The United States Special Operations Command is issuing a solicitation for the procurement of SOF Combat Assualt Rifles (SCAR). The program will use full and open competition. The following is a DRAFT version of a portion of Section "L" containing the Proposal Requirements. It is anticipated that the solicitation will be issued in January 2004 with closing on 18 June 2004.DRAFT PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS 1.0 Notice of Intention to Submit a Proposal To allow the government to allocate manpower, schedule necessary test facilities/ranges, and provide necessary support materials (i.e. ammunition) all firms planning on submitting a proposal(s) (including the required product samples) shall inform the contracting officer listed in block 7 of the SF33, page one (1) of this solicitation, via email at:
[email protected], of their intent to submit a proposal by no later than 2:00 PM EDT, 16 APRIL 2004. The offeror should also disclose the number of proposals/product samples it is planning to submit. Failure to provide the contracting officer the required Notice of Intent to Submit a Proposal requested in this paragraph by the above date/time will prevent any subsequent proposal provided by the firm from being given further consideration for award. (See Section M 3.0, Preliminary Evaluation Criteria) 2.0 Offerors are required to submit Product Samples and five (5) sets of identical proposals on separate CDs. A complete proposal set shall consist of: o Technical Area § Technical Proposal (Disc 2) § Management Proposal (Disc 2) o Past Performance Area (Disc 3) o Price Proposal (Disc 1) o Solicitation Response: Executive Summary plus the completed Request for Proposal, including acknowledgement of any and all amendments; certifications and representations; all fill-ins completed (Disc 1) The technical, past performance, price and solicitation response shall be submitted on separate compact discs (CDs) as indicated above. All pricing information shall be submitted in the price proposal/CD only. All proposal information shall be provided in a MS Office software compatible format (ie MS Word, MS Excel, PowerPoint, etc). Complete proposal instructions for areas above follow in this section of the solicitation. The proposals, except the product samples, shall be sent to the address in block 7 of the SF33, page 1 of the solicitation. 3.0 Preliminary Proposal Content 3.1 Go/No-Go Matrix. Offerors are required to submit a completed Go/No-Go Matrix (RFP Section J, Attachment 08), which will fully discusses how the offeror passes each criteria. 3.2 Product Samples. Product samples, in the quantities indicated below, are required for the items indicated in this solicitation and must be furnished as part of the offer. (a) Submit as part of proposal, Three [3] each, 5.56MM Special Operation Forces Combat Assault Rifles (SCAR) Light and One[1] each SCAR L Close Quarter Combat (CQC) conversion kit. These quantities are required for each proposal submitted. The samples must be received on or before the time set forth for receipt of offers. The samples are to be delivered to the following address by the closing date and time indicated in block 9 of the SF33, page 1 of the RFP: RECEIVING OFFICER Bldg. 2521, Door 13 ATTN: TROY SMITH (ext. 5858), Code 4081, B. 2521 NAVSURFWARCENDIV 300 HIGHWAY 361 CRANE IN 47522-5001 (b) The product samples provided must be of identical configuration. (c) After contract award, all product samples that are not destroyed in testing, will be returned to each unsuccessful offeror at the contractor's expense upon written request by that offeror to the Contracting Officer in the cases provided by the contractor (see language below concerning packaging of the product samples). All product samples will be retained from the successful offeror by the government at no additional cost to the government. (d) Product samples provided do not count toward deliverable quantities specified in the Schedule of Supplies specified. (e) The contractor shall also provide support materials (spare parts, specialized gauges/tools, etc.) to support firing of a total of 5,000 5.56mm rounds per SCAR L/SCAR L CQC provided as a product sample. (f) The product samples shall be marked with a Serial Number only. The product samples and associated equipment shall not have any company specific logo/ID markings. (g) Packaging of the product samples is the responsibility of the offeror. Product samples shall be provided in cases adequate for shipping of the product sample to the required destination delineated in this solicitation and for subsequent shipping of the product sample for any potential evaluation testing. The contractor is responsible to deliver their product samples in cases which adequately protect their samples during shipping in all phases of the evaluation. (h) The following data is required to accompany Product Sample Hardware to be used for "INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY" to support testing/evaluation of the submitted product samples. : (1) Operator's manual (To provide system operator's with information pertaining to safe operation of the system and conversion to CQC configuration). (2) Non-Metallic Material Listing (3) Proposed Spare Parts List (4) Illustrated Parts Breakdown with Nomenclature/Part # (5) Instructions for replacing parts (6) Notice of any and all Ozone Depleting Substances (i) SCAR L product samples passing all Go/No-Go requirements listed in Section M para 3.0, DT 1-9, will proceed to demonstrate performance on Go/No-Go (DT 10-12) tests involving Operational Effectiveness and Suitability potential. Vendors will provide personnel to demonstrate their weapon to listed criteria of DT 10-12. The SCAR L product sample will be chosen by the government from the 3 product samples submitted by the vendor and will be evaluated to the following DT criteria in sequential order. Vendors will have two hours to successfully meet all performance requirements. No single criteria may be tested more than two times to achieve a passing score. Vendors should be available to travel to Crane, IN, during the June/July 2004 timeframe. 4.0 Proposal content 4.1. Technical Area 4.1.1 Factor 1: User Evaluation: Factor 1 proposal content is addresses in paragraph 3.0 of this section. 4.1.2 Factor 2: Technical Approach: Each technical proposal shall enable Government evaluating personnel to make a thorough evaluation and arrive at a sound determination as to whether or not the proposal will meet the requirements of the government. To this end, each technical proposal shall be so specific, detailed and complete as to clearly and fully demonstrate that the prospective contractor has a thorough knowledge and understanding of the requirements and has valid and practical solutions for technical problems. This will serve to lower the perceived risk associated with an offeror’s proposal. Statements that paraphrase the specifications or attest that "standard procedures will be employed," are inadequate to demonstrate how it is proposed to comply with the requirements of the specifications, and this solicitation. The contractor should also provide any supporting test data to support technical claims/ assertions. Any exception to the government's technical requirements/specifications must be included in the technical proposal (in the Specification Matrix) and clearly delineated in a cover letter to the technical proposal as well as in the Executive Summary. As a minimum, the proposal must clearly provide the following: 4.1.2.1. Product Sample. Each offeror shall provide product samples as indicated in paragraph L 3.0 above. 4.1.2.2. Specification Matrix for the SCAR L. The offeror shall complete the SCAR L specification matrix at Attachment 02 to this solicitation. This attachment will fully discuss your technical approach in meeting the Government’s requirements to include, but not limited to a discussion of all anticipated risks and the plan to manage those risks. The offeror may elaborate on any specification requirement and shall elaborate on any areas of non-compliance with the specification (either in the product sample or the proposed production hardware). In the SCAR L specification matrix, the offeror is encouraged to elaborate via referencing attachments such as drawings, in-house testing results, and detailed technical approach, etc. The specification matrix is the central reference document that will be utilized in the evaluation of the technical proposal. 4.1.2.3. The technical proposal shall also address how the offeror’s SCAR H will evolve from the offeror’s proposed SCAR L with emphasis on ergonomics and parts commonality; open architecture for future caliber modularity; and addressing any risk areas in the manufacturing/support of the proposed SCAR H. 4.1.3. Factor 3: Management Approach. The management proposal shall be structured to enable the government to make a thorough evaluation and arrive at a sound determination as to the potential of the offeror’s successful completion of this contract considering the subfactors below. Certifications are to be provided. 4.1.3.1. Facilities/Production Capacity and capability. Proposals shall detail the offerors ability to meet the government’s delivery requirements. 4.1.3.2. Capital Investment. Proposals shall detail the offerors capital equipment intended for use in fulfilling the Government’s requirement. If the offeror proposes expansion of current manufacturing capacity, to meet the government’s delivery requirements, and would require outside financing, the offeror shall discuss its financing plan including line of credit and provide its credit/bond rating (Aaa, AAA, Aa, AA, etc) from (Moody’s and/ or S&P). 4.1.3.3. Proposals shall include copies of ISO 9000 Certifications or equivalent certifications 4.1.3.4. Supply Chain Management: The proposal shall address all activities pertaining to the flow and transformation of materials from the raw materials stage through to the end user. Supply chain management is the integration of these activities. The activities include developing, planning, sourcing, manufacturing and delivering. The proposal shall discuss relationships with key suppliers and delineate how each offeror has sourced or will source said key suppliers for vital and/or long lead components that are not manufactured in house. 4.1.3.5. Subcontracting Approach 4.1.3.5.1. The offeror shall discuss its strategies for effectively seeking small and small disadvantaged businesses for subcontracting opportunities. The offeror should provide data that delineates how their firm has continually and effectively located and subcontracted with small and small disadvantaged businesses, and how it interfaces with the overall management strategy. 4.1.3.5.2. The offeror shall provide copies of any written teaming arrangements or agreements with subcontractors that have been executed and indicate a contractual relationship or commitment if the offeror is awarded a contract under this solicitation. 4.1.3.5.3. Offerors shall complete the Table below, listing the percentages of work to be subcontracted and type of work for each type of business. The proposal shall explain how the offeror will interact with the subcontractors, allocate work between prime and subcontractors; and exercise oversight/control over subcontractor's cost, schedule and performance. Explain the rationale if there are differences in procedures for interfacing with different subcontractors. TYPE OF BUSINESS PERCENTAGE OF SUBCONTRACTED WORK TYPE OF WORK A. Total Small Business Concerns (including B through E) B. Small Disadvantaged Business C. Women-Owned Small Business D. HUBZone Small Business E. Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business F. HBCU/MI Small Business G. Large Business 4.2 Past Performance Area 4.2.1 Offerors shall provide a completed Past Performance Matrix, located at Section J, Attachment 06, with the offeror’s last five relevant government contracts (all prime and major subcontracts received, or in performance, during the past 3 years). Offerors without relevant past performance shall indicate in the proposal that they do not have relevant past performance. 4.2.1.1 The offeror shall send the Past/Current Performance Questionnaire (all sections) to each of the Points of Contact (POCs) identified in the matrix and follow up to verify the POCs have provided the questionnaires to the Government. Best efforts should be made by the offeror to ensure completion of the questionnaires. Completed questionnaires shall be submitted directly to the Government, not later than the date proposals are due, from the following in descending order of availability: (1) Procuring Contracting Officer/Contract Negotiator or equivalent, (2) Program/Project Manager, or equivalent, (3) Administrative Contracting Officer/Contract Administrator or equivalent, (4) Other. Once the Past/Current Performance Questionnaires have been completed by the POCs, the information contained therein shall be considered sensitive and shall not be released to you, the Offeror. The offeror is required to have the references send the contracting officer listed in block 7 of the SF33, page one (1) of this solicitation, the answers to the SCAR Past Performance Questionnaire (Attachment 07 of the solicitation). (a) The offeror shall also complete a questionnaire on their own performance for each of the relevant contracts listed in the matrix. Offerors may provide information on problems encountered on the contracts and subcontracts identified and corrective actions taken to resolve those problems. (b) The offeror may describe any quality awards or certifications that indicate the offeror possesses a high-quality process for developing and producing the SCAR L/SCAR H. Such awards or certifications include, for example, the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award, other government quality awards, and private sector awards or certifications (e.g., the automobile industry's QS 9000, Sematech's SSQA, or ANSI/EIA-599). Identify what segment of the company (one division or the entire company) that received the award or certification. Describe when the award or certification was bestowed. If the award or certification is over three years old, present evidence that the qualifications still apply. 4.2.2 Small Business Subcontracting Goals. All offerors shall submit the Standard Form 294, Subcontrating Report for Individual Contracts for all relevant contracts, when applicable. All offerors participating in the Comprehensive Subcontracting Program shall prepare and submit a Standard Form 294 that addresses relevant contracts. 4.3 Price Area 4.3.1 The schedule contains a basic CLIN structure to identify the Government’s requirements. Offerors shall complete the schedule by creating step ladder pricing that will allow for maximum economies of scale. 4.3.2 Prices for technical data shall be “not separately priced” in accordance with the schedule, however, cost for each data submission shall be provided in the pricing volume for evaluation purposes. 4.3.3 Cost and pricing data is not required IAW FAR 15.403, however, the Contracting Officer reserves the right to request other than cost and pricing data should it be necessary to allow the Government to make a fair and reasonable price determination. The Contractor shall explain any price anomalies (i.e., for example, range order pricing economies of scale differences). The price proposal shall include information on any significant contractor with whom the prime has teamed with or major subcontract with. Other than cost and pricing data may be required of the subcontractor, the same as above pertinent to the prime if the Contracting Officer determines the information is needed for a reasonable determination. 4.3.4 If applicable, catalog pricing containing detailed price list for any scheduled item shall be furnished. Explanations shall be provided for any differences between the published price list and the proposed. The offeror shall explain the basis for any proposed inflation from year to year. 4.3.5 The proposal is presumed to represent an offeror’s best offer since the Government reserves the right to award without discussions. As such, the offeror’s initial offer should contain the best terms from a price and technical standpoint. Any inconsistency whether real or apparent, between promised performance and price, should be explained in the proposal as price credibility rest with the offeror. The Government may reject any and all offers if such an action is in the publics interest, accept other than the lowest price proposal and waive any informalities and minor irregularities in the received submittals. 4.4 Solicitation Response 4.4.1 Offerors are encouraged to submit an Executive Summary of their proposal. If an offeror takes exception to any term or condition in the solicitation or requirement in the specification(s), that offeror must submit an Executive Summary that clearly delineates the exceptions taken. Offerors are not encouraged to take exceptions to this solicitation, however, any exceptions taken to the specifications, terms and conditions of this solicitation shall be explained in detail and set forth in the Executive Summary. Offerors are to detail the particular section, clause paragraph and page to which they are taking exeption. Offerors are required to complete the solicitation in its entirety including completion of all ‘fill-ins’, the required certifications and representations, and acknowledgement of all amendments to this solicitation. 4.4.2 The offeror shall complete the Standard Commercial Warranty text and it shall be submitted with the proposal. 4.4.3 See SOFARS 5652.214-9001, Instructions on Completing Standard Form 33, Solicitation, Offer, and Award (1998). All offerors are responsible for monitoring the Federal Business Opportunities website at http://fedbizopps.gov/ for release of the upcoming solicitation and any notices. Any questions may be directed in writing, to the following:
[email protected] or via facsimile to the attention of Mr. John Pfender at (812) 854-5198.