Afghan Indigenous Industries - Child Free Carpet Project for the Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO)Amendment 2

Date: April 12, 2011

To: Prospective Offerors

From: Acquisition Services Directorate, National Business Center, Department of the InteriorPoint of Contact: David A. Ialenti, Contract Specialist 703-964-3651 (ofc) 703-964-8480 (fax) david.ialenti@aqd.nbc.gov

Subject: Amendment No. 1 to Combined Synopsis Solicitation Number D11PS18985



The Government is hereby issuing the subject amendment for the following reasons:

1. To correct the reference to Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-44 on Page 1 of the Combined Synopsis / Solicitation to the following:

"The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-50."

2. To correct and replace the language on Page 2 of the Combined Synopsis / Solicitation from:

"B. * The JOFOC will be available to view at the AQD NBC website http://www.aqd.nbc.gov/solic/solicitations.asp (listed under contract number D11PC18985) within 14 days of the purchase order award."

to

"B. * The JOFOC will be available to view at the AQD NBC website http://www.aqd.nbc.gov/solic/solicitations.asp (listed under contract number D11PC18985) within 30 days of the purchase order award;"

3. To amend the Performance Work Statement (PWS) for this acquisition to include additional "Deliverables" under Section 3.3. The Deliverables Summary Chart now consists of the following tasks/deliverables:

Deliverables Qty Due Date1 Kick-Off Meeting (Ref: PWS 3.3.1) 1 Within 10 days after award2 Written Summary of Kick-Off Meeting (Ref: PWS 3.3.1) 1 Within 3 days after award. 3 Quality Control (QC) Plan (Ref: PWS 3.8.1) 1 Within 10 days after award.4 Monthly Program Status Reports (Ref: PWS 3.4) 12 No later than the 15th calendar day of each month; Monthly5 Partnerships 5 Within 6 months after contract award6 Pilot Program & Transition Plan 1 Within 9 months after contract award7 Carpets certified by OSACL (Ref: PWS 3.2.5) 1 Within 2 weeks after contract performance end date. 8 Final Report/Briefing 1 NLT 10 days after contract expiration

4. To publish Answers to Questions received in response to the Combined Synopsis / Solicitation D11PS18985. The Questions and Answers are as follows:

Question 1 -

a. Can you specify what constitutes a "partnership" #3 in 3.5 the Deliverables Summary Chart?

See 3.2 Performance Objectives: "Partnerships (with government andnon-governmental organizations, exporters, importers, and otherstakeholders) ensuring a long-term commitment and comprehensiveapproach to support children and adults in weaving communities to bemeasured by number of partnerships created with above mentionedinstitutions."

b. A Transition Plan is mentioned in both the Deliverables Summary and Performance Requirement Summary charts; I'm assuming that this refers to a transition from Government funding to other forms of funding? Yes

c. Can I assume the hiring and training of local Afghan staff within 0 - 3 months mentioned in 3.6 does not suggest that the organization must be fully staffed in that time? Yes, correct. Question 2 -

We anticipate there will up-front mobilization costs as we develop an Afghan effort. Will this fit into the normal payment structure and if so how do we best articulate this need?

Commercial Advanced Payments are not authorized for this requirement; however, in lieu of payment upon completion of the contract, Commercial Interim Payments are allowable and suggested by the Government for this acquisition. Interim payments can be made upon the Government's receipt of contractor invoices or the payments can correspond to the completion of measurable milestones or deliverables.

Contractors shall acknowledge receipt of Amendment 1 in their quote's cover letter by the hour and date specified in the solicitation. Failure to acknowledge receipt of Amendment 1 may result in the rejection of your quote.

The response date to this RFQ remains unchanged, April 15, 2011 (on or before 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time).

All other terms and conditions of this solicitation remain unchanged.

This is a COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice and following Simplified Acquisition Procedures (Test Program for Certain Commercial Items) in FAR Subpart 13.5. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.The US Department of the Interior, National Business Center, through its Franchise Fund activity, Acquisition Services Directorate (AQD), is issuing this solicitation, number N11PS18985, as a Request for Quote (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-44.The AQD, on behalf of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO), Washington, DC, intends to fill this requirement by way of a firm fixed-price, sole source award to RUGMARK FOUNDATION-USA, dba, GOODWEAVE, in accordance with 10 USC 2304(c)(1) and FAR Part 6.302-2, Unusual and Compelling Urgency. The JOFOC will be available to view at the AQD NBC website http://www.aqd.nbc.gov/solic/solicitations.asp (listed under solicitation number N11PS18985) within 14 days of the purchase order award.A determination by the Government not to compete the proposed purchase order based on responses received to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. This sole source award is a twelve (12) month purchase order that will enable RUGMARK FOUNDATION-USA, dba, GOODWEAVE to support the TFBSO in increasing compliance with International Child Labor standards in the Afghan carpet industry.The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 541614, "Process, Physical Distribution, and Logistics Consulting Services", with a small business size standard of $7M. The Product Service Code for this procurement is R499, "Other Professional Services."Please refer to the Performance Work Statement (PWS), "Afghan Indigenous Industries - Child-Labor-Free Carpet Project for the Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO)" dated February 10, 2011, for a detailed description of the requirement.The Period of Performance/Date of Delivery is specified in the PWS. Place of delivery and acceptance shall be at the Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO) COTR office or as otherwise specified by the COTR.Offerors must ensure that their firm is registered with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR). For information, refer to http://www.ccr.gov.

All questions pertaining to this solicitation must be in writing and emailed to Contract Specialist, David A. Ialenti at david.ialenti@aqd.nbc.gov by 10:00 a.m. on April 15, 2011. The phone number for David A. Ialenti is 703-964-3651.

CLOSING DUE DATE: April 15, 2011TIME: 10:00 A.M. EASTERN TIME (ET)Offers must be submitted electronically to david.ialenti@aqd.nbc.gov) by 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on April 15, 2011.

The following certifications, provisions, clauses, and performance work statement apply to this acquisition and are included in documents listed below that apply to this solicitation, which are available to view at http://www.aqd.nbc.gov/solic/solicitations.asp (listed under solicitation number N11PS18985).1. FAR Provisions2. DFARS Provisions3. FAR Clauses4. DFARS Clauses5. JCC-I/A Clauses6. Performance Work Statement

INTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS SUBMITTING QUOTES52.212-1 -- Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items (Jun 2008), applies to this acquisition. As an addendum to this provision, Offerors are instructed to submit quotes as follows:Quotes shall consist of separate written technical and price quotes.TECHNICAL QUOTE Offers must include the following information in their technical quote cover page:" RFQ Number and Project Title" Offeror's Point of contact for this project including name, title, address, phone number, and email address on the title page (Both Technical Quote and Price Quote)" Tax Identification Number (TIN)" Dun & Bradstreet,/Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) " North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Code" Product Service Code (PSC)" The validity period of the quote [Offeror's quote(s) must be valid for at least 30 calendar days]" Provide an acknowledgement of all RFQ amendments, if any (may be included in the cover letter). The acknowledgement must reference the amendment numbers." The Offeror must submit with their quotes a completed Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items (FAR 52.212-3) form. If the Offeror's Representations and Certifications are registered in the ORCA website (http://orca.bpn.gov), it must be indicated in the offer. The offer shall also indicate if the ORCA record has been entered or updated in the last 12 months, are current, accurate, complete, and applicable to this solicitation.

The following information should be included in the technical quote:

1. Capabilities Statement

a. Key Personnel - those who would have primary responsibility for performing and/or managing the project, including subcontractors; include their qualifications and specific experience, particularly for previous work of this nature;

b. Organizational Experience - provide at least two Organizational experience for your organization (to include contract number & project description, period of performance, dollar amount, client identification with the reference point of contact & telephone number, and identification of any problems encountered on identified contracts and the corrective action taken). The Government may use this organizational experience information to evaluate the Past Performance factor. c. Conflict of Interest Disclosure - disclosure of any knowledge of any consultants or key personnel being proposed, and identification thereof, which have an agreement or employment arrangement in effect with another offeror under this solicitation or another contractor having an active contract with the Environmental Protection Agency. In the event there is a (potential) conflict of interest, the offeror shall identify as such in the Organizational Conflict of Interest Certification/Disclosure Statement.

2. Proposed Project Management Plan to complete the tasks in the Performance Work Statement. a. Work Breakdown Structure-a preliminary work breakdown structure (WBS) organized around the contract deliverables, and identifying work activities (tasks) to the work package level, and labor resource estimates (categories and hours) assigned to each task.

b. Quality Control Plan-how you will identify and maintain quality standards, keep the project on time during each task, and monitor and report task progress.

PRICE QUOTE Your price quotation shall be a separate volume from your technical quotation. The price quote should be structured in accordance with the Addendum to FAR clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items (JUN 2010) for FFP services. All Travel, DBA Insurance, and any Hazard/Differential Pay should be identified separately as Not-to-Exceed line items on the quotation. (Note: There shall be no advance payments of the resulting contract. The Government may be billed either at the end of each month after the Government receives services or at the end of each FFP performance period.)Assumptions and Conditions. Contractors are expected to perform all tasks associated with the enclosed Performance Work Statement. Contractors specifying any assumptions, conditions, or exceptions in their quotes which are not agreeable to the Government may be considered non-responsive and rejected. Further, the Government will reject a Contractor's quote containing any qualifications placed on their quoted price for work performed that are within the scope of the awarded purchase order.(End of Provision)52.212-2 -- Evaluation -- Commercial Items (JAN 1999)(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 technical offers:1. TechnicalA. Capabilities Statement1. Key Personnel (The currency, quality and depth of experience of individual personnel working on similar projects; The currency, quality and depth of how the Project Manager will supervise and coordinate the workforce)2. Organizational Experience (Evidence that the organization has current capabilities and the ability to assure performance of this requirement)B. Project Management Plan1. Work Breakdown Structure - WBS (WBS shows an understanding of the work, including thoroughness in understanding the objectives of the PWS and specific tasks, and planned execution of the project; WBS demonstrates an understanding of logistics, schedule, and any other issues the Government should be aware of)2. Quality Control Plan (Plan identifies and maintains quality standards, and demonstrates the ability of the offeror to address anticipated potential problem areas) Once the Government determines that a technical quote is "Technically Acceptable", quotes will be reviewed and evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria identified below:

1. Price

2. Past Performance - The Government shall consider information obtained through the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS). Past performance will be utilized to determine the quality of the Schedule Contractor's past performance as it relates to the probability of success of the required effort.

In the case of an offeror without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available, the offeror will not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance.(b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).(c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer's specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.(End of Provision)FAR clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items (JUN 2010), applies to this acquisition. An Addendum regarding commercial interim payments is included in this clause.

FAR clause 52.212-5--Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders -- Commercial Items (JUN 2010), applies to this acquisition. The following FAR clauses are cited within 52.212-5 and are applicable to this acquisition: 52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government (Sept 2006), with Alternate I (Oct 1995) (41 U.S.C. 253g and 10 U.S.C. 2402); 52.203-13, Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct (Apr 2010) (41 U.S.C. 251 note); 52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (Jul 2010) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note); 52.209-6, Protecting the Government's Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment (Dec 2010) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note); 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Feb 1999). 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Mar 2007) (E.O. 11246). 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (Sep 2010)(38 U.S.C. 4212); 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities (Oct 2010) (29 U.S.C. 793); 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans, (Sep 2010) (38 U.S.C. 4212); 52.223-18, Contractor Policy to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (Sep 2010) (E.O. 13513); 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (Jun 2008) (E.O.'s, proclamations, and statutes administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury); 52.232-29, Terms for Financing of Purchases of Commercial Items (Feb 2002) (41 U.S.C. 255(f), 10 U.S.C. 2307(f)); 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration (Oct. 2003) (31 U.S.C. 3332).Additional FAR, DFARS, JCC-I/A, and DOI/NBC AQD clauses apply to this acquisition.