US Air Forces Europe-Africa Commercial Solutions Offering (CSO)

12 February 2021 Update: Government responses to questions from industry are enclosed in an attachment to this solicitation. The deadline for proposals is unchanged at this time. --------------------------- 2021 Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) US Air Forces Europe-Africa Solicitation Number: FA564121SC001 Date: 8 February 2021 SECTION A: Introduction The 764th Enterprise Sourcing Squadron (764 ESS) is conducting a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) authorized by Department of Defense Class Deviation 2018?O00016. Under a CSO, the Air Force may competitively award proposals received in response to a general solicitation, similar to a broad agency announcement, to acquire innovative commercial items, technologies, and services based on a review of proposals by scientific, technological, or other subject?matter experts within the Air Force. Under this CSO, all items, technologies, and services shall be treated as commercial items. The Air Force intends to obtain - innovative solutions or potential new capabilities that fulfil requirements, close capability gaps, or provide potential technology advancements. Solutions may include existing technologies or procedures that are not currently in use by units on or supported by USAFE-AFAFRICA bases, that would enhance or streamline their mission capabilities. - Innovative is defined as any new technology, process or method that is new as of the date of submission of a proposal. It may include an application of an existing technology, method, or process that is not currently in use by USAFE-AFAFRICA or its supported units. This CSO contains a broadly defined Area of Interest (AOI). While this AOI is geared toward meeting requirements at locations listed therein, the Government reserves the right to award contracts from this CSO to meet Air Force requirements at other locations with similar AOIs and mission requirements. 764 ESS may utilize one of the following processes for evaluation and award: A single?step CSO evaluation process which consists of offerors whose proposed solutions clearly meet the Government's needs expressed in the AOI receiving an immediate notice that they have been selected for award or selected to provide more information that may subsequently lead to an award; or A two?step process where offerors are invited to make a virtual pitch of their proposal to an evaluation panel which will then select the proposal(s) that best meet the Government's desire for solutions in its stated AOI. Pitches will be conducted virtually and are anticipated the day following after receipt of proposals. The offeror will provide its 30-minute pitch via teleconference or videoconference, followed by no more than 30 minutes for Government deliberation. Barring any additional concerns or clarifications, the Government's intent is to execute an immediate purchase order upon completion of deliberations for acceptable offers. SECTION B: Instructions for Preparation and Submission of Proposals All contracts will be firm?fixed price. All supplies or services obtained via this CSO are considered commercial items. Because all awards made under this CSO are considered commercial, 764 ESS intends to award FAR part 12 contracts but reserves the right to award other agreements (e.g. Other Transactional Agreements (OTAs)), if deemed in its best interest. As with any award, price is always a factor and will be evaluated for fairness and reasonableness so offers are reminded to provide solutions at competitive prices. Submitted documents shall not contain classified data or sensitive information and proprietary information shall be clearly marked. Proposal Contents: COVER LETTER - Shall not exceed 2 pages in PDF format (8.5x11), and shall include the following: AOI for which proposal is submitted (number and title) Company name, physical address, mailing address, and website URL Proposed 2-hour window of availability on 23 February 2021 for a pitch via teleconference or videoconference. The Government requests a time between 0700 and 1200 Eastern Standard Time (1300 to 1800 Central European Time) to accommodate Government evaluators participating from various USAFE locations. Include your preferred method of communication. Note: CSO is a streamlined acquisition process -- The Government intends to evaluate proposals immediately upon solicitation closure, and as applicable, execute awards NLT 48 hours after receipt of proposals. Proposal validity statement, a minimum of 90 days is required. Authorized representative or point(s) of contact Brief introduction to company and history/expertise with proposed AOI CAGE code, DUNS number SAM.gov screenshot to confirm current registration Relevant NAICS code and description for AOI proposal Note: The Government reserves the right to not consider a proposal for award if it omits any of the required information. TECHNICAL WHITE PAPER - Shall not exceed 5 pages in PDF format (8.5x11), and shall include the following: Substantive description of the technical solution in sufficient detail to allow USAFE-AFAFRICA to make an assessment of the validity of the proposed solution and the offeror's capability to support the proposed solution Convincing evidence the proposed solution will meet the USAFE-AFAFRICA need. The following examples of convincing evidence are strongly encouraged: Authentic company URL or web address. Summary of product commercialization currently used in the open market. Pictures, diagrams, models or figures to depict the essence of the proposed solution. Note: 764 ESS and USAFE-AFAFRICA may elect to use the information provided as part of its continuous market research. PITCH DECK - PDF format, no page limit but an offeror will be limited to 30 minutes for their pitch (including Q&A). The pitch deck shall include the following: Name and contact information of the offeror's authorized representative Substantive description of the technical solution and proposed application for USAFE-AFAFRICA, including all pertinent development, delivery, support, warranty, and other details. Pricing Details Price in whole US Dollar increments, including unit prices as well as quantity ranges as applicable (tiered pricing is acceptable) Flexible quantities or pricing options are encouraged to allow USAFE-AFAFRICA to maximize the use of available and limited funding. Prices for supplies shall be expressed as inclusive of all shipping charges and Free on Board (FOB) destination Questions and Answers List any questions the offeror has for the Government regarding the AOI Reserve an opportunity for both the Government and offeror to ask/answer additional questions as applicable Whenever possible, the Government will supply s itquestions in advance of the VTC Pitch Offerors are cautioned not to simply restate the details of their White Paper. The Pitch Deck will be considered the offeror's reference quote in the event of award. Note: 764 ESS and USAFE-AFAFRICA may elect to use the information provided as part of its continuous market research. SAM Registration It is critical offerors are registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), https://www.sam.gov/, you will not be eligible for an award if not registered in SAM at the time your proposal is submitted. However, for foreign vendors, if your proposal is less than $30,000, SAM is not a requirement IAW FAR 4.1102(a)(6). Additionally, verify that you are registered to receive contracts (not just grants) and that your address matches between your proposal and SAM. Questions All questions related to this CSO and its AOI must be submitted in writing via email NLT 1200 Eastern Standard Time (1600 Central European Time), 12 February 2021. Proposal Submission The deadline for receipt of proposals in response to this CSO is NLT 8:00 am Eastern Standard Time (1400 Central European Time), 22 February 2021. USAFE-AFAFRICA recommends that you complete your submission early, as computer traffic gets heavy near the announcement closing and could slow down the system. Do not wait until the last minute. USAFE-AFAFRICA will not be responsible for proposals received late due to servers being "down" or inaccessible. Offerors may submit proposal amendments any time prior to the proposal deadline specified herein, however USAFE-AFAFRICA will ONLY review the final amended proposal that is submitted. Please ensure that your e-mail address listed in your proposal is current and accurate. USAFE-AFAFRICA is not responsible for ensuring notifications are received by firms changing mailing address/e-mail address/company points of contact after proposal submission without proper notification to USAFE-AFAFRICA. Changes of this nature shall be annotated in the solicitation or amendments. A proposal is acceptable if it conforms to all material requirements of the CSO, otherwise it is unacceptable and may be ineligible for award. **Note: Offerors are responsible for ensuring that all amendments to this solicitation are reviewed carefully prior to submitting a proposal. The members of the CSO team will do our best to post answers to questions we receive in response to this CSO as we obtain them, but may consolidate answers to a regularly scheduled post to avoid many answers being posted in a single day or to limit the need for many separate amendments. SECTION C: Procedures and Criteria for Selection Proposals As stated above, USAFE-AFAFRICA may use either a one or two-step process for evaluation of proposals for award. After receipt of step 1 proposals, the Air Force will conduct an evaluation based on three factors: Technical Importance to agency programs Funds availability The evaluation process will proceed as follows: Technical Evaluation of the White Paper. The non-price portions of the proposal will be reviewed holistically to make an assessment of the validity of the proposed solution and the offeror's capability to support the proposed solution. Importance to Agency Programs: The non-price portions of the proposal will be similarly reviewed to assess the solution's potential to enhance the mission effectiveness of the unit. Funds Availability: The offeror's pricing information will be evaluated to determine to what extent funding is available for the solution. Price shall be considered to the extent appropriate, but at a minimum, to determine that the price is fair and reasonable. The Air Force must determine the price fair and reasonable prior to award using the procedures at DFARS subpart 212.209. The contracting officer will use market research as the primary method to determine the price fair and reasonable. In rare circumstances, the contracting officer may request information from the offeror regarding recent purchase prices paid by the Air Force and/or commercial customers for the same or similar commercial items. At the conclusion of Step 1 and based on the results of the evaluations, USAFE-AFAFRICA will select offerors for immediate award or to participate in Step 2. All offerors will be notified as to the status of their proposals at this time. Offerors that are selected for Step 2 will receive an invitation to pitch to the USAFE-AFAFRICA team, at the proposed date/time included in their Cover Letter as outlined above. The evaluation criteria for step 2 is the same as step. During any step of the CSO, the Air Force may request additional information from offerors that will need to be answered by email or during a Pitch Day presentation. The Air Force reserves the right to cancel a pitch and immediately make awards or not make a specific award or any awards if it deemed in its best interest. Pitches shall not contain classified data or sensitive information and proprietary information shall be clearly marked. If a cleared contractor wishes to make a classified or sensitive pitch those will be handled on a case by case basis. SECTION D: Area of Interest See Attachment 1 for the AOI related for this CSO.