February 28, 2000

NOTICE TO ALL OFFERORS

REFERENCE: AMENDMENT NO. 2

RFP-DCS-00-08

Additional information has been requested by prospective offerors and it has been determined by the Contracting Officer that this information be made available to all bidders. The closing date and time for the receipt of proposals remains March 15, 2000, by 2:00 p.m. local time.

Keith A. Bond

KEITH A. BOND

Contracting Officer

Attachment(s)

AMENDMENT NO. 2 RFP-DCS-00-08

14. RESPONSES TO TECHNICAL QUESTIONS

1. Section F.3 Level of Effort states that the level of effort for the 8(a) set-aside contract is "between 21 and 23 professional person years."

i. Can we assume that by "professional person years," the 21-23 person years does not include clerical and/or other support staff to support the "professionals" performing the activities included in the solicitation requirement?

ii. What about personnel such as a receptionist and/or mailroom attendant who one would assume would be "shared" by both contractors? It would be helpful to know which package should include such personnel, so that both contractors do not include such costs in their cost proposals.

1ai. The 21-23 professional person years includes all clerical and/or other support staff to support the "professionals" performing the activities included in the solicitation requirement.

1aii. Offerors should submit cost proposals that are inclusive of all staff proposed under the solicitation. The issue of personnel that are "shared" by both contractors will be determined after awards are made. For planning and budgeting purposes anticipated shared personnel such as receptionist, mailroom clerk, need not be included. It is recognized that minor adjustments in staffing and costs may have to be made following award and completion of the partnering agreements. Such adjustments should not be interpreted to include key staff.

2. Section H, generally:

i. Section H.3, Vacations, Sick Leave, Holidays. What does maximum of paid holidays mean?

Ii. Section H.21 seems to apply to grants contractors and not the Project Management Contractor for the DOLETA Job Corps Program.

2ai. If the offeror does not have an approved company holiday schedule, the maximum paid holiday schedule would be the same as federal government employees.

2aii. This clause does not apply to the Project Management Contractor for the DOLETA Job Corps Program.

3. Section I.4 Section 8(a) Award, refers to a prime contract with the Small Business Administration and a subcontract to the 8(a) contractor. Doesn't the DOL have a Memorandum of Understanding in place with the SBA wherein DOL can contract directly with 8(a) contractors?

3a. Yes, DOL has a Memorandum of Understanding in place with the Small Business Administration and can contract directly with the 8(a) firm.

4. In the solicitation copy downloaded from the Internet web site, Section I.6, 52.232-25 Prompt Payment (Jun 1997), appears to be missing some Language.

4a. We downloaded the solicitation and all the information was in Section I.6, 52.232-25 Prompt Payment. The Prompt Payment clause was modified to delete information that was not relevant to this solicitation.

5. In the solicitation copy downloaded from the Internet web site, Section L.8 Oral Presentation, appears to be missing some Language in sub-section 1.

5a. We downloaded the solicitation, reviewed Section L.8 Oral Presentation, and no language appears missing.

6. Section L.8 Oral Presentation, generally:

i. In paragraph 1, is what you are trying to say is that, "After receipt of offers (proposals) by the Government, every offeror who is deemed eligible by virtue of having been deemed to be within the competitive range established in accordance with M.2 BASIS FOR AWARD (BEST VALUE), must make an oral presentation . [Italics indicates language clarification.]

ii. In paragraph 2, is what you are trying to say is .c.:In paragraph 2, is what you are trying to say is ;that" Although the transparencies presented during the oral presentation are part of the offer, since they represent the contractor's technical approach, which is an evaluation criteria in accordance with M.3 EVALUATION CRITERIA, A. TECHNICAL APPROACH (35 points) below, the oral presentation and questions and answers themselves are not part of the original offer themselves, nor do they constitute new offers. In addition, the request for the offeror to make an oral presentation is not a request to commence discussions, as defined by FAR Part 15, nor shall the question and answer session be deemed to constitute discussions but shall be for the purpose of seeking clarifications only. [Italics indicates language clarification.]

6ai. Yes.

6aii. Yes.

7. Section L.8 Oral Presentation, sub-section 4, Offeror's Presentation Team, states that "the presentation shall be made by one or more of the personnel whom the offeror will employ to manage or supervise contract performance on a full time basis . Offerors may not use company senior or general managers or consultants to make any part of the oral presentation."

i. If the Offeror plans to have a principal of the firm act in the capacity of "principal in charge" who will actively participate on the DOL project between 500 1,000 hours per year, may such principal participate in the oral presentation as a presenter as opposed to observer? If not, why not?

7ai. Yes, as long as they are designated in the budget as a full time employee. Section C.6 Personnel states that "The staff shall be dedicated solely to this project." Our historical experience and practice is that staff at all levels, and particularly key staff, must be full-time to manage the workload and efficiently interact with DOL offices.

8. Section L.8 Oral Presentation, sub-section 5, Content of Presentation, states that the offeror must address "the following topics, in the following order, in accordance with the following instructions . An offeror may address any other topic, as well, within the 90 minute time limit."

i. Based upon this wording, are the time limits specified for instructions (a)-(g) considered outside limits for each sub-section, guidelines, or what?

8ai. Yes, they are considered outside limits. The 90 minute time limit is for the entire presentation, not sub-sections. How the 90 minutes is allocated for each topic (a-g), is to be determined by the offeror. However, topics A through G must be addressed. The breakout in section L.8, sub-section 5 - Content of Presentation, is an example.

1. Sections L.8 and L.9 together:

i. Given the fact that a key aspect of this 8(a) solicitation is the provision of ADP support for a multi-million dollar Federal Government program, which includes a complex Oracle database and state-of-the-art hardware and software, what is the purpose of limiting the media available for the oral presentation to "black and white overhead transparencies (slides)" and a flip chart and marker pens? One would think that any firm who claimed to have the capability of providing the required ADP personnel, could easily produce a computerized presentation, and would appreciate the opportunity to demonstrate such expertise through its choice of media in which to conduct its presentation.

9ai. The purpose of limiting the media available for the oral presentation to "black and white overhead transparencies (slides)" and a flip chart and marker pens is to reduce bid and proposal costs, keep focus on content, and to keep the playing field level.

10. Section L.9 Submission of Proposal, generally:.c.:::Section L.9 Submission of Proposal, generally:;

i. Does the language in (A) General Instructions, Part 2, mean that items (2) "Resumes of Key Personnel," (3) relevant past performance information, and (4) Contractor's Experience with Related Work are not part of the technical proposal as defined in L.9, item (1) and L.8, sub-section 8, wherein it states that "the transparencies submitted will be considered the offeror's technical proposal"?

ii. Part 3 A Detailed Business Management Proposal, sub-section 2. (c) requires "back-up data to support the estimated amount of material to be procured ." How is the 8(a) contractor to estimate this when Section C.4 PARTNERING states that there will be numerous "shared cost items such as lease payments, materials, supplies, equipment, etc." the division of which are to be determined at the initial partnering session?

10ai. No, items (2) "Resumes of Key Personnel," (3) relevant past performance information, and (4) Contractor's Experience with Related Work are part of the technical proposal. The transparencies submitted will be considered the basis for the offeror's capability to perform the contract which would be part of the technical proposal.

10aii. Please see question and answer 1aii.

11. Section M.2, Basis for Award (Best Value), in general appears to be at odds with some of the language set forth in Section L.

i. Paragraph one states: the Government intends to evaluate proposals using a two-step methodology. The first step will involve the evaluation of the offeror's INDIVIDUAL STAFF EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS, PAST EXPERIENCE, AND CONTRACTOR'S EXPERIENCE WITH RELATED WORK (evaluation factors B, C, D and E). Based on these evaluations, a Competitive Range (FAR Part 15) consisting of the most highly rated proposals will be established.

However, Part L.8, Oral Presentation Section, states that oral presentations "will not obligate the Government to determine a competitive range...." Unless my question number 8 a.) above clarifies this, please explain, since it appears from Section M.2 that an offeror will not be making an oral presentation unless first determined to be within the competitive range established.

ii The second paragraph of M.2 states that the second step will involve evaluation of an ORAL PRESENTATION.... Evaluation of oral presentations will consist of the offeror's TECHNICAL APPROACH (evaluation factor A listed below). Therefore, each offer should contain the best terms from a cost or price and technical standpoint.

However, Part L.8, Oral Presentation Section, paragraph 2, states that "the oral presentation and question and answer session are not part of the offer and are not themselves offers." [Emphasis added.] In addition, item 5. Content of presentation, states specifically that "the presentation shall not encompass price or cost and fee." Please explain the apparent inconsistencies in these statements with respect to: 1) evaluation of a technical approach during an oral presentation when the technical approach is deemed not part of the offer (unless this is already clarified by my question 8b.) above); and 2) The apparent evaluation of cost as part of the "second step" in evaluation, when it is not to be addressed during the Oral Presentation that constitutes the "second step" in the process. Are there actually three evaluation steps, 1) past performance and experience to determine the competitive range, 2) oral presentation of technical approach, and then 3) a cost realism analysis? If so, does this mean that "cost" is not to be considered at all in the determination of the "competitive range"?

iii With regard to Requests for Clarifications, it states that all answers to the RFCs will be posted on the DOLETA Internet site. Is there a more specific address where these will be posted?

11ai. The Government intends to evaluate proposals pursuant to Section M.2 Basis For Award (BEST VALUE). The Government intends to evaluate proposals using a two-step methodology. The first step will involve the evaluation of the offeror's INDIVIDUAL STAFF EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS, CONTRACTOR'S PAST EXPERIENCE, CONTRACTOR'S EXPERIENCE WITH RELATED WORK AND COST (evaluation factors A, C, D and E). A cost realism analysis will be performed on all technically acceptable proposals. Based on these evaluations, a Competitive Range (FAR Part 15) consisting of the most highly rated proposals will be established.

11aii. The purpose of the oral presentation is to evaluate the offerors capability to perform the contract. They are not proposals. They are not part of the proposal. They do not revise or modify the proposal. They are akin to pre-award surveys. As stated above, a cost realism analysis will be performed on all technically acceptable proposals. This analysis is required under FAR Part 15 when contracting on a cost reimbursement basis. Cost is considered in the determination of the competitive range, especially when a proposed price is so significantly above or below the government's estimate, that the government questions the offeror's understanding of the work and their ability to perform the contract.

11aiii. The site address is http://wdsc.doleta.gov/sga/.

12. Is DOL aware of the fact that, given the way they have set up submittal of the overhead transparencies as the entire "Technical Approach," they have created a scenario for the offerors to have to cram as much material as possible onto each slide, to prepare as many slides as possible, and to have to give short shrift to each slide during the oral presentation - just in order to ensure they have "flashed" that slide on the screen so that the reviewers will consider it in their deliberations?

A more logical approach would be:* To allow separate submittals for "Technical Approach" and the "Oral Presentation" materials, * With the "Technical Approach" to be a written text to address all of the items required by the RFP, * And the "Oral Presentation" section, to be a synopsis of the written text - using bullets and graphics to illustrate what they have included in their "Technical Approach" section * The Reviewers would consider both the written text and the Oral Presentation materials. In this way, you would receive more logical, easy-to-read, coherent slides, because no one would feel compelled to fill each slide with so much material. Also, please consider the use of color versus black-and-white slides, as well as the ability to present a Power Point, or other computer-generated, Oral Presentation. These are so standard by now that virtually any offeror could prepare one. In addition, it would make for much smoother presentations on the part of the offerors - which would be better for them, as well as the Reviewers. If DOL is concerned about not being able to provide a laptop computer and/or projector, I am certain it could borrow them from its current ESC contractor.

12a. Section L.8 ORAL PRESENTATION SECTION remains unchanged unless modified under this amendment. Please see answer to question 12 a). Offerors should submit transparencies as instructed in Section L.8(8) of the solicitation.

13. May we be provided with a list of potential bidders that attended the pre-proposal seminar?

13a. Please see the DOLETA Web Page for Amendment No. 1.

14. How much time is left on the lease of the space that we would be occupying and that is the yearly cost o lease the space?

14a. The lease for the office space has options for the duration of the proposed contract (5 years). The current lease amount is $550,000.

15. As far as submitting pricing on the breakdown of tasks, are we required to bid on all the jobs or just our area expertise (which would be the project management area)?

15a. Offerors should submit pricing on all tasks listed under the 8(a) set-aside (RFP-DCS-00-08) portion of the solicitation.

16. As far as needing a supervisor, would this person be a working supervisor?

16a. Yes.

17. Approximately how much travel will be involved (not including the Washington, D.C. area)?

17a. Offerors may use the following estimates of the level activity for the purposes of estimating travel.

1. Estimated 65 trips under Contract Administration for attendance at bid openings (50) And participation on Architect and Engineering selection panels (15). One person per trip, generally two days per trip for bid openings and two to four for A&E selection panels.

2. Estimated 15 trips under Contract Administration for other purposes, claims, problem solving, negotiations, partnering etc. One person per trip, two days per trip.

3. Estimated 15 trips under Real Estate for lease negotiations, site acquisitions, and other least and property acquisition issues. One to two persons per trip, two to four travel days.

18. Will all questions and answers of other bidders be available for viewing?

18a. Yes, on the DOLETA Web Page (http://wdsc.doleta.gov/sga/).

19. Would DOL/ETA identify the 21-23 professional personnel that's will be needed in more details for the price quote? (Ex. Project Managers, Architects, Engineers, Planners, Estimators, Administrative Personnel, etc.) Additionally, will all of these individuals be located within the metro Wash. DC area?

19a. Offeror's should carefully review the task assignment section of the solicitation, beginning in Section C.9, for the specific tasks and staff required under the set-aside contract (RFP-DCS-00-08).

Based on historical experience, the general estimated levels of staffing for the set-aside (RFP-DCS-00-08) portion of the contract include:

i. Contract Specialist 10

ii. Real Estate 3

iii. ADP Support 3

iv. Construction Site Representative 5

The above includes supervisory staff but not clerical or administrative. All staff are to be located full time at the Arlington, Virginia location, as specified in Section B of the solicitation.

20. Will any of the employees from the current contractor or subcontractors be available for the transitions, should they not be retained?

20a. They may be available, whether they are retained or not is a matter between the selected firm and them. The Department of Labor will make every effort to reach agreement with the parties to provide for a smooth transition with appropriate personnel.

21. We would like to review the current long-term lease at 2101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA. to understand the terms and conditions and potential liabilities! What is the potential lease cost split between the full-open competition and the 8(a) firms?

21a. This issue will be discussed after award of the contracts. Please see Section B, page B-2, regarding assigned responsibility for least payments. The lease will be available for review following selection of an offeror under the unrestricted (SOL-JC-03-00) procurement.

22. On page B-2 of the solicitation, it states the total first year award amount was $10,680,857.00 and the total contract amount of $54,737,752.00. Will DOL/ETA provide us with a breakdown of direct cost and indirect costs and any modifications to the contract during the 5 year period?

22a. Request for such information should be made through the Freedom of Information Act.

23. What kind of firewall/Internet monitoring is in place?

23a. Connected to the Departments.

24. Is replacement of the servers and workstations anticipated within the scope of the contract?

24a. No.

25. Is the current cabling, category 5?

25a. Yes.

26. What kind of hubs are currently installed?

26a. CISCO 5000.

27. Is the system running 100 Base-t?

27a. From server to server - yes. Server to workstations - 10 Base-t.

28. Is the phone system/PBX included under the ADP/LAN?

28a. It is not currently integrated.

29. How many technicians were previously there full time?

29a. See question and answer no. 19.

30. Is the T-1 connection available and is it the 8(a) contractor's responsibility to pay for and maintain?

30a. Yes, it is.

31. Section L.8 - SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL, is deleted in its entirety and replaced with Attachment I.

32. Section M.2 - BASIS FOR AWARD (BEST VALUE) AND Section M.3 - EVALUATION CRITERIA are deleted in their entirety and replaced with Attachment II.

33. The Limitations on Subcontracting Clause - FAR 52.219-14, is hereby incorporated (See Attachment III).

34. Who sends attachment J.8 to our references, us or the government?

34a. Neither. The technical evaluation panel will use the past performance reference information provided on Attachment J.7 to make calls to offerors' references to complete the past performance evaluation questionnaire.

35. Do you have any special format for the letters of intent?

35a. No. Offerors may use whatever format they choose.

36. Where are the attachments J.1, J.4, J.5, J.6, J.7, J.8 incorporated into the proposal. They are implied, but never explicitly asked for in the RFP.

36a. Offerors need only submit the required copies of attachments J.2, J.3, J.5, J.6 (if applicable), and J.7 with their business proposal.

37. What constitutes Amendment No.1?

34a. Form SF-30 and all attachments are part of Amendment No. 1.

ATTACHMENT I

L.9 SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL

(A) - General Instructions:

Each offeror must submit an offer (proposal) and other written information and make an oral presentation in strict accordance with these instructions. When evaluating an offeror, the Government will consider how well the offeror complied with the letter and spirit of these instructions. The Government will consider any failure on the part of an offeror to comply with both the letter and spirit of these instructions to be an indication of the type of conduct it can expect during contract performance. Therefore, the Government encourages offerors to contact the Contracting Officer by telephone, facsimile transmission, e-mail, or mail in order to request an explanation of any part of these instructions.

Your proposal must be submitted in three (3) separate and distinct parts as outlined below, consisting of the number of stated copies and accompanied by the required supportive materials to insure that the proposal will be considered responsible to the Request for Proposals.

Part 1 - Original and two (2) signed copies of completed Standard Form 33, Solicitation, Offer and Award, Original and two (2) signed copies of Section K, the Representations, Certifications and other Statements of Offerors and all attachments thereto except those items required in Part 2 and 3 will be submitted as outlined in their respective parts.

Legible copies are acceptable. (All copies shall be ink-signed.)

Part 2 - In accordance with Section L.8, the offeror shall submit, as part of their offer the following:

(1) A set of overhead transparencies and five (5) paper copies in a sealed package. These transparencies shall be considered in effect, the offeror's technical proposal and shall form the basis of the offeror's Oral Presentation. PLEASE NOTE: The sealed package containing the transparencies will not be opened until the scheduled date for an offeror's presentation, in the presence of the Contract Specialist and a representative of the offeror. The Oral Presentation will be used to evaluate the offeror's capability to perform the contract (See section M.3(B);

(2) Offerors shall submit an original and three copies of the "Resumes of Key Personnel" (See Section M.3(A);

(3) Offerors shall submit three copies of relevant past performance information (See Section L.7 and M.3(C); and

(4) Offerors shall submit an original and three copies of the Contractor's Experience with Related Work (See Section M.3(D).

The Technical Proposal shall not make reference to cost or price data so that an independent technical evaluation may be made on the basis of technical merit alone. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in a determination of nonresponsiveness. Proposals specifying less than one hundred twenty (120) days Government Acceptance may be considered not acceptable. Any exceptions taken by a proposer to any provisions of this Request for Proposals or any condition placed upon a proposal may result in a finding of not acceptable. Only one proposal may be submitted by each respondent.

Part 3 - A detailed Business Management Proposal as further outlined in the below instructions and consisting of:

(a) Three (3) copies of Attachment J.2 - Cost and Price Analysis, ETA 8555 (Mar. 1981)

(b) One (1) copy of Attachment J.3 - Statement of Financial Capability, ETA 8554 (Mar. 1981)

(c) "One (1) each Accounting System Certification which is a statement certifying that the offeror has an established accounting system with internal controls adequate to safeguard their assets, insure that funds are accounted for by cost categories, check the accuracy and reliability of the accounting data, promote operating efficiency and permit compliance with Government requirements and accounting procedures with respect to Cost Reimbursement types of contracts. The statement shall be executed by a certified public accountant (CPA), licensed public accountant, a bona-fide accounting or audit organization such as Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) or an entity of equivalent status acceptable to the Government." Failure to include the above stated supportive materials with your proposal will be a basis for determination of not being acceptable.

NOTE: Part 1, 2, and 3 should be sealed in separate envelopes and included in one master package. The RFP number and related Part numbers outlined above, if applicable, must be shown in the upper left hand corner of each of the envelopes as well as the master package.

The Government warns offerors that taking exception to any term or condition of the RFP (including submitting any alternative proposal that requires a relaxation of a requirement), will make an offer unacceptable, and the offeror ineligible for award, unless the RFP expressly authorizes such an exception with regard to that specific term or condition. The Government will consider any exception to a term or condition of the RFP that is not expressly authorized by the RFP to be a deficiency, as defined in FAR Part 15.

An offeror may eliminate a deficiency in its offer only through discussions, as defined and prescribed in FAR Part 15. However, the Government intends to award a contract without discussions, as authorized by FAR Part 15. Therefore, any offeror planning to take exception to a term or condition of the RFP should consult with the Contracting Officer prior to submitting and offer, unless the RFP expressly authorizes such an exception.

Not withstanding its plan to award without discussions, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions with offers in a competitive range, if necessary, and to permit such offerors to revise their proposals. The government also reserves the right to change any terms and conditions of their RFP by amendment at any time prior to contract award and to allow offerors to revise their offers accordingly, as authorized by FAR Part 15.

The offeror shall complete and submit all certifications included in or attached to this Request for Proposal.

The Cost Analysis (Attachment J.2) and Financial Capability Forms (Attachment J.3) support information shall be augmented as follows:

Offerors are required to submit cost proposals fully supported by cost and pricing data adequate to establish the reasonableness of the proposed costs.

1. Most current published annual balance sheet and profit or loss statement.

2. The offeror shall furnish a total cost breakdown utilizing the enclosed cost and price analysis form.

(a) Include the backup data to support the type of labor and estimated numbers of hours within each category.

(b) Include a breakdown of the amount estimated for travel including destination, duration, purpose and cost (per diem and transportation).

(c) Include backup data to support the estimated amount of material and subcontracting (if applicable) including description of materials to be procured, basis for proposed subcontract, type of subcontract and amounts proposed.

3. List the names and addresses of any subcontractor* the offeror intends to use in the performance of a resulting contract. Include the following information about the subcontract(s).

(a) How subcontractor was selected?

(b) Has the subcontractor submitted a cost proposal?

(c) Will he be able to start performance at the start of the contract period?

(d) What is the total cost of (each) subcontract?

(e) What services (skills) will the subcontract provide?

(f) What experience do they have in this technical area?

*Also provide the above information for consultants you intend to use in the performance of a resulting contract.

.End Table C.

ATTACHMENT II

M.2 BASIS FOR AWARD (BEST VALUE)

The Government intends to evaluate proposals using a two-step methodology. The first step will involve the evaluation of the offeror's INDIVIDUAL STAFF EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS, PAST PERFORMANCE, CONTRACTOR'S EXPERIENCE WITH RELATED WORK, AND PRICE, evaluation factors A, C, D, and E listed below). Based on these evaluations, a Competitive Range (FAR Part 15) consisting of the most highly rated proposals will be established.

The second step will involve evaluation of an ORAL PRESENTATION presented by each of the offerors within the Competitive Range. Evaluation of oral presentations will consist of the offeror's CAPABILITY TO PERFORM THE CONTRACT (evaluation factor B listed below). Therefore, each offer should contain the best terms from a cost or price and technical standpoint.

A cost realism analysis will be performed for all technically acceptable offerors. Contract award will be based on the combined evaluations of the Contractor's Capability to Perform the Contract, Individual Staff Experience and Qualifications, Past Performance, Contractor's Experience With Related Work, and Price.

The contract resulting from this solicitation will be awarded to the responsible offeror whose offer, conforming to the solicitation, is determined to provide the "best value" to the Government, which may not necessarily be the proposals offering the lowest cost nor receiving the highest technical score. It should be noted that cost is not a numerically weighted factor.

Although non-cost factors are significantly more important than cost, cost is an important factor and should be considered when preparing responsive offers (proposals). The importance of cost as an evaluation factor will increase with the degree of equality of the proposals in relation to the remaining evaluation factors.

When the offerors within the competitive range are considered essentially equal in terms of technical, past performance and other no-cost factors (if any), or when cost is so significantly high as to diminish the value of the technical superiority to the Government, cost may become the determining factor for award. In summary, cost/no-cost trade offs will be made, and the extent to which one may be sacrificed for the other if governed only by the tests of rationality and consistency with the established factors.

Prospective contractors are advised that the selection of a contractor for contract award is to be made, after a careful evaluation of the offers (proposals) received, by a panel of specialists chosen by DOL/ETA. Each panelist will evaluate the proposals for technical acceptability using a range of scores assigned to each factor. The factors are presented in the order of emphasis that they will receive (i.e., Factor A has the greatest weight, Factor B the second greatest weight, etc.). The scores will then be averaged to select a contractor for award on the basis of their proposal being the most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered.

M.3 EVALUATION CRITERIA AND BASIS FOR AWARD (BEST VALUE)

A. INDIVIDUAL STAFF EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS (35 points)

This section of the proposal shall include sufficient information for judging the quality and competence of staff proposed to be assigned to the project to assure that they meet the required qualifications. Successful performance of the proposed work depends heavily on the qualifications of the individuals committed to this project, and the adequacy of the time commitment for each individual in relation to the specific tasks that they will perform.

Accordingly, the Government, in its evaluation of the contractor's proposal, will place considerable emphasis on the contractor's commitment of personnel qualified for the work involved in accomplishing the assigned tasks.

This section of the proposal shall provide the current employment status of personnel proposed for work under this RFP--i.e., whether these personnel are currently employed by the contractor or are dependent upon planned recruitment or subcontracting. Where subcontractors or outside assistance are proposed, organizational control shall be clearly delineated so as to demonstrate and ensure responsiveness to the needs of the Government.

The following information shall also be furnished:

1. The proposed Project Director;

2. The proposed project organization;

3. The time commitment of all professional personnel assigned to the project (the number of hours per month that each individual will devote to the project over its life), as well as "Letters of Intent"for each professional personnel;

4. A resume for each professional personnel to be assigned to the project. At a minimum, each resume shall include:

(a) The individual's current employment status and previous work experience, including position title, dates in position, duties performed, and employing organization. Duties shall be clearly defined in terms of the role performed, i.e., management, team leader, consultant. Also, indicate whether each individual is currently employed by the contractor, and (if so) for how long.

(b) A statement of the work that the individual has completed or which is currently underway for work that is relevant to the proposed work on the demonstration project.

(c) The individual's educational background;

(d) The position to which the individual would be assigned for the project and the type of work that they would perform in that capacity.

Please be advised that offerors shall be evaluated under this factor based on the following:

(i) The experience and qualifications of the proposed Project Manager and the amount of time committed to the project. The Project Manager should have a minimum of 5 years experience in related work and a Bachelor's Degree in one of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing or organization and management.

(ii) The experience and qualifications of all key personnel. Key Personnel should have a minimum of three years experience in related work and at least 24 semester hours or equivalent in any combination of the following fields: accounting business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing or organization and management.

(iii) The time commitment of all personnel assigned to the project (the number of hours per month that each individual will devote to the project over its life), as well as "Letters of Intent" for each professional personnel. All professional personnel must devote 100% of their time to the project.

(iv) A resume for each professional personnel to be assigned to the project. At a minimum, each resume shall include:

(a) The individual's current employment status and previous work experience, including position title, dates in position, duties performed, and employing organization. Duties shall be clearly defined in terms of the role performed, i.e., management, team leader, consultant. Also, indicate whether each individual is currently employed by the contractor, and (if so) for how long.

(b) A statement of the work that the individual has completed or which is currently underway for work that is relevant to the proposed work.

(c) The individual's educational background;

(d) The position to which the individual would be assigned for the project and the type of work that they would perform in that capacity; and

(v) Staffing charts listing names, qualifications, and experience of professional personnel (including outside consultants), staff time/time loading charts showing the amount of time each staff person will devote to each task and sub-task, and an indication of how staff will be allocated to perform all necessary field work during the project.

B. CONTRACTOR'S CAPABILITY TO PERFORM THE CONTRACT (30 points)

The Government will evaluate each offeror's capability to perform the contract on the basis of its oral presentation and the responses it gives during the question and answer session that will follow the oral presentation. In making this evaluation, the government will consider an offeror's: (1) knowledge of the content of the work in terms of constituent activities, their inputs and outputs, and their interrelationships and interdependencies; (2) recognition of the appropriate sequence and realistic duration of the work activities; (3) knowledge of the appropriate types of resources required to perform the work activities; (4) familiarity with the difficulties , uncertainties, and risks associated with the work; and knowledge of the personnel and subcontractor qualifications necessary to the performance of the work.

C. CONTRACTOR'S PAST PERFORMANCE (20 Points)

This criterion shall represent up to 20% of the total score of the proposal. Award may be made from the initial offers without discussions. However, if discussions are held offerors will be provided the opportunity to address unfavorable reports of past performance, if the offeror has not had a previous opportunity to review the rating. Past Performance shall include evaluating offerors with no relevant performance history, and shall provide offerors an opportunity to identify past or current contracts (Federal, State, and local government and private) for efforts similar to the Government requirement.

Offerors shall provide information on problems encountered on the identified contracts and the offeror's corrective actions. The Government shall consider this information, as well as information obtained from any other sources, when evaluating the offeror's past performance. The Contracting Officer shall determine the relevance of similar past performance information. Offers shall submit past performance information regarding predecessor companies, professional personnel who have relevant experience, or subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement when such information is relevant to the instant acquisition. Offerors without relevant past performance history or for whom information on past performance is not available, the offeror may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance. In this instance the offeror would receive a neutral score.

D. CONTRACTOR'S EXPERIENCE WITH RELATED WORK (15 points)

This section of the proposal shall identify and describe the previous experience and effectiveness of the contractor in similar or related work to demonstrate the contractor's current capacity to provide the services offered; the contractor's management plan for the project; and the strength of the contractor's support for this project.

Contractors shall discuss the relationship of their firm's previous experience to the work proposed under this contract. The following information shall be included:

1. The identity of the principal clients served in performing similar or related work; the general nature and scope of that work; and the results achieved. The contractor shall include a representative synopsis listing previous projects relevant to this RFP. Each project synopsis shall include:

(a) The organization for whom the work was done;

(b) A contact person in that organization with their current phone number;

(c) The dollar value of the contract for the project;

(d) The time frame and professional effort involved in the project;

(e) The Project Manager and other professional personnel assigned to the project; and

(f) A brief summary of the work performed by the contractor on the project; significant accomplishments; and any problems encountered, corrective actions taken, and the outcome.

Please be advised that offerors shall be evaluated under this factor based on similar or related work completed during the past five (5) years on all contracts and subcontracts; the contractor's management plan for the projects; and the strength of the contractor's support for the projects.

E. PRICE

Cost Realism will be performed as part of the proposal evaluation process. The purpose of this evaluation shall be (a) to verify the offeror's understanding of the requirement; (b) to assess the degree to which the cost/price proposal reflects the approaches and/or risk assessments made in the technical proposal as well as the risk that the offeror will provide the services for the offered prices/cost; and (c) assess the degree to which the cost reflected in the cost/price proposal accurately represents the work effort included in the technical offer (proposal).

M.4 DETERMINING BEST OVERALL VALUE

In order to determine which offeror represents the best overall value, the Contracting Officer will make a series of paired comparisons among only those offerors that submitted acceptable offers (proposals). If, in any paired comparison, the offeror with the higher expected value also has the lower price, then the Contracting Officer will consider that offeror to represent the better overall value. If the offeror with the higher expected value has the higher price, then the Contracting Officer will decide whether the difference in expected value is worth the difference in price. If the Contracting Officer decides that it is, then they will consider the offeror with the higher expected value and the higher price to represent the better overall value. If not, then the Contracting Officer will consider the offeror(s) with the lower expected value and the lower price to represent the better value. The Contracting Officer will continue to make paired comparisons in this way until they have identified the best overall value.

Pursuant to FAR Subpart 52.215-1 Instructions to Offerors - Competitive Acquisition, the Contracting Officer reserves the right to award without discussion to the source(s) whose offer is the most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered.

ATTACHMENT III

52.219-14 LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING (DEC 1996)

(a) This clause does not apply to the unrestricted portion of a partial set-aside.

(b) By submission of an offer and execution of a contract, the Offeror/Contractor agrees that in performance of the contract in the case of a contract for

(1) SERVICES (EXCEPT CONSTRUCTION). At least 50 percent of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the concern.

(2) SUPPLIES (OTHER THAN PROCUREMENT FROM A NON-MANUFACTURER IN SUCH SUPPLIES). The concern shall perform work for at least 50 percent of the cost of manufacturing the supplies, not including the cost of materials.

(3) GENERAL CONSTRUCTION. The concern will perform at least 15 percent of the cost of the contract, not including the cost of materials, with its own employees.

(4) CONSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL TRADE CONTRACTORS. The concern will perform at least 25 percent of the cost of the contract, not including the cost of materials, with its own employees.