Software Tool Services to Support Open Ontology Standard Development Release

Amendment 002: The purpose of this amendment is to provide answers to contractor questions and to provide a revised Statement of Work which reflect the answers to questions. The revised Statement of Work uses tracked changes. The quotation deadline remains 11:00 AM ET on May 27, 2022. All other terms and conditions also remain unchanged. __________________ Amendment 001: The purpose of this amendment is to extend the solicitation through 11:00 AM ET on May 27, 2022 to provide additional time for the Government to review and respond to questions received. Another amendment will be posted with questions and answers as soon as possible. __________________ Software Tool Services to Support Open Ontology Standard Development and Release This is a Combined Synopsis / Solicitation for Commercial Items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6 - Streamlined Procedures for Evaluation and Solicitation of Commercial Items - as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. The solicitation is issued using simplified acquisition procedures under the authority of FAR Part 13. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION. QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT (i.e. STANDARD FORM) WILL NOT BE ISSUED. This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2022-06 dated May 1, 2022. The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 541511 - Custom Computer Programming Services. The small business size standard is $30 Million. This request for quotation is unrestricted. DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENTS Background The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is conducting research in smart manufacturing systems integration with a focus on information standards for systems integration. One of the advancements in information standards for smart manufacturing is the use of formal ontologies. Ontologies, in this context, are used to model semantics of data by means of logical expression. While many data standards used in industry today rely on natural language descriptions to convey data semantics, logical expression of data semantics allows for more precise data interpretation and processing by both machines and humans. With the availability of internet-based standards for exchanging ontologies, such as Web Ontology Language (OWL), and the increasing commercial support for storage and processing of large graph data, the manufacturing industry is increasingly interested in ontologies for describing its data. Such ontologies promise a new era of manufacturing information interoperability. NIST is currently partnering with and participating in a standards consortium, the Industrial Ontology Foundry (IOF), to develop a suite of ontologies for the manufacturing sector. Though guidelines, core ontology, and subdomain ontologies are being developed with NIST involvement, the process requires additional infrastructure to support and sustain the collaborative and distributed development and the publication of these modular ontologies. In support of the NIST mission to advance standards to enhance economic security, NIST seeks contractor support to develop and deliver an infrastructure to enable the deployment and quality of industrial ontologies developed by the IOF and NIST Objectives The purpose of this procurement is to procure contractor services to recommend, modify, and/or develop software and documentation resources that will streamline the ontology publishing process. This work shall enable NIST in partnership with the IOF to robustly address US industry requirements for standard ontologies. This ontology publishing process shall include encoding, sharing, revising, storing, commenting, controlling quality, and releasing ontologies. In conjunction with NIST, the contractor shall work with the IOF Technical Oversight Board (TOB), of which NIST is already a part, and at least one IOF working group to demonstrate that the new resources can streamline the publication of one or more new ontology modules as well as any changes to existing ontology modules needed to support the new module. Scope of Work & Specific Tasks Please see the attached Statement of Work. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The period of performance shall be one year from date of award. CONTRACT TYPE & PAYMENT TERMS A firm fixed price purchase order is anticipated. Payment shall be made on a NET30 basis after delivery of services. APPLICABLE PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES Please see the attached document for applicable provisions and clauses. QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD CAR 1352.215-73 INQUIRIES (APR 2010): Quoters must submit all questions concerning this solicitation in writing electronically to Ms. Lauren Roller, Contract Specialist, at contact@example.gov. Questions must be received by or before May 13, 2022 at 11:00 AM ET. Any responses to questions will be made in writing, without identification of the questioner, and will be included in an amendment to the solicitation. Even if provided in other form, only the question responses included in the amendment to the solicitation will govern performance of the contract. (End of Provision). DUE DATE FOR QUOTATIONS All quotations must be submitted via email to Ms. Lauren Roller, Contract Specialist, at contact@example.gov. Submission must be received not later than May 27, 2022 at 11:00 AM ET. Note: Quoters must have an active registration at www.SAM.gov at time of offer submission to be considered for award. INSTRUCTIONS TO QUOTERS The Quoter's quotation shall be submitted electronically via email and shall consist of two volumes as detailed below. Each quotation volume shall include the Quoter's name, Unique Entity ID (UEI) number, and point of contact information in a cover page, header/footer, or other easily identified location. The Contracting Officer intends to award a purchase order without discussions but reserves the right to enter into discussions if in the best interest of the Government. Volume 1: Technical Response This volume shall contain the Quoter's technical response. The technical response (not including table of contents, provision responses, past performance, or key personnel resume(s)) shall not exceed ten (10) single sided pages. Text shall be no less than 12-point Arial or otherwise reasonably legible font in read-only Microsoft Word or searchable Adobe PDF format. The technical response shall include the name, title, phone number, and email address of the Quoter's primary point of contact and the individual authorized to negotiate on behalf of the Quoter (if negotiations are determined to be necessary). The technical response shall include: Completed provision responses, from the provisions attached to this solicitation. Provisions requiring response are highlighted in yellow. A narrative description of the Quoter's technical approach The resume(s) of proposed key personnel. Past performance information for at three (3) purchase orders or contracts in which the Quoter performed work similar to the scope of this requirement. Past performance information provided shall be for work completed or substantially completed within the past five (5) years. Past Performance shall include the following information: Name of the Organization Supported Organization Point of Contact with Current Phone Number and Email Address Contract Number Period of Performance Dollar Value of the Contract Narrative describing the services performed. The narrative should make clear similarities to the scope of work outlined in this solicitation. Volume 2: Price Quotation This volume shall contain the Quoter's price quotation in read-only Microsoft Excel format, or in searchable PDF format. All figures must be rounded to the nearest hundredth. Price quotations shall be submitted on a firm fixed price basis in accordance with the contract line item numbering structure identified in this solicitation. Quotations shall be valid for 90 days after solicitation close. To assist the Government in evaluating firm fixed price quotations, the Quoter shall provide a breakdown of the quoted level of effort and labor rates. Quoters shall also include a proposed fixed price payment schedule based on deliverables in the Statement of Work. CONTRACT LINE ITEM STRUCTURE: Responsible Quoters shall provide pricing for the following line item: LINE ITEM 0001: Open Ontology Standard Development and Release in accordance with the attached Statement of Work EVALUATION CRITERIA AND BASIS FOR AWARD The Government intends to award a purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible Quoter whose quotation, conforming to the solicitation, represents best value to the Agency. Best value shall be determined using the trade-off evaluation method. Quotations shall be evaluated against the following non-price evaluation factors and price. Non-price evaluation factors are in descending order of importance: 1) Technical Approach, 2) Key Personnel, 3) Past Performance, and 4) Price. All non-price factors, when combined, are somewhat more important than price. The Government anticipates making an award without discussions. It is requested that the contractor submit its best quotation and the contractor is encouraged to provide discounts. 1. Technical Approach The Government will evaluate the proposed technical approach for overall understanding of the Government's requirements, realism and expected effectiveness. 2. Key Personnel The Government will evaluate the extent to which the resume submitted for the quoter's proposed key personnel demonstrates the proposed individual has the appropriate education, qualifications, and experience to efficiently and effectively address requirements in accordance with the Statement of Work. 3. Past Performance The evaluation of past performance information will consider the extent to which the Quoter's past performance for work completed or substantially completed within the last five years demonstrates the capability and capacity to successfully provide the currently required services. The Government may contact provided references. The Government may also use data obtained from other sources. The Government will consider the relevance of the Quoter's previous contracts to the subject requirement, and the Quoter's performance on the previous contracts. Quoters without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available, will not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on Past Performance, and will be assigned a Neutral rating. 4. Price Pricing will be evaluated but not scored. Price evaluation will determine whether the quoted prices are complete and reasonable in relation to the requirements and based on what a prudent person would pay in the marketplace.