A07_Attachment_6_-_Section_L&M_Instructions_and_Basis_for_Award.docx

A. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION (Section L)

Instructions for Submission:

1. The Offeror’s proposal must include all data and information requested and must be submitted in accordance with these instructions. Any Offeror who submits an incomplete package may be considered unacceptable. The offer shall be compliant with the requirements as stated in the Performance Statement of Work.

2. Content should provide clear, concise convincing documentary evidence in support of any statements relating to the promised performance. The Government does not desire excess verbiage, unnecessary and elaborate brochures, or lengthy, repetitious, disorganized presentations beyond that sufficient to present a complete and clear proposal. Proposals must not merely parrot back performance requirements, but rather must provide convincing evidence that Offeror can actually fulfill performance requirements.

3. Content Requirements. All information shall be confined to the appropriate volume. Information included in the incorrect volume will not be evaluated. Each volume of the proposal shall consist of a Title Page, Table of Contents (no more than two levels e.g. 1.1, 1.2), Summary Section and the Narrative discussion. The Summary Section shall contain a brief abstract of the volume. Proprietary information shall be clearly marked. The Title Page and Table of Contents do not count towards page limitation for each volume.

4. The Government intends to evaluate offers and award a contract without discussions. 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, and waive informalities and minor irregularities in the offers received.

5. No pricing shall be in any volumes other than Factor IV Cost/Price. Proposals that fail to separate the price factor may be determined unacceptable and may not be considered for award.

6. The Government may incorporate portions of the contractor’s proposal into the contract.

7. Each factor shall be submitted as a separate volume. Proposals shall adhere to the following page count limitations. Excess pages will be removed from the back of each section and will NOT be read or evaluated.

Proposal Volumes

8. Offerors shall submit their proposals electronically, using the FedBizOps website. The proposal shall be submitted in five (5) volumes. Each file submitted must be labeled with a Volume number, Title/Description, and company name—abbreviating as desired/necessary is acceptable. Each Volume shall be independent. Information relating to a specific factor shall not include references to other volumes or information contained to support other factors.

9. Pages that exceed the required page limitations will not be evaluated. Additional pages over the maximum allowed will be removed or not read and will not be evaluated by the Government. Any portions of proposal volumes that exceed the page limitations in the table will not be evaluated. i.e. If the Technical Factor volume totaled 12 pages and the page limitation for this factor is 10 pages, only pages 1-10 will be evaluated, while pages 11 and 12 will not be considered/ evaluated. Documents shall use the following page setup parameters:

Margins – Top, Bottom, Left, Right – 1” Gutter – 0” From Edge – Header, Footer 0.5” Page Size, Width – 8.5” Page Size, Height – 11” Font – 12 point Arial or Time Roman required.

Each paragraph shall be separated by at least one blank line. Tables and illustrations may use a reduced font size no less than 8-point and may be landscape. All volumes and plans shall include pagination with the exception of any excluded pages.

Volumes Description—

Volume I – Executive Summary:

Offerors shall provide a Title Page, a Table of Contents, Summary Section, and a Narrative Discussion. The Narrative Discussion must include an overview of the Offerer’s ability to meet the requirements of the PWS. This volume shall include the following: (1) Solicitation number; (2) Company’s Name, Cage Code, Tax ID number; (3) proposal title - Army Force Organization Cost Estimating System (FORCES); (4) point of contact and alternate, including last name, first name, street address, city, state, zip code, telephone, and electronic mail; (5) date proposal submitted; (6) proposal expiration date (valid minimum 120 calendar days); (7) signed Standard Form/Solicitation; (8) Organizational Conflict of Interest Identification and Risk Mitigation Plan (9) System for Award Management (SAM) record print out of the company/Offeror ’s “Core Data.” (10) Provide a matrix of all proposed subcontractors that includes information from items 2 and 4 of this paragraph. (11) A list of all assumptions or contingent conditions with a narrative describing the rational for them. (12) Completed Section K Representations and Certifications.

Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) Identification and Risk Mitigation Plan: The offeror shall conduct due diligence and submit with their proposal an Identification and Risk Mitigation Plan. This plan shall identify all facts that a reasonably prudent person would consider relevant in determining whether a potential conflict of interest currently exists or might arise under the performance of this contract. The offeror shall identify examine all current contracts or financial interests that might be effected by the performance of the PWS. The offeror shall identify any potential conflicts of interest, as that term is defined in FAR part 9, that the offeror reasonably believes could arise during the performance of this contract. The offeror’s submission shall include any subcontractors or team members. Offerors should be aware that the technical, financial, and operational assistance efforts anticipated under this contract may implicate budgets, priorities, or recommendations of other service or product/system acquisition of the Army or DOD. Accordingly, offerors shall be particularly sensitive to the potential conflicts that might arise if the offeror or its affiliates/subcontractors have any financial interest in other contracts related to Army/DOD services or products/systems. The accuracy of the findings presented shall be certified to the best of their knowledge and belief by an official authorized to bind the company. If the conclusion reached by the contractor is that no OCI exists, then a statement certifying that the contractor (including subcontractors and affiliates) has no OCI issues relating to this Request for Quote or contract, including supporting rationale, shall be submitted as well.

In the context of OCI, involvement is defined as any participation or connection to a project, contract, program, or product which may create actual or perceived OCI. The Contracting Officer will review statements provided by each offeror as to the work the company has performed; evaluate the submittals considering in-house knowledge as to the company's program support; and determine whether or not there is an OCI. This must include all subcontractors and affiliates. Subcontractor and affiliate OCI is equivalent to a prime contractor OCI.

To prevent the improper release or disclosure of information, or any actual or perceived personal or organizational conflict of interest that might arise in the performance of this contract, the contractor shall bring any potential conflicting relationships or financial interests held by the contractor, its key employees, or others executing performance on behalf of the contractor to the attention of the Contracting Officer throughout the life of this contract. If the Contracting Officer determines that an unacceptable conflict or violation exists, the contractor will take the actions necessary to mitigate or eliminate the conflict or violation. If the contractor's approach to mitigation is not deemed satisfactory by the Contracting Officer, the Contracting Officer may take other actions.

The Contracting Officer will review statements provided by each offeror as to the work the company has performed or anticipates; evaluate the submittals considering in-house knowledge as to the company’s program support; and determine whether or not there is an Identification and Mitigation Plan. The Government’s consideration of this information is for purposes of assessing the contractor’s responsibility and is not otherwise part of the evaluation factors to be considered for award.

For any potential conflicts of interest, the offeror shall provide a mitigation plan to be reviewed and approved by the Contracting Officer. The mitigation plan shall provide verifiable means of eliminating any significant conflict of interest in the performance of this contract. The mitigation plan shall also describe the contractor's current policies for identifying, reporting, and preventing future organizational and personal conflicts of interest that might arise in the performance of this contract.

The contractor is responsible for ensuring compliance, both organizationally and individually, with regulatory and professional standards, including any standards relating to ethics, obtaining and releasing proprietary information, and individual or organizational conflicts of interest. The responsibilities of this clause shall apply to all subcontractors, team members

Volume II - Technical Approach

a) Understanding the Requirements – Offeror’s proposal shall convey to the Government the ability to perform the services as required by the solicitation that the Offeror is capable and possesses the technical expertise, has adequate resources, and is able to plan, organize, and use resources in a coordinated and timely manner in order to achieve the technical requirements, and has identified and mitigated potential risks.

b) Understanding the Technical Aspects of the Proposal: Offeror’s proposal shall indicate a comprehensive approach, a detailed work plan as to how each task will be accomplished, and shall demonstrate a thorough understanding of the Performance Work Statement (PWS) including the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) Performance Requirements, and include a Quality Control Plan.

c) Soundness of Approach: Offeror shall exhibit a thorough understanding of the requirements; display knowledge of process including limitations, applicability, and availability to support the proposed effort, and present a clear, concise, logical plan including justification for achieving program objectives.

d) Offerors must provide a clear, concise and comprehensive understanding of the following:

i. Maintain the FORCES suite of models.

ii. Update the data bases supporting the FORCES suite of models.

iii. Modify the program code in the FORCES suite of models.

iv. Perform special cost analysis research.

v. Provide customer/technical assistance with the FORCES suite of models, to include training and briefings.

vi. Maintain and develop new methodologies, data tables, and cost factors required to meet changing Army policies.

vii. Develop Installation Status Report – Infrastructure (ISR-I) new construction, sustainment, and renovation cost factors.

viii. Provide ongoing subject matter expertise and support related to the ISR-I cost factors

ix. Generate Historic Preservation cost factor.

e) The Contractor, or Key Personnel must have demonstrated experience working with all of the following:

i. Army force structure data bases to include Tables of Organization and Equipment (TOE), Structure & Manpower Allocation System (SAMAS), Consolidated TOE Updates (CTU), and Tables of Distribution & Allowances (TDA)

ii. Developing standard composite modified TOEs (MTOEs) for individual Standard Requirements Codes (SRCs)

iii. Experience generating Army force cost estimates for Base TOEs, Modified TOEs, and Objective TOEs encompassing unit acquisition costs, operating and support costs, and movement costs

iv. Developing standardized Army unit cost estimates for Contingency Operations

v. Developing, maintaining, updating, and modifying force costing models in the SQL Server PC programming language and in the ASP.NET web-based programming language.

vi. Developing Army-specific costs for new construction, renovation, and sustainment at the Facility Category Group (FCG) and Facilities Category Code (FCC) levels of detail.

vii. Generating an Army-specific Historic Preservation factor.

viii. Utilizing Army, DoD, and private sector data sources to generate cost factors.

f) Management: Offeror’s proposal shall convey to the Government the amount of relevant experience & knowledge they have of the technical requirements specified in the PWS, and corporate experience & knowledge of working with the Department of Defense.

i. Provide information that adequately demonstrates the organizational manpower presently in-house, and the ability to acquire the type and kinds of personnel proposed. Detailed responses to specific PWS requirements shall include an explanation indicating the Offeror’s proposed management methodology and ability to manage PWS tasks. The Offeror’s response must contain sufficient detail to enable the Government to assess the Offeror’s capabilities to support the organizational goals.

ii. Key Personnel: The Offeror’s proposal shall include resumes (two pages maximum). Resumes for key personnel shall include; 1) brief career summary with 2-3 sentences describing overall relevant experience, 2) relevant experience to include each Company/Service/Organization with brief description of the type of work/tasks performed and include To/From dates for each with month and year, 3) educational Background with post-high school degree(s), major (s), school, and graduation dates, 4) as applicable any special qualifications, and 5) security clearance level and if active. Note: Resumes are not included in the page count.

iii. Labor Compliance Matrix: The Offeror shall include a labor compliance matrix indicating the Key Personnel and Non-Key Personnel indicating that the minimum education and experiences requirements for each labor category of the PWS have been meet. This shall also indicate whether the personnel are the prime or subcontractor, and if the personnel are current employees, new hires, incumbent, or subcontractor personnel.

iv. Phase In/Staffing Plan: The Offeror shall include a plan describing its proposed labor mix in order to support the requirement during phase in, and to address staffing during the first 60 days of contract award including transitioning of work requirements in-accordance with the PWS.

g) Subcontracts: Offerors shall provide an outline of how the effort required by the PWS will be segregated for performance between the Offeror and for all proposed subcontractors.

Volume II - Past Performance

The Offeror shall present a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 performance narratives of recent and relevant contracts AND up to 2 recent, relevant contracts performed by a major subcontractor or team member (as applicable). A “major subcontractor” is defined as a subcontractor that is proposed to provide $750,000 in effort in any single year during the contract period of performance. A “recent” contract is defined as one that is performed for at least three years during the past five years, which are relevant to the efforts required by this solicitation. Relevancy is defined as having similar dollar value, scope, and/or complexity to the proposed requirement of the PWS.

Each past performance narrative shall clearly indicate how the contract effort is both recent and relevant and include the following:

a) Contractor/company name/division performing the work.

b) Address

c) Program identification/title

d) Government Agency being supported

e) Contract number

f) Contract type

g) Contract value

h) Contract award date

i) Forecasted or actual completion date

j) Describe the nature of the contractual effort and skills mix

k) Identify any problems encountered during performance and how resolved

l) Identify any other constraints similar to those expected to be encountered in performing of this solicitation

m) Identify and explain any contract terminations

The past performance cited does not have to be related to Army but should reflect experience with similar Department of Defense activities. The Offeror shall highlight previous work efforts that required audio visual support services.

Past Performance POCs Matrix: For each contract reference identified, the offeror shall identify Government Points of Contact (POCs) (either Contracting Officer, Contracting Officer’s Representative, or Technical Manager) who can provide information on the Offeror’s contract performance to include the following:

· POC name and title

· Current telephone number for the POC

· Current e-mail address for the POC

In addition, the Government reserves the right to use alternative resources to gather past performance information.

Dissemination of Performance Risk Assessment Questionnaires:

The Offeror shall provide a copy of the Past Performance Risk Assessment Questionnaire (Attachment 4) to the Government POCs identified in the Offeror’s Past Performance POCs Matrix. Past Performance Risk Assessment Questionnaires received that do not correspond to those cited in Offeror’s proposal may not be evaluated.

The Offeror shall complete PART I of the questionnaire. The Offeror shall request that the POCs provide information requested in PART II, and submit the completed questionnaire (via e-mail) directly to the ACC-APG Contracting Officer by the date specified in the questionnaire. Completed questionnaires shall NOT be collected by the Offeror or included in the Offeror’s Past Performance proposal.

Volume III - Small Business Utilization:

This factor is comprised of two distinct components: the Small Business Participation Plan and the Small Business Subcontracting Plan. This factor evaluates the offeror’s approach to maximizing opportunities for small businesses in the effort, both in terms of the percentage of overall contract value (SB Participation Plan) and in terms of the percentage of the subcontracted portion’s value (SB Subcontracting Plan).

The Small Business Utilization Factor volume shall summarize the offeror’s SB Participation goals for the total, base, and option requirements in separate columns, and summarize the offeror’s SB Subcontracting percentage values for the total, base, and option requirements in separate columns, as follows:

SB Participation Plan

SB Subcontracting Plan

Small Business Participation Plan. This plan is required from all offerors, regardless of the offeror’s size status. The offeror’s SB Participation Plan percentages are to be presented in terms of total dollars of work for each SB category, divided by the total contract value. The offeror’s plan shall depict the percentage values of the option requirements separately from the base requirement.

The offeror shall identify the extent and nature of participation of Small Businesses (SB), Woman-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs), HUBZone Small Businesses (HUBZone SBs), Veteran Owned Small Businesses (VOSBs), and Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) in the performance of the proposed contract. The offeror’s own participation as a SB, WOSB, HUBZone SB, VOSB, or SDVOSB shall be identified and included in the percentages.

The plan shall include, at a minimum:

· the name and DUNS number (or CAGE code) of each of the firm(s) included in the plan

· the specific components to be produced or services to be performed by each firm

· the NAICS code (appropriate to the planned subcontract) supporting each firm’s size status

· the estimated total dollar value (base and options) subcontracted to each firm

· the estimated total dollar value (base and options) subcontracted to each SB category

· the percentage of total contract value (base and options) subcontracted to each firm

· the percentage of total contract value (base and options) subcontracted to each SB category

The offeror shall provide evidence of any enforceable commitments in place between itself and the participating small businesses. Each participation percentage shall be accompanied by detailed supporting documentation regarding the individual commitments.

The offeror shall include evidence of compliance with the requirements of FAR 52.219-8, “Utilization of Small Business Concerns,” and 52.219-9, “Small Business Subcontracting Plan,” in prior contracts containing the clause. This information shall be provided, at minimum, for each of the contracts discussed in the offeror’s Past Performance volume.

SB Participation Plan Goals. The Government’s minimum requirements for Participation Plan goals for this acquisition are as follows:

· Small Business 15%

· Women-Owned Small Business .5%

· HubZone Small Business .5%

· Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business .1%

The SB Subcontracting Plan is a requirement for award to a large business and will be incorporated into any resultant contract. This plan is only required of an offeror which is itself other than a SB, SDB, WOSB, HUBZone HZSB, VOSB, SDVOSB, or HBCU/MI. This volume describes the offeror’s approach to maximizing opportunities for small businesses in this effort, relative to the subcontracted portion’s value. The offeror’s SB Subcontracting Plan percentages are to be presented in terms of total dollars of work for each SB category, divided by the total value of subcontracts (including options).

The required elements of the SB Subcontracting Plan are set forth by FAR 52.219-9 and DFARS 252.219-7003, and should be organized to address these elements in similar order to clearly demonstrate that each element has been fully addressed. All small businesses and historically black colleges or universities and minority institutions included in the SB Subcontracting Plan shall be specifically identified to facilitate compliance with 252.219- 7003(g). The offeror’s plan shall depict the percentage values of the option requirements separately. The information in the SB Subcontracting Plan must properly correlate with that of the offeror’s SB Participation Plan.

SB Subcontracting Plan Goals. The offeror is requested to consider the Government’s Subcontracting goals for this acquisition in responding to this factor, as follows:

SB Subcontracting - 40% SDB Subcontracting - 5% WOSB Subcontracting - 5% HUBZone Subcontracting - 1% SDVOSB Subcontracting - 3%

For each category in which the offeror’s SB Subcontracting Plan contains goals below those described above, the offeror shall provide an explanation as to why.

Volume IV – Cost/Price Proposal

1. The Price Proposal Volume shall consist of a Table of Contents, Summary Section, Narrative Discussion, Compensation Plan, and Cost Proposal Model (Attachment 3). The Summary Section shall contain a brief abstract of the volume. Any subcontractor cost/price information that is confidential or proprietary maybe submitted via email directly to the cognizant point of contact referenced herein (please indicate clearly the proposal, volume, and teaming partner).

2. A cost/price proposal is presumed to represent the offeror's best effort response to the solicitation. Any inconsistency between the cost proposal and other sections of the offeror's proposal (i.e. technical proposal), whether real or apparent, shall be explained in the cost/price proposal. Any significant inconsistency, if left unexplained, may raise a fundamental issue of the offeror's understanding of the nature and scope of the work required and may be grounds for rejection of the proposal, based on a determination of inadequacy.

3. Offerors shall propose labor cost for thirty (30) days of Phase In support in the Cost Proposal Model – CLIN 0004.

4. Competition is anticipated in response to this solicitation. Therefore, certification of the submitted data is not required in accordance with FAR 15.403-1(b)(1). However, if adequate competition is not received, certified cost or pricing data may be required in accordance with FAR 15.403-4.

5. Include per FAR 52.230-1 Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) Notices and Certification. If Offeror is not subject to CAS, then state exemption.

6. Offeror prices will be evaluated for price fairness/reasonableness as discussed in Section M of this solicitation. Cost realism will be performed as discussed in Section M of this solicitation (Cost CLINs only). Therefore, various FAR 15.404-1(c) cost analysis techniques will be used to perform this cost realism analysis. FAR 15.403-5 permits the Contracting Officer to specify the format of cost or pricing data or data other than cost or pricing data. To facilitate the analysis, Offerors and any subcontractors shall include a completed copy of Cost Proposal Model. Offerors/subcontractor(s) may add rows, columns, and change formulas in the cost detail to accommodate the nuances of the offeror's/subcontractor's accounting and estimating systems. The overall format shall be maintained as much as possible for analysis purposes; additionally, the labor categories and associated total hours for each category in Cost Proposal Model shall not be altered/changed. All Offerors shall propose on the direct and indirect cost elements for specified labor categories and corresponding labor hours. Labor hours in a given labor category may be sub-allocated between the prime and proposed subcontractor(s), if performance of the category is to be separately performed by a prime and sub(s). However, the hour total for each category must remain the same.

7. In accordance with FAR 15.404-1 it is the responsibility of offerors and any subcontractors to propose reasonable and realistic direct labor and indirect rates that reflect the actual/estimated anticipated rates to be experienced during the contract. Additionally, in accordance with FAR 52.222-46, Offeror shall submit a total compensation plan setting forth salaries and fringe benefits proposed for the professional employees who will work under the contract. This provision requires that Offeror submit for evaluation a total compensation plan setting forth the annual salaries and fringes for professional employees working on the contract. The compensation plan should detail fringe benefits offered as well as the employer contribution amount/s.

The following information shall be provided for direct labor and indirect rates proposed in Cost Proposal Model:

a. Supporting narrative and schedules shall be included in the cost/price proposal to substantiate the proposed base direct labor rates and indirect cost elements/rates (i.e. fringe, overhead, G&A, etc.) proposed in Cost Proposal Model. Offerors and subcontractors shall include, if available, copies of any current Forward Pricing Rate Agreements (FPRAs), Forward Pricing Rate Proposals (FPRPs), Forward Pricing Rate Recommendations (FPRR), or any DCAA Provisional Billing Rate Agreements to support the reasonableness and realism of the proposed direct labor rates and other direct/indirect rates. Rates proposed in FY Final Rate/Incurred Cost submissions to DCAA submitted in response to FAR 52.216-7(d) may also be used where applicable to substantiate the reasonableness and realism of proposed rates. The basis of any escalation factors shall be discussed and supported in the cost proposal.

b. Salary/Direct Labor Rates: Each Offeror and any subcontractor(s) shall describe the basis of the direct labor rates proposed and shall submit documentary evidence to support the price reasonableness and cost realism of the rate indexed to the spreadsheet, utilizing the following as appropriate:

1) Direct labor rates from any of the rate agreements (i.e. FPRA/P/R, PBRA, etc.).

2) Rates proposed in FY Final Rate/Incurred Cost submissions to DCAA required by FAR 52.216-7(d). These rates should be escalated as appropriate.

3) Offeror/subcontractor shall provide for Key Personnel—Payroll or W-2 salary data showing the direct labor rate paid for current employee(s) proposed for this requirement; or signed Letters of Intent(s) for prospective employee(s) with title and labor rate/salary to be paid to the prospective employee(s).

4) Offeror/subcontractor shall provide for Non-Key Personnel the information from item 3 above if available. If not available then, market research salary survey labor rate data may be proposed as long as the salary survey labor rates are truly reflective of the actual direct labor rates anticipated to be experienced during the contract and the offeror/subcontractor provides corroborating support to the effect that the offeror/subcontractor can realistically recruit and maintain labor at the proposed rate(s). Offerors/subcontractors are free to use whatever reputable salary survey resources available to them. However, the salary survey service used shall be described in the cost proposal. Also, the input assumptions, together with a copy of the data input and output extracts, shall also be included in the cost proposal and indexed to the "DIRECT LABOR RATE SCHEDULE" tab of Cost Proposal Model. Finally, salary survey results are normally exhibited in the form of a statistical bell curve. Offerors and subcontractors are cautioned to not use labor rate salary data on the extreme lower portion of the bell curve unless it can be convincingly demonstrated by the offeror/subcontractor that it can realistically obtain labor at those rates for recruitment and retention purposes. Proposed direct labor rates more than one standard deviation below the salary survey mean may be considered to be unrealistic without convincing supporting corroborating documentation with recruitment and retention in mind (i.e. actual rate information, letters-of-intent showing agreed salary/rate per hour, or other supporting documentation, etc). The burden of proof is on the offeror/subcontractor.

c. Indirect Rates (i.e. fringe, overhead, G&A): Proposed indirect rates shall include the impact of this potential award on anticipated rates. In addition, the following information shall be submitted to substantiate the price reasonableness and cost realism of indirect rates:

1) Indirect rate data from the rate agreements. If available, each Offeror shall also provide copies of DCAA and DCMA rate agreements and any supporting audit reports to substantiate proposed indirect rates (i.e. FPRAs, FPRPs, FPRRs, PBRAs, and/or prior FY Final Rate/Incurred Cost Submissions to DCAA).

2) If the data requested above is not available, the offeror shall provide budgetary detail and historical pool and allocation base data, detailed by cost element, for the last three years to substantiate proposed indirect rates (i.e. fringe/overhead, material handling, and G&A). The desired sample format is contained in the Cost model spreadsheet, Cost Proposal Model (i.e. Sample Fringe/Overhead & G&A).

8. Formats: Narrative and supporting electronic spreadsheet files shall be in a Microsoft Office 2007 readable format that includes all formulas, computations, linked tables, or equations used to compute the proposed amounts. Macros should not be used because macros are not supported or executable on government computers. Print image files or files containing hard keyed values without the formulas are NOT acceptable for spreadsheet presentations since formulas need to be evaluated. Do not change labor category title(s) in the Cost Proposal Model. The labor category title(s) within your company/organization maybe different, but must meet/exceed the minimum experience/education requirements set forth in the PWS and solicitation.

9. Other Direct Costs (ODCs): ODCs have been normalized for the purposes of this solicitation. All offeror shall include the Government provided normalized estimates for Travel and Material/Other Direct Costs in its cost proposal per Cost Proposal Model. The estimates provided are the total cost for Travel and Material/Other Direct Costs exclusive of Offeror’s associated indirect charges. Offeror shall propose any applicable indirect charges (i.e. material handling burden and/or G&A) on the Travel and/or on Material/Other Costs estimates in accordance with the offeror's generally accepted disclosed accounting practices. Upon award the Travel/ODC estimates inclusive of the applicable indirect charges will be provided on a Cost CLINs (no fee).

10. In accordance with FAR 15.404-3(b) each offeror shall conduct appropriate cost/ price analysis to establish the cost/price fairness and reasonableness of any proposed subcontract prices and shall include evidence of the results of these analyses in the offeror's price proposal. If an Offeror is unable to conduct price/cost reasonableness of a subcontractor, the Offeror shall provide a statement why and ensure that the required data is provided to the Contracting Officer directly by the subcontractor.

11. In accordance with FAR 16.301-3(a)(3) and DFARS 252.242-7006 a cost contract can only be awarded when the prospective contractor's accounting system is judged adequate for determining costs applicable to the contract and individual orders. Therefore offerors will need to submit documentation demonstrating/validating the adequacy of the offeror's accounting system. Indicate if the Offeror's accounting system has been verified as adequate by the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) within the last three years. If it was found adequate or inadequate by DCAA, provide a copy of the audit report with the cost/price proposal. If Offeror's accounting system has not been found adequate by DCAA, or has NOT been examined by DCAA, provide the following documentary evidence with respect to Offeror's accounting system with the cost/price proposal:

1) Proper segregation of direct costs from indirect costs.

2) Identification and accumulation of direct costs by contract.

3) A logical and consistent method for the allocation of indirect costs to intermediate and final cost objectives. (A contract is final cost objective.)

4) Accumulation of costs under general ledger control.

5) A timekeeping system that identifies employees' labor by intermediate or final cost objectives.

6) A labor distribution system that charges direct and indirect labor to the appropriate cost objectives.

7) Interim (at least monthly) determination of costs charged to a contract through routine posting of books of account.

8) Exclusion from costs charged to government contracts of amounts which are not allowable in terms of FAR 31, Contract Cost Principles and Procedures, or other contract provisions.

9) Identification of costs by contract line item and by units (as if each unit or line item were a separate contract) if required by the proposed contract.

10) Segregation of preproduction costs from production costs

11) Type and version of accounting software used (i.e. Deltek, Quickbooks, etc.)

12) Any audit reports from CPAs or independent accountants/auditors commenting on the adequacy of Offeror's accounting system.

12. Use of uncompensated overtime is not encouraged per FAR 37.115-2(a). In accordance with FAR 52.237-10, Identification of Uncompensated Overtime, the Offeror and/or subcontractor shall indicate / detail the existence of any uncompensated overtime within their proposed labor rates and its cost/price impact on the Offeror's or subcontractor's proposal.

13. All offerors are required to document that they are financially capable of performing the proposed effort in accordance with FAR 9-104-1(a) & DFARS 253.209-1. Suitable supporting documentation should include financial statements and auditor's letters.

B. BASIS FOR AWARD – (Section M)

1. The Government intends to award a single award contract with a base year and four (4) option years for Army Force Organization Cost Estimating System (FORCES) supporting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Cost & Economics (DASA-CE) through a Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) type contract. The award will be evaluated based on a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable criteria in-accordance-with FAR 15.101-2.

2. The Government reserves the right to not award any contracts in the event that no proposals are considered to be in the best interest of the Government. The Government intends to award this contract without discussions, and as such Offerors are encouraged to submit their best proposal up front. The Government however does reserves the right to conduct discussion in accordance with FAR 15.306(d).

3. Portions of any offeror's proposal may be subject to review by contractor(s) / employee(s) of Anyar Inc. Submission of an offer grants permission for the Government to provide such information to Anyar Inc. personnel for purposes of proposal evaluation only. All Anyar Inc. employee(s) have executed non-disclosure agreements pertinent to their support at ACC-APG.

4. The factors to be evaluated are “Factor I - Technical Approach”, “Factor II - Past Performance”, and “Factor III - Small Business Utilization”. The Technical Approach will be evaluated first, and only those proposals determined to be acceptable will have their Past Performance evaluated. To be considered for award, proposals MUST achieve a rating of “Acceptable” for the Technical Approach and Past Performance. Among offers that receive an Acceptable rating for Factors I-II, the lowest priced offer will be considered for award. The Government intends to evaluate only the Small Business Utilization submitted by the apparent successful Offeror.

5. The Identification and Risk Mitigation Plan will be assessed by the Contracting Officer as part of a responsibility determination. Based on the Identification and Risk Mitigation Plan information required in Section L, the Contracting Officer will determine whether or not an OCI (or the appearance of an OCI) exists and, if so, whether or not the OCI can be mitigated. If the Contracting Officer does not believe the OCI can be mitigated then the Offeror will not be eligible for award. The Government intends to evaluate only the Plan submitted by the apparent successful Offeror.

C. FACTORS TO BE EVALUATED

Factor I - Technical Approach Factor II – Past Performance Factor III – Small Business Subcontracting Plan/Participation Plan Factor IV – Cost/Price

D. EVALUATION APPROACH

All proposals shall be subject to evaluation by a team of Government personnel. Submission of an offer grants permission for the Government to provide such information to Anyar personnel for purposes of proposal evaluation only and subject to the protections and restrictions otherwise identified in the offeror's proposal. Any non-Goverment evaluator that may be involved has agreed in writing that data in the proposal shall not be disclosed to others outside the Government. In this context, “Offeror” refers to the proposed prime contractor and all proposed subcontractors or partners in teaming arrangements who will be providing support in this effort. All proposal submission requirements must be met, clear, concise, and comprehensive and meet the requirements of the PWS in order to be found technically acceptable. Ambiguities may result in an unacceptable rating.

Factor I – Technical Approach

This factor evaluates the Offeror’s understanding of the requirements, understanding of the technical aspects of the requirements, and soundness of approach for the requirements set forth in the PWS and in response to Section L of this solicitation.

Factor I - Technical Approach will be evaluated per the following:

Factor II - Past Performance

The offeror’s past performance submitted in response to Section L of the solicitation will be evaluated to assess:

The Past Performance item evaluates the Offeror’s past performance as it applies to fulfilling existing requirements with a similar degree of complexity to those stated in the PWS. The Past Performance item will be in accordance with the below to determine the Government’s confidence that the Offeror can successfully execute the requirements of the contract. The Government will utilize information pertaining to Offeror performance on recent, relevant contracts as identified in the offeror’s proposal. The Government may independently obtain information from other relevant contracts and sources for the purpose of evaluating past performance.

Note: 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, the offeror may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance. Therefore, the offeror shall be determined to have unknown past performance. In the context of acceptability/unacceptability, “unknown” shall be considered “acceptable.”

Factor V – Small Business Utilization

Small Business Utilization Factor. The Government will evaluate the extent to which the offeror’s SB Participation Plan and SB Subcontracting Plan demonstrate commitment to using SBs, SDBs, WOSBs, HUBZone SBs, VOSBs, SDVOSBs, and HBCU/MIs in performance of the contract. The Government intends to evaluate only the Small Business Utilization submitted by the apparent successful Offeror.

· SB Participation Plan. The offeror’s plan will be evaluated on the basis of:

· The extent to which SB firms are specifically identified in proposals

· The extent of commitment to use SB firms

· The complexity and variety of the work SB firms are to perform

· The extent of participation of SB firms in terms of the value of the total acquisition.

· Past performance of the offerors in complying with requirements of the clauses at FAR 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business concerns, and 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan.

The offeror’s Small Business Participation Plan will be evaluated as follows:

Small Business Subcontracting Plan. If an offeror’s total proposed cost/price is less than the threshold at FAR 19.702(a)(1) or (2), the Government may, at its sole discretion, choose not to evaluate the offeror’s submitted SB Subcontracting Plan. The offeror’s SB Subcontracting Plan will be evaluated IAW FAR 19.705-4. The offeror’s plan must fully satisfy the required elements set forth by FAR 52.219-9 and DFARS 252.219-7003. The SB Subcontracting Plan must be considered acceptable by the Procuring Contracting Officer prior to award. An unacceptable subcontracting plan will make an offeror ineligible for award of a contract.

The Government will determine the basic acceptability of the SB Subcontracting Plan, given the extent to which the proposal provides all required content and meets or exceeds the objectives described in section L.

The offeror’s SB Subcontracting Plan will be assigned one of the following ratings:

Factor IV – Price/Cost

Proposed price will not be adjectively rated. The basis for determining the lowest priced offer will be the sum of CLINs 0001 – 0002 Section B of the Cost Proposal Model (Attachment 3) for the five year order period. The Phase In pricing CLIN 0005 will be evaluated separately for price fair and reasonableness.

A completed Cost Proposal Model shall be submitted with the offerors price proposal. A proposal is presumed to represent the offeror's best response to the solicitation. Any significant inconsistency, if unexplained, may raise a fundamental issue of the Offeror's understanding of the nature and scope of the work required and may be grounds for rejection of the proposal as inadequate. Price/cost data shall only be included in the cost volume and not any other volume. The Cost Proposal Model includes a tab for Task Order 1, which is anticipated to be the 60 day Phase In period plus a ten (10) months from the Year 1. The Government may award the Basic contract along with Task Order 1 simultaneously.

Each offeror's price proposal will be evaluated for fairness and reasonableness in accordance with FAR 15.404-1. In accordance with FAR 15.404-1(a)(1) the analytical techniques and procedures described in FAR 15.404-1 will be used singly or in combination with others to ensure the awarded price is fair and reasonable. The level of detail of this analysis will be determined by the Contracting Officer based on competition and other factors.

Also all cost reimbursable based CLINs (i.e. CPFF) will be evaluated for cost realism in accordance with FAR 15.404-1(d). Cost analysis will be used to evaluate cost realism. The cost /realism analysis techniques used will also be determined by the Contracting Officer as appropriate in accordance with FAR 15.404-1(a)(1). Per FAR 52.222-46, the Government will evaluate the compensation plan to assure that it reflects a sound management approach and understanding of the contract requirements. Only cost reimbursable CLINs will be evaluated for cost realism for the purposes of this solicitation. If the costs are found to be unrealistic the costs may be subject to a most probable costs adjustment. The level of detail of this analysis will be determined by the KO based on competition and other factors.

For purposes of this solicitation, each offeror's proposed direct labor rates will be analyzed. If more than 17% of the individual direct labor rates are determined to be unrealistic, the offeror's entire cost proposal will be determined to be unrealistic and unawardable. In accordance with FAR 15.404-1, the Government may use various statistical analysis techniques to determine realism. The agency may perform (but is not limited to) a standard deviation analysis or median absolute deviation analysis under which direct labor rates will be determined unrealistic if they fall more than one standard deviation or one median absolute deviation below the competitive mean or median, respectively. It is incumbent upon all offerors, subcontractors, and teaming partners to propose realistic direct and indirect rates in response to this solicitation.