicitation may result in an offer being ineligible for award. Any assumption, exceptions, or deviations shall be addressed and communicated via email to the KO at or before the exact time specified in the combined synopsis/solicitation.

iii. All text shall be single spaced. Times New Roman or Arial font required. Text shall be a minimum font size 10 and be easily readable. All text pages shall be oriented in portrait. Landscape orientation is acceptable for tables and/or charts if required to properly present the information.

Margins shall be at least 1 inch on the top and bottom and ¾ inch on the sides. The Offeror shall number each page. Each part shall contain a more detailed table of contents to delineate the subparagraphs within that part. Tab indexing shall be used to identify sections. In the event the Offeror creates an ambiguity in their numbering, the Government may exercise its own discretion on counting pages.

iv. Proposal Limitation. If the page limits are exceeded, the pages in excess of the limit shall not be evaluated. The proposal shall not exceed the following page limits:

General: no page limit

(1) Technical: 20 pages

(2) Past Performance: 10 pages

(3) Price: Anticipated to be at no cost

Note: Page limits includes all appendices, charts, graphs, diagrams, tables, photographs, drawings, and other information provided in the proposal.

e. Proposal Content:

i. Part 1: General - Solicitation W9124D-20-R-0012 shall be submitted fully completed and in accordance with FAR 52.212-1, “Instruction to Offerors – Commercial Items.” Failure to follow the below contract proposal preparation instructions may cause the proposal to be deemed non-responsive by the government. This document shall contain:

(1) The Offeror shall provide the name, title and telephone number of the company/division point of contact regarding decisions made with respect to offeror’s proposal and who can obligate its company contractually, in addition to information requested above.

(2) Pricing Schedule (Services and Prices/Costs) – Pricing Schedule shall be submitted fully completed and error free. As stated herein, this RFP is anticipated to result in a no cost agreement/contract with an industry partner.

(3) Complete FAR Provision 52.212-3, Alt 1-Offeror Representation and Certification-Commercial Items. The Offeror shall ensure that these provisions are submitted thoroughly completed with all blocks in each certification/ representation completed truthfully and completely.

ii. Part II: Technical. Offeror shall provide written narrative outlining the capabilities of the proposed

COTS platform, in relation to the following criteria and the statement of objectives. Proposal shall be clear, concise and include sufficient detail for effective evaluation and for substantiating the validity of stated claims in the Offer’s proposal. Legibility, clarity and coherence are very important. Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the approach defined in Addendum to FAR Clause 52.212-2, Evaluation Factors for Award. The

The Technical portion shall be organized according to the following general outline:

(1) Phase 1-Technical-Proposal shall address the following:

System Capabilities: Offerors proposal shall demonstrate the proposed platform system capabilities by addressing mobility compatibility with smartphones and tablets; tutorial availability; filtering of data, analytics on searches of job categories most used; ability to conduct interviews between employer and future employee; system scheduled maintenance; historical data of site being unavailable;

foreign language support; and bulletin board functionality, with the understanding of the objectives outlined in the SOO. Offeror shall provide a mapping of the system capabilities for controlling and managing the entire hiring process from search to employment.

System User Interface: Offerors proposal shall demonstrate the proposed platform capability by addressing the following:

• Job Seeker Functions: resume and supporting documents to include formats for creation and storage limitations; search ability; advertisement and suggestions of employment opportunities;

notifications of application status and frequency; availability of training opportunities and type;

publishing mentorship and networking events; and life of account (how often is the account renewed or removed due to non-use).

• Employer functions: ability to search resumes; contact job seekers directly;

• Compatibility with social media platforms, and managing of job opportunities and frequency

Capacity and Scale: Offerors proposal shall address the following:

• Website: Capacity of the website (maximum number of employers and job seekers on the site at one time), domain name recognition, tracking ability of the number and types of users, type of aggregated data available from the site.

• Scale: Identify geographical areas employment opportunities are for (e.g., companies originate from all seven continents). Number of employers utilize the site. Number of job seekers utilize the site. Average time from job seeker to employed.

Security: Offerors proposal shall address the following items with relation to risk mitigation and processes currently utilized for job seekers and employers utilizing the platform.

• Hacking, PII Spillage, Policy and Reporting processes

• Password characteristics, frequency of changing password

(2) Past Performance information shall be evaluated, but information shall be obtained by the

Government for each the offeror through use of the Contract Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS).

(3) PRICE: As stated herein, this RFP is anticipated to result in a no cost agreement/contract with an industry partner. However, it is required that the pricing schedule be completed and provided in the format as identified in the CLIN schedule of this RFP. The offeror shall submit information for the base period of 12 months, and each subsequent option period. If the offeror concurs with no cost, simply cite $0.00 for each Contract Line Item Number (CLIN). Should it be determined by an offeror that costs shall be incurred, offeror shall provide prices for the established CLINs. Prices shall be presented in whole dollars. Should a discrepancy exist between unit prices and extensions exist; unit prices shall govern. NOTE: Proposed solutions that may be cost bearing, may not be determined to be in the best interest of the Government.

(2) Phase 2-On-Site Live Demonstration:

Firms with proposals deemed most advantageous for the Government based on Phase 1 evaluation shall be invited to participate in Phase 2. Phase 2 is comprised of a live demonstration of the proposed web-based platform capabilities as presented in the technical portion of Phase 1, the objectives outlined in the SOO, and the following:

System Architecture: The firm shall demonstrate utilizing the web site as a typical user or employer.

Items of interest to the Government: Loading times; Ease of navigation (Intuitive, number of clicks, utilizations of links, screen appearance and information); and contact information link or number on the main page.

User Support: The firm shall clearly demonstrate various aspects of the website to include: Tutorial, contact information/form, interview support, resume section, notifications of job opportunities, ability to search by labor category, location (country, state, and region), company, compensation and benefits;

and notifications of application status.

Data: The firm is to demonstrate the ability to retrieve information concerning applicants that are Soldiers or Family member of Soldiers that lays within the website.

The invitation into step two will not be synopsized through the Governmentwide point of entry (GPE) as an acquisition opportunity nor publicly posted.