W912LN-24-Q-0019 Combined Synopsis and Solicitation 10 MAY 2024 1132hrs.docx

Request for Quotes – Best Value/Trade-Off Using FAR 13.1 and FAR Part 12 Procedures

1. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

0. The combined synopsis is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ) / under solicitation number: W912LN-24-Q-0019.

0. This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) FAC 2024-04 dated May 01, 2024.

0. Small Business set-aside: 100%. Applicable size standard is $9.0M.

0. NAICS Code: 722320.

0. Posting Date: 10 MAY 2024; Questions due by 5:00 pm EST on 16 MAY 2024. Questions received after that time will not be answered. Answers provided on or about 17 MAY 2024.

0. Response Date: 10:00 am EST on 24 MAY 2024.

0. Contracting Office: USPFO-P&C-VT; Building 3 Camp Johnson, Colchester Vermont 05446.

0. Government Points of Contact: Contracting Officer: kathleen.b.oneill.civ@army.mil and Contract Specialist: Kimberly.a.swasey.civ@army.mil .

0. A list of line item number(s) and items, quantities, and units of measure:

Pricing Schedule

0. Description of requirements for the items to be acquired: Deliver and serve catered breakfast, lunch and dinner meals and perform light cleaning services in the food service area in support of military courses conducted during the months April and May 2024, in accordance with the Performance Work Statement.

0. Periods of Performance (PoP):

08 JUN 2024 – 21 JUN 2024

13 JUL 2024 – 26 JUL 2024

10 AUG 2024 – 23 AUG 2024

07 SEP 2024 – 20 SEP 2024

Place of delivery and acceptance:

Army Mountain Warfare School (AMWS) Dining Facility (building 28) at Camp Ethan Allen Training Site (CEATS) at Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, Vermont.

0. Provision 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Products and Commercial Services and addendum applies to this acquisition.

0. Provision 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Products and Commercial Services and addendum applies to this acquisition.

0. Offerors shall include a completed copy of 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial Services with their offers.

0. FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Products and Commercial Services applies to this acquisition.

0. FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Products and Commercial Services, applies to this acquisition.

0. Additional contract provisions and clauses are applicable and included below as necessary.

0. Defense Priorities and Allocations Systems (DPAS) Rating: Not applicable

CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY FULL TEXT

52.211-16 VARIATION IN QUANTITY (APR 1984)

(a) A variation in the quantity of any item called for by this contract will not be accepted unless the variation has been caused by conditions of loading, shipping, or packing, or allowances in manufacturing processes, and then only to the extent, if any, specified in paragraph (b) below.

(b) The permissible variation shall be limited to:

10 Percent increase 10 Percent decrease This increase or decrease shall apply to each quantity specified in the delivery schedule.

(End of clause)

52.212-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS--COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES (SEP 2023)

(a) North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code and small business size standard. The NAICS code(s) and small business size standard(s) for this acquisition appear elsewhere in the solicitation. However, the small business size standard for a concern that submits an offer, other than on a construction or service acquisition, but proposes to furnish an end item that it did not itself manufacture, process, or produce is 500 employees, or 150 employees for information technology value-added resellers under NAICS code 541519, if the acquisition--

(1) Is set aside for small business and has a value above the simplified acquisition threshold;

(2) Uses the HUBZone price evaluation preference regardless of dollar value, unless the offeror waives the price evaluation preference; or

(3) Is an 8(a), HUBZone, service-disabled veteran-owned, economically disadvantaged women-owned, or women-owned small business set-aside or sole-source award regardless of dollar value.

(b) Submission of offers. Submit signed and dated offers to the office specified in this solicitation at or before the exact time specified in this solicitation. Offers may be submitted on the SF 1449, letterhead stationery, or as otherwise specified in the solicitation. As a minimum, offers must show--

(1) The solicitation number;

(2) The time specified in the solicitation for receipt of offers;

(3) The name, address, and telephone number of the offeror;

(4) A technical description of the items being offered in sufficient detail to evaluate compliance with the requirements in the solicitation. This may include product literature, or other documents, if necessary;

(5) Terms of any express warranty;

(6) Price and any discount terms;

(7) "Remit to" address, if different than mailing address;

(8) A completed copy of the representations and certifications at Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.212-3 (see FAR 52.212-3(b) for those representations and certifications that the offeror shall complete electronically);

(9) Acknowledgment of Solicitation Amendments;

(10) Past performance information, when included as an evaluation factor, to include recent and relevant contracts for the same or similar items and other references (including contract numbers, points of contact with telephone numbers and other relevant information); and

(11) If the offer is not submitted on the SF 1449, include a statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation. Offers that fail to furnish required representations or information, or reject the terms and conditions of the solicitation may be excluded from consideration.

(c) Period for acceptance of offers. The offeror agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm for 30 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers, unless another time period is specified in an addendum to the solicitation.

(d) Product samples. When required by the solicitation, product samples shall be submitted at or prior to the time specified for receipt of offers. Unless otherwise specified in this solicitation, these samples shall be submitted at no expense to the Government, and returned at the sender's request and expense, unless they are destroyed during preaward testing.

(e) Multiple offers. Offerors are encouraged to submit multiple offers presenting alternative terms and conditions, including alternative line items (provided that the alternative line items are consistent with FAR subpart 4.10), or alternative commercial products or commercial services for satisfying the requirements of this solicitation. Each offer submitted will be evaluated separately.

(f) Late submissions, modifications, revisions, and withdrawals of offers:

(1) Offerors are responsible for submitting offers, and any modifications, revisions, or withdrawals, so as to reach the Government office designated in the solicitation by the time specified in the solicitation. If no time is specified in the solicitation, the time for receipt is 4:30 p.m., local time, for the designated Government office on the date that offers or revisions are due.

(2)(i) Any offer, modification, revision, or withdrawal of an offer received at the Government office designated in the solicitation after the exact time specified for receipt of offers is “late” and will not be considered unless it is received before award is made, the Contracting Officer determines that accepting the late offer would not unduly delay the acquisition; and--

(A) If it was transmitted through an electronic commerce method authorized by the solicitation, it was received at the initial point of entry to the Government infrastructure not later than 5:00 p.m. one working day prior to the date specified for receipt of offers; or

(B) There is acceptable evidence to establish that it was received at the Government installation designated for receipt of offers and was under the Government's control prior to the time set for receipt of offers; or

(C) If this solicitation is a request for proposals, it was the only proposal received.

(ii) However, a late modification of an otherwise successful offer, that makes its terms more favorable to the Government, will be considered at any time it is received and may be accepted.

(3) Acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at the Government installation includes the time/date stamp of that installation on the offer wrapper, other documentary evidence of receipt maintained by the installation, or oral testimony or statements of Government personnel.

(4) If an emergency or unanticipated event interrupts normal Government processes so that offers cannot be received at the Government office designated for receipt of offers by the exact time specified in the solicitation, and urgent Government requirements preclude amendment of the solicitation or other notice of an extension of the closing date, the time specified for receipt of offers will be deemed to be extended to the same time of day specified in the solicitation on the first work day on which normal Government processes resume.

(5) Offers may be withdrawn by written notice received at any time before the exact time set for receipt of offers. Oral offers in response to oral solicitations may be withdrawn orally. If the solicitation authorizes facsimile offers, offers may be withdrawn via facsimile received at any time before the exact time set for receipt of offers, subject to the conditions specified in the solicitation concerning facsimile offers. An offer may be withdrawn in person by an offeror or its authorized representative if, before the exact time set for receipt of offers, the identity of the person requesting withdrawal is established and the person signs a receipt for the offer.

(g) Contract award (not applicable to Invitation for Bids). The Government intends to evaluate offers and award a contract without discussions with offerors. Therefore, the 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 action is in the public interest; accept other than the lowest offer; and waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received.

(h) Multiple awards. The Government may accept any item or group of items of an offer, unless the offeror qualifies the offer by specific limitations. Unless otherwise provided in the Schedule, offers may not be submitted for quantities less than those specified. The Government reserves the right to make an award on any item for a quantity less than the quantity offered, at the unit prices offered, unless the offeror specifies otherwise in the offer.

(i) Availability of requirements documents cited in the solicitation.

(1)(i) The GSA Index of Federal Specifications, Standards and Commercial Item Descriptions, FPMR Part 101-29, and copies of Federal specifications, standards, and product descriptions can be downloaded from the ASSIST website at https://assist.dla.mil.

(ii) If the General Services Administration, Department of Agriculture, or Department of Veterans Affairs issued this solicitation, a copy of specifications, standards, and commercial item descriptions cited in this solicitation may be obtained from the address in paragraph (i)(1)(i) of this provision.

(2) Most unclassified Defense specifications and standards may be downloaded from the ASSIST website at https://assist.dla.mil.

(3) Defense documents not available from the ASSIST website may be requested from the Defense Standardization Program Office by--

(i) Using the ASSIST feedback module (https://assist.dla.mil/feedback); or

(ii) Contacting the Defense Standardization Program Office by telephone at 571-767-6688 or email at assisthelp@dla.mil.

(4) Nongovernment (voluntary) standards must be obtained from the organization responsible for their preparation, publication, or maintenance.

(j) Unique entity identifier. (Applies to all offers that exceed the micro-purchase threshold, and offers at or below the micro-purchase threshold if the solicitation requires the Contractor to be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM).) The Offeror shall enter, in the block with its name and address on the cover page of its offer, the annotation "Unique Entity Identifier" followed by the unique entity identifier that identifies the Offeror's name and address. The Offeror also shall enter its Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) indicator, if applicable. The EFT indicator is a four-character suffix to the unique entity identifier. The suffix is assigned at the discretion of the Offeror to establish additional SAM records for identifying alternative EFT accounts (see FAR subpart 32.11) for the same entity. If the Offeror does not have a unique entity identifier, it should contact the entity designated at www.sam.gov for unique entity identifier establishment directly to obtain one. The Offeror should indicate that it is an offeror for a Government contract when contacting the entity designated at www.sam.gov for establishing the unique entity identifier.

(k) Reserved.

(l) Debriefing. If a post-award debriefing is given to requesting offerors, the Government shall disclose the following information, if applicable:

(1) The agency's evaluation of the significant weak or deficient factors in the debriefed offeror's offer.

(2) The overall evaluated cost or price and technical rating of the successful and the debriefed offeror and past performance information on the debriefed offeror.

(3) The overall ranking of all offerors, when any ranking was developed by the agency during source selection.

(4) A summary of the rationale for award;

(5) For acquisitions of commercial products, the make and model of the product to be delivered by the successful offeror.

(6) Reasonable responses to relevant questions posed by the debriefed offeror as to whether source-selection procedures set forth in the solicitation, applicable regulations, and other applicable authorities were followed by the agency.

***ADDENDUM TO FAR 52.212-1***

1. QUOTE SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

1.1. Submission Due Date. The offeror must ensure its quote, in its entirety, reaches the required destination before the date and time set for closing of the solicitation. The submission due date for this solicitation is identified on Page 1, paragraph 1.6 of this document.

1.2. Submission. The quote submitted in response to this solicitation shall be formatted as stated below and furnished via email to the government points of contact specified on page 1, paragraph 1.8 of this document. The quote shall only be submitted as described.

1.3. Quote Compliance. The Government must have received from the offeror a fully compliant quote. The quote is compliant when it conforms to all of the requirements, terms, and conditions of the solicitation, including the Performance Work Statement (PWS).

1.4. Quote Acceptance. FAR 52.212-1(c) is hereby tailored for this solicitation: The contractor shall specify a quote acceptance period in the Quote Summary of not less than 60 days from the date of the solicitation closing. This date may be extended by mutual agreement. The contractor shall make a clear statement in the quote as to the expiration date of the quote and the stated expiration date shall be valid for all proposed subcontractors as well.

1.5. Quote Retention. In accordance with FAR Subpart 4.8, Government Contract Files, the Government will retain one copy of all unsuccessful quotes.

1.6. Single Quote Submission. FAR 52.212-1 is hereby tailored to remove subparagraph (e) which does not apply to this solicitation. Offerors are limited to submitting one quote with one approach to meeting all the requirements of this solicitation. Quotes that contain alternative terms and conditions will be considered as taking exception to the requirements of the solicitation.

1.7. All or None. FAR 52.212-1(h) is hereby tailored for this solicitation: Offers in response to this solicitation must be submitted for all the requirements identified in the solicitation. Offers submitted for less than all the requirements called for by this solicitation may be rejected or found ineligible for award.

1.8. The offeror shall mark the title page with the following legend:

This quote includes data that shall not be disclosed outside the Government and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed -- in whole or in part -- for any purpose other than to evaluate this quote. If, however, a contract is awarded to this offeror as a result of -- or in connection with --the submission of this data, the Government shall have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent provided in the resulting contract. This restriction does not limit the Government’s right to use information contained in this data if it is obtained from another source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction are contained in sheets [offeror shall insert numbers or other identification of sheets];

and

1.9. The offeror shall mark each sheet of data it wishes to restrict with the following legend: Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the restriction on the title page of this quote.

2. QUOTE FORMAT

2.1. This section provides guidance to the offeror for preparing a quote in response to the solicitation. The offeror’s quote shall include all data and information required by this solicitation and submitted in accordance with these instructions. Any contract resulting from this effort shall be required to meet United States Government regulations and statutory requirements. In addition, the offeror is expected to ensure compliance with all laws, regulations, standards, and any other constraints specifically identified in the solicitation.

2.2. The quote submitted in response to the solicitation shall be formatted as stated below and furnished as stated herein. The acceptable electronic formats for quotes shall be compatible with MS Office 2016 or Microsoft 365, (specifically MS Word and MS Excel) and/or PDF format. The quote shall be labeled with the solicitation number. This number can be found on page one of this combined solicitation and synopsis. Label shall also include the name, address, and telephone number of the Offeror. All volumes shall be electronic files and not be password protected.

2.3. Offerors shall scan all files for computer viruses prior to submission to the Government.

2.4. Quotes may not include classified information. All quotes shall be at the UNCLASSIFIED level. Every submission must be properly identified and marked with the proper security classification.

3. QUOTE CONTENT AND ORGANIZATION

3.1. The offeror shall prepare the quote as set forth in Table 1, Quote Organization Table. The completion and submission to the Government of documents identified in Table 1, Quote Organization Table, shall constitute an offer and shall indicate the offeror’s unconditional consent to the terms and conditions of the solicitation.

TABLE 1 PROPOSAL/QUOTE ORGANIZATION TABLE

Proposal/Quote Summary – Not Evaluated Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) – Not Evaluated

(PWS and SOWs do not count towards the page limit)

3.2. The quote shall not contain citations for, or active links to live Internet sites or pages. All linked information shall be contained within the electronic quote. Any linked information that is not contained in the quote will not be accepted.

4. QUOTE DOCUMENTS

4.1. Quotes shall be clear and concise and include sufficient detail for effective evaluation. The offeror shall not simply rephrase or restate the Government’s requirements but shall provide convincing rationale addressing how the offeror intends to meet those requirements. The offeror should assume the Government has no prior knowledge of its capabilities and experience. The Government will base its evaluation on the information presented in the offeror’s quote in response to this solicitation, except as stated in the past performance evaluation section.

4.2. Quotes are to be structured in accordance with the Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) structure set forth in paragraph 1.9 on pages 1 and 2 of this solicitation.

4.3. QUOTE SUMMARY, Volume 1, shall include the following information in the format provided:

Date submitted

Offeror’s name

Offeror’s address

UEI:

Phone #:

Email address:

4.4 Statement Regarding Intent to Subcontract. As noted above, offerors shall expressly state whether they do or do not intend to subcontract any portion of the work. If the offer does intend to subcontract, the offeror shall provide:

4.5. Signature Actions/offeror Fill-Ins. Offerors shall submit a copy of all completed fill-ins for provisions and clauses requiring contractor provided information, and (if applicable) a signed copy of all amendments to the solicitation. System for Award Management (SAM) certifications need not be separately submitted; however, all offerors must be successfully registered and valid in SAM from the time of quote submission through award.

4.6. Statement of Acknowledgement. A statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions of the RFQ, and a statement of agreement to furnish and deliver the items or perform services set forth in the RFQ in consideration for offeror’s proposed price(s) set opposite each item. Any exceptions taken to the attachments, exhibits, enclosures, or other solicitation terms, conditions, or documents may be grounds for the Contracting Officer to reject the quote from further consideration in the source selection process.

4.7. Assumptions. The offeror shall consolidate and identify all offeror's generated "assumptions" contained anywhere in the quote. Also, the offeror shall include a statement that none of the "assumptions" contradict or take exception to any terms, conditions, or requirements of the solicitation. Any exceptions taken to the attachments, exhibits, enclosures, or other solicitation terms, conditions, or documents may be grounds for the Contracting Officer to reject the quote from further consideration in the source selection process.

5. OFFEROR EXPERIENCE (Volume 2) REQUIRED CONTENTS:

5.1. Offeror shall submit a detailed descriptive listing of up to five (5) contracts the offeror has performed within the last five (5) calendar years prior to the date of this solicitation that are similar in scope, magnitude of effort, and complexity to the requirement set forth in this solicitation. The description must address whether the prior contract included the following work, as described in full in the referenced Performance Work Statement (PWS) paragraphs:

Factor 1: Food Preparation & Quality. Preparation of meals to commercial quality standards and in accordance with food safety regulations, in accordance with PWS paragraph(s) 5.1 thru 5.1.1.

Factor 2: Menu Standards. Provision of meals and meal components conforming to a customer-provided menu including portion size and nutritional/preparation standards, in accordance with PWS paragraph(s) 5.2 thru 5.2.3.

Factor 3: Meal Service. Timely service of meals at designated service periods, in accordance with PWS paragraphs 5.3 thru 5.3.1.

Factor 4: Food Safety, Sanitation & Cleaning. Compliance with food safety standards throughout preparation, transportation, and service of meal components and prepared meals, and maintenance of acceptable hygiene within the food preparation and food service areas, in accordance with PWS paragraphs 5.4 through 5.4.4, and 5.5.3.

The description should not include descriptions of work that do not pertain to catering, food service or management of catering/food service contracts. Information must be submitted using the format provided in paragraph 5.1.1 below. If the offeror includes information regarding more than five (5) contracts, the Government will consider only the first five contracts presented.

5.1.1 For each Contract(s) submitted in response to paragraph 5.1, offeror shall provide the following information using the following format (fields may be expanded if additional space is required):

Contract Number (and DO/TO # if applicable)

Contract Type (e.g., firm fixed price, cost reimbursement)

Estimated Annual Value of Contract

Total Value of Contract with any Options

Delivery Date(s) or Period(s) of Performance

Contracting Office address and phone #

Phone #:

Email Address:

Factor 2: ☐ YES ☐ NO Factor 3: ☐ YES ☐ NO Factor 4: ☐ YES ☐ NO

☐ Prime Contractor with a Subcontractor ☐ Subcontractor

Description of work similar to Factors 1-4:

Describe the offeror’s management effort on the contract:

For government contracts, the Individual POC(s) identified should include a current Contracting Officer and/or Contract Specialist in the contracting organization and/or the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) on the contract; for private industry entity the POC should include the person responsible for signing or administering the Contract or their successor in that role.

5.1.1 In its description of work similar to Factors 1-4, the offeror shall specify the location in the cited contract’s performance work statement (PWS) or statement of work (SOW) (to include paragraph and page number) that substantiates that the Factor was part of the prior contract’s requirements. Provide a copy of the complete PWS or SOW.

5.1.2 If the proposed Contract was issued under or in connection with a related written instrument (e.g. IDIQ, BOA, BPA, FSS) and the details of the distinct effort actually performed needed to establish relevancy on the proposed contract are further defined within the terms and conditions (e.g. statement of work) of that related written instrument, provide that information and any other information necessary to establish this instrument's relationship to the proposed contract. (These documents can be submitted as stand-alone attachments with the quote).

5.3 If the offeror has performed more than five (5) food contracts within the last five (5) years that are similar in nature, scope, magnitude of effort, and complexity, the offeror may provide a narrative paragraph describing those contracts at a summary level.

5.4 If the offeror intends to subcontract all or part of the work, the offeror should provide the information called for in paragraphs 5.1 through 5.3 above for each subcontractor, or at least provide a narrative description of the subcontractor’s experience with requirements of this nature. Failure to establish that offeror has investigated the subcontractor’s recent, relevant experience and that the selected subcontractor has recent, relevant experience may result in an unsatisfactory rating for the “Experience” evaluation factor.

5.5 The Experience volume shall not include any pricing data relating to the current solicitation.

6. PAST PERFORMANCE (Volume 3):

6.1 The offeror may submit the following additional information regarding up to three (3) of the contracts identified in response to section 5 and occurred within 3 years of this solicitation. If the offeror wishes the contract(s) to be considered for purposes of evaluating past performance (fields may be expanded if additional space is required):

Phone #:

Email Address:

A description of the scope, magnitude of effort, and complexities of effort called for on the contract, sufficient to support a conclusion that the offeror’s performance on that contract has relevance to the current effort.

Narrative self-assessment of the offeror’s performance with respect to Factors 1-4.

6.2 It is the offeror’s responsibility to provide sufficiently detailed, thorough and complete past performance information that the Government may evaluate its Past Performance. Failure to provide the information requested above may result in an assessment that the offeror does not possess a record of recent and relevant past performance.

6.3 The Government does not assume the duty to search for data to cure problems it finds in quotes.

6.4 Since past performance is an evaluation factor for source selection purposes, it is imperative that the offeror present its past performance information in a clear and complete manner.

6.5 The offeror may also be evaluated based on other internal Government or private source information. The Government may utilize the Contract Performance and Rating System (CPARS) and/or Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS) to search for recent and relevant offeror performance and ratings and may send questionnaires to previous customers. If the offeror is aware of negative past performance and wishes to offer mitigating information, that information should be submitted as part of the offeror’s initial quote. In the absence of discussions, the offeror will not have another opportunity to provide it prior to source selection.

6.6 The Government will conduct an in-depth evaluation of all recent performance information to determine how closely the services performed under those contracts relate to the management and technical requirement(s) of the current effort. Consideration will be given to similar service, similar complexity of the effort, breadth and depth of skills, similar contract scope, magnitude of effort, and complexity, type, and schedule. In addition, consideration will be given to any quality awards or certifications that indicate the offeror has a high-quality process for developing and producing the services required by this acquisition.

6.7 The offeror should provide a copy of its most recent CPARS evaluation, if applicable, showing the overall rating(s) for each of the past performance references provided in the quote.

6.8 The Past Performance volume shall not include any pricing data relating to the current solicitation

7. PRICE (Volume 4), REQUIRED CONTENTS:

7.1. Price Quote Format.

7.1.1. Electronic spreadsheet files (Workbooks) shall be sent in MS Excel 2016 or Microsoft 365 compatible format, and include all formulas, functions, macros, computations, or equations used to compute the proposed amounts. There can be no cell references to data or files which are not included in the Price Volume. For each Workbook, all Rows, Columns, Cells and Worksheets must be Visible (object.Visible=True). Zero height/Zero width rows/columns in Worksheets are not acceptable. Worksheet cells formatted with the Font color equal to the Fill color are unacceptable. Workbooks or Worksheets shall not be password protected. Print image files or pictures (for example a picture of an Excel spreadsheet embedded in a word document) or files containing only values are not acceptable.

7.1.2. Supporting narrative, including Basis of Estimate (BOE) sheets, shall be provided in files that are MS Excel 2016 or MS Word 2016 or Microsoft 365 compatible. BOEs may not be submitted as pictures. Text or spreadsheets used as supporting rationale within a BOE may not be included as a picture.

7.2. The price quote shall contain:

7.2.1. Data substantiating the price proposed to complete the requirements identified in the solicitation. The offeror’s price quote shall contain sufficient factual information to establish that the proposed price is reasonable and complete. The offeror shall submit a narrative BOE to substantiate the price quote.

7.2.2. Price per plate for breakfast, bagged breakfast, lunch, dinner and bagged meals and a total price for each CLIN in the solicitation. Use the format and quantities provided on Page 1 paragraph 1.9 of this document.

7.2.3. Subcontractor Price Submission. Subcontractor price quote information (if any) should be submitted and included as part of the prime offeror’s quote submission. In the event that a subcontractor declines to provide complete price quote to the offeror, that subcontractor’s quote information may be submitted by the subcontractor directly to the Government using the same submission instructions noted above. Such submissions shall arrive at or prior to the due date for quote noted on page 1 of this solicitation.

7.3. In accordance with FAR 13.106-3(a), in addition to the information requested above, the Government reserves the right to request additional or more detailed information to support its evaluation of price reasonableness.

8. EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

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

8.1.1. Experience

8.1.2. Past Performance

8.1.3. Price

8.2. Basis for Award

8.2.1. The Government intends to award a single Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) Contract as a result of this solicitation.

8.2.2. Per FAR 9.103, the contract will be placed only with an offeror that the Contracting Officer determines to be responsible, that is, those who can satisfactorily perform the necessary tasks and deliver the required services on time. Prospective offerors, in order to qualify as sources for this acquisition, must be able to demonstrate that they meet standards of responsibility set forth in FAR 9.104. In addition, the Government may assess the offeror’s financial ability to meet the solicitation requirements. No award can be made to an offeror who has been determined to be not responsible by the Contracting Officer.

8.2.3. Consistency. Each section of the offeror’s quote shall be consistent within the quote.

8.2.4. Completeness. The Government’s ability to evaluate a quote may depend on the level of detail and supporting documentation provided. Insufficient supporting documentation or detail in a quote may prevent the Government from evaluating a quote.

8.2.5. The Government will assess the offeror’s quote on three factors: (1) Experience, (2) Past Performance and (3) Price.

8.3. EVALUATION OF EXPERIENCE

8.3.1 We will evaluate what work you did, when and where you did it, whom you did it for, and what methods you presumably used. It is important to understand the difference between a quoter’s experience and its past performance – quoters may be considered unacceptable based on its lack of relevant experience. Relevant experience is adequate experience consisting of contracts the offeror has performed within the last five (5) calendar years prior to the date of this solicitation that are comparable to the work requirements of this solicitation. Consideration is given to the dollar value and potential place of performance in the Northeastern regional area. This will be evaluated as Acceptable or Unacceptable.

Evaluation of this factor will assess whether the offeror has experience performing contracts requiring Factors 1-4:

Factor 1: Food Preparation & Quality. Preparation of meals to commercial quality standards and in accordance with food safety regulations, in accordance with PWS paragraph(s) 5.1 thru 5.1.1.

Factor 2: Menu Standards. Provision of meals and meal components conforming to a customer-provided menu including portion size and nutritional/preparation standards, in accordance with PWS paragraph(s) 5.2 thru 5.2.3.

Factor 3: Meal Service. Timely service of meals at designated service periods, in accordance with PWS paragraphs 5.3 thru 5.3.1.

Factor 4: Food Safety, Sanitation & Cleaning. Compliance with food safety standards throughout preparation, transportation, and service of meal components and prepared meals, and maintenance of acceptable hygiene within the food preparation and food service areas, in accordance with PWS paragraphs 5.4 through 5.4.4, and 5.5.3.

8.3.2. Failure to clearly address the Factors identified above, or failure to establish that the offeror does have experience performing contracts of similar nature, scope, magnitude of effort, and complexity may result in an “unacceptable” rating for Experience.

8.3.3. If the offeror has indicated an intention to subcontract, the evaluation will also assess whether the offeror has established that its identified subcontractor has experience performing contracts requiring Factors 1-4.

8.3.4. If the offeror fails to expressly state whether it does or does not intend to subcontract or fails to establish that a selected subcontractor has experience performing contracts of similar nature, scope, magnitude of effort, and complexity may result in an “unacceptable” rating for Experience.

8.4. EVALUATION OF PAST PERFORMANCE

8.4.1. The evaluation of this factor will assess the offeror’s past performance on efforts of a similar scope, magnitude of effort, and complexity as the requirement described in the PWS. Past Performance is a measure of the degree to which you have satisfied your customers in the past and complied with federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Your past performance is relevant to this competition when you have done recent work that has confronted you with the same kinds of challenges that you would reasonably expect to encounter during performance of the contract described by the RFQ. We will assess your past performance on the basis of recency, relevancy, and quality. Past performance information may be obtained from any sources available to the Government (CPARS)(SAM).

8.4.2. The Government will evaluate the offeror’s past performance to determine the likelihood that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort described in the PWS.

8.4.3. Contracts submitted in the Past Performance section of the offeror's quote will not be considered if the Government determines them to be not recent (not within three calendar years prior to the date of this solicitation), not relevant (insufficiently similar in scope, magnitude of effort, or complexity), or lacking any credible past performance quality information (the government is unable to ascertain how well the offeror performed the previous requirement). If the offeror does not have a record of recent and relevant past performance information the offeror will be rated as "Neutral,” which is neither favorable nor unfavorable.

8.4.4. The offeror may also be evaluated on past contract performance information utilizing internal Government or private source information and the Government reserves the right to use any information received as part of its evaluation. The Government may contact any of the references the offeror provides and reserves the right to use any information received as part of its evaluation.

8.4.5. In evaluating the offeror's performance history, the Government may compare the offeror's deliveries or performance to the contract's original delivery or performance schedule, unless the delay was Government-caused. Schedule extensions that were the fault of the offeror, even if consideration was provided, may be counted against the offeror.

8.5. EVALUATION OF PRICE FACTOR

8.5.1. Evaluation of price will be performed using one or more of the price analysis techniques in FAR 13.106-3. Through these techniques the Government will determine whether prices are reasonable, complete, and are not unbalanced.

8.5.2. Reasonableness. The Government will evaluate the price reasonableness of the offeror’s proposed prices to ensure that in its nature and amount, it does not exceed what would be incurred by a prudent person in the conduct of competitive business. The Government shall employ price analysis techniques in accordance with FAR 13.106-3 to determine that a proposed price is fair and reasonable.

8.5.3. Completeness. The Government reserves the right to conduct discussions with offerors, but discussions are not anticipated or intended. Since discussions are not anticipated or intended, the Government requires complete quotes with respect to price. A complete quote will include all information required by this solicitation.

8.5.4. Unbalanced Pricing. Offerors should note that pricing will be carefully reviewed to detect whether quotes are unbalanced between line items, as well as unbalance between periods. Unbalanced pricing exists when, despite an acceptable total evaluated price, the price of one or more line items is significantly over or understated as indicated by the application of cost or price analysis techniques. Unbalanced offers may be determined unacceptable.

(End of provision)

52.212-2 EVALUATION--COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES (NOV 2021)

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

(Contracting Officer shall insert the significant evaluation factors, such as (i) technical capability of the item offered to meet the Government requirement; (ii) price; (iii) past performance (see FAR 15.304); and include them in the relative order of…