FBODaily.com | FedBizOpps: MOD | R | Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge - Solicitation 1

FBO DAILY - FEDBIZOPPS ISSUE OF APRIL 25, 2014 FBO #4535
MODIFICATION

R -- Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge - Solicitation 1

Notice Date: 4/23/2014
Notice Type: Modification/Amendment
NAICS: 541990 — All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
Contracting Office: Agency for International Development, Washington D.C., USAID/Washington, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Room 7.10-006, Washington, District of Columbia, 20523, United States
ZIP Code: 20523
Solicitation Number: SOL-OAA-14-00051
Archive Date: 6/20/2014
Point of Contact: Veronica Bates-Shields,
E-Mail Address: vbates-shields@usaid.gov
(vbates-shields@usaid.gov)
Small Business Set-Aside: N/A
Description: Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge (WTTC) COVER SHEET Issuance Date: April 23, 2014 Questions Due: May 8, 2014 - 1:00pm EST Responses Due: May 13, 2014 (Estimated) Closing Date and Time: June 5, 2014 - 2:00 pm EST Subject: Request for Proposal (RFP) No. AID-SOL-OAA-14-000051 Dear Prospective Offerors, The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking professional services to launch a variety of technology challenges, designed to stimulate the creation of scientific and technological solutions for eventual development and deployment in combatting wildlife trafficking. The vendor will be expected to provide limited support to accelerate the scale-up of promising ideas and solutions through targeted activities that bring innovators in contact with potential donors, investors and users of the technology as outlined in the Statement of Work. Please ensure registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) is current and up to date. SAM can be accessed at www.sam.gov. All questions concerning this RFP shall be submitted via e-mail to Veronica Bates-Shields at vbates-shields@usaid.gov, no later than 1pm EST on May 8, 2014. Responses to questions received may be provided to all potential contractors by COB May 13, 2014. Submission of Proposals: Hand delivery of proposals will not be accepted. Proposals shall be submitted by June 5, 2014 by 2pm EST via e-mail to vbates-shields@usaid.gov in two separate volumes as outlined in Section L of this RFP. Responses to this RFP shall include the information that is also outlined in Section L of this RFP. Electronic proposals must be received by the stated closing date and time, or will not be considered in evaluation. Your proposal must include and will be evaluated based on the following criteria (as outlined in Section M): 1. Technical Approach/Capability 2. Management Capacity/Key Personnel 3. Past Performance 4. Proposed Cost This RFP in no way obligates the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to award a contract, nor does it commit USAID to pay any costs incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals. Sincerely, /s/ Stephanie Fugate Contracting Officer &emsp; SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COST B.1 TITLE 4 B.2 CONTRACT TYPE 4 B.3 PURPOSE 4 B.4 AWARDED PRICES 4 B.5 CEILING PRICE 5 B.6 TRAVEL 6 SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATION/STATEMENT OF WORK C.1 BACKGROUND 7 C.2 STATEMENT OF WORK 10 C.2.1 Task 1: Design, launch and manage an international program of innovation competitions for wildlife trafficking to generate solutions to challenges provided by USAID. 11 C.2.1.A Competition Design 11 C.2.1.B Competition Launch 12 C.2.1.C Outreach to Potential Solution Holders 12 C.2.1.D Competition Post-launch 13 C.2.2 Task 2: Support the acceleration to scale and scaling up of promising ideas and technologies. 14 C.2.3 Task 3: (Option to be exercised) 14 C.2.4 Additional Deliverables 14 C.3 REPORTS & DELIVERABLES BY TASK 14 C.3.1 Task 1 Deliverables 15 C.3.2 Task 2 Deliverables 15 C.3.3 Task 3 Deliverables 15 C.3.4 Additional Reports 15 SECTION D - PACKAGING AND MARKING SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE E.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE 18 E.2 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE 18 SECTION F - DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE F.1 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE 19 F.2 KEY PERSONNEL 19 F.3 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE 19 F.4 AUTHORIZED GEOGRAPHIC CODE 19 F.5 ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA 19 SECTION G - CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA G.1 INVOICES 20 G.2 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S AUTHORITY 20 G.3 TECHNICAL DIRECTION 20 SECTION H - SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS H.1 ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION 21 H.2 PRIVACY ACT 21 H.3 LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS 21 H.4 BRANDING 21 H.5 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED FACILITIES OR PROPERTY 21 H.6 CONFIDENTIALITY AND OWNERSHIP OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 21 H.7 CONTRACTOR'S STAFF SUPPORT, AND ADMINISTRATIVE AND LOGISTICS ARRANGEMENTS 21 H.8 PERIODIC PROGRESS REPORTS (July 1998) (CIB 98-21) 21 H.9 AIDAR 752.7005 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE DOCUMENTS (JAN 2004) (AAPD 04-06) 22 H.10 REPORTING ON TAXATION OF U.S. FOREIGN ASSISTANCE 23 SECTION I - CONTRACT CLAUSES I.1 GSA CONTRACT CLAUSES 25 I.2 ADDITIONAL FAR & AIDAR CLAUSES 25 I.3 AIDAR CLAUSES 34 SECTION K - REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS, AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS OR RESPONDENTS SECTION L - INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS OR RESPONDENTS L.1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS 37 SECTION M - EVALUATION FACORS FOR AWARD M.1 EVALUATION FACTORS 41 SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COST B.1 TITLE Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge B.2 CONTRACT TYPE The Government anticipates awarding a Time and Materials/Labor Hours Hybrid contract. B.3 PURPOSE USAID seeks a vendor to provide innovative science and technology solutions to combat wildlife trafficking, - the poaching of protected species and the illegal trade in aquatic and terrestrial wildlife and their derivative parts and products - sourced via a series of incentive competitions, challenges and other open/collaborative innovation mechanisms. During this two year program called the Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge, we expect the vendor to launch a variety of technology challenges based on input from USAID designed to stimulate the creation of scientific and technological solutions for eventual development and deployment in combatting wildlife trafficking across four broad areas: (1) movement of trafficked wildlife and wildlife parts, (2) forensics and intelligence gathering, (3) consumer demand reduction and (4) corruption. Following the competition, the vendor will be expected to provide limited support to accelerate the scale-up of promising ideas and solutions through targeted activities that bring innovators in contact with potential donors, investors and users of the technology. The expected impact of the program is the development of a range of affordable and accessible technologies and other solutions that will improve the ability of key personnel in range, transit and demand countries to fight wildlife crime. USAID, its implementing partners and others will leverage these solutions to improve counter-trafficking in wildlife programming around the world. B.4 ESTIMATED COST Below is an illustrative table that includes USAID anticipated position per tasks listed in Section C. Offerors shall propose the required key personnel (CLIN 001), then propose additional personnel based on the statement of work. USAID envisions that each offeror will determine for itself what is required to best perform the tasks set forth in the Statement of Work. Total Labor Costs CLIN Labor Category Days Fixed Daily Rate Total Burdened Labor Cost (Total Days x Daily Rate) Base Year 1 Base Year 2 Option Year 1 001 Senior Prize Manager 002 Prize Manager 003 Prize Manager 004 Scale Manager 005 Scale Manager 006 Communications Specialist 007 Communications Specialist Base Year 1 Total Base Year 2 Total Option Year Total $ $ $ Total Labor Cost (2 Base Years + Option Year) Other Direct Costs CLIN Other Direct Cost Description Qty. Fixed Fee Total Estimated Cost (Qty. x Fixed Fee) Base Year 1 Base Year 2 Option Year 1 008 Subcontract for Wildlife Expertise 009 Communications/Outreach/Events/Travel 010 Flat Fee Per Challenge 011 Prize/Award Money for Winners 012 Other Direct Costs Base Year 1 Total Base Year 2 Total Option Year Total $ $ $ Total Other Direct Cost (2 Base Years + Option Year) Base Year 1 Total Cost (Year 1) Total Labor Costs Base Year 1 $ Total Other Direct Cost Year 1 $ Total Estimated Cost Base Year 1 $ Base Year 2 Total Cost (Year 2) Total Labor Costs Base Year 2 $ Total Other Direct Cost Year 2 $ Total Estimated Cost Base Year 2 $ Option Year 1 Total Cost (Year 3) Total Labor Costs Base Year 2 $ Total Other Direct Cost Year 2 $ Total Estimated Cost Base Year 3 $ Total Estimated Cost (Total Estimated Cost = Base Year 1+ Base Year 2 + Option Year 1) $ B.5 MAXIMUM CONTRACT CEILING PRICE The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of one (1) 12 month option, shall not exceed 36 months. The total combined value of this contract is not-to-exceed $5,400,000 over 3 years. Capabilities statements and price proposals are requested in response to this announcement and must be submitted in accordance with the instructions contained in Section L. Ceiling Price will be completed at time of award. The contractor will not be paid any sum in excess of the maximum contract ceiling price. Ceiling Price: TBD B.6 TRAVEL Travel shall be reimbursed at cost and shall be conducted in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations and Cost Principle outlined in FAR Part 31.205-46. All travel must be approved by the designated Contracting Officers Representative (COR). &emsp; SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATION/STATEMENT OF WORK C.1 BACKGROUND The poaching of wildlife is reaching epic proportions - measuring billions of dollars a year and threatening the survival of iconic species such as elephants, rhinos, tigers, sharks and sea turtles. Demand for wildlife and wildlife products has rapidly increased, driven in part by rising Gross Domestic Products in Asian countries, attracting transnational criminal networks who have helped make the illicit wildlife economy the fourth largest in the world. Wildlife trafficking threatens the security of nations and regions, undermines their economic development and impacts environmental health. In July 2013, President Obama signed an Executive Order to combat wildlife trafficking that will mobilize resources across the US Government to address this important challenge. While not mandated, this program will be a key component of USAID's response to the Executive Order and contribution to the US National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking. The trafficking of illegal wildlife has become more organized, more lucrative and more technologically advanced than ever before. Park rangers and resource managers must patrol vast areas and are often out-manned and outgunned by poachers, who employ war-like hunting techniques that include helicopters and night-vision goggles. Custom officials are ill-equipped to meet the challenges of increasing and illegal trade, and wildlife products move with ease across porous borders and over oceans, transported in hidden compartments or mislabeled to escape detection. Urgent action is needed to address the new drivers of wildlife trafficking, which can no longer be addressed sufficiently through traditional conservation approaches. In order to fight the traffickers, the conservation and enforcement communities need to be just as organized and tech-savvy. In response to this growing crisis, technology is being leveraged to combat wildlife crime and shows great potential to solve key problems along the trafficking supply chain. For example, DNA analysis can determine whether a seized wildlife product is derived from an illegal species and mobile technologies can help identify illicit wildlife sold in markets and be used to coordinate ranger patrols. These technologies and others help address critical gaps in the fight against wildlife crime, but often are not scaled up to address multiple species or multiple regions, and barriers - technological or otherwise - exist to their widespread implementation. A wealth of opportunities exist to apply new or redeploy existing technology to scale up or complement existing solutions to wildlife trafficking, as well as find innovative solutions to outstanding problems. USAID prioritized the topics that will be addressed by the Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge based on extensive research and consultation with wildlife crime experts. An initial list of 25 potential challenge topics was identified based on desk research, several high-profile wildlife trafficking fora, interviews and seminars. This list was ranked by US government wildlife trade experts, both in Washington and at USAID field missions and US embassies, based on the following criteria: (1) potential impact, (2) urgency, (3) alignment with USAID interests and comparative advantage and (4) saturation, or the extent to which other groups are working on the challenge topic. The ranking exercise resulted in a short list of 10 potential challenge topics, which were then distributed to 60 external experts representing non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academia, donors and the private sector. Of the 60 external experts contacted, 25 responded with detailed comments on the relative importance of each challenge and input on the key practitioners, non-traditional actors, priority USAID investment focus and potential end users for each topic. The external expert feedback was used to validate the short list identified through the USG consultation and further prioritize and refine the challenges. USAID is currently working to develop high-profile partners on this program, including from the private sector, NGOs and USAID field missions to be determined at a later date. These partners will support the implementation of the Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge through contributions that could include: subject matter expertise, technical input, outreach capacity, name recognition/credibility, human or financial resources and links to potential users of the technology. These partnerships will be managed by USAID who will work with the Offeror to ensure that resources they can provide for the Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge will enhance and complement resources procured by USAID through this contract. It is envisioned that an advisory committee chaired by USAID and composed of partners, USAID, and the Offeror will meet regularly to guide the direction of the program. The Offeror may also propose additional strategic partnerships to USAID in support of this program. Based on the research and expert consultation undertaken by USAID, and possibly further honed with input from potential partners, USAID will stimulate the innovation of solutions in the counter wildlife trafficking sector via procurement of new open-sourced/crowd-sourced ideas and tools in the following areas referred to below as challenges and sub-challenges: Challenge # 1 - Movement of trafficked wildlife and wildlife parts • Sub-challenge # 1a - Detection and monitoring of existing transit routes. Wildlife traffickers use several strategies to conceal illicit wildlife material in transit to evade law enforcement. They take advantage of understaffed park rangers and resource managers who often patrol large areas with few resources, use complex shipping routes that frequently change, conceal illicit cargo on transport vessels and falsify documents so that illegal wildlife enters legitimate supply chains. USAID seeks technology solutions that will improve the ability to detect illicit wildlife in transit to facilitate seizures by law enforcement and to help elucidate the transit routes through which illegal wildlife is trafficked. Solutions may include, for example, tracking devices, surveillance technology and software development for cargo shipment analyses. • Sub-challenge # 1b - Prediction of future transit routes. Wildlife traffickers often use complex shipping routes that involve transporting illicit material through several ports before reaching the final destination. A recent ivory shipment destined for China was seized in Malaysia, but before that had passed through ports in Spain and Togo and is thought to have originated in Tanzania. Wildlife trafficking transit routes frequently change, making it difficult for law enforcement to intercept illegal shipments. Using existing data - e.g. on seizures, poaching sources, known transit routes or social media - USAID seeks modelling solutions to help predict and anticipate the likely transit routes used by traffickers to better target law enforcement efforts. • Sub-challenge # 1c - Movement of trafficked wildlife and wildlife parts across the internet. The online sale of illegal wildlife represents a large, mostly unregulated and poorly enforced market. Common workarounds such as adding the word "faux" to illegal product names, "pre-ban" to illegal ivory and euphemisms complicate regulation and enforcement; chat rooms and "deep web" sales continue to flourish at unknown rates and values. USAID seeks technology solutions that will improve the ability to detect and deter wildlife trafficking via the internet in a manner that is potentially useful for Internet companies (e.g. eBay, Craigslist), consumers and law enforcement. Challenge #2 - Forensics and intelligence gathering • Sub-challenge # 2a - Identify illegal wildlife products. Lack of capacity to distinguish legal from illegal wildlife products represents a major bottleneck in the enforcement and prosecution of wildlife crime. The adoption of quick and accurate methods to identify illicit material would greatly facilitate customs and border enforcement, market control and the collection of reliable forensic evidence for prosecution. USAID seeks technology solutions that improve the ability to quickly and accurately identify illegal wildlife products using, for example, technologies that aid species identification and determine harvest origin (geographic and/or time of origin). • Sub-challenge # 2b - Improve intelligence gathering and management. The effective gathering and management of field intelligence is essential to build cases against wildlife traffickers. However, data collection and management are often constrained by a lack of infrastructure, security issues and - given the transboundary natures of wildlife trafficking - the disparate approaches of different governments. USAID seeks technology solutions that will improve the ability of law enforcement to gather, manage and share intelligence data. Challenge #3 - Consumer Demand Reduction • Sub-challenge #3a - Change cultural and societal norms. The demand for wildlife products comes from a number of different consumer groups and is, in some cases, heavily influenced by culture. In Asia, certain wildlife products are associated with social status, religion and the perceived medicinal value of some products, with consumer preferences driven by group norms, values, beliefs and trends. USAID seeks technology solutions that will change the cultural and societal norms that allow wildlife trafficking to flourish. Examples may include, for example, social media campaigns, mobile technology applications or high impact internet memes with anti-trafficking messages. • Sub-challenge #3b - Raise awareness of illegal products. High consumer demand is also driven by a general lack of consumer education. Many consumers may not realize they are purchasing illegal products or that their choices contribute to species decline and criminal activity. USAID seeks technology solutions that will reduce consumer demand by raising awareness about which wildlife products are illegal and the negative impacts of purchasing them. Challenge #4 - Corruption • Corruption has been identified as one of the major impediments to stopping wildlife crime. Corruption occurs at multiple levels along illegal supply chains and may include customs and transportation officials, law enforcement personnel and government officials. USAID seeks innovative technologies that will improve transparency in illicit wildlife supply chains so that corruption is exposed and becomes more difficult. USAID approach to wildlife trafficking USAID has a long history of success with wildlife protection and currently is programming $35 million in FY12 and FY13 to address wildlife trafficking. The first line of defense is protecting vulnerable wildlife populations and as such, USAID invests in anti-poaching in approximately 25 countries. Key actions include training local law enforcement, supporting community patrols, strengthening policies and implementation and improving judicial effectiveness on wildlife crime. Local communities are often a strong part of the anti-poaching response and strong communities often unite against both local and foreign poaching. Most ivory and rhino horn products are sold in Asia. USAID strengthens Wildlife Enforcement Networks in Asia to build capacity to intercept transit and trade. USAID also works with the Department of State and the US Fish and Wildlife Service in related enforcement coordination efforts. As a result, USAID partner countries have undertaken effective coordinated operations across regions and have helped arrest criminals and close transit routes. The USAID ARREST project strengthens wildlife law enforcement, reduces consumer demand and promotes regional and inter-agency coordination in combating wildlife trafficking. Over the past three years, this has resulted in frequent and high profile arrests and convictions of major criminals, with hundreds of wildlife law enforcement actions in FY11-12 with an estimated market value of US$ 27.9 million, and at least 77,519 live animals and 56,166 dead animals or animal parts recovered. There were at least 696 related arrests and 99 convictions resulting. USAID also works to reduce demand for illegal wildlife products in Asia. A new USAID-supported campaign called iThink combats consumption of wildlife in key supply, transit and consumer countries (Thailand, Vietnam and China). iThink focuses on five key species, including elephants. The recent dramatic increase in poaching requires additional focus and new approaches. Through its new Wildlife TRAPS program, the Agency is working with partner countries and the global community to better understand and target specific points along the supply chain that sustains the illegal trafficking of ivory, rhino horn and other wildlife products. This includes demand reduction, breaking transit routes and improving legal and judicial treatment of wildlife crime in key countries. The Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge represents an important contribution of USAID to the whole-of-government approach to wildlife trafficking mandated by the Executive Order signed by President Obama. USAID anticipates that the technologies identified through the Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge will enhance and complement existing efforts to stop wildlife trafficking. Although USAID considers the terms "technology" and "technology solutions" broadly, we are primarily interested in tools and systems of tools that make use of the latest in technological innovation and can be used by those engaged in anti-trafficking efforts. Technology can include both "high-end" and electricity-driven technology (such as Information and Communication Technology), as well as simple machines, tools and models. USAID is potentially interested in innovations from all parts of the innovation cycle, including ideation, pilots, implementation and scale. For the purposes of this program, wildlife trafficking refers to the poaching of protected species and illegal trade in aquatic and terrestrial wildlife and their derivative parts and products. Non protected species that are illegally harvested and/or illegally traded could be part of this program. C.2 STATEMENT OF WORK The overall goal of the Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge program is to generate innovative science and technology solutions to combat wildlife trafficking and support the acceleration and scaling up of promising solutions. This will be accomplished through two major tasks which are described below. The Offeror will be expected to run a core set of competitions managed out of USAID/Washington, with the possibility that USAID/Missions may wish to buy-in to this mechanism to add a particular geographic focus within the core set of competitions. Task 1 Design, launch and manage an international program of innovation competitions for wildlife trafficking to generate solutions to challenges provided by USAID, for use by USAID and its partners. Task 2 Support the acceleration to scale and scaling up of promising ideas and technologies. "Acceleration to scale" refers to expediting the transition of a concept or prototype to a viable product for the marketplace, while "scaling up" means expanding the number of users of a viable product (World Bank, 2005; Brookings, 2008). Task 3 (Option to be exercised): Subawards and Grants under Contracts to scale promising technologies identified through Tasks 1 and 2. Detailed Description of Tasks: C.2.1 Task 1: Design, launch and manage an international program of innovation competitions for wildlife trafficking to generate solutions to challenges provided by USAID. In consultation with USAID and partner institutions, the Offeror will design, launch and manage a program of international innovation competitions to generate technological solutions to combat wildlife trafficking. Raising public awareness about wildlife trafficking is an important component of the program; therefore, public outreach should be integrated into several steps of the design (see below). The following is an illustrative list of the types of activities that could be undertaken as part of Task 1. C.2.1.A Competition Design i. Design the award: create the right incentives to attract the best talent • Awards may be monetary, publicity/recognition, assistance (e.g. incubator services like USAID LAUNCH program), or new opportunities (e.g. potential USAID or other partner awards or referral). Incentives offered must be in line with appropriate USAID legal/procurement guidance. The total size of financial incentives (prizes and awards) for use in the program will be included as a plug figure in the contract and determined during competition design. Determine the number of awards to give (e.g. ranked or winner takes all) • Determine the competition platform (e.g. open vs. closed, collaborative vs. competitive, narrow vs. broad audience; see below) ii. Design the submission process • Decide if applicants should pre-register for the competition and how long the system will be open for pre-registration • Determine submission format (e.g. page limit, appendices, multimedia, prototypes, etc.) and timeline for applications • Intellectual Property (IP): Include an IP agreement in the submission process to obtain consent from the participants. Specific IP requirements will be determined for each challenge during design, but it is likely that USAID will request that winners of the Technology Challenge be ready to grant non-exclusive rights for use by the U.S. Government (USG) upon USG request • Provide the appropriate level of education and awareness raising on wildlife trafficking issues for non-traditional solution holders iii. Design the judging process • Determine if stages should be used for judging, with finalists selected first • If selecting for finalists as the first stage, choose who and what criteria will be used to screen the applicants in consultation with USAID and partners. The criteria should be transparent to all applicants (e.g. listed and explained on the competition website) and may include, for example, measures of feasibility, potential impact, sustainability and scalability • Choose high-profile judges that will lend credibility to the competition and create publicity • Determine a scoring matrix for the judges and a timeline for decisions. A scoring matrix may weigh each criterion differently, if appropriate, and be numerical or categorical. Each scoring category should have an explicit description available to judges and all potential applicants iv. Challenge platform selection/creation • The vendor will create or build on an existing challenge platform to best support the final design of the competitions • This platform should be able to attract appropriate audiences to match the competition specifications (i.e. a more competitive, closed platform vs. a more open and collaborative platform) C.2.1.B Competition Launch • Publicize the competition to the general public and potential solution holders, including outreach (described in detail below) through existing networks and media outlets • Identify the most competent and diverse applicants and use targeted approaches to reach a high-probability applicant pool (as further described below) • If possible, take advantage of concurrent anti-wildlife trafficking or conservation events for a launch event C.2.1.C Outreach to Potential Solution Holders A critical element of the design process will be to animate potential solution holders by creating a supportive structure and process for their engagement. The challenge topics selected for the Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge are all important for fighting wildlife crime; however, they may differ in their appeal or relevance to potential solution holders. As each challenge is designed, the Offeror will need to identify the most relevant set of solution holders to target for participation. Because wildlife trafficking is a global crisis, solution holders may come from anywhere in world, and the Offeror should include potential solution holders in developing countries in their outreach. Potential solution holders may be identified from the networks of the Offeror, USAID or its partners on this program. Traditional actors who work in the field of wildlife crime, such as local and international NGOs and governmental entities on the front lines of wildlife trafficking, are natural allies for this program and may wish to submit their own ideas and solutions. An additional role for these actors, rather than as solution holders, may be as key informants/educators about a given challenge to non-traditional solution holders (See Table 1). Non-traditional actors can be an important source of new ideas and solutions. Non-traditional actors may come from the general public, universities and research institutions, organizations or companies that have a stake/interest in not contributing to wildlife crime or they may come from narrowly focused, expert-led communities. Below are some illustrative examples of non-traditional solution holders that could be targeted for participation in this program: Table 1-1. Illustrative Example of Non-Traditional Solution Holders Wildlife Trafficking Topic Type of Expert Movement of trafficked wildlife and wildlife parts Geospatial experts, intelligence analysts, social network analysts, criminologists, organized crime experts, robotics and radio technology experts, explosive detection experts, RFID experts, researches with "detector" animals, programmers, shipping companies Forensics and intelligence gathering Museum and university experts, customs officials, personalized medicine companies, forensic scientists, park staff Consumer Demand Reduction Internet and social media experts, youth, religious and community groups, pet trade groups, hotel and restaurant associations, transportation associations Corruption Various government entities, e.g customs, judicial, enforcement entities, banks, money transfer businesses, social media experts, surveillance technology experts and the press An important part of working with non-traditional partners is ensuring that they understand enough about the issue to propose appropriate solutions. As part of the competition design, it may be necessary to build in some targeted low-cost awareness-raising/education for the potential solution holders. There are many ways to achieve this, such as designing the launch platform (i.e. website) to include links to relevant background/educational material and by organizing virtual fora that bring together potential solution holders with potential users of the technologies or with institutions that have a history of working on issues of wildlife crime. Below is an illustrative list of activities that could be used to reach out to potential solution holders: • Identify the most competent and diverse solution holders through, for example, an analysis of the relevant technological skills required for each challenge, groups with subject matter expertise, non-traditional actors that belong to relevant but seemingly unrelated fields (see Table 1 above), the solution holders likely to be drawn to particular competition platforms deemed appropriate for each challenge (e.g. general public vs. highly technical experts, students, tech companies), etc. • Publicize the competition to the general public and potential solution holders through, for example, media outlets, social media, existing USAID, partner, and Offeror networks, trade publications, scientific societies, University department bulletins, etc. • If potential solution holders need additional training on wildlife trafficking issues to be competitive, an educational component should be built into the outreach effort as described above • In keeping with USAID core values, the vendor will encourage the participation of women and disadvantaged groups in the competition C.2.1.D Competition Post-launch: i. Accept submissions • Establish and maintain secure website for submissions • Due to the sensitive subject matter, address issues of anonymity if the personal safety of applicants is a concern ii. Finalist selection (if applicable) • Based on the judging process determined above iii. Judges Scoring • Establish a secure process for judges to submit scores iv. Notify Winners • Ensure proper vetting of winners has been conducted in accordance with USAID and US Government standards for competitions • Address legal paperwork with winners and partners v. Plan for awarding events • Determine the preferred scale of events and potential coordination with other anti-wildlife trafficking or conservation events/fora vi. Help host awarding events (if applicable) • Also serves to build public awareness about wildlife trafficking • Potential to engage high-profile participants (e.g. affiliated with partners) C.2.2 Task 2: Support the acceleration to scale and scaling up of promising ideas and technologies. Stimulating the creation of innovative solutions to wildlife crime has little meaning if those solutions are not deployed where needed and scaled as appropriate. The Offeror will provide limited support to the acceleration and scaling up of promising solutions generated through the competition, which may include the following illustrative activities: • Ensure that the competition design and implementation use all opportunities within its means to position technologies for acceleration or scale-up, including, e.g. well-honed challenge statements with opportunities for solution holders to engage with potential users of the technology, relevant judging criteria, selection of judges and more. • In consultation with relevant stakeholders, identify the most appropriate "pathway to scale," i.e. though public means, private means or mixed, and provide some initial recommendations for a pathway to scale. • Provide/create opportunities for technologies to be introduced to potential target users, investors and donors. • Build winner/participant/user communities o Can be accomplished using different processes (e.g. as part of the awarding event, additional workshops that bring winners and investors together, online fora, etc.) o Create a web-based wildlife crime technology clearinghouse where developers/users/funders can connect and follow up on their own with each other. The contractor would not be responsible for management of the website after the life of the award. C.2.3 Task 3: (Option to be exercised): Subawards and Grants under contracts to scale promising technologies identified through Tasks 1 and 2. This task will focus on scaling up the most promising solutions identified in Tasks 1 and supported in Task 2, through sub-grants or sub-contracts. A full scope of work and deliverables for this task will be provided should this option be exercised. C.2.4 Additional Deliverables: 1. A Performance Monitoring Plan for the program 2. Quarterly performance reports 3. A final report, (format to be determined by USAID) which includes discussion of results of the program and "lessons learned" in competition program design and implementation C.3 REPORTS & DELIVERABLES BY TASK C.3.1 Task 1 Deliverables The following deliverables are expected: 1. An approved strategy for each of the four challenge areas identified in the Background section of this solicitation that includes details on: a. Competition Design b. Competition Launch c. Outreach to potential solution holders d. Competition Post-launch 2. An approved web platform for Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge program management and outreach. 3. At least one solution identified per sub-challenge to combat wildlife trafficking that meets USAID's criteria for success for each challenge. The criteria of success for each challenge will be identified as part of the challenge strategy development process. C.3.2 Task 2 Deliverables The following deliverables are expected: 1. A report identifying initial recommendations for a pathway to scale for each of the winning solutions and potentially other promising technologies identified through this program. 2. A Web-based wildlife crime technology clearinghouse, e.g. as part of the Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge website. 3. For each challenge, at least one opportunity - e.g. online fora, workshop, other events - for winning solutions and other promising technologies to be introduced to potential target users, investors or donors. C.3.3 Task 3 Deliverables A full scope of work and deliverables for this task will be provided should this option be exercised. C.3.4 Additional Reports: 1. A Performance Monitoring Plan for the program 2. Quarterly performance reports 3. A final report, (format to be determined by USAID) which includes discussion of results of the program and "lessons learned" in prize program design and implementation Monitoring and Evaluation USAID expects the following results from the Wildlife Trafficking Tech Challenge: 1. At least one solution is identified per sub-challenge. 2. The technologies identified are promoted with potential private and public investors with a goal of at least 50% being further developed. 3. Awareness of the identified technologies is raised within the wildlife trafficking community and potential users of the technology. 4. Awareness is raised about wildlife trafficking issues outside of the conservation community. USAID will monitor the adequacy of deliverables and the contractor's effectiveness in achieving expected results through USAID's Program Management Plan (PMP) process. The PMP will be developed collaboratively with the contractor and USAID within 90 days after award. Performance evaluation may include indicators that measure the quantity and diversity of submissions and participants, public awareness (e.g. press attention, website traffic) and adoption rate of solutions. We will focus initial monitoring and impact assessment efforts on understanding and documenting the impact the competition has on the overall level of technological innovation in the field of anti- wildlife trafficking. The Offeror is expected to report on metrics and indicators developed collaboratively with USAID throughout the life of the program to help ensure program efficacy. &emsp; SECTION D - PACKAGING AND MARKING This Section Intentionally Left Blank.&emsp; SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE E.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE The following contract clauses pertinent to this section are hereby incorporated by reference (by Citation Number, Title, and Date) in accordance with the clause at FAR 52.252-2 "CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE" in Section I of this contract. See FAR 52.252-2 for an Internet address (if specified) for electronic access to the full text of a clause. NUMBER TITLE DATE FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (48 CFR Chapter 1) 52.246-4 INSPECTION OF SERVICES - FIXED PRICE AUG 1996 E.2 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE USAID inspection and acceptance of services, reports and other required deliverables or outputs shall be subject to the performance standards set forth in Sections C and F. Inspection and acceptance shall take place at Afghanistan and other places in the region or at any other location where the services are performed and reports and deliverables or outputs are produced or submitted. Inspection of all deliverables required hereunder shall be made by the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), designated in Section G, who has been delegated authority to inspect and accept all services, reports and other required deliverables. Acceptance of services, reports and other deliverables by the COR shall form the basis for payments to the Contractor. &emsp; SECTION F - DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE F.1 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The estimated period of performance of this contract is two (2) Base years with a one (1) year option period from the date of contract execution. F.2 KEY PERSONNEL The following labor category is designated as Key Personnel for this contract: Senior Program Manager Senior-level Program Manager shall be responsible for the management of this program and has demonstrated experience leading the design, implementation and management of competitions, preferably in the international development sector. Experience in some aspects of taking innovation to scale is required and knowledge of wildlife conservation is an asset, but not necessary. Demonstrated ability to work with a wide variety of actors (e.g. private sector, government, NGOs, science and technology experts) and excellent written and oral communication skills. Any change in Key Personnel requires advanced written approval of the COR and CO. F.3 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE This work will be performed in the Washington D.C. area and USAID Missions as described in the SOW and as directed by USAID. F.4 AUTHORIZED GEOGRAPHIC CODE The authorized geographic code for procurement of goods and services under this contract is 937. F.5 ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA To be provided at time of award &emsp; SECTION G - CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA G.1 INVOICES One (1) original of each invoice shall be submitted on an SF-1034 Public Voucher for Purchases and Services Other Than Personal to: Office of Financial Management, M/CFO/CMP/DC 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington DC 20523 EI@usaid.gov Electronic submission of invoices is required; paper copies will not be accepted. The SF-1034 must be signed, and it must be submitted along with the invoice and any other documentation in Adobe. E-mail to ei@usaid.gov G.2 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S AUTHORITY The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to make or approve any changes in the requirements of this contract and notwithstanding any provisions contained elsewhere in this contract, the said authority remains solely in the Contracting Officer. In the event the Contractor makes any changes at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, the change shall be considered to have been made without authority and no adjustment shall be made in the contract terms and conditions, including price. G.3 TECHNICAL DIRECTION USAID Office of Economic Growth, Education, and Environment (E3) Forestry and Biodiversity Office shall provide technical oversight to the Contractor through the designated COR. The contracting officer shall issue a letter appointing the COR for the contract and provide a copy of the designation letter to the contractor. The COR expects to review and approve annual work plans and performance monitoring plans; review and follow-up on quarterly progress reports; review proposed changes of key personnel, sub-contractors or partner organizations, meet on at least on a quarterly basis, or as needed, and facilitate information exchange among partners, and monitor compliance with Reg 216. The COR or his/her alternate is authorized to accept or reject deliverables under this contract. The COR shall make the final inspection and accept or reject for the Government. As noted elsewhere in this document, the Contractor is expected to closely consult with USAID on the implementation of this program. &emsp; SECTION H - SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS H.1 ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION These activities comply with the Agency's environmental regulations, found at 22 CFR, Part 216. Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) and was approved as a Negative Determination. H.2 PRIVACY ACT Data handled under this contract contain Privacy Act data and must be handled in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. H.3 LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS All deliverables shall be produced in English. Ability to hire local language expertise is required when necessary for the completion of field support tasks. H.4 BRANDING The Contractor shall comply with the requirements of the USAID "Graphic Standards Manual" in accordance with ADS 320, available at www.usaid.gov/branding, or any successor branding policy. H.5 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED FACILITIES OR PROPERTY The Contractor and any employee or consultant of the Contractor is prohibited from using U.S. Government facilities (such as office space or equipment) or U.S. Government clerical or technical personnel in the performance of the services specified in the Contract unless the use of Government facilities or personnel is specifically authorized in the Contract or is authorized in advance, in writing, by the COR. H.6 CONFIDENTIALITY AND OWNERSHIP OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY All reports generated and data collected during this project shall be considered the property of USAID and shall not be reproduced, disseminated or discussed in open forum, other than for the purposes of completing the tasks described in this document, without the express written approval of a duly-authorized representative of USAID. All findings, conclusions and recommendations shall be considered confidential and proprietary. H.7 CONTRACTOR'S STAFF SUPPORT, AND ADMINISTRATIVE AND LOGISTICS ARRANGEMENTS The Contractor shall be responsible for all administrative support and logistics required to fulfill the requirements of this contract. These shall include all travel arrangements, appointment scheduling, secretarial services, report preparations services, printing, and duplicating. H.8 PERIODIC PROGRESS REPORTS (July 1998) (CIB 98-21) (a) The contractor shall prepare and submit progress reports as specified in the Schedule of this contract. These reports are separate from the interim and final performance evaluation reports prepared by USAID in accordance with (48 CFR) FAR 42.15 and internal Agency procedures, but they may be used by USAID personnel or their authorized representatives when evaluating the contractor's performance. (b) During any delay in furnishing a progress report required under this contract, the contracting officer may withhold from payment an amount not to exceed US$25,000 (or local currency equivalent) or 5 percent of the amount of this contract, whichever is less, until such time as the contracting officer determines that the delay no longer has a detrimental effect on the Government's ability to monitor the contractor's progress. H.9 AIDAR 752.7005 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE DOCUMENTS (JAN 2004) (AAPD 04-06) (a) Contract Reports and Information/Intellectual Products. (1) The Contractor shall submit to USAID's Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC) copies of reports and information products which describe, communicate or organize program/project development assistance activities, methods, technologies, management, research, results and experience as outlined in the Agency's ADS Chapter 540. Information may be obtained from the Contracting Officer Representative (COR). These reports include: assessments, evaluations, studies, development experience documents, technical reports and annual reports. The Contractor shall also submit to copies of information products including training materials, publications, databases, computer software programs, videos and other intellectual deliverable materials required under the Contract Schedule. Time-sensitive materials such as newsletters, brochures, bulletins or periodic reports covering periods of less than a year are not to be submitted. (2) Upon contract completion, the Contractor shall submit to DEC an index of all reports and information/intellectual products referenced in paragraph (a)(1) of this clause. (b) Submission requirements. (1) Distribution. (i) At the same time submission is made to the COR, the Contractor shall submit, one copy each, of contract reports and information/intellectual products (referenced in paragraph (a)(1) of this clause) in either electronic(preferred) or paper form to one of the following: (A) Via E-mail: docsubmit@dec.cdie.org; (B) Via U.S. Postal Service: Development Experience Clearinghouse, 8403 Colesville Road, Suite 210, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; (C) Via Fax: (301) 588-7787; or (D) Online: http://www.dec.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=docSubmit.home (ii) The Contractor shall submit the reports index referenced in paragraph (a)(2) of this clause and any reports referenced in paragraph (a)(1) of this clause that have not been previously submitted to DEC, within 30 days after completion of the contract to one of the address cited in paragraph (b)(1)(i)of this clause. (2) Format. (i) Descriptive information is required for all Contractor products submitted. The title page of all reports and information products shall include the contract number(s), Contractor name(s), name of the USAID cognizant technical office, the publication or issuance date of the document, document title, author name(s), and strategic objective or activity title and associated number. In addition, all materials submitted in accordance with this clause shall have attached on a separate coversheet the name, organization, address, telephone number, fax number, and Internet address of the submitting party. (ii) The report in paper form shall be prepared using non-glossy paper (preferably recycled and white or off-white using black ink. Elaborate art work, multicolor printing and expensive bindings are not to be used. Whenever possible, pages shall be printed on both sides. (iii) The electronic document submitted shall consist of only one electronic file which comprises the complete and final equivalent of the paper copy. (iv) Acceptable software formats for electronic documents include WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, and Portable Document Format (PDF). Submission in PDF is encouraged. (v) The electronic document submission shall include the following descriptive information: (A) Name and version of the application software used to create the file, e.g., MSWord6.0 or Acrobat Version 5.0. (B) The format for any graphic and/or image file submitted, e.g., TIFF-compatible. (C) Any other necessary information, e.g. special backup or data compression routines, software used for storing/retrieving submitted data or program installation instructions. H.10 REPORTING ON TAXATION OF U.S. FOREIGN ASSISTANCE (a) Reporting of Foreign Taxes. The contractor must annually submit a final report by April 16 of the next year. (b) Contents of Report. The reports must contain: (i) Contractor name. (ii) Contact name with phone, fax and e-mail. (iii) Agreement number(s). (iv) Amount of foreign taxes assessed by a foreign government [each foreign government must be listed separately] on commodity purchase transactions valued at $500 or more financed with U.S. foreign assistance funds under this agreement during the prior U.S. fiscal year. (v) Only foreign taxes assessed by the foreign government in the country receiving U.S. assistance is to be reported. Foreign taxes by a third party foreign government are not to be reported. For example, if an assistance program for Lesotho involves the purchase of commodities in South Africa using foreign assistance funds, any taxes imposed by South Africa would not be reported in the report for Lesotho (or South Africa). (vi) Any reimbursements received by the Contractor during the period in (iv) regardless of when the foreign tax was assessed plus, for the interim report, any reimbursements on the taxes reported in (iv) received by the contractor through October 31 and for the final report, any reimbursements on the taxes reported in (iv) received through March 31. (vii) The final report is an updated cumulative report of the interim report. (viii) Reports are required even if the contractor did not pay any taxes during the report period. (ix) Cumulative reports may be provided if the contractor is implementing more than one program in a foreign country. (c) Definitions. For purposes of this clause: (i) "Agreement" includes USAID direct and country contracts, grants, cooperative agreements and interagency agreements. (ii) "Commodity" means any material, article, supply, goods, or equipment. (iii) "Foreign government" includes any foreign governmental entity. (iv) "Foreign taxes" means value-added taxes and custom duties assessed by a foreign government on a commodity. It does not include foreign sales taxes. (d) Where. Submit the reports to: M/FM/CMP ei@usaid.gov (e) Subagreements. The contractor must include this reporting requirement in all applicable subcontracts, subgrants and other subagreements. (f) For further information see http://www.state.gov/m/rm/c10443.htm. &emsp; SECTION I - CONTRACT CLAUSES I.1 GSA CONTRACT CLAUSES All contract clauses as applicable in the offeror's GSA Multiple Award Schedule will apply to this Contract. I.2 ADDITIONAL FAR & AIDAR CLAUSES In addition to the fully incorporated clauses, the following clauses are applicable to this procurement. Full text of FAR Clauses can be found at www.acquistion.gov and AIDAR Clauses can be found at http://www.usaid.gov/policy/ads/300/aidar.pdf 52.203-11 Certification and Disclosure Regarding Payments to Influence Certain Federal Transactions. (SEP 2007) 52.203-13 CONTRACTOR CODE OF BUSINESS ETHICS AND CONDUCT (DEC 2008) 52.204-5 Women-Owned Business (Other Than Small Business) (MAY 1999) 52.204-6 Data Universal Numbering System Number. (JUL 2013) 52.204-7 System for Award Management. (JUL 2013) 52.207-2 Notice of Streamlined Competition. (MAY 2006) 52.209-2 Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations-Representation. (MAY 2011) 52.211-6 Brand Name or Equal. (AUG 1999) 52.214-34 Submission of Offers in the English Language. (APR 1991) 52.214-35 Submission of Offers in U.S. Currency. (APR 1991) 52.215-1 Instructions to Offerors-Competitive. (JAN 2004) Alternate I 52.215-3 Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes. (OCT 1997) 52.215-22 Limitations on Pass-Through Charges-Identification of Subcontract Effort. (OCT 2009) 52.216-29 T&M/LH Proposal Requirements-Non-commercial Item Acquisition with Adequate Price Competition (FEB 2007) 52.216-31 T&M/LH Proposal Requirements-Commercial Item Acquisition (FEB 2007) 52.217-3 Evaluation Exclusive of Options. (APR 1984) 52.217-4 Evaluation of Options Exercised at Time of Contract Award. (JUN 1988) 52.217-5 Evaluation of Options. (JUL 1990) 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services. (NOV 1999) 52.222-24 Preaward On-Site Equal Opportunity Compliance Evaluation. (FEB 1999) 52.225-25 Prohibition on Contracting with Entities Engaging in Certain Activities or Transactions Relating to Iran-Representation and Certifications (DEC 2012) 52.227-17 Rights in Data-Special Works. (DEC 2007) 52.228-1 Bid Guarantee. (SEP 1996) 52.232-38 Submission of Electronic Funds Transfer Information with Offer. (JUL 2013) 52.232-9 Limitation on Withholding of Payments. (Apr 1984) 52.233-4 Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim. (Oct 2004) 52.237-1 Site Visit. (APR 1984) 52.237-8 Restriction on Severance Payments to Foreign Nationals. (AUG 2003) 52.237-10 Identification of Uncompensated Overtime. (OCT 1997) 52.244-6 Subcontracts for Commercial Items. (Dec 2013) FAR CLAUSES: 52.204-3 Taxpayer Identification. (Oct 1998) (a) Definitions. "Common parent," as used in this provision, means that corporate entity that owns or controls an affiliated group of corporations that files its Federal income tax returns on a consolidated basis, and of which the offeror is a member. "Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)," as used in this provision, means the number required by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to be used by the offeror in reporting income tax and other returns. The TIN may be either a Social Security Number or an Employer Identification Number. (b) All offerors must submit the information required in paragraphs (d) through (f) of this provision to comply with debt collection requirements of 31 U.S.C. 7701(c) and 3325(d), reporting requirements of 26 U.S.C. 6041, 6041A, and 6050M, and implementing regulations issued by the IRS. If the resulting contract is subject to the payment reporting requirements described in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 4.904, the failure or refusal by the offeror to furnish the information may result in a 31 percent reduction of payments otherwise due under the contract. (c) The TIN may be used by the Government to collect and report on any delinquent amounts arising out of the offeror's relationship with the Government (31 U.S.C. 7701(c)(3)). If the resulting contract is subject to the payment reporting requirements described in FAR 4.904, the TIN provided hereunder may be matched with IRS records to verify the accuracy of the offeror's TIN. (d) Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). o TIN: ____________________________________. o TIN has been applied for. o TIN is not required because: o Offeror is a nonresident alien, foreign corporation, or foreign partnership that does not have income effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States and does not have an office or place of business or a fiscal paying agent in the United States; o Offeror is an agency or instrumentality of a foreign government; o Offeror is an agency or instrumentality of the Federal Government. (e) Type of organization. o Sole proprietorship; o Partnership; o Corporate entity (not tax-exempt); o Corporate entity (tax-exempt); o Government entity (Federal, State, or local); o Foreign government; o International organization per 26 CFR 1.6049-4; o Other ___________________________________. (f) Common parent. o Offeror is not owned or controlled by a common parent as defined in paragraph (a) of this provision. o Name and TIN of common parent: Name ___________________________________ TIN ____________________________________ (End of provision) 52.204-8 Annual Representations and Certifications. (Jan 2014) (a)(1) The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 541990. (2) The small business size standard is $14 million. (3) The small business size standard for a concern which submits an offer in its own name, other than on a construction or service contract, but which proposes to furnish a product which it did not itself manufacture, is 500 employees. (b)(1) If the provision at 52.204-7, System for Award Management, is included in this solicitation, paragraph (d) of this provision applies. (2) If the provision at 52.204-7 is not included in this solicitation, and the offeror is currently registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), and has completed the Representations and Certifications section of SAM electronically, the offeror may choose to use paragraph (d) of this provision instead of completing the corresponding individual representations and certifications in the solicitation. The offeror shall indicate which option applies by checking one of the following boxes: [ ] (i) Paragraph (d) applies. [ ] (ii) Paragraph (d) does not apply and the offeror has completed the individual representations and certifications in the solicitation. (c)(1) The following representations or certifications in SAM are applicable to this solicitation as indicated: (i) 52.203-2, Certificate of Independent Price Determination. This provision applies to solicitations when a firm-fixed-price contract or fixed-price contract with economic price adjustment is contemplated, unless- (A) The acquisition is to be made under the simplified acquisition procedures in Part 13; (B) The solicitation is a request for technical proposals under two-step sealed bidding procedures; or (C) The solicitation is for utility services for which rates are set by law or regulation. (ii) 52.203-11, Certification and Disclosure Regarding Payments to Influence Certain Federal Transactions. This provision applies to solicitations expected to exceed $150,000. (iii) 52.204-3, Taxpayer Identification. This provision applies to solicitations that do not include the provision at 52.204-7, System for Award Management. (iv) 52.204-5, Women-Owned Business (Other Than Small Business). This provision applies to solicitations that- (A) Are not set aside for small business concerns; (B) Exceed the simplified acquisition threshold; and (C) Are for contracts that will be performed in the United States or its outlying areas. (v) 52.209-2, Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations-Representation. This provision applies to solicitations using funds appropriated in fiscal years 2008, 2009, 2010, or 2012. (vi) 52.209-5, Certification Regarding Responsibility Matters. This provision applies to solicitations where the contract value is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. (vii) 52.214-14, Place of Performance-Sealed Bidding. This provision applies to invitations for bids except those in which the place of performance is specified by the Government. (viii) 52.215-6, Place of Performance. This provision applies to solicitations unless the place of performance is specified by the Government. (ix) 52.219-1, Small Business Program Representations (Basic & Alternate I). This provision applies to solicitations when the contract will be performed in the United States or its outlying areas. (A) The basic provision applies when the solicitations are issued by other than DoD, NASA, and the Coast Guard. (B) The provision with its Alternate I applies to solicitations issued by DoD, NASA, or the Coast Guard. (x) 52.219-2, Equal Low Bids. This provision applies to solicitations when contracting by sealed bidding and the contract will be performed in the United States or its outlying areas. (xi) 52.222-22, Previous Contracts and Compliance Reports. This provision applies to solicitations that include the clause at 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity. (xii) 52.222-25, Affirmative Action Compliance. This provision applies to solicitations, other than those for construction, when the solicitation includes the clause at 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity. (xiii) 52.222-38, Compliance with Veterans' Employment Reporting Requirements. This provision applies to solicitations when it is anticipated the contract award will exceed the simplified acquisition threshold and the contract is not for acquisition of commercial items. (xiv) 52.223-1, Biobased Product Certification. This provision applies to solicitations that require the delivery or specify the use of USDA-designated items; or include the clause at 52.223-2, Affirmative Procurement of Biobased Products Under Service and Construction Contracts. (xv) 52.223-4, Recovered Material Certification. This provision applies to solicitations that are for, or specify the use of, EPA-designated items. (xvi) 52.225-2, Buy American Act Certificate. This provision applies to solicitations containing the clause at 52.225-1. (xvii) 52.225-4, Buy American Act-Free Trade Agreements-Israeli Trade Act Certificate. (Basic, Alternates I, II, and III.) This provision applies to solicitations containing the clause at 52.225-3. (A) If the acquisition value is less than $25,000, the basic provision applies. (B) If the acquisition value is $25,000 or more but is less than $50,000, the provision with its Alternate I applies. (C) If the acquisition value is $50,000 or more but is less than $79,507, the provision with its Alternate II applies. (D) If the acquisition value is $79,507 or more but is less than $100,000, the provision with its Alternate III applies. (xviii) 52.225-6, Trade Agreements Certificate. This provision applies to solicitations containing the clause at 52.225-5. (xix) 52.225-20, Prohibition on Conducting Restricted Business Operations in Sudan-Certification. This provision applies to all solicitations. (xx) 52.225-25, Prohibition on Contracting with Entities Engaging in Certain Activities or Transactions Relating to Iran-Representation and Certifications. This provision applies to all solicitations. (xxi) 52.226-2, Historically Black College or University and Minority Institution Representation. This provision applies to- (A) Solicitations for research, studies, supplies, or services of the type normally acquired from higher educational institutions; and (B) For DoD, NASA, and Coast Guard acquisitions, solicitations that contain the clause at 52.219-23, Notice of Price Evaluation Adjustment for Small Disadvantaged Business Concerns. (2) The following certifications are applicable as indicated by the Contracting Officer: [Contracting Officer check as appropriate.] X (i) 52.219-22, Small Disadvantaged Business Status. X (A) Basic. __ (B) Alternate I. __ (ii) 52.222-18, Certification Regarding Knowledge of Child Labor for Listed End Products. __ (iii) 52.222-48, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Act to Contracts for Maintenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment Certification. __ (iv) 52.222-52, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Act to Contracts for Certain Services-Certification. __ (v) 52.223-9, with its Alternate I, Estimate of Percentage of Recovered Material Content for EPA-Designated Products (Alternate I only). __ (vi) 52.227-6, Royalty Information. X (A) Basic. __(B) Alternate I. X (vii) 52.227-15, Representation of Limited Rights Data and Restricted Computer Software. (d) The offeror has completed the annual representations and certifications electronically via the SAM website accessed through https://www.acquisition.gov. After reviewing the SAM database information, the offeror verifies by submission of the offer that the representations and certifications currently posted electronically that apply to this solicitation as indicated in paragraph (c) of this provision have been entered or updated within the last 12 months, are current, accurate, complete, and applicable to this solicitation (including the business size standard applicable to the NAICS code referenced for this solicitation), as of the date of this offer and are incorporated in this offer by reference (see FAR 4.1201); except for the changes identified below [offeror to insert changes, identifying change by clause number, title, date]. These amended representation(s) and/or certification(s) are also incorporated in this offer and are current, accurate, and complete as of the date of this offer. FAR Clause # Title Date Change ____________ _________ _____ _______ Any changes provided by the offeror are applicable to this solicitation only, and do not result in an update to the representations and certifications posted on SAM. (End of provision) 52.209-5 Certification Regarding Responsibility Matters. (Apr 2010) (a)(1) The Offeror certifies, to the best of its knowledge and belief, that- (i) The Offeror and/or any of its Principals- (A) Are o are not o presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, or declared ineligible for the award of contracts by any Federal agency; (B) Have o have not o, within a three-year period preceding this offer, been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against them for: commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (Federal, State, or local) contract or subcontract; violation of Federal or State antitrust statutes relating to the submission of offers; or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, tax evasion, violating Federal criminal tax laws, or receiving stolen property (if offeror checks "have", the offeror shall also see 52.209-7, if included in this solicitation); (C) Are o are not o presently indicted for, or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity with, commission of any of the offenses enumerated in paragraph (a)(1)(i)(B) of this provision; (D) Have o, have not o, within a three-year period preceding this offer, been notified of any delinquent Federal taxes in an amount that exceeds $3,000 for which the liability remains unsatisfied. (1) Federal taxes are considered delinquent if both of the following criteria apply: (i) The tax liability is finally determined. The liability is finally determined if it has been assessed. A liability is not finally determined if there is a pending administrative or judicial challenge. In the case of a judicial challenge to the liability, the liability is not finally determined until all judicial appeal rights have been exhausted. (ii) The taxpayer is delinquent in making payment. A taxpayer is delinquent if the taxpayer has failed to pay the tax liability when full payment was due and required. A taxpayer is not delinquent in cases where enforced collection action is precluded. (2) Examples. (i) The taxpayer has received a statutory notice of deficiency, under I.R.C. § 6212, which entitles the taxpayer to seek Tax Court review of a proposed tax deficiency. This is not a delinquent tax because it is not a final tax liability. Should the taxpayer seek Tax Court review, this will not be a final tax liability until the taxpayer has exercised all judicial appeal rights. (ii) The IRS has filed a notice of Federal tax lien with respect to an assessed tax liability, and the taxpayer has been issued a notice under I.R.C. § 6320 entitling the taxpayer to request a hearing with the IRS Office of Appeals contesting the lien filing, and to further appeal to the Tax Court if the IRS determines to sustain the lien filing. In the course of the hearing, the taxpayer is entitled to contest the underlying tax liability because the taxpayer has had no prior opportunity to contest the liability. This is not a delinquent tax because it is not a final tax liability. Should the taxpayer seek tax court review, this will not be a final tax liability until the taxpayer has exercised all judicial appeal rights. (iii) The taxpayer has entered into an installment agreement pursuant to I.R.C. § 6159. The taxpayer is making timely payments and is in full compliance with the agreement terms. The taxpayer is not delinquent because the taxpayer is not currently required to make full payment. (iv) The taxpayer has filed for bankruptcy protection. The taxpayer is not delinquent because enforced collection action is stayed under 11 U.S.C. 362 (the Bankruptcy Code). (ii) The Offeror has o has not o, within a three-year period preceding this offer, had one or more contracts terminated for default by any Federal agency. (2) "Principal," for the purposes of this certification, means an officer, director, owner, partner, or a person having primary management or supervisory responsibilities within a business entity (e.g., general manager; plant manager; head of a division or business segment; and similar positions). This Certification Concerns a Matter Within the Jurisdiction of an Agency of the United States and the Making of a False, Fictitious, or Fraudulent Certification May Render the Maker Subject to Prosecution Under Section 1001, Title 18, United States Code. (b) The Offeror shall provide immediate written notice to the Contracting Officer if, at any time prior to contract award, the Offeror learns that its certification was erroneous when submitted or has become erroneous by reason of changed circumstances. (c) A certification that any of the items in paragraph (a) of this provision exists will not necessarily result in withholding of an award under this solicitation. However, the certification will be considered in connection with a determination of the Offeror's responsibility. Failure of the Offeror to furnish a certification or provide such additional information as requested by the Contracting Officer may render the Offeror nonresponsible. (d) Nothing contained in the foregoing shall be construed to require establishment of a system of records in order to render, in good faith, the certification required by paragraph (a) of this provision. The knowledge and information of an Offeror is not required to exceed that which is normally possessed by a prudent person in the ordinary course of business dealings. (e) The certification in paragraph (a) of this provision is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when making award. If it is later determined that the Offeror knowingly rendered an erroneous certification, in addition to other remedies available to the Government, the Contracting Officer may terminate the contract resulting from this solicitation for default. (End of provision) 52.209-7 Information Regarding Responsibility Matters. (JUL 2013) (a) Definitions. As used in this provision- "Administrative proceeding" means a non-judicial process that is adjudicatory in nature in order to make a determination of fault or liability (e.g., Securities and Exchange Commission Administrative Proceedings, Civilian Board of Contract Appeals Proceedings, and Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals Proceedings). This includes administrative proceedings at the Federal and State level but only in connection with performance of a Federal contract or grant. It does not include agency actions such as contract audits, site visits, corrective plans, or inspection of deliverables. "Federal contracts and grants with total value greater than $10,000,000" means- (1) The total value of all current, active contracts and grants, including all priced options; and (2) The total value of all current, active orders including all priced options under indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity, 8(a), or requirements contracts (including task and delivery and multiple-award Schedules). "Principal" means an officer, director, owner, partner, or a person having primary management or supervisory responsibilities within a business entity (e.g., general manager; plant manager; head of a division or business segment; and similar positions). (b) The offeror [ ] has [ ] does not have current active Federal contracts and grants with total value greater than $10,000,000. (c) If the offeror checked "has" in paragraph (b) of this provision, the offeror represents, by submission of this offer, that the information it has entered in the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) is current, accurate, and complete as of the date of submission of this offer with regard to the following information: (1) Whether the offeror, and/or any of its principals, has or has not, within the last five years, in connection with the award to or performance by the offeror of a Federal contract or grant, been the subject of a proceeding, at the Federal or State level that resulted in any of the following dispositions: (i) In a criminal proceeding, a conviction. (ii) In a civil proceeding, a finding of fault and liability that results in the payment of a monetary fine, penalty, reimbursement, restitution, or damages of $5,000 or more. (iii) In an administrative proceeding, a finding of fault and liability that results in- (A) The payment of a monetary fine or penalty of $5,000 or more; or (B) The payment of a reimbursement, restitution, or damages in excess of $100,000. (iv) In a criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding, a disposition of the matter by consent or compromise with an acknowledgment of fault by the Contractor if the proceeding could have led to any of the outcomes specified in paragraphs (c)(1)(i), (c)(1)(ii), or (c)(1)(iii) of this provision. (2) If the offeror has been involved in the last five years in any of the occurrences listed in (c)(1) of this provision, whether the offeror has provided the requested information with regard to each occurrence. (d) The offeror shall post the information in paragraphs (c)(1)(i) through (c)(1)(iv) of this provision in FAPIIS as required through maintaining an active registration in the System for Award Management database via https://www.acquisition.gov (see 52.204-7). (End of provision) 52.215-6 Place of Performance. (Oct 1997) (a) The offeror or respondent, in the performance of any contract resulting from this solicitation, o intends, o does not intend [check applicable block] to use one or more plants or facilities located at a different address from the address of the offeror or respondent as indicated in this proposal or response to request for information. (b) If the offeror or respondent checks "intends" in paragraph (a) of this provision, it shall insert in the following spaces the required information: Place of Performance (Street Address, City, State, County, ZIP Code) Name and Address of Owner and Operator of the Plant or Facility if Other than Offeror or Respondent ____________________ _______________________ ____________________ _______________________ 52.216-1 Type of Contract. (Apr 1984) The Government contemplates award of a time and materials labor-hour hybbrid contract resulting from this solicitation. (End of provision) 52.216-30 Time-and-Materials/Labor-Hour Proposal Requirements-Non-Commercial Item Acquisition Without Adequate Price Competition. (Feb 2007) (a) The Government contemplates award of a Time-and-Materials or Labor-Hour type of contract resulting from this solicitation. (b) The offeror must specify separate fixed hourly rates in its offer that include wages, overhead, general and administrative expenses, and profit for each category of labor to be performed by- (1) The offeror; (2) Each subcontractor; and (3) Each division, subsidiary, or affiliate of the offeror under a common control. (c) Unless exempt under paragraph (d) of this provision, the fixed hourly rates for services transferred between divisions, subsidiaries, or affiliates of the offeror under a common control- (1) Shall not include profit for the transferring organization; but (2) May include profit for the prime Contractor. (d) The fixed hourly rates for services that meet the definition of commercial item at 2.101 that are transferred between divisions, subsidiaries, or affiliates of the offeror under a common control may be the established catalog or market rate when it is the established practice of the transferring organization to price interorganizational transfers at other than cost for commercial work of the offeror or any division, subsidiary or affiliate of the offeror under a common control. 52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract. (MAR 2000) (a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor within 10 days; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 60 days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension. (b) If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this option clause. (c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed (3) three years. (End of clause) 52.222-22 Previous Contracts and Compliance Reports. (Feb 1999) The offeror represents that- It _ has, _ has not participated in a previous contract or subcontract subject to the Equal Opportunity clause of this solicitation; It _ has, _ has not filed all required compliance reports; and Representations indicating submission of required compliance reports, signed by proposed subcontractors, will be obtained before subcontract awards. (End of provision) 52.222-25 Affirmative Action Compliance. (Apr 1984) The offeror represents that- (a) It _ has developed and has on file, o has not developed and does not have on file, at each establishment, affirmative action programs required by the rules and regulations of the Secretary of Labor (41 CFR 60-1 and 60-2); or (b) It _ has not previously had contracts subject to the written affirmative action programs requirement of the rules and regulations of the Secretary of Labor. (End of provision) 52.227-15 Representation of Limited Rights Data and Restricted Computer Software. (Dec 2007) (a) This solicitation sets forth the Government's known delivery requirements for data (as defined in the clause at 52.227-14, Rights in Data-General). Any resulting contract may also provide the Government the option to order additional data under the Additional Data Requirements clause at 52.227-16, if included in the contract. Any data delivered under the resulting contract will be subject to the Rights in Data-General clause at 52.227-14 included in this contract. Under the latter clause, a Contractor may withhold from delivery data that qualify as limited rights data or restricted computer software, and deliver form, fit, and function data instead. The latter clause also may be used with its Alternates II and/or III to obtain delivery of limited rights data or restricted computer software, marked with limited rights or restricted rights notices, as appropriate. In addition, use of Alternate V with this latter clause provides the Government the right to inspect such data at the Contractor's facility. (b) By completing the remainder of this paragraph, the offeror represents that it has reviewed the requirements for the delivery of technical data or computer software and states [offeror check appropriate block]- [ ] (1) None of the data proposed for fulfilling the data delivery requirements qualifies as limited rights data or restricted computer software; or [ ] (2) Data proposed for fulfilling the data delivery requirements qualify as limited rights data or restricted computer software and are identified as follows: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (c) Any identification of limited rights data or restricted computer software in the offeror's response is not determinative of the status of the data should a contract be awarded to the offeror. (End of provision) 52.233-2 Service of Protest. (Sept 2006) (a) Protests, as defined in section 33.101 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, that are filed directly with an agency, and copies of any protests that are filed with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), shall be served on the Contracting Officer (addressed as follows) by obtaining written and dated acknowledgment of receipt from William Buckhold, USAID/GC/LE at wbuckhold@usaid.gov. (b) The copy of any protest shall be received in the office designated above within one day of filing a protest with the GAO. (End of provision) 52.234-2 Notice of Earned Value Management System - Pre-Award IBR. (July 2006) (a) The offeror shall provide documentation that the Cognizant Federal Agency has determined that the proposed earned value management system (EVMS) complies with the EVMS guidelines in ANSI/EIA Standard - 748 (current version at time of solicitation). (b) If the offeror proposes to use a system that has not been determined to be in compliance with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this provision, the offeror shall submit a comprehensive plan for compliance with the EVMS guidelines. (1) The plan shall- (i) Describe the EVMS the offeror intends to use in performance of the contracts; (ii) Distinguish between the offeror's existing management system and modifications proposed to meet the guidelines; (iii) Describe the management system and its application in terms of the EVMS guidelines; (iv) Describe the proposed procedure for administration of the guidelines, as applied to subcontractors; and (v) Provide documentation describing the process and results of any third-party or self-evaluation of the system's compliance with the EVMS guidelines. (2) The offeror shall provide information and assistance as required by the Contracting Officer to support review of the plan. (3) The Government will review and approve the offeror's plan for an EVMS before contract award. (4) The offeror's EVMS plan must provide milestones that indicate when the offeror anticipates that the EVM system will be compliant with the ANSI/EIA Standard - 748 guidelines. (c) Offerors shall identify the major subcontractors, or major subcontracted effort if major subcontractors have not been selected subject to the guidelines. The prime Contractor and the Government shall agree to subcontractors selected for application of the EVMS guidelines. (d) The Government will conduct an Integrated Baseline Review (IBR), as designated by the agency, prior to contract award. The objective of the IBR is for the Government and the Contractor to jointly assess technical areas, such as the Contractor's planning, to ensure complete coverage of the contract requirements, logical scheduling of the work activities, adequate resources, methodologies for earned value (budgeted cost for work performed (BCWP)), and identification of inherent risks. (End of provision) 52.234-3 Notice of Earned Value Management System - Post Award IBR. (July 2006) (a) The offeror shall provide documentation that the Cognizant Federal Agency has determined that the proposed earned value management system (EVMS) complies with the EVMS guidelines in ANSI/EIA Standard - 748 (current version at time of solicitation). (b) If the offeror proposes to use a system that has not been determined to be in compliance with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this provision, the offeror shall submit a comprehensive plan for compliance with the EVMS guidelines. (1) The plan shall- (i) Describe the EVMS the offeror intends to use in performance of the contracts; (ii) Distinguish between the offeror's existing management system and modifications proposed to meet the guidelines; (iii) Describe the management system and its application in terms of the EVMS guidelines; (iv) Describe the proposed procedure for administration of the guidelines, as applied to subcontractors; and (v) Provide documentation describing the process and results of any third-party or self-evaluation of the system's compliance with the EVMS guidelines. (2) The offeror shall provide information and assistance as required by the Contracting Officer to support review of the plan. (3) The Government will review and approve the offeror's plan for an EVMS before contract award. (4) The offeror's EVMS plan must provide milestones that indicate when the offeror anticipates that the EVM system will be compliant with the ANSI/EIA Standard -748 guidelines. (c) Offerors shall identify the major subcontractors, or major subcontracted effort if major subcontractors have not been selected, planned for application of the guidelines. The prime Contractor and the Government shall agree to subcontractors selected for application of the EVMS guidelines. (End of provision) 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 quotation or 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 quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es): www.fedbizopps.gov (End of provision) 52.252-3 Alterations in Solicitation. As prescribed in 52.107(c), insert the following provision in solicitations in order to revise or supplement, as necessary, other parts of the solicitation that apply to the solicitation phase only, except for any provision authorized for use with a deviation. Include clear identification of what is being altered. Alterations in Solicitation (Apr 1984) Portions of this solicitation are altered as follows: _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ (End of provision) I.3 AIDAR CLAUSES 752.202-1 USAID DEFINITIONS CLAUSE -- GENERAL SUPPLEMENT FOR USE IN ALL USAID CONTRACTS (JAN 1990) 752.209-71 Organizational Conflicts of Interest Discovered After Award (June 1993) 752.211-70 Language and Measurement (June 1992) 752.227-14 Rights in Data--General (OCT 2007) 752.228-7 Insurance -- Liability to Third Persons. 752.229-70 Federal, State and Local Taxes. *752.242-70 PERIODIC PROGRESS REPORTS (OCT 2007) 752.245-70 Government Property -- USAID Reporting Requirements. 752.7001 BIOGRAPHICAL DATA (JULY 1997) 752.7002 TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION (JAN 1990) 752.7004 EMERGENCY LOCATOR INFORMATION (July 1997) 752.7006 NOTICES (APR 1984) 752.7009 MARKING (JAN 1993) 752.7025 APPROVALS (APR 1984) 752.7027 PERSONNEL (DEC 1990) 752.7034 ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND DISCLAIMER (DEC 1991) 752.7035 PUBLIC NOTICES (DEC 1991)&emsp; SECTION K - REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS, AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS OR RESPONDENTS This Section Intentionally Left Blank.&emsp; SECTION L - INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS OR RESPONDENTS L.1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS Offerors shall prepare an offer consisting of a Technical Proposal and Price Proposal as described below: General Instructions: 1. Submit the technical and price proposals via e-mail to vbates-shields@usaid.gov in two separate attachments with the subject line of the e-mail labeled as AID-SOL-OAA-14-000051 Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge Technical/Price Proposal. 2. Ensure registration in SAM.gov is current (including POC information). 3. Do not send any *.zip© files. Section 1 - Technical Proposal The written Technical Proposal shall be in word format, is limited to twenty (20) pages, shall be written in English, and shall address the information requested below. Submitted resume, past performance information, and subcontracting plan (if applicable) do not count against the twenty (20) page limit and should each be included at the end of the proposal as an Annex (see below). Offerors shall use letter size (8.5 inch by 11 inch) only paper size, single-spaced pages and each page consecutively numbered. Offerors must use Times New Roman font 11 or a similar size typeset. Annex 1 - Resume Annex 2 - Past Performance Information Annex 3 - Subcontracting Plan (if applicable) The technical proposal is composed of the following three factors: Factor 1 - Technical Approach/Capability Technical Capability is the primary determining factor of an offeror's ability to perform by producing deliverables and expected results in support of program tasks. At a minimum the Offerors shall provide the following: 1. A description of the Offeror's overall approach for producing deliverables and expected results in support of program tasks, including how activities will be phased to accomplish tasks within the timeframe provided (3 pages). 2. A draft implementation strategy for Challenge 1 (movement of trafficked wildlife and wildlife parts; 10 pages) which shall include descriptions of: a. Competition design b. Competition launch c. Competition post-launch d. Outreach to solution holders 3. An illustrative plan of the Offeror's approach for a pathway to scale for potential technologies that may emerge from a sub-challenge of the Offeror's choosing from Challenge 1 (2 pages). &emsp; Factor 2 - Management Capacity and Key Personnel The Offeror shall describe their management plan and key personnel approach in narrative format (5 pages; resume should be referenced and put in an annex). At a minimum, the offerors shall address the following points: 1. Overall management structure for achieving the tasks within the program timeframe. The Offeror should present a comprehensive management and staffing plan to achieve results. The Offeror should describe: organizational expertise in various competition platforms, efficient and effective use of resources, demonstrated ability to engage stakeholders and solvers from different but relevant fields, ability to plan for transitioning technologies to scale, organizational expertise in managing sub-grants and/or awards, appropriate staffing and, if appropriate, sub-contracting plans to accomplish program tasks, etc. 2. Identify the key personnel to be provided for this contract and supply a resume to include technical expertise, background, experience, and current job functions. Key personnel proposed should have the following experience: A senior-level Program Manager shall be responsible for the management of this program and has demonstrated experience leading the design, implementation and management of competitions, preferably in the international development sector. Experience in some aspects of taking innovation to scale is required and knowledge of wildlife conservation is an asset, but not necessary. Demonstrated ability to work with a wide variety of actors (e.g. private sector, government, NGOs, science and technology experts) and excellent written and oral communication skills. Factor 3 - Past Performance 1. A minimum of three most recent and/or relevant contracts for efforts similar to the work in the subject proposal. References provided should be relevant and demonstrate quality services provided for development-related innovation challenges that offeror's have run in the past which generated productive solutions. 2. For each reference provided, list contact names, job titles, mailing addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and a brief description of the work performed to include: a. Description of Program and Work performed b. Primary locations of work c. Term of performance; and d. Dollar value Section 2 - Price Proposal: The Government anticipates awarding a time and materials labor hour hybrid contract. Offeror's shall propose labor hour prices and other direct costs for each CLIN using the tables or a similar alternative as shown below: Total Labor Costs CLIN Labor Category Days Fixed Daily Rate Total Burdened Labor Cost (Total Days x Daily Rate) Base Year 1 Base Year 2 Option Year 1 001 Senior Prize Manager 002 Prize Manager 003 Prize Manager 004 Scale Manager 005 Scale Manager 006 Communications Specialist 007 Communications Specialist Base Year 1 Total Base Year 2 Total Option Year Total $ $ $ Total Labor Cost (2 Base Years + Option Year) Other Direct Costs CLIN Other Direct Cost Description Qty. Fixed Fee Total Estimated Cost (Qty. x Fixed Fee) Base Year 1 Base Year 2 Option Year 1 008 Subcontract for Wildlife Expertise 009 Communications/Outreach/Events/Travel 010 Flat Fee Per Challenge 011 Prize/Award Money for Winners 012 Other Direct Costs Base Year 1 Total Base Year 2 Total Option Year Total $ $ $ Total Other Direct Cost (2 Base Years + Option Year) Base Year 1 Total Cost (Year 1) Total Labor Costs Base Year 1 $ Total Other Direct Cost Year 1 $ Total Estimated Cost Base Year 1 $ Base Year 2 Total Cost (Year 2) Total Labor Costs Base Year 2 $ Total Other Direct Cost Year 2 $ Total Estimated Cost Base Year 2 $ Option Year 1 Total Cost (Year 3) Total Labor Costs Base Year 2 $ Total Other Direct Cost Year 2 $ Total Estimated Cost Base Year 3 $ Total Estimated Cost (Total Estimated Cost = Base Year 1+ Base Year 2 + Option Year 1) $ 1. Proposals should clearly lay out the proposed cost per challenge and any plug figure fees for winners or other additional costs. Cost will be a supporting factor and will become the determining factor if a selection cannot be made based on the technical proposals, management capacity and past performance. 2. Evaluation CLINS shall be proposed on a firm-fixed price basis. The total firm fixed price shall include all labor and any necessary other direct costs to complete the work described in the statement of work. 3. For each firm fixed price proposed, the offeror shall clearly show how they arrived at the firm fixed price. 4. The offeror shall clearly identify any discounts offered to the US government. All travel will be reimbursed directly to the contractor in accordance with applicable travel regulations. &emsp; SECTION M - EVALUATION FACORS FOR AWARD M.1 EVALUATION FACTORS (a) The Government may award a contract without discussions with offerors. (b) The Government intends to evaluate contract proposals in accordance with the below evaluation criteria and award to the responsible contractor(s) whose contract proposal(s) represents the best value to the U.S. Government. "Best value" is defined as the offer that results in the most advantageous solution for the Government, in consideration of technical, cost, and other factors. (c) The submitted technical information will be scored by a technical evaluation committee using the technical criteria shown below. The evaluation committee may include industry experts who are not employees of the Federal Government. When evaluating the competing Offerors, the Government will consider the written qualifications and capability information provided by the Offerors, and any other information obtained by the Government through its own research. For overall evaluation purposes, technical factors are considered significantly more important than cost/price factors. FACTOR 1 - Technical Approach/Capability - 50% The offeror has a realistic plan to complete the process facilitation and deliverables outlined above, as evidenced by: 1. A robust approach for producing deliverables and expected results within the timeframe provided. 2. A draft implementation strategy for Challenge 1 that demonstrates competency in competition design, launch, post-launch, and outreach to solution holders. 3. An illustrative plan for a pathway to scale for potential technologies that may emerge from a sub-challenge of Challenge 1 that demonstrates the vendor's competency in transitioning technologies to scale. FACTOR 2 - Management Plan & Key Personnel - 30% 1. A management plan that presents a comprehensive approach to management and staffing to achieve results. 2. Appropriately-skilled personnel to successfully complete the work, and has a realistic plan for the organization and management of work by the project team(s), as evidenced by: 3. Detailed resume of key personnel, demonstrating their appropriate skills and experience, including: a. Demonstrated experience leading the design, implementation and management of competitions, preferably in the international development sector. b. Experience in some aspects of taking innovation to scale is required and knowledge of wildlife conservation is an asset, but not necessary. c. Demonstrated ability to work with a wide variety of actors (e.g. private sector, government, NGOs, science and technology experts). d. Excellent written and oral communication skills. FACTOR 3 - Past Performance - 20% The Government will use past performance data gathered and evaluate the following: • Quality of product or service. • Timeliness of performance, including adherence to contract schedules and other time-sensitive project conditions, and effectiveness of home office management. • Customer satisfaction, including satisfactory business relationship to clients, initiation and management of several complex activities simultaneously, prompt and satisfactory correction of problems, and cooperative attitude in fixing problems. • Effectiveness of key personnel including effectiveness and appropriateness of personnel for the job, and prompt and satisfactory changes in personnel when problems with clients are identified. Other sources of past performance information may be considered in the evaluation. USAID will evaluate proposals in accordance with the technically acceptable criteria/factors (Technical Approach, Key Personnel, and Past Performance) in each area in order to be eligible for award. The factors are of weighted importance and will be evaluated against the following ratings as defined: Technical Ratings and Descriptions Adjectival Rating Adjectival Rating Description Excellent Proposal demonstrates excellent understanding of requirements and approach that significantly exceeds performance or capability standards. Has exceptional strengths that will significantly benefit the Government. Very Good Proposal demonstrates a very good understanding of requirements and approach that exceeds performance or capability standards. Has one or more strengths that will benefit the Government. Good Proposal demonstrates acceptable understanding of requirements and approach that meets performance or capability standards. Acceptable solution. Few or no strengths. Poor Proposal demonstrates shallow understanding of requirements and approach that only marginally meets performance or capability standards necessary for minimal but acceptable contract performance. Inadequate Proposal fails to meet performance or capability standards. Requirements can only be met with major changes to the proposal.
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R -- Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge - Solicitation 1