Number: 17419840
Country: United States
Source: Federal Business Opportunities
The United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), has a need for commercial services to support a backup Global Positioning System (GPS) capability and complementary Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) demonstration. The work consists of Technical Consulting Services related to vendor participation in a technology demonstration to be run by the Government. No equipment will be purchased by the Government from any Offerors as part of this requirement. The Volpe Center will use the data from the demonstration to support research required by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to identify and analyze backup GPS solutions.
The Government intends to award up to 20 Firm-Fixed Price purchase orders as a result of this Combined Synopsis/Solicitation. The Offeror"s quote shall be prepared in accordance with FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors, and the instructions included in this solicitation.
LIST OF CONTRACT LINE ITEM NUMBERS (CLIN)
The CLIN structure and pricing schedule included in Appendix A, Pricing Schedule, will be incorporated into any resulting contract.
REQUIREMENTS/SPECIFICATIONS
Contractors must be able to demonstrate a solution within the following parameters:
1. GPS backup technology, henceforth referred to as the Solution, must be at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of six or higher as described in the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)"s Technology Readiness Level Guidebook [Federal Highway Administration Exploratory Advanced Research Program Technology Readiness Level Guidebook, FHWA-HRT-17-047, September 2017] TRL 6: Prototype demonstrated in relevant environment, operational environment fully known, tested outside the laboratory, satisfying all operational requirements when confronted with realistic problems. 2. The Solution must provide either timing information, position information, or both. 3. The Solution must be capable of operating independently of GPS/Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Specifically, the Solutions must operate in absence of GPS/GNSS broadcast signals and provide more than just interference mitigation of GPS/GNSS broadcast signals or provide resiliency to those specific signals. 4. The Solution must be capable of interfacing with the Government"s data collection system; specifically, serial connections (e.g. RS-232, i2c, SPI), USB based, or other standard interfaces, e.g. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 802.11, etc. 5. Demonstration of the Solution must meet regulatory compliance and be without any proprietary licensing agreement restrictions. 6. The Solution must not produce information requiring protections against disclosure in the interest of national defense of the U.S commensurate with Executive Order 13526, Classified National Security Information.
The Contractor is required to provide all personnel, support, and management necessary to accomplish the technical consulting tasks in support of the demonstration as outlined in the Statement of Work in Table 1 of Appendix B of this announcement. The Statement of Work will be incorporated into each resulting purchase order.
Demonstration of the Solution is expected to occur at either of two locations (henceforth referred to as the Demonstration Site):
1. The Volpe Center"s Aviation Weather Research Facility located on Joint Base Cape Cod (JBCC); or 2. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration"s (NASA) Langley Research Center (LaRC).
The Offeror(s) selected as a result of this solicitation will be notified which of the two sites the Offeror"s Solution demonstration will be performed, henceforth referred to as the Demonstration Site.
The images in Appendix B, Figure 1 and Figure 2, are plan view displays to provide scale of the area where the Solution is expected to provide coverage for the demonstration. The coverage areas at each location are shaded in red (see Appendix B, Figure 1 (JBCC) and Figure 2 (NAA LaRC)). The government intends to demonstrate tunnel, underground and/or degraded environment scenarios within the blue shaded region for any Offerors with solutions covering this larger demonstration area. The Government shall provide a furnished site for the purposes of the demonstration. The furnishings include:
1. Electrical power 2. Internet 3. Tower locations, sizes, payloads, and mounting options determined by the Government considering inputs from Offerors 4. HVAC 5. Mobile host platforms for User Equipment (UE) demonstration
In addition, the Government intends to provide access to the red and blue shaded areas for each site (see Appendix B, Figure 1 and Figure 2) for the Offeror to set up and install equipment (if applicable). The Government expects to provide access to Loran transmitter sites commensurate with proposed Solutions, meeting the Government demonstration scenarios.
The Government intends to conduct demonstration scenarios for the Solution including but not limited to the following categories:
1. Stationary positions 2. Dynamic routes 3. Indoors 4. Outdoors 5. On and off road 6. Three-dimensional position 7. Tunnel, underground, and/or degraded environments 8. Highway corridor 9. Ports and/or oceans
Each Solution is expected to be capable of demonstration by the Government in at least one of the scenarios. Participation in all suitable scenarios is encouraged, but quotes will not be evaluated on the number or type of scenarios that can be demonstrated. The blue trajectory in Appendix B, Figure 3, is an example of a dynamic position scenario at the Demonstration Site located on JBCC.
Deployment of the Solution, specifically local infrastructure, is expected to remain stationary after set up for the entirety of the demonstration.
Table 2 in Appendix B lists the timeframe for the Demonstration Tasks.
NOTICE TO OFFERORS
The offer should be addressed to the following: U.S. Department of Transportation, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Attn: Camille Hogan, V-221, 55 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02142. The signed offer must be submitted via e-mail to [email protected] by closing date of September 27, 2019, at 4:00 PM EST. No telephone requests will be honored. The Government will not pay for any information received. It is anticipated that an award resulting from this Combined Synopsis/ Solicitation will be made on or about October 31, 2019.
This Combined Synopsis/Solicitation hereby incorporates all FAR provisions and clauses contained herein. The provisions and clauses cited in this notice can be viewed at FAR http://www.acquisition.gov/far and Transportation Acquisition Regulation (TAR) https://www.transportation.gov/assistant-secretary-administration/procurement/tar-part-1252-solicitatons-provisions-and-contract.
NOTE: Any contract award resulting from this solicitation is anticipated to be awarded using the Standard Form (SF) 1449 and will include substantially the same content as this notice; however, any of the solicitation instructions or references to solicitation documents will be eliminated.
FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items (JAN 2017), applies to this acquisition and is incorporated by reference (the complete provision is attached to this notice). Addenda to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items (JAN 2017) are as follows:
Addenda to FAR Provision 52.212-1(b), add the following subparagraph (12):
The Offeror"s failure to comply with the solicitation instructions may render its quote package to be non-responsive. The Offeror"s quote must be completed and:
1. Offers must be received via email sent to [email protected] by the closing date/time in order to be considered.
2. The Offeror"s quote and forwarding email (in the subject line) must be marked with Solicitation Number 6913G619Q300177
3. Offerors are required to submit their quotes in two (2) separate electronic file attachments. One attachment shall be titled Price Quote (Volume I) and the other attachment titled Technical Approach (Volume II). Each volume should be complete in itself so that evaluation of each part may be accomplished concurrently and evaluation of non-price factors may be made strictly on the basis of technical acceptability. Prices and dollar values shall be stated only in the Price Quote and shall be omitted from the Technical Approach.
Offerors are also required to submit a completed Technical Questionnaire (Appendix C) in a separate electronic file at the same time as the submission of the Quote. The Questionnaire will not be evaluated as part of the Technical Approach and is for demonstration logistical planning purposes only.
4. The time of receipt of quote is no later than 4:00 PM EST, September 27, 2019.
{End Addenda}
Addenda to FAR Provision 52.212-1(b), add the following subparagraph (13):
Price Quote (Volume I):
Offerors shall complete Solicitation Appendix A, "Pricing Schedule." Prices proposed on the "Pricing Sheet" shall be inserted into the SF 1449 at the time of each contract award by the Contracting Officer (CO). Offerors shall provide information to support their quoted price, including fully burdened direct labor rates and labor hours, detailing specifications and costs. Offerors shall include all pricing information they feel is necessary to clearly present their costs as part of a narrative price supplement if applicable. After submission of the initial quote, Offerors shall provide additional information or details if requested by the CO.
Technical Approach (Volume II):
The Offeror"s Technical Approach must be submitted in PDF format in accordance with the following requirements:
• It shall not exceed 10 pages. This page limit does not include the required appendices nor any marketing material that the Offeror wants to provide. • Font size shall be no smaller than 10 point.
Offerors shall provide a Technical Understanding narrative to demonstrate the Solution meets the following requirements:
1) A description of the solution and intended application(s) 2) Narrative of how the Demonstration Solution is at a TRL of six or higher as described in the FHWA"s Technology Readiness Level Guidebook. 3) Indicate if the Solution is either timing information, position information, or both. 4) Description of how the Solution is capable of operating independently of GPS/ GNSS. Specifically, the Solution must operate in absence of GPS/GNSS broadcast signals and provide more than just interference mitigation of GPS/GNSS broadcast signals or provide resiliency to those specific signals. 5) Description of how the Solution"s UE is capable of interfacing with the Government"s data collection system, specifically serial connections (e.g. RS-232, i2c, SPI), USB based, or other standard interfaces. 6) Demonstration of the Solution must meet regulatory compliance and be without any proprietary licensing agreement restrictions. Narrative shall include frequency details and evidence of license to operate in such frequency. 7) Statement that the Solution will not produce information requiring protections against disclosure in the interest of national defense of the U.S.
Offerors shall also provide a narrative Program Management Plan that addresses the following:
1. Provide a plan to demonstrate the Offeror is able to meet the Volpe Center"s schedule (see Appendix B, Table 2); and 2. Provide a staffing plan with estimates of the number of unique and concurrent persons that will require access to the Demonstration Site during pre-demonstration and demonstration tasks.
Technical Understanding and Program Management Plan are considered two sub-factors and will be evaluated equally.
Logistical Questionnaire (Volume III)
Offerors shall provide a completed Appendix C Logistical Questionnaire as a separate volume. Appendix C is for demonstration logistical planning purposes only and will not be evaluated.
Addenda to FAR Provision 52.212-1(c) as follows:
FAR 52.212-1(c) states: Period for acceptance of offers. The Offeror agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm for 45 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers, unless another time period is specified in an addendum to the solicitation.
Addenda changes the time period from 30 calendar days to 60 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers.
FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation- Commercial Items (OCT 2014) applies to this acquisition and is incorporated by reference. The criteria to be included in paragraph (a) include Technical Approach and Price. For each award, the technical approach is more important than price. Addenda to FAR Provision 52.212-2 Evaluation- Commercial Items (OCT 2014) are as follows:
Addenda to FAR Provision 52.212-2, add the following paragraph (d):
Evaluation: For each contract award, an award will be made to the Offerors whose quote offers the best overall value to the Government based on an integrated assessment of the non-price (Technical) and price factors. Technical Approach consists of two equally weighted sub factors: (1) Technical Understanding and (2) Program Management Plan. Technical Approach will be evaluated as Acceptable or Unacceptable in accordance with the definitions below. After the Price Quotes of all Technically Acceptable quotes have been determined, in the CO"s sole discretion, to be fair and reasonable, Acceptable quotes will be ranked by Technical Readiness Level as a discerning factor for award. Cost may also be a discerning factor among proposals within the same TRL depending on the total funding available and the total price of all fair and reasonable, Technically Acceptable quotes. Therefore, Offerors are cautioned not to minimize the importance of the Price Quote. While it is the Government"s intent to make awards based upon initial offers, the Government may, nevertheless, determine during the evaluation period that it is necessary to conduct discussions. In that case, the CO will establish a competitive range and conduct negotiations with the Offerors in that range.
The following adjectival ratings and definitions will be used to evaluate Technical Approach.
Acceptable: Quote meets all requirements and indicates a satisfactory approach to and understanding of the requirements of the RFQ.
Unacceptable: Quote does not meet all of the requirements of the RFQ.
Offerors are cautioned that an unacceptable in one criteria will render the quote technically unacceptable overall.
FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certification-Commercial Items (NOV 2017) applies to this acquisition and is incorporated by reference. All Offerors must include a completed copy of the provision at FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certification-Commercial Items with Price Quote Volume I.
FAR 52.204-24, Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (AUG 2019) applies to this acquisition and is incorporated by reference. All Offerors must include a completed copy of the provision at FAR 52.204-24 Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment with Price Quote Volume I.
CONTRACT CLAUSES
FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items (JAN 2017) applies to this acquisition and is incorporated by reference. Note - a copy of the complete clause is attached to this notice.
FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items (JAN 2018) applies to this acquisition and the following additional FAR clauses cited in the clause are applicable to this acquisition: 52.203-6 (Alt. I), 52.204-10, 52.209-6, 52.219-28, 52.222-3, 52.222-19, 52.222-21, 52.222-26, 52.222-35, 52.222-36, 52.222-37, 52.222-40, 52.222-50, 52.222-54, 52.223-18, 52.225-13, 52.232-33, and 52.239-1.
ADDITIONAL FAR CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE:
52.204-4 Printed or Copied Double-Sided on Postconsumer Fiber Content Paper (MAY 2011) 52.204-7 Systems for Award Management (OCT 2018) 52.204-16 Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (JUL 2016) 52.204-18 Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (JUL 2016) 52.204-21 Basic Safeguarding of Covered Contractor Information Systems (JUN 2016) 52.204-23 Prohibition on Contracting for Hardware, Software, and Services Developed or Provided by Kaspersky Lab and Other Covered Entities (JUL 2018) 52.204-25 Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (AUG 2019) 52.227-14 Representation of Limited Rights Data and Restricted Computer Software (DEC 2007) 52.228-5 Insurance- Work on a Government Installation (JAN 1997) 52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (DEC 2013)
TAR CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE:
1252.223-71 Accident and Fire Reporting (APR 2005) 1252.223-73 Seat Belt Use Policies and Programs (APR 2005) 1252.237-70 Qualifications of Contractor Employees (APR 2005)
ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE
The period of performance of each order is from the date of award to September 30, 2020.
DELIVERABLES
Table 3 in Appendix B contains the list of deliverables and will be incorporated into each resulting purchase order.
INVOICE/PAYMENT REQUIREMENTS
a) The invoicing and payment office for all contract actions issued by the DOT/Volpe Center is located at the Enterprise Services Center (ESC), Office of Financial Operations, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
All invoices, including supporting documentation, are to be submitted electronically (e.g., PDF format) via email to [email protected] (all lower case). The CO and Contracting Officer"s Representative shall be copied or forwarded a copy of the email. A cover email must accompany each invoice and provide the applicable information in the fields listed in FAR 52.214-(g).
b) Contractors will invoice travel costs under CLIN 00400 as necessary. Invoices for travel must include receipts to substantiate the costs paid.
INDIRECT, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL or INCIDENTAL DAMAGES
Contractor shall be responsible for the proper transportation, storage, handling, removal and disposal of all User Equipment (UE) provided for the Demonstration. The parties acknowledge that Contractor"s UE may be left temporarily in the sole possession of the Government during the period of performance of the contract. Prior to the delivery of any UE to be left in the Government"s sole possession, Contractor shall provide the Government, in writing, with any requirements concerning the proper storage or handling of the UE. The Government shall exercise reasonable care with respect to the UE while the UE is in its sole possession. In no event, however, shall the Government be liable to the Contractor for consequential, special or indirect damages, including without limitation damages for lost profits, resulting from any damage to or loss of the UE.
This combined syponsis/solicitation is also provided as an attachment to this notice.
**Please note the amdment to this notification dated 09/16/2019 is to correct the due date referenced in the notice to offerors. The signed offer must be submitted via e-mail to [email protected] by closing date of September 27, 2019 at 4:00 PM EST.
FROM: This solicitation is being conducted in accordance with the policies and procedures prescribed in FAR Part 12, Acquisitions of Commercial Items, and FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures.
TO: This solicitation is being conducted in accordance with the policies and procedures prescribed in FAR Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items, and FAR Part 13.5, Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items.
2) Add the following sentence to item 3 "The Solution must be capable of operating independently of GPS/ Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)..." on page 2 under Requirements/ Specifications:
ADD: Offerors may use GPS as a means for initial synchronization.
3) Change the following paragraph on page 3 under Requirements/Specifications:
FROM: In addition, the Government intends to provide access to the red and blue shaded areas for each site (see Appendix B, Figure 1 and Figure 2) for the Offeror to set up and install equipment (if applicable). The Government expects to provide access to Loran transmitter sites commensurate with proposed Solutions, meeting the Government demonstration scenarios.
TO: In addition, the Government intends to provide access to the red and blue shaded areas for each site (see Appendix B, Figure 1 and Figure 2) for the Offeror to set up and install equipment (if applicable). The Government will also provide access to Loran transmitter site located in Wildwood, New Jersey. The Offeror(s) will perform technical tasks at the Loran transmitter site needed to transmit a valid signal.
4) Change the following sentence on page 2 under Notice to Offerors:
FROM: The signed offer must be submitted via e-mail to [email protected] by closing date of October 3 2019, at 4:00 PM EST
TO: The signed offer must be submitted via e-mail to [email protected] by closing date of September 27, 2019, at 4:00 PM EST
5) Change Addenda to FAR Provision 52.212-1(b)(13)
FROM: Price Quote (Volume I):
TO: Price Quote (Volume I):
Offerors shall complete Solicitation Appendix A, "Pricing Schedule." Prices proposed on the "Pricing Sheet" shall be inserted into the SF 1449 at the time of each contract award by the Contracting Officer (CO). After submission of the initial quote, Offerors shall provide additional information or details if requested by the CO.
6) CHANGE FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Items (OCT 2014)
FROM: FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation- Commercial Items (OCT 2014) applies to this acquisition and is incorporated by reference. The criteria to be included in paragraph (a) include Technical Approach and Price. For each award, the technical approach is more important than price.
TO: FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation- Commercial Items (OCT 2014) applies to this acquisition and is incorporated by reference. The criteria to be included in paragraph (a) include Technical Approach. For each award, the technical approach is more important than price.
7) CHANGE Addenda to FAR Provision 52.212-2(d)
FROM: Evaluation: For each contract award, an award will be made to the Offerors whose quote offers the best overall value to the Government based on an integrated assessment of the non-price (Technical) and price factors. Technical Approach consists of two equally weighted sub factors: (1) Technical Understanding and (2) Program Management Plan. Technical Approach will be evaluated as Acceptable or Unacceptable in accordance with the definitions below. After the Price Quotes of all Technically Acceptable quotes have been determined, in the CO"s sole discretion, to be fair and reasonable, Acceptable quotes will be ranked by Technical Readiness Level as a discerning factor for award. Cost may also be a discerning factor among proposals within the same TRL depending on the total funding available and the total price of all fair and reasonable, Technically Acceptable quotes. Therefore, Offerors are cautioned not to minimize the importance of the Price Quote. While it is the Government"s intent to make awards based upon initial offers, the Government may, nevertheless, determine during the evaluation period that it is necessary to conduct discussions. In that case, the CO will establish a competitive range and conduct negotiations with the Offerors in that range.
TO: Evaluation: Technical Approach consists of two equally weighted sub factors: (1) Technical Understanding and (2) Program Management Plan. Technical Approach will be evaluated as Acceptable or Unacceptable in accordance with the definitions below. Acceptable quotes will be ranked by Technical Readiness Level as a discerning factor for award. Price will be a discerning factor among proposals within the same TRL depending on the total funding available and the total price of all fair and reasonable, Technically Acceptable quotes. Offerors are cautioned that it is the Government"s intent to issue as many purchase orders for demonstrations as is feasible within the total funding available. Price reasonableness will be based on competitive quotations; therefore excessive price proposals may be removed from consideration.
Offerors are cautioned that an unacceptable in one criteria will render the quote technically unacceptable overall. {End Addenda}
8) Add item C. to Scenario Participation to Appendix C as follows:
ADD: C. Identify possible alternate UE storage locations other than Government site, if applicable.
