The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Coast Guard C5ISC Operations Systems Center located at 408 Coast Guard Drive, Kearneysville, WV, has a requirement for Vessel Identification System (VIS) data in order to share state vessel registration and federal vessel documentation information with local, state and federal law enforcement officials and state vessel registration and titling authorities.
The potential period of performance for this purchase order will be sixty (60) months if all options are exercised by the Government. The performance periods follow:
Base Period: 02 January 2025 – 01 January 2026
Option Period 1: 02 January 2026 – 01 January 2027
Option Period 2: 02 January 2027 – 01 January 2028
Option Period 3: 02 January 2028 – 01 January 2029
Option Period 4: 02 January 2029 – 01 January 2030
This will be a Firm Fixed Price contract.
This is a small business set-aside solicitation, NAICS Code 518210, size standard $40 million.
This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This is a request for quotation (RFQ), solicitation # 70Z0G325QOIPL0006. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2024-07. All applicable provisions and clauses are listed in Attachment 2.
By submitting a quote, the Vendor acknowledges the requirement to be registered in the SAM prior to award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract resulting from the solicitation. To be eligible for award, prospective Vendors must be registered in SAM under the appropriate business category and NAICS code. In addition, UNLESS available via SAM (i.e. www.sam.gov) Vendors are also to include a completed copy of their Representations and Certifications as per the provision 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items. See Attachment A for full provision.
PRICING SCHEDULE
The Contract Line Items Numbers (CLINs) are as follows:
0001 Base Period Consolidated Vessel Information System Data
1001 Option Period One Consolidated Vessel Information System Data
2001 Option Period Two Consolidated Vessel Information System Data
3001 Option Period Three Consolidated Vessel Information System Data
4001 Option Period Four Consolidated Vessel Information System Data
Pricing shall be provided as monthly cost for a total of 12 months per CLIN.
RESPONSIBILITY
This purchase order shall be awarded only to a responsible prospective Contractor. To be determined responsible, a prospective Contractor must have adequate financial resources to perform the contract, or have the ability to obtain them, as well as:
(a) Be able to comply with the required or proposed delivery or performance schedule, taking into consideration all existing commercial and governmental business commitments;
(b) Have a satisfactory performance record;
(c) Have a satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics;
(d) Have the necessary organization, experience, accounting and operational controls, and technical skills, or the ability to obtain them (including, as appropriate, such elements as production control procedures, property control systems, and quality control measures applicable to materials to be produced or services to be performed by the prospective Contractor and Subcontractors;
(e) Have the necessary production, construction, and technical equipment and facilities, or the ability to obtain them; and
(f) Be otherwise qualified and eligible to receive an award under applicable laws and regulations.
QUOTATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Submit One (1) electronic copy of your quotation no later than the specified time listed.
Quotations shall reference 70Z0G324QOIPL0006.
Quotations shall be submitted via email to Susan H. Salaj, Contracting Officer at susan.h.salaj@uscg.mil and Donald A. Biebel, Contract Specialist, at donald.a.biebel@uscg.mil by 10:00 AM EST, Tuesday, 12 November 2024.
The Vendor’s quote must include all data and information requested herein and must be submitted in accordance with (IAW) these instructions. The quote shall be unclassified. Any Vendor who submits an incomplete package may be considered non-responsive and be disqualified from consideration from award.
Nonconformance with the instructions provided may result in disqualification or unfavorable evaluation.
QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE QUOTE
(a) All questions concerning this solicitation must be submitted in writing to the Contracting Officer, for information about any aspect of the solicitation. Prospective Vendors are warned against contacting any USCG personnel outside the Procurement Department prior to award of a contract resulting from this solicitation. If such a contact occurs and is found to be prejudicial to competing vendors, the vendor making such a contact may be excluded from award consideration.
(b) Questions will be submitted by email to Susan Salaj, Contracting Officer at susan.h.salaj@uscg.mil and Donald A. Biebel, Contract Specialist, at donald.a.biebel@uscg.mil. Answers to inquiries/questions will be provided to all vendors being solicited, giving due regard to the proper protection of proprietary information.
(c) No information concerning this solicitation will be provided in response to telephone calls.
(d) Prospective Vendors are asked to submit their questions grouped by solicitation section and making reference to the particular paragraph. Questions must be submitted no later than Thursday, 24 October 2024 by 2:00 PM EST. Any questions received after that may not be answered before the solicitation closing date.
INSTRUCTIONS TO QUOTERS
FAR 52.212-1 is incorporated by reference. Additionally, the following instructions apply:
The quotation shall consist of: (1) Signed cover letter certifying that the Quoter has read and agrees to comply with all the conditions and instructions provided in this RFQ document, and all amendments issued; (2) Technical Response (Technical Approach and Prior Experience) to demonstrate understanding and satisfying the Government’s requirement in accordance with Attachment 1 – Statement of Work (SOW); and (3) Price quotation completed in accordance with completed Attachment 3, Price Worksheet.
The quote shall be clear, concise, and shall include sufficient detail for effective evaluation and for substantiating the validity of stated claims. The quote should not simply rephrase or restate the Government’s requirements, but rather shall provide convincing rationale to address how the Vendor intends to meet these requirements. Simply rephrasing or restating of the Government's requirements may result in an evaluation of the quote as unacceptable.
Factor 1 - Technical Approach:
The Vendor shall provide a detailed technical approach that addresses in a clear and concise manner the following elements:
- The contractor’s quote and supporting documentation shall demonstrate an ability to provide the required Memorandums of Agreements (MOA) with participating US States for data sharing (or similar agreement) in alignment with the requirements as detailed Section 2.0 Data Feed Requirements of the SOW.
- The contractor’s quote and supporting documentation shall demonstrate an ability to provide the required data elements in the required data format in alignment with the requirements detailed in Section 2.0 Data Feed Requirements of the SOW.
- The contractor’s quote and supporting documentation shall demonstrate an ability to provide the required continuity of support in alignment with the requirements detailed in Section 3.0 Continuity of Support of the SOW.
Factor 2 - Prior Experience:
The Vendor must furnish at least one (1) but no more than three (3) examples of prior experience in performing the requirements detailed in the SOW. Prior experience examples can be from the Prime Contractor, Teaming Partner(s), and/or Subcontractor, but at least one (1) example must be with the Vendor serving as the Prime Contractor. Examples of prior experience must be for contracts and/or orders that are ongoing or completed within the past two (2) years from the date of the solicitation. The examples, within the page limitations, must collectively demonstrate sufficient experience to support the SOW requirements.
Vendors shall furnish examples of experience that collectively demonstrate results in all the following areas:
- Experience entering MOAs with participating US States for data sharing (or similar agreement) in alignment with the requirements as detailed Section 2.0 Data Feed Requirements of the SOW.
- Experience providing the required data elements in the required data format in alignment with the requirements detailed in Section 2.0 Data Feed Requirements of the SOW.
- Experience providing the required continuity of support in alignment with the requirements detailed in Section 3.0 Continuity of Support of the SOW.
Each prior experience example provided must include an information section detailing: contract number (only one contract number per example), agency or company name for whom the work is being/was performed, period of performance, and a concise description of services provided
The Government is more interested in the quality and similarity of the prior experience examples to the requirements of this SOW than the quantity of examples. The information must be sufficiently detailed that the Government can determine whether the example(s) demonstrate the contractor’s prior experience. The Government will not look up the contract and/or contact any reference to obtain detail lacking from the Vendor’s response.
EVALUATION OF QUOTES
The Government intends to make award to the responsible Vendor that represents the overall best value to the Government, based on a tradeoff amongst all the evaluation factors. The non-price factors, Factor 1 and Factor 2, are listed in descending order of importance. When combined, Factor 1, Technical Approach, and Factor 2, Prior Experience, are more important than Factor 3, Price. In the event the non-price factors are evaluated as equal, price will become a major consideration in selecting the successful Vendor.
Vendors are reminded that the USCG is not obligated to make an award on the basis of lowest proposed price, or to the vendor with the highest technical evaluation rating. Although for this procurement, technical approach merits are considered more important than price, pricing factors and USCG budget may also be considered.
The Government intends to evaluate quotes and award without exchanges with Vendors. However, the Government reserves the right to enter into exchanges with one or more Vendors, not necessarily all Vendor(s), on any evaluation factor or other aspect of the submission based on which Vendor(s) is the most competitive and/or has the highest potential to provide the best value to the Government if the Contracting Officer determines it is in the best interests of the Government to do so. The Government may reject any or all quotes if such action is in the public interest and waive informalities and minor irregularities in quotes received. The Vendors should therefore quote their best approach to meeting the requirements of the RFQ.
Before evaluating quotes, the USCG will review the quotes to ensure that all required volumes/information have been included. If a Vendor does not submit all required volumes/information, the vendor’s submission may be rejected, and the vendor will be ineligible for award. Additionally, the USCG reserves the right to reject and not evaluate or consider for award any quote that does not adhere to the administrative requirements and submission instructions of this RFQ.
The Coast Guard will evaluate the overall quality, reasonableness and soundness of the contractor’s technical approach as it relates to understanding and satisfying the Government’s requirement in accordance with the SOW.
- Factor 1 -Technical Approach
The Government will evaluate its overall confidence in the Vendor’s Technical Approach to the following elements:
- Approach to provide the required MOAs with participating US States for data sharing (or similar agreement) in alignment with the requirements as detailed Section 2.0 Data Feed Requirements of the SOW.
- Approach to provide the required data elements in the required data format in alignment with the requirements detailed in Section 2.0 Data Feed Requirements of the SOW.
- Approach to provide the required continuity of support in alignment with the requirements detailed in Section 3.0 Continuity of Support of the SOW.
- Factor 2 - Prior Experience:
The Government will evaluate the Vendor’s Prior Experience to determine if the examples are ongoing or completed within two years of the date of solicitation, at least one example is the vendor performing as a prime contractor, and the examples collectively demonstrate experience in all the following areas:
- Experience entering MOAs with participating US States for data sharing (or similar agreement) in alignment with the requirements as detailed Section 2.0 Data Feed Requirements of the SOW.
- Experience providing the required data elements in the required data format in alignment with the requirements detailed in Section 2.0 Data Feed Requirements of the SOW.
- Experience providing the required continuity of support in alignment with the requirements detailed in Section 3.0 Continuity of Support of the SOW.
- Price/Cost: The Vendor’s quotation must include pricing for each of the five (5) CLINs listed on Attachment 3 – Price Worksheet, as well as a total price for the entire 60 month (5 Year) period of performance.
The USCG will evaluate the total evaluated price for reasonableness. The total evaluated price consists of the sum of all the CLINs for the base period, and all option periods as identified in Attachment #3, Price Worksheet. Note: Evaluation of optional services and CLINs and option periods will not obligate the USCG to exercise the option(s).
