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

***04 Oct 2019 Update *** Additional questions from industry and Government responses are posted. The deadline for receipt of pitches is unchanged at this time. ***30 Sept 2019 Update *** Additional questions from industry and Government responses are posted. The deadline for receipt of pitches is unchanged at this time. --------------- ***24 Sept 2019 Update *** Questions from industry and Government responses are posted. The deadline for receipt of pitches is unchanged at this time. --------------- Introduction United States Air Forces Europe-Air Force Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) is conducting a commercial solutions opening (CSO) authorized by section 879 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 (Pub. L. 114-328). Under a CSO, the Air Force may competitively award proposals received in response to a general solicitation, similar to a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), to acquire innovative commercial items, technologies, and services, based on a review of proposals by scientific, technological, or other subject-matter expert peers within the Air Force. Under this CSO, all items, technologies, and services shall be treated as commercial items. ***This offering is open to all NAICS*** The Air Force intends to obtain "innovative" solutions or potential new capabilities that fulfill requirements, close capability gaps, or provide potential technology advancements. Solutions may include existing technologies or procedures that are currently not used by units at USAFE-AFARICA that would enhance or streamline mission capabilities. "Innovative" is defined as any technology, process or method that is new as of the date of submission of a proposal. It also includes any new application of an existing technology, process, or method. This CSO contains broadly defined Areas of Interest (AOI) and attention to more specific requirements. While these AOI's are geared toward meeting USAFE-AFARICA requirements, the Air Force reserves the right to award contracts from this CSO to meet Air Force requirements outside of USAFE-AFARICA with similar AOI and mission requirements. USAFE-AFAFRICA will utilize an open, two-step CSO evaluation process. In step 1, offerors must submit a white paper (technical data) and a pitch deck (PowerPoint Presentation) for evaluation. There is no limit on the number of offers submitted per offeror, neither per AOI nor in total. Once the evaluations are complete, all offerors will be notified as to whether they will be invited to pitch their proposal at a Pitch Day event (step 2). USAFE-AFAFRICA also reserves the right to skip step 2 and make an award after step 1. Offerors that are selected will receive an invitation to make a virtual pitch to the USAFE/AFAFRICA team during a Pitch Day event, which will be held on 13 November 2019. Please note that travel is not required to participate in the Pitch Day, as the proposals will be presented virtually. Offerors will pitch their solution to evaluators and will be immediately notified if they were selected for an award. In order to expedite funds, the Government intends to pay a percentage of any awarded contracts with the Government Purchase Card (GPC); this will require you to have the ability to accept a credit card payment at this event for payment. Further information on Pitch Day will be made available as the event date gets closer. Any questions or concerns can be addressed via e-mail to Mr. Sean Kennedy at sean.kennedy@us.af.mil, Mr. Nathaniel Searing at nathaniel.searing@us.af.mil, Mr. John Masters at johnathon.masters.1@us.af.mil and Maj Jeff Fry at jeffrey.fry@us.af.mil. Instructions for Preparation and Submission of Proposals The following section outlines the proposal requirements. It also includes timelines for submissions and information about the Pitch Day. All contracts will be firm-fixed price. All supplies or services procured via this CSO are treated as commercial items. The Air Force must determine the price fair and reasonable prior to award. The Air Force intends to award FAR Part 12 contracts as a result of this CSO, but reserves the right to award agreements, if deemed in the best interest of the Government. Proposal Contents Proposal Volume/Section Requirements/Limitations COVER LETTER Must Include: i. Area of Interest for which proposal is submitted ii. Proposed Team Member Names iii. Proposal "Validity" Date iv. Authorized Offeror Representative or Point of contact(s) v. An overview of the company, as it relates to the Area of Interest under which the proposed solution is submitted vi. CAGE Code, DUNS Number vii. Screenshot from SAM.gov Maximum 2 pages (does not include screenshot) Offerors shall include CAGE code, DUNS number and current business address along with the verification that you are registered to compete for US Government contracts. EXCEPTION: FAR 4.1102(a)(6) Contract actions at or below $30,000 awarded to foreign vendors for work performed outside the United States, if it impractical to obtain SAM registration are not required to register in SAM. VOLUME I - TECHNICAL DATA (White Paper) See requirements below. White paper shall not exceed 5 pages Pitch deck (PowerPoint Presentation) shall not exceed 15 slides VOLUME II - PRICE Must Include: i. Proposed price(s) ii. Delivery or Period of Performance No page Limit. Flexible quantities or pricing options should be provided to maximize the Air Force's ability to award with available funding. Any awards for supplies will be delivered F.O.B. Destination. ** NOTE: Submitted documents shall not contain classified data or sensitive information and proprietary information shall be clearly marked. All documents must be in English and/or have the translations available ** Technical Volume The technical volume shall include a white paper and a pitch deck. The technical volume will be reviewed holistically and there is no set format requirements for the two documents. It is recommended (but not required) that more detailed information is included in the white paper and summarized information is included in the pitch deck. The technical volume should address how the proposed solution is innovative and the feasibility of the solution solving the AOI's challenge(s), including examples demonstrating possible application of the proposed innovation. Technology Concept and Company Capability Offerors shall provide the following information in sufficient detail to allow the Air Force to make an assessment of their capability to support the proposed solution. (a) Offerors shall describe the unique aspects of their proposed solution as it "relates" to the AOI. (b) The pitch shall not repeat the AOI/Topics or contain the contents of the white paper pasted into slides, but rather provide convincing evidence that the proposed solution will meet the Air Force's need. The following examples of convincing evidence are strongly encouraged - (1) Authentic company URL or web address. Note: The Air Force may elect to use the information provided as part of its continuous market research. However, the government is not obligated to use the URL or web address as part of its evaluation process to determine the Selectee or Awardee. (2) Summary of product commercialization currently used in the open market. (3) Pictures, diagrams, models or figures to depict the essence of the proposed solution. SAM Registration It is critical offerors are registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), https://www.sam.gov/, you will not be eligible for an award if not registered in SAM at the time your proposal is submitted. However, for foreign vendors, if your proposal is less than $30,000, SAM is not a requirement IAW FAR 4.1102(a)(6). Additionally, verify that you are registered to receive contracts (not just grants) and that your address matches between your proposal and SAM. Questions All questions related to this CSO and specific AOI's must be submitted in writing via email before 10:00 am Eastern Time, 30 September 2019. Proposal Submission In order for your proposal to be evaluated for a possible invitation to the Pitch Day event 13 Nov 2019, it must be submitted via email to Mr. Sean Kennedy at sean.kennedy@us.af.mil, Mr. Nathaniel Searing at nathaniel.searing@us.af.mil, Mr. John Masters at johnathon.masters.1@us.af.mil and Maj Jeff Fry at jeffrey.fry@us.af.mil on or before 10:00 am Eastern Time, 7 October 2019. A hardcopy will not be accepted. If your proposal is received after the due date, it will not be accepted. USAFE-AFAFRICA recommends that you complete your submission early, as computer traffic gets heavy near the announcement closing and could slow down the system. Do not wait until the last minute. USAFE-AFAFRICA will not be responsible for proposals received late due to servers being "down" or inaccessible. Offerors may submit proposal amendments any time prior to the proposal deadline (7 October 2019) specified on the FBO website, however the Air Force will ONLY review the final…