U -- C-130 Maintenance Training

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, in conjunction with FAR 13.5, and as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation number is HSCG23-08-R-PBF033 and is issued as a request for proposal (RFP). This RFP incorporates provisions and clauses that are in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-18. The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 611699 with a small business size standard of $6,500,000.00 and is issued on a full and open basis. The deadline for submitting a proposal is: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 12:00 PM, local time. As a result of this solicitation, it is anticipated that a Firm-Fixed Priced Indefinite Delivery-Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) type contract with provisions for issuance of delivery orders will be awarded. The period of performance will be five (5) years from date of award. Under this contract, the Government agrees to purchase a minimum of seven (7) courses ? one class each line item - for the base year. The maximum amount of courses for the base year is twenty-eight (28) courses ? four (4) classes for each line item ? for C-130 training services as described in the Statement of Work (SOW) which will be posted as Amendment 0001 to this solicitation. The minimum number of students to be provided training is 46 per year as detailed in the attached SOW. The maximum number of students to be provided training is 184 per year. The maximum ordering amount over the life of this five year contract is $2,500,000.00. All line items shall be Firm-Fixed Price (FFP). The contractor will be reimbursed at the line item rate in effect at the time the task order is awarded. The U.S. Coast Guard has a requirement for a contractor to instruct a series of courses designed to provide Coast Guard personnel C-130H Maintenance Training. Course titles, number of students and frequency are in the attached Statement of Work document. Class commencement shall occur no less than fifteen (15) days nor more than forty five (45) days after award of a task order, unless an earlier or later date is mutually agreed upon by the contractor and the USCG. The contractor will not be required to provide more than one class of a specific line item at the same time. The contractor may be required to provide different line items at the same time. Training requirements: The Coast Guard requires cost effective training that is consistent with Coast Guard C-130H aircraft standards and procedures. All material will be based on, and in accordance with, Coast Guard maintenance manuals and directives. Instructors should be professionally trained in technical as well as educational fields and possess the broad background, technical capability, and practical experience relating to current aerospace and training technology. Instructional capabilities shall encompass a wide range of C-130 subjects including basic electrical, mechanical/hydraulic, environmental, fuel, airframe, guidance systems, and auxiliary power unit (APU) systems. This also includes concepts of organizational and intermediate levels of maintenance, and depot overhaul of aircraft mechanical components. Computer aided instruction along with approved aircraft technical manuals should be used in actual aircraft maintenance procedures. The Contractor must have a working knowledge of USCG C-130 operations such that training is based upon Coast Guard publications and regulations utilizing Coast Guard checklists and operational procedures. Aircraft systems curriculum must be based on current Coast Guard configured C-130?s. Modern instructional methods shall be employed to deliver training programs that are based on the most critical skills needed by the technician on the job and produces aircrew and maintenance personnel that supports this aircraft. Maintenance training courses shall consist of at least 50% hands-on instruction. At the completion of training, students should possess knowledge of C-130 Hercules data for operation, inspection, and maintenance, and be familiar with aircraft characteristics, subsystems, component location and maintenance requirements. Terms and Conditions, Course Titles and frequencies and Instruction to Offerors are in the attached Statement of Work Document. BASIS FOR AWARD: In accordance with FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation--Commercial Items, the Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer?s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award APPLICABLE PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES: The following FAR provisions and clauses apply to this solicitation: (1) FAR 52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998). This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this address: http://www.arnet.gov; Offerors are required to submit on-line Reps & Certs (see https://orca.bpn.gov/). The following Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) provisions and clauses in their latest editions apply to this solicitation: 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors -- Commercial Items (Sep 2006), 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications -- Commercial Items (Nov 2006), 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions -- Commercial Items (Feb 2007), is incorporated by reference into the solicitation. The following terms and conditions are added as an addendum to this clause: 52.216-18 (insert: date of award through five years from date of award); 52.216-19 (insert: (1) Minimum order: $2,500.00, (2) Maximum single order: In excess of 4 classes per year for a single item; Any combination of items in excess of 28 classes per year; (3) A series of orders from the same ordering office within 60 days that together call for quantities exceeding the limitation in paragraph (b)(1) or (2) of this section; (insert 30 days after issuance); 52.216-22 (insert: the date specified in the order); 52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (Mar 2000); 52.217-5 Evaluation of Options (Jul 1990); 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders -- Commercial Items (Nov 2006) ? the following clauses incorporated in 52.212-5 are also applicable: 52.203-6 Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government (Sep 2006), with Alternate I (Oct 1995), 52.219-4, Notice of Price Evaluation Preference for HUBZone Small Business Concerns (Jul 2005), 52.219-8 Utilization of Small Business Concerns (May 2004), 52.219-9 Small Business Subcontracting Plan (Sep 2006), 52.219-16 Liquidated Damages -- Subcontracting Plan (Jan 1999), 52.219-23 -- Notice of Price Evaluation Adjustment for Small Disadvantaged Business Concerns (Sep 2005) Note: Fill-in for clause is 10%, 52.222-3 Convict Labor (June 2003), 52.222-21 Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Feb 1999), 52.222-26 Equal Opportunity (Apr 2002), 52.222-35 Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans (Sep 2006), 52.222-36 Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities (Jun 1998), 52.222-37 Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans (Sep 2006), 52.225-13 Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (Feb 2006), 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer -- Central Contractor Registration (Oct. 2003), - an award can only be made to contractors registered in the Central Contractor Registration (http://www.ccr.gov). Homeland Security Acquisition Regulation (HSAR) Clauses 3052.209-70, Prohibition on Contracts with Corporate Expatriates, 3052.242-72 Contracting Officer Technical Representative. The USCG reserves the right to award without discussions. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS: Proposals are limited to fifty (50) pages total. Offerors shall propose a firm-fixed price on a per year basis. Offerors are required to submit a Technical and Price Proposal. An adequate price breakdown must be included in your quote which will indicate the unit price of each course and total price per year. Offerors are encouraged to submit their offeror electronically to: wendy.stevenson@uscg.mil no later than 12:00 PM, local time, Wednesday, October 24, 2007. If your offer is being submitted by regular mail, use the following address: Commandant (CG-9121 WS), U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 2100 Second Street, SW, Washington, DC 20593, Attn: Ms. Wendy Stevenson. No facsimile offers will be accepted. All questions should be submitted in writing to Ms. Stevenson at wendy.stevenson@uscg.mil by October 17, 2007. It is each offeror?s responsibility to ensure the offer is received (in total) by the deadline. Offerors are hereby notified that if your proposal is not received by the date, time and location specified in this announcement, it will not be considered. NOTICE FOR FILING AGENCY PROTESTS: It is the policy of the Coast Guard to issue solicitations and make contract awards in a fair and timely manner. The Ombudsman Program for Agency Protests (OPAP) was established to investigate agency protest issues and resolve them without expensive and time-consuming litigation. OPAP is an independent reviewing authority that is empowered to grant a prevailing protester essentially the same relief as the General Accounting Office (GAO). Interested parties are encouraged to seek resolution of their concerns within the Coast Guard as an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) forum, rather than filing a protest with the GAO or some external forum. Interested parties may seek resolution of their concerns informally or opt to file a formal agency protest with the contracting officer or Ombudsman. Informal forum with the Ombudsman. Interested parties who believe that a Coast Guard procurement is unfair or otherwise defective should first direct their concerns to the cognizant contracting officer. If the contracting officer is unable to satisfy the concerns, the interested party is encouraged to contact the Coast Guard Ombudsman for Agency Protests. Under this informal process, the agency is not required to suspend contract award performance. Use of an informal forum does not suspend any time requirement for filing a protest with the agency or other forum. In order to ensure a timely response, interested parties should provide the following information to the Ombudsman: solicitation/contract number, contracting office, contracting officer, and solicitation closing date (if applicable). Formal Agency Protest with the Ombudsman. Prior to submitting a formal agency protest, protesters must first use their best efforts to resolve their concerns with the contracting officer through open and frank discussions. If the protester?s concerns are unresolved, an independent review is available by the Ombudsman. The protester may file a formal agency protest to either the contracting officer or as an alternative to that, the Ombudsman under the OPAP program. Contract award or performance will be suspended during the protest period unless contract award or performance is justified, in writing, for urgent and compelling reasons or is determined in writing to be in the best interest of the Government. The agency?s goal is to resolve protests in less than 35 calendar days from the date of filing. Protests shall include the information set forth at FAR 33.103(d)(2). If the protester fails to submit the required information, resolution of the protest may be delayed or the protest may be dismissed. This will not preclude re-filing of the protest to meet the requirement. To be timely, protests must be filed within the period specified in FAR 33.103(e). Formal protests filed under the OPAP program should be forwarded to the address below: Commandant (G-A), U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, Acquisition Planning and Performance Measurement, 1900 Half St. SW, Room 11-0402, Washington, DC 20593, Telephone: (202) 372-3692, Fax: (202) 475-3904.