F-16 Metal Parts, Brackets, Plates, and Assemblies for Modification Kits

Amendment A002 is hereby replacing the general SOW references contained within Section L - Volume II - Subfactor 1 and 2.

FA823212R3007 Amend A001 is hereby extending the response date to 11-Jun-12 at 14:00 PM (MST).  Vendor list attachments are provided as supplemental information to the solicitation.

This amended solicitation document (FA823212R3007 Amend 1) hereby replaces the original solicitation document (FA823212R3007).  The previous version attached within the original RFP posting shall be discarded.

This is the official Request for Proposal based on the posting of the package and documentation today, 03 May 2012.  This documentation is the final solicitation package subject to applicable amendments which may be posted under this RFP/notice.  The date for receipt of offers is 04 Jun 2012 at 1400 hours (2:00 P.M) MST, at the agency office shown on page 1, block 7, of the model contract.

Government drawings shall be controlled and will be forwarded to offerors upon request for proposal purposes.  Drawings are for government program use and are not to be used for any other commercial purposes.

This synopsis and notice is posted after evaluation of results from the sources sought synopsis of 1 Aug 2011 which outlined an Air Force requirement for fabrication of miscellaneous sheet metal brackets to support F-16 aircraft hardware kits. Based on market information from that evaluation and other sources, it is the Air Force's intent to set-aside this requirement 100% for participation of small businesses located in a HUB Zone who will compete on the basis outlined below for a Multiple Award Contract (MAC) Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) opportunity. Firms who meet this set-aside standard with an operating location certified to be in an identified HUB Zone may submit offers. With the evaluation of offers, the Contracting Officer, at his/her sole discretion, reserves the right to establish a competitive range whereby offerors may be excluded from further competition. This could occur with technical or other findings that within the judgment of the Contracting Officer make the offer un-awardable without extensive revisions, impacting the award schedule to an extent that precludes accommodating the proposal re-write within a reasonable time frame. Past performance information and responsiveness and responsibility of the offeror could inform and influence this decision. Offerors will be given opportunity to respond to adverse past performance information.

Applying technical, past performance and cost/price evaluation standards, the Air Force also intends to limit the number of Offers for which a full evaluation will be completed so that no more than four (4) contracts will be awarded. If adequate price competition is not manifest, the contracting officer may require additional cost information to the extent necessary to determine that price(s) are fair and reasonable. The Air Force reserves the right to award a single contract or no contract at all. Offers will be evaluated to a technical standard on a pass/fail basis; relevant past performance will be evaluated in accordance with the instructions to offerors and evaluation criteria in Sections L and M, respectively, of the Request for Proposal (RFP).

Cost/price for the first configuration identified will also be evaluated in accordance this RFP, which is an initial bona fide quantity of brackets of a single configuration. These will be "build to print" based on level three (3) or four (4) drawings provided. This initial requirement is referred to hereinafter as the "sample". A single award, funding this sample, will be made to a successful offeror on an initial order at the outset and in conjunction with the basic contract. This order will include a first unit to be submitted for test qualification to the office and ship-to/mark-for address specified in the order and a production quantity subject to test qualification. Funding for a post-award teleconference will also be included. Other successful multiple contract awardees will receive an order funding the post-award teleconference only. These actions will constitute fulfillment of the minimum order guarantee under the FAR clause at 52.216-19 (meeting the requirements of FAR 16.503(c)).

Evaluation of the technical proposal, pricing for the initial configuration test and production sample line item, the responsiveness of the offeror to the other terms and conditions of the RFP (including the set-aside requirements) and review of the responsibility and past performance of the offeror will constitute the balance of the initial evaluation. Subject to these limitations, submittals that pass this evaluative hurdle will entitle the respective offeror to an award of an ID/IQ contract under the multiple award approach. This is considered to be a Lowest Price, Technically Acceptable (LPTA) Source Selection methodology to include a review of past performance. No "trade-offs" or "trade-space" will be applied as part of a best value award decision.

Technical proposals will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis. The Air Force reserves the right to evaluate pricing for the test and production sample line item and reject offers that are not considered reasonable, based on previous history for similar sample or production articles. No other trade-offs or trade-space versus price is being considered for this baseline evaluation. The Air Force will reserve the right to conduct discussions.

Fair opportunity and competitive consideration in accordance with FAR Part 16 will be provided for all awardees for subsequent or future orders for additional brackets based on the initial or a distinct set of specifications to be provided and as requirements are identified by the Air Force within the scope and ordering period established by the basic multiple award contracts.

The array of sheet metal brackets, panels, and parts that will be defined and specified during the life of these contracts will range from 1" x 1" x 1" to 3" x 3" x 3". Items can consist of a broad range of bends and shapes, with some requiring hardware installation (DIE, nuts, nut plates, etc...). The range of materials includes but is not limited to various aluminum, steel, and corrosion resistant alloys. Along with the usual cutting, deburring, forming, other processes such as welding, heat treat, age harden, hardness test, anodize, epoxy prime, paint, passivate, install hardware, insert heat shrink, and marking with UID will be required. Quantities could range from 1 to 5000. Work will otherwise be performed in accordance with the Statement of Work (SOW) attached to the model contract.

The government intends to award these basic contracts with five (5) year ordering periods. The solicitation is 100% set aside for certified HUB Zone firms. The official solicitation FA8232-12-R-3007 will be posted on or about 01 May 2012, no less than 15 days subsequent to the date of this synopsis and bidding will close no less than 30 days after that. All responsible HUB Zone firms may submit a proposal which will be evaluated competitively using the LPTA methodology described.

This synopsis and notice is posted after evaluation of results from the sources sought synopsis of 1 Aug 2011 which outlined an Air Force requirement for fabrication of miscellaneous sheet metal brackets to support F-16 aircraft hardware kits. Based on market information from that evaluation and other sources, it is the Air Force's intent to set-aside this requirement 100% for participation of small businesses located in a HUB Zone who will compete on the basis outlined below for a Multiple Award Contract (MAC) Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) opportunity. Firms who meet this set-aside standard with an operating location certified to be in an identified HUB Zone may submit offers. With the evaluation of offers, the Contracting Officer, at his/her sole discretion, reserves the right to establish a competitive range whereby offerors may be excluded from further competition. This could occur with technical or other findings that within the judgment of the Contracting Officer make the offer un-awardable without extensive revisions, impacting the award schedule to an extent that precludes accommodating the proposal re-write within a reasonable time frame. Past performance information and responsiveness and responsibility of the offeror could inform and influence this decision. Offerors will be given opportunity to respond to adverse past performance information.

Applying technical, past performance and cost/price evaluation standards, the Air Force also intends to limit the number of Offers for which a full evaluation will be completed so that no more than four (4) contracts will be awarded. If adequate price competition is not manifest, the contracting officer may require additional cost information to the extent necessary to determine that price(s) are fair and reasonable. The Air Force reserves the right to award a single contract or no contract at all. Offers will be evaluated to a technical standard on a pass/fail basis; relevant past performance will be evaluated in accordance with the instructions to offerors and evaluation criteria in Sections L and M, respectively, of the Request for Proposal (RFP).

Cost/price for the first configuration identified will also be evaluated in accordance this RFP, which is an initial bona fide quantity of brackets of a single configuration. These will be "build to print" based on level three (3) or four (4) drawings provided. This initial requirement is referred to hereinafter as the "sample". A single award, funding this sample, will be made to a successful offeror on an initial order at the outset and in conjunction with the basic contract. This order will include a first unit to be submitted for test qualification to the office and ship-to/mark-for address specified in the order and a production quantity subject to test qualification. Funding for a post-award teleconference will also be included. Other successful multiple contract awardees will receive an order funding the post-award teleconference only. These actions will constitute fulfillment of the minimum order guarantee under the FAR clause at 52.216-19 (meeting the requirements of FAR 16.503(c)).

Evaluation of the technical proposal, pricing for the initial configuration test and production sample line item, the responsiveness of the offeror to the other terms and conditions of the RFP (including the set-aside requirements) and review of the responsibility and past performance of the offeror will constitute the balance of the initial evaluation. Subject to these limitations, submittals that pass this evaluative hurdle will entitle the respective offeror to an award of an ID/IQ contract under the multiple award approach. This is considered to be a Lowest Price, Technically Acceptable (LPTA) Source Selection methodology to include a review of past performance. No "trade-offs" or "trade-space" will be applied as part of a best value award decision.

Technical proposals will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis. The Air Force reserves the right to evaluate pricing for the test and production sample line item and reject offers that are not considered reasonable, based on previous history for similar sample or production articles. No other trade-offs or trade-space versus price is being considered for this baseline evaluation. The Air Force will reserve the right to conduct discussions.

Fair opportunity and competitive consideration in accordance with FAR Part 16 will be provided for all awardees for subsequent or future orders for additional brackets based on the initial or a distinct set of specifications to be provided and as requirements are identified by the Air Force within the scope and ordering period established by the basic multiple award contracts.
The array of sheet metal brackets, panels, and parts that will be defined and specified during the life of these contracts will range from 1" x 1" x 1" to 3" x 3" x 3". Items can consist of a broad range of bends and shapes, with some requiring hardware installation (DIE, nuts, nut plates, etc...). The range of materials includes but is not limited to various aluminum, steel, and corrosion resistant alloys. Along with the usual cutting, deburring, forming, other processes such as welding, heat treat, age harden, hardness test, anodize, epoxy prime, paint, passivate, install hardware, insert heat shrink, and marking with UID will be required. Quantities could range from 1 to 5000. Work will otherwise be performed in accordance with the Statement of Work (SOW) attached to the model contract.

The government intends to award these basic contracts with five (5) year ordering periods. The solicitation is 100% set aside for certified HUB Zone firms. The official solicitation FA8232-12-R-3007 will be posted on or about 01 May 2012, no less than 15 days subsequent to the date of this synopsis and bidding will close no less than 30 days after that. All responsible HUB Zone firms may submit a proposal which will be evaluated competitively using the LPTA methodology described.