Economic Report

(i) 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. (ii) This solicitation is issued as Request for Quote (RFQ) # CEA-GEN-R-10-0015. (iii) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-43, effective August 2, 2010. (iv) This procurement is a small business set-aside under NAICS code 541990. (v) Firm-Fixed Price Contract Line Items are to be proposed by the Offeror for developmental editing and copy editing of the annual Council of Economic Advisors Economic Report of the President. Historically, the services required by this Statement of Work has been completed within 240 hours per reporting period. Item # Service/Supply Unit Price CLIN #1 Council of Economic Advisers 2011 Economic Report CLIN #2 Council of Economic Advisers 2012 Economic Report CLIN #3 Council of Economic Advisers 2013 Economic Report (vi) Description of Requirements STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW) 1. INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND The Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) is required by law to publish annually the "Economic Report of the President." To ensure that the Council is issuing a first-class publication, editing services are required. 2. OBJECTIVE The objective of this Statement of Work is to obtain services for the editing of CEA's 2011, 2012 and 2013 Economic Report of the President. 3. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS 3.1 Scope of Work The Contractor will receive material from the Government according to the attached schedule (the 2012 and 2013 schedule will be provided prior to execution of the option period) and edit the material on-screen, using Microsoft Word. The Contractor shall use MS Word and be required to use the Track Changes (a redline/strikeout) feature, provide a printed copy or electronic file of such to Authors, CEA Members and other CEA interested parties. The Contractor will receive Author's comments and make final edits for each round of each chapter. The Chapter Authors in conjunction with CEA Council Members will have final approval over all Contextual changes as communicated by the Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR). The Contractor shall also meet with Chapter Authors, conferring with economists and statisticians on a mutually agreed-upon schedule. There may be various considerations causing changes to include entire parts of chapters to be rewritten and re-edited. The Contractor shall be responsible for providing contextual support on the entire report. Also, newly released data is required to be added regularly as data is received and the contractor is responsible for the re-editing of whatever material is affected. Due to the mission of the Agency, any number of priorities may preclude some of the CEA employees from meeting the attached schedule deadlines and CEA reserves the right to amend the schedule during the process, if necessary. This may require the Contractor to work late nights, weekends, and holidays to provide the edited MS Word version of the Economic Report of the President according to the schedule. 3.2 Schedule The Contractor shall assist the Council in preparing the Report according to the attached schedule (See Attachment A). 4. DELIVERABLES 4.1 Weekly Progress Report The Contractor shall provide to the COTR a weekly progress report that documents the status of this project. Include information on any problems encountered, recommendations, and updated plans to meet schedule and ensure quality. Progress reports shall be turned in each Friday, by 12:00 noon. 4.2 Final Report/Payment The Contractor shall invoice annually, upon successful completion of the project, which includes providing the MS Word files for the respective report year. Reports shall be due annually on or by February 14th. 5. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED RESOURCES No Government furnished resources will be provided. 6. KEY PERSONNEL Certain skilled experienced professional and/or technical personnel are essential for accomplishing the work to be performed. These individuals are defined as "Key Personnel" and are those persons whose resumes were submitted and marked by the vendor as "Key Personnel". No substitutions shall be made of accepted key personnel except for sudden illness or death, or termination of employment. Substitutions shall only be accepted if in compliance with "Substitution of Key Personnel" provision identified below. 7. SUBSTITUTION OF PERSONNEL All contractor requests for approval of substitutions hereunder shall be submitted in writing to the COTR and the Contracting Officer at least twenty-five (25) calendar days in advance of the effective date, whenever possible, and shall provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitution, a complete resume for the proposed substitute, and any other information requested by the Contracting Officer necessary to approve or disapprove the proposed substitution. The COTR and the Contracting Officer will evaluate such requests and promptly notify the Contractor of approval or disapproval in writing. All substitution of key personnel will follow the security requirements outlined in Section 10 of this document. The Government reserves the right to require removal of any personnel without penalty at any time during the term of this order. 8. ADMINISTRATIVE CONSIDERATIONS 8.1 Authorities of Government Personnel 8.1.1 Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) To be determined at contract award. The COTR will monitor all technical aspects of the contract. The types of actions within the purview of the COTR's authority are assuring that the contractor performs the technical requirements of the contract, and notifying both the contractor and the Contracting Officer of any deficiencies observed. A letter of designation will be issued to both the COTR and the contractor at the time of contract award setting forth the specific duties of the COTR for this contract. It is important to note that while the COTR will be responsible for administering performance of work under this contract, in no event will any understanding, agreement, modification, change order, or other matter deviating from the terms of this contract be effective or binding upon the Government unless contractual documents effecting such change are executed by the Contracting Officer prior to completion of the contract. 8.1.2 Contracting Officer (CO) All contract administration will be handled by the Contracting Officer. All communications pertaining to contractual and/or administrative matters under the contract should be addressed to: Ms. Doris Wood Office of the Chief Procurement and Contract Management Officer Office of Chief Financial Officer Office of Administration Executive Office of the President (EOP) Telephone : 202-395-1126 Fax: 202-395-3982 9.0 Invoice Requirements 9.1 Address for Submission of Invoices The Contractor shall submit invoices via email (.pdf format) for services performed, to the following: Financial Management Division Office of Administration invoices@oa.eop.gov Address questions to: (202)395-7259 9.2 Invoice Description Invoices shall be submitted to the Government office designated in the contract to receive invoices. To constitute a proper invoice, the invoice must include the following information and/or documentation: a. Name of business concern and invoice date b. Contract or order number, or other authorization for delivery of property or services c. Description, price, and quantity of goods/services actually delivered or rendered for each item billed d. Shipping and payment terms e. Name (where practicable, title, phone number, and complete mailing address of responsible official to whom payment is to be sent). The "remit to" address must correspond to the remittance address in the contract. f. Other substantiating documentation or information as required by the contract 10. SECURITY AND PRIVACY 10.1 Clearances Access to the Government facilities will require a clearance by the EOP Security Office. 10.2 Security Requirements 10.2.1 Personnel All data and information that is required in the performance of this purchase order is unclassified. However, access to the White House Complex (including the New Executive Office Building and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building) requires approval by the EOP Security Office. Approval is granted after suitability is determined by considering the results from a name check performed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Contractors must allow ten working days prior to the projected start date for a name check to be processed and approved by the Security Office. It is the Contractor's responsibility to provide personnel who will meet EOP personnel security requirements and to ensure that access requirements are satisfied in a timely manner. All personnel must be 18 years of age and U.S. citizens. Personnel who require access to the complex for longer than 90 days will also be required to undergo a full field FBI investigation, and other background investigations as deemed appropriate. The Contractor must provide information to complete the full field background investigation within 2 weeks after their start date at the White House Complex or within 2 weeks of being notified that their work will extend for longer than a 90 day period. Permanent access (access beyond 90 days) is only granted when results of the investigations are reviewed and approved by officials within the EOP Security Office. Personnel must provide all information requested to ensure that background investigations are properly processed. The Contractor is responsible for ensuring that all staff follows EOP check out procedures when access is no longer required. Departing personnel must return building passes to the EOP Security Office where they will obtain instructions for checking out of the complex. 10.2.2 Computer Security All contractors accessing EOP systems shall be required to comply with all computer security policies and practices of the EOP. In addition, contractor personnel who are granted special access privileges to perform system administrator functions will be required to sign a Special Access Privileges Agreement. This agreement ensures that privileges will only be used for required functional purposes. The Contractor will also: Ensure that the design, development, maintenance and operation of any system they are tasked to support is conducted in compliance with regulatory and EOP procedural requirements. For system development projects, a system specific security plan must be prepared and presented to the COTR and the EOP Security Office for approval prior to implementation. Unless approved by the COTR and the EOP Security Office, the Contractor will not: Load commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, custom-developed software, shareware, freeware, or other software onto any EOP workstation or server. - Modifications to the standard software configurations must be approved by the IS&T Change Management Committee prior to implementation. - Load or implement any network monitoring or scanning tools. - Make any modification to EOP Perimeter Controls (firewalls, routers, ACE Servers, Modems, etc). Through the COTR, the Contractor should consult with the EOP Security Office when there is any question concerning EOP computer security policies and procedures. 11. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS 11.1 Prohibition Against Advertising of Award The Contractor shall not refer to this award in commercial advertising, or similar promotions, in such a manner as to state or to imply that the product or services provided is endorsed, preferred, or is considered superior to other products or services by the Executive Office of the President (EOP), the Office of Administration, or the White House. This includes advertising, or similar promotions, in all forms or electronic, broadcast, and print media. In addition, the Contractor is restricted from reproducing the image(s) of the Office of Administration, Executive Office of the President, or the White House in any form of commercial advertising, or similar promotion. This includes images of official seals and buildings. The reproduction of official seals and the images of buildings are a matter controlled by regulation and Executive Order. Any proposed usage of such symbols must be brought to the attention of the Contracting Officer (CO). 11.2 RESTRICTION AGAINST DISCLOSURE The contractor agrees, in the performance of this contract, to keep the information contained in the source documents and otherwise furnished by the government in the strictest confidence, said information being the sole property of the government. The contractor also agrees not to publish, reproduce or otherwise divulge such information, in whole or in part, in any manner or form, nor authorize or permit others to do so, taking reasonable measures as are necessary to restrict access to the information, while in its possession, to those employees who must have the information to perform the work required herein on a "need-to-know" basis, and agrees to immediately notify the contracting officer in writing, in the event the contractor determines, or has reason to suspect, a breach of this requirement. The contractor is responsible for ensuring all employees involved in the performance of this contract complete an "Executive Office of the President Non-Disclosure Agreement" form. The contractor shall provide the original signed statement for each employee to the contracting officer prior to each employee beginning work. 11.3 Potential Conflicts of Interest (a) The Contractor shall inform the Contracting Officer whether or not, to the best of its knowledge and belief, it has or does not have any organizational or personal conflicts of interest as defined below: (1) "Organizational conflict of interest" means a situation in which the Contractor has interests, either due to its other activities or its relationships with other organizations, which place it in a position that may be unsatisfactory or unfavorable (1) from the Government's standpoint in being able to secure impartial, technically sound, objective assistance, and advice from the Contractor, or (2) from industry's standpoint in that unfair competitive advantages may accrue to the Contractor in question. (b) Personal conflicts of interest will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Depending on the severity of the conflict, alternative staff can be appointed to work on the case. If that solution does not remove the conflict or even the appearance of conflict of interest, the Contractor shall be excused by the Government and another Contractor shall be used instead. (c) The Contractor agrees that, if after award he discovers or creates an organizational, or personal conflict of interest with respect to the project, it shall make an immediate and full disclosure in writing to the COTR which shall include a description of the action which the Contractor has taken or proposes to take to avoid, eliminate or neutralize the conflict. The Government may, however, terminate the purchase order for the Convenience of the Government if it would be in the best interest of the Government. (d) In the event that the Contractor was aware of organizational, or personal conflict of interest prior to the award of the purchase order and intentionally did not disclose the conflict to the Contracting Officer, the Government may terminate the purchase order at no cost to the Government and demand payment of any out-of-pocket costs including re-issuance of the order. (e) The Contractor shall also inform the COTR of any business or other relationships, which create a potential conflict of interest, or which might present an appearance of a conflict of interest on the part of the Contractor or the Contractor's employees, including all instances in which a former or existing client of the Contractor's is or is likely to become the subject of a lawsuit. In addition, the Contractor must agree that any information provided to the Contractor in the course of the project is confidential and cannot be used for financial gain. (vii) DATE OF DELIVERY The period of performance is for one-base year and two option years as stated below: Base September 27, 2010 - September 26, 2011 Option Year 1 September 27, 2011 - September 26, 2012 Option Year 2 September 27, 2012 - September 26, 2013 (viii) 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items (JUNE 2008) (a) North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code and small business size standard. The NAICS code and small business size standard for this acquisition appear on page 1 of the solicitation. However, the small business size standard for a concern which submits an offer in its own name, but which proposes to furnish an item which it did not itself manufacture, is 500 employees The following paragraphs are not applicable within this clause: Paragraphs (d) Product Samples, (e) Multiple offers, (h) Multiple awards and (i) Availability of Requirements documents cited in the solicitation. (b) Submission of offers. Submit signed and dated offers by 4:00 pm Eastern Standard Daylight Savings Time, September 8, 2010 to Doris Wood by email dwood@oa.eop.gov and to solicitations@oa.eop.gov As a minimum, offers must show- (1) The solicitation number; (2) The name, address, email address and telephone number of the offeror; (3) Contractor shall provide resumes of personnel, limited to 2 pages per resume. Descriptions shall address such items as the individual's background, education, work experience, accomplishments and how they are relevant to the functions, the individual will perform under this purchase order. (4) Offeror shall state the company's DUNS code. Offeror must be registered in Central Contractor's Registration (www.ccr.gov) in order to be eligible for award; (5) Offeror shall include a statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation. (6) Price Proposal: 1. Offerors shall provide a firm fixed price for the base year and optional period. 2. Offeror shall include a statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation. (7) Acknowledgment of Solicitation Amendments; (8) A completed copy of the representations and certifications at FAR 52.212-3 (see FAR 52.212-3(b) for those representations and certifications that the offeror shall complete electronically); (9) Acknowledgment of Solicitation Amendments; (10) Past performance information, when included as an evaluation factor, to include recent and relevant contracts for the same or similar items and other references (including contract numbers, points of contact with telephone numbers and other relevant information); and (11) If the offer is not submitted on the SF 1449, include a statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation. Offers that fail to furnish required representations or information, or reject the terms and conditions of the solicitation may be excluded from consideration. (c) Period for acceptance of offers. The offeror agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm for 30 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers, unless another time period is specified in an addendum to the solicitation. (f) Late submissions, modifications, revisions, and withdrawals of offers. (1) Offerors are responsible for submitting offers, and any modifications, revisions, or withdrawals, so as to reach the Government office designated in the solicitation by the time specified in the solicitation. If no time is specified in the solicitation, the time for receipt is 4:30 p.m., local time, for the designated Government office on the date that offers or revisions are due. (2)(i) Any offer, modification, revision, or withdrawal of an offer received at the Government office designated in the solicitation after the exact time specified for receipt of offers is "late" and will not be considered unless it is received before award is made, the Contracting Officer determines that accepting the late offer would not unduly delay the acquisition; and- (A) If it was transmitted through an electronic commerce method authorized by the solicitation, it was received at the initial point of entry to the Government infrastructure not later than 5:00 p.m. one working day prior to the date specified for receipt of offers; or (B) There is acceptable evidence to establish that it was received at the Government installation designated for receipt of offers and was under the Government's control prior to the time set for receipt of offers; or (C) If this solicitation is a request for proposals, it was the only proposal received. (ii) However, a late modification of an otherwise successful offer, that makes its terms more favorable to the Government, will be considered at any time it is received and may be accepted. (3) Acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at the Government installation includes the time/date stamp of that installation on the offer wrapper, other documentary evidence of receipt maintained by the installation, or oral testimony or statements of Government personnel. (4) If an emergency or unanticipated event interrupts normal Government processes so that offers cannot be received at the Government office designated for receipt of offers by the exact time specified in the solicitation, and urgent Government requirements preclude amendment of the solicitation or other notice of an extension of the closing date, the time specified for receipt of offers will be deemed to be extended to the same time of day specified in the solicitation on the first work day on which normal Government processes resume. (5) Offers may be withdrawn by written notice received at any time before the exact time set for receipt of offers. Oral offers in response to oral solicitations may be withdrawn orally. If the solicitation authorizes facsimile offers, offers may be withdrawn via facsimile received at any time before the exact time set for receipt of offers, subject to the conditions specified in the solicitation concerning facsimile offers. An offer may be withdrawn in person by an offeror or its authorized representative if, before the exact time set for receipt of offers, the identity of the person requesting withdrawal is established and the person signs a receipt for the offer. (g) Contract award (not applicable to Invitation for Bids). The Government intends to evaluate offers and award a contract without discussions with offerors. Therefore, the offeror's initial offer should contain the offeror's best terms from a price and technical standpoint. However, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if later determined by the Contracting Officer to be necessary. The Government may reject any or all offers if such action is in the public interest; accept other than the lowest offer; and waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received. (j) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number. (Applies to all offers exceeding $3,000, and offers of $3,000 or less if the solicitation requires the Contractor to be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database.) The offeror shall enter, in the block with its name and address on the cover page of its offer, the annotation "DUNS" or "DUNS+4" followed by the DUNS or DUNS+4 number that identifies the offeror's name and address. The DUNS+4 is the DUNS number plus a 4-character suffix that may be assigned at the discretion of the offeror to establish additional CCR records for identifying alternative Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) accounts (see FAR Subpart 32.11) for the same concern. If the offeror does not have a DUNS number, it should contact Dun and Bradstreet directly to obtain one. An offeror within the United States may contact Dun and Bradstreet by calling 1-866-705-5711 or via the internet at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. An offeror located outside the United States must contact the local Dun and Bradstreet office for a DUNS number. The offeror should indicate that it is an offeror for a Government contract when contacting the local Dun and Bradstreet office. (k) Central Contractor Registration. Unless exempted by an addendum to this solicitation, by submission of an offer, the offeror acknowledges the requirement that a prospective awardee shall be registered in the CCR database prior to award, during performance and through final payment of any contract resulting from this solicitation. If the Offeror does not become registered in the CCR database in the time prescribed by the Contracting Officer, the Contracting Officer will proceed to award to the next otherwise successful registered Offeror. Offerors may obtain information on registration and annual confirmation requirements via the internet at http://www.ccr.gov or by calling 1-888-227-2423 or 269-961-5757. (l) Debriefing. If a post-award debriefing is given to requesting offerors, the Government shall disclose the following information, if applicable: (1) The agency's evaluation of the significant weak or deficient factors in the debriefed offeror's offer. (2) The overall evaluated cost or price and technical rating of the successful and the debriefed offeror and past performance information on the debriefed offeror. (3) The overall ranking of all offerors, when any ranking was developed by the agency during source selection. (4) A summary of the rationale for award; (5) For acquisitions of commercial items, the make and model of the item to be delivered by the successful offeror. (6) Reasonable responses to relevant questions posed by the debriefed offeror as to whether source-selection procedures set forth in the solicitation, applicable regulations, and other applicable authorities were followed by the agency. (End of provision) 11.4 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS The Contractor shall submit their questions via e-mail to the Contracting Officer at dwood@oa.eop.gov and solicitations@oa.eop.gov by August 31, 2010. The Contractor shall submit Parts I and II of the Quote in separate electronic files by 4:00 p.m. on September 8, 2010 on the Standard Form 1449. Quotes shall be submitted by the designated due date/time to: dwood@oa.eop.gov and Solicitations@oa.eop.gov. Your entire offer must be received by the time and date specified above in order to be considered for award. Part I, is the written Cost/Price Quote and shall contain the following: - Request For Quote / Contract / Order for Commercial Items (SF 1449) - Price Schedule pages 2-4 - Cost/Price Supporting Data - Assumptions Part II, is the written Technical Quote and shall contain the following: (Sections shall be separated and appropriately labeled.) - Management Plan - Past Performance - Assumptions 11.5 SUBMISSION OF THE WRITTEN PRICE QUOTE (PART I) The quote shall contain the following: a. Solicitation / Contract / Request For Quote SF 1449) When completed and signed by the Contractor constitutes the Contractor's acceptance of the terms and conditions of the RFQ. Therefore, the SF1449 must be executed by representatives of the Contractor authorized to commit the Contractor to contractual obligations. b. Price Schedule (Pages 2-4) The Contractor shall provide firm fixed prices for each deliverable for each year of the contract. c. Price Supporting Documentation The information requested in the quote is required to enable the Government to perform a price analysis. The Contractor is required to provide full back-up documentation for the firm-fixed price for each Deliverable. The back-up documentation shall detail the labor categories to be used, labor rates and number of hours used to calculate the firm, fixed-price. d. Assumptions Contractors must submit assumptions, if any, upon which the Price Quote is based. 11.6 SUBMISSION OF THE WRITTEN TECHNICAL QUOTE NOTE: Various sections have page and size limitations. Page size shall not exceed 45 lines per page and print size shall be no smaller than 12 characters per inch. Any pages submitted which exceed the page or line limitations will be returned to the Offeror. The Technical Quote shall consist of the following: a. Management Plan The Contractor shall provide a Management Plan describing its proposed management and performance of this effort and the experience and capability, roles and responsibilities for each of the personnel on your proposed project team to support the tasks described in the Statement of Work. The Contractor shall identify the individual who will act as overall project manager and coordinator, and who will serve as a point of contact for its organization. If subcontractors are proposed, the Contractor shall include a brief history of its relationship with this resource and how you propose to manage and assure the quality of work provided by them. The discussion should also include the Contractor's and Subcontractor's physical location that will be used to accomplish services. The Contractor shall provide resumes of proposed staff, including subcontractors limited to 2 pages per resume (no limit on number of resumes). Descriptions shall address such items as the individual's background, education, work experience, and accomplishments. Resumes should clearly illustrate experience and qualifications as stipulated below. EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS The desired qualifications and experience are: ? Recent experience editing 300 + page documents with short deadlines ? Ability to work quickly and efficiently to edit a publication, which in recent years has run to 300 pages of text, charts, tables, and text boxes ? Extensive knowledge of economic and statistical disciplines and related experience editing economic publications ? A high level of comfort with economic concepts, sufficient to convey information to subject matter specialists ? Exceptional editing skills b. Past Performance Contractor shall complete and submit summaries for three (3) relevant work projects. Each reference is limited to 2 pages. Identify contracts/task orders with the Federal Government and/or commercial customers that demonstrate recent and relevant past performance related to the purpose, scope and complexity of this requirement. Recent is defined as within the last three years. Relevant is defined as experience in providing consulting services in program evaluation. Past performance references shall include the following information: - Government Agency/Organization; - Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR's)/Point of Contact (POC) name, address, telephone number and email address; - Contracting Officer's name, address, telephone number; and email address - Contract and, if applicable, task order number; - Current status, e.g., completed and/or, if in progress, start and estimated completion dates; - Dollar value and type of contract; - Name of company being referenced; - SOW paragraphs that the reference applies to; - Key personnel (please highlight those individuals who worked on the conference and who are also proposed for this effort); and - A brief narrative of why you deem the reference to be relevant to this effort. NOTE: The Contractor is responsible for ensuring information provided on the Agency/Organization's points of contacts is accurate and complete. Contractor shall ensure that the points of contacts listed are aware they may be contacted for performance feedback. It is critical that the Contractor include the CO and COTR telephone number and email address. The Government may also consider information obtained through other sources. c. Price Quote The price quote shall consi...