How to Prepare a Quality GSA Offer

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How to Prepare a Quality GSA Offer
July 2010
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GSA Offer Preparation
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Accessing the Solicitations

• FedBizOpps (www.fbo.gov)
• Search by Keyword
• financial and business solutions for FABS
• Search by Solicitation Number
• FCXB-F4-020002-B for FABS

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www.fbo.gov
Link to solicitation
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Links to solicitation files
Solicitation files
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Offer Instructions

• READ THE ENTIRE SOLICITATION
• SCP-FSS-002 Specific Proposal Submission
  Instructions (JUN 2009)
• Located on Cover Page of Attachment 2
  Solicitation (page iv)

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Required Method for Submitting Offer

• e-Offer
• Digital Certificate (eoffer.gsa.gov)
• Information submitted electronically

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Offer Sections

• Section I Administrative / Contract Data
• Section II Technical Proposal
• Section III Price Proposal

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Section I Administrative / Contract Data

• Pathway to Success Certificate
• Standard Form 1449 Attachment 4 (paper offer
  only)
• Vendor Response Document Attachment 3 (paper
  offer only)
• Agent Authorization Letter Attachment 12 (if
  applicable)
• Summary of Offer Attachment 10
• Copy of CCR Record www.ccr.gov
• Copy of ORCA Record www.orca.bpn.gov
• Past two years of companys financial statements
• Small Business Subcontracting Plan Attachment 7
  (if large business)
• Previous Cancellation/Rejection Letters
• Other GSA contract numbers
• Pending offer(s) and contact information of
  Contract Specialist(s)

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Section I Administrative / Contract Data

• Pathway to Success Certificate vsc.gsa.gov

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Standard Form 1449 (Paper Offer Only) Attachment
4Fill in boxes 17(a), 30(a), (b), (c)
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Administrative / Contract Data Cont

• Vendor Response Document (Paper Offer Only)
  Attachment 3
• Agent Authorization Letter Attachment 12 (if
  applicable)
• Summary of Offer Attachment 10
• Copy of CCR Record www.ccr.gov
• Copy of ORCA Record www.orca.bpn.gov

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Administrative / Contract Data Cont

• Past two years of companys financial statements
• Small Business Subcontracting Plan Attachment 7
  (if large business)

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Administrative / Contract Data Cont

• Previous Cancellation/Rejection Letters
• Other GSA contract numbers
• Pending offer(s) and contact information of
  Contract Specialist(s)
• No brochures, newsletters, elaborate artwork,
  expensive bindings or other visual presentation
  aids

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Small Business Subcontracting Plan Goals

• GSAs Internal Subcontracting Goals
• 37 - Small Businesses
• 5 - Women-Owned Businesses
• 6 - Small Disadvantaged Businesses
• 5 - Veteran-Owned Businesses
• 3 - Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small
  Business
• 3 - HUBZone Businesses

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Section II Technical Proposal

• Technical Proposal is comprised of four factors
• Factor One Corporate Experience
• Factor Two Relevant Project Experience
• Factor Three Past Performance
• Factor Four Quality Control

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Factor One Corporate Experience

• Narrative describing applicable corporate
  experience (must have provided service for two
  years)
• Two-page maximum
• Number of years providing service(s)
• Need at least 2 years for FABS
• Organizations size, experience, and resources
• Brief history of activities
• Internal controls (organizational and accounting)
• Staffing capabilities
• Proposed federal marketing plan
• Discuss subcontractors

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Factor Two Relevant Project Experience

• Two project descriptions for EACH Special Item
  Number (SIN) proposed
• Four-page maximum per project description
• Completed within the last two years or base year
  completed, if on-going
• Demonstrate performed work is similar to
  solicited work
• Customer reference information for each project

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Relevant Project Experience Cont

• Narrative shall include
• Detailed description of SIN-relevant work
• Methodology, tools, and/or processes used
• Demonstration of compliance with laws, regs.,
  etc.
• Project schedule
• Similar in scope and complexity
• Specific experience and/or qualifications
• Special SIN Requirements

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Project Description Example Customer Reference
Information
Section II - Technical Proposal ABC
Company, Inc. SIN 520 5 Loan Servicing Asset
Management Project 1 Department of Veterans
Affairs Loan Resolution Project Customer/Client
Name Department of Veterans Affairs Project
Name/Contract Number LRP-1 / VA-04-1224-A Point
of Contact Jane Smith Point of Contact Phone
Number [phone] Point of Contact
Email jane.smith_at_va.gov Performance
Period 10/1/06 9/30/07 Dollar Value of
Project 5,000,000.00 Dollar Value of
SIN-Relevant Work 4,425,000.00
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Project Description Sample Narrative
Section II Technical Proposal ABC
Company, Inc. Brief Summary of Project The VA
contracted with ABC Company, Inc. to provide an
end- to-end solution, from loan origination
through the fulfillment of borrower obligations
to increase the effectiveness of its loan
servicing program. Detailed Description of
SIN-Relevant Work Explain in detail the elements
of the project which relate directly to the
Schedules Statement of Work. Methodology,
Tools, and/or Processes Utilized Explain how
your firm performed the work.
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Project Description Sample Narrative Cont
Section II Technical Proposal ABC
Company, Inc. Demonstration of compliance with
any applicable laws, regulations, Executive
Orders, OMB Circulars, professional standards,
etc. ABC Company demonstrated compliance
with. Project schedule (i.e., major milestones,
tasks, deliverables), including an explanation of
any delays - October 2006 Began preliminary
assessment - December 2007 Presented
findings. - January 2007 Developed
implementation strategy. And so on, and so
on
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Substitution for Corporate Experience

• If project experience does not exist, the offeror
  may substitute relevant projects of predecessor
  companies or key personnel that will be
  performing major aspects of the work
• Must provide a project description which clearly
  identifies the entity or personnel that performed
  the services

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Factor Three Past Performance

• Offerors must order and obtain a Past Performance
  Evaluation (PPE) from Open Ratings, Inc. (Dun
  Bradstreet)
• Offerors are responsible for payment to Open
  Ratings (175.00)
• Submit completed Past Performance Evaluation AND
  order form with GSA offer
• Address Negative Feedback

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Open Ratings Evaluations Cont

• Requires at least 4 references (Maximum 20)
• Open Ratings will not release a report until it
  receives at least 4 complete surveys
• Open Ratings estimates the process to take 20 to
  35 days
• Reports are good for 1 year

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Factor Four Quality Control

• One narrative, regardless of number of SINs
  offered (2-page maximum)
• Describe internal review procedures
• Identifies individuals reviewing projects
• Identifies if subcontractors are used and how
  offeror ensures acceptable performance
• Identifies potential problems and solutions
• Contains procedures for meeting urgent
  requirements
• Assures and describes how multiple task orders
  from the Government can be handled

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Section III Price Proposal
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GSAs Pricing Goal

• Obtain Most Favored Customer (MFC) pricing
• The price analysis GSA does to establish the
  Governments MAS negotiation objective should
  start with the best discount given to any of the
  vendors customers. GAO

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Section III Price Proposal

• Proposal Pricelist Preparation Attachment 8
• Commercial Sales Practices (CSP) Attachment 9
• Price Narrative
• Proposed Escalation (if applicable)
• Supporting Pricing Documentation
• Labor Category Descriptions
• Professional Compensation Plan
• Uncompensated Overtime
• Service Contract Act (SCA) Documentation

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Commercial Price List vs. Market Price(FAR 2.101)

• Commercial Price List Price included in a
  catalog, price list, schedule, or other form that
  is regularly maintained by the manufacturer or
  vendor, is either published or otherwise
  available for inspection by customers, and states
  prices at which sales are currently, or were
  last, made to a significant number of buyers
  constituting the general public
• Commercial Market Price Current prices that are
  established in the course of ordinary trade
  between buyers and sellers free to bargain and
  that can be substantiated through competition or
  from sources independent of the offerors

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Proposal Price List Preparation(Attachment 8)

• SIN(s) proposed
• Service/Product proposed
• MFC/Best commercial customer
• MFC/Best commercial customer price
• Discount offered to MFC/Best commercial
  customer
• Discount offered to GSA
• Prices offered to GSA, excluding Industrial
  Funding Fee (IFF)
• Prices offered to GSA, including IFF

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Proposal Price List Preparation Example
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Proposal Price List Preparation Example Cont
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Commercial Sales Practices Format (Attachment 9)

• Previous sales information
• Estimated sales per SIN
• Discounting policies
• Deviations from standard commercial practices

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Commercial Sales Practices Format Example
ABC Company, Inc.
520-1, 520-2, 520-4
5,000,000
10/1/07
9/30/08
100,000
520-1
100,000
520-2
520-4
100,000
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Commercial Sales Practices Format (Attachment 9)
Cont
If No, explain in Price Narrative
If Yes, explain in Price Narrative

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Price Narrative

• Provide information for the Contracting Officer
  to determine offered prices are fair and
  reasonable for each offered service
• Deviations from CSP
• State whether prices proposed are based on
  Commercial Price List or Market Prices
• Proposed economic price adjustment

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Economic Price Adjustment

• Based on Commercial Price List
• 552.216-70 ECONOMIC PRICE ADJUSTMENT FSS
  MULTIPLE AWARD SCHEDULE CONTRACTS (SEP 1999)
  (ALTERNATE I SEP 1999)
• Based on changes in Commercial Price List
• Based on Market Price
• I-FSS-969 ECONOMIC PRICE ADJUSTMENT FSS
  MULTIPLE AWARD SCHEDULE (JAN 2002)
• Negotiate fixed escalation rate
• Based on market indicator

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Price Narrative Example
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Supporting Pricing Documentation

• Support for EACH proposed service
• Invoices
• Contracts
• Quote sheets
• Clear and relevant relationship between document
  and price
• Document labeled with corresponding labor
  category or service

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Supporting Documentation Example
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Supporting Documentation Example
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Other Elements of Price Proposal

• Labor category descriptions
• Functional responsibilities
• Minimum years of experience
• Minimum educational/degree requirements
• Applicable training/certification requirements
• Professional Compensation Plan Clause 52.222-46
• Uncompensated Overtime Clause 52.237-10
• Services Contract Act documentation

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GSA Offer Evaluation
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When We Receive Your Proposal

• Offer assigned to Contract Specialist
• Offers with deficiencies will be rejected
• Contract Specialist will contact offereror to
  request clarifications or correction of minor
  deficiencies
• Timeframe for response is established
• Negotiations
• Final Proposal Revision
• Award

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Contract Administration

• Ongoing Process
• 5-Year Contract with THREE 5-Year Option Periods
• IFF Sales Reporting
• Modification Requests
• Small Business Reporting (eSRS)
• Contractor Assist Visits
• Minimum Sales Criteria
• 25,000 / 1st 2 years
• 25,000 / year

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Submitting Your Offer
E - Offer

• http//eoffer.gsa.gov/

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For Further Assistance

• Financial and Business Solutions (520)
• Hotline [phone]
• Email fabs_at_gsa.gov