Get ready for five great Q3 bids

While the government’s fourth quarter (Q4) offers the highest number and collective value of solicitations during the year, the government starts to turn on the spigot in the third quarter (Q3). For contractors, the government’s Q3 is a great time to win work to bolster their backlog while also training staff to support Q4 bids and acquiring bid and proposal (B&P) resources to handle the high volume of Q4 bids.

Therefore, we present detailed descriptions below of five Q3 bids that may be of interest. These bids all have multi-billion dollar values, and the government will award them to multiple winners. The bids are highly competitive, so offerors should clearly define their multiple discriminators across all evaluated criteria and mitigate any weaknesses to win the contracts.

#1 Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) Services (LTVS)

Description: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) requires a human-class rover that extends the exploration range of Extravehicular Activity (EVA). Their objective is to procure safe, reliable, and cost-effective LTV services to meet NASA’s need for a human-class rover and extend the exploration range of EVA—suited crewmembers on the surface of the Moon. NASA envisions that the LTV delivered to the lunar surface will be usable by the EVA crew for science and commercial purposes.

Solicitation Number: 80JSC0R23LTVS

Estimated RFP Date: May 26, 2023

Value: $4.6B

NAICS: 541715 Research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences (except nanotechnology and biotechnology)

Contract Type: Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ)

Expected Number of Awards: Multiple with the number unknown

No. of Incumbents: None; this is a new procurement

Acquisition Milestones:

• 08/30/2021 – Sources Sought/RFI
• 08/31/2022 – Industry Day/Site Visit/Conference
• 09/01/2022 – One-on-One Sessions
• 09/14/2022 – Draft
• 10/27/2022 – Questions and Answers
• 11/01/2022 – Presolicitation
• 11/09/2022 – Industry Day/Site Visit/Conference
• 03/08/2023 – Questions and Answers
• 04/14/2023 – Draft (Pending)

Draft Proposal Requirement: Offerors must submit a five-volume proposal consisting of the following:

• Volume 1: Price Factor (unlimited page count).
• Volume 2: Mission Suitability Factor (limit 200 pages) includes the technical and management approaches.
• Volume 3: Past Performance Factor (limit 30 pages). Demonstrates past experience in all PWS areas by submitting up to three past contracts.
• Volume 4: Responsibility Considerations (unlimited page count).
• Volume 5: Model (unlimited) requires completion of the Model Contract.

Draft Evaluation Criteria:

• Volume 1 Price Factor: The government will analyze the Total Evaluated Price of all proposals and identify those found acceptable under NASA FAR Supplement (NFS) 1815.305-70. It is anticipated that the reasonableness of the proposed cost/price will be determined based on the competition.
• Volume 2 Mission Suitability Factor: The government will rate proposals numerically compared to the following subfactors: Technical Approach – 600 points, Management Approach – 300 points, and Small Business Utilization – 100 points.
• Volume 3 Past Performance Factor: The government will evaluate the recency, relevance, and merit of the performance, as well as assign it a confidence rating.
• Volume 4 Responsibility Considerations: The contracting officer will determine whether the offeror is considered responsible for an award.
• Volume 5 Model: The model contract will not be evaluated for selection purposes; however, the government will review it for compliance.

Challenge: Deliver a >230-page proposal that demonstrates your LTV can withstand delivery to the moon and the rigors of the lunar environment, meeting and consistently exceeding performance and fault tolerance indicators, and support future commercial partnerships.

#2 SWIFT6: Support Which Implements Fast Transitions 6 IDIQ

Description: U.S. Agency for International Development’s (AID) Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization requires quick-response support for its international programs. SWIFT supports two main lines of work: 1) the Implementation of Transition Programs (SWIFT-Programs) (Section C.4), which is an unrestricted pool, and 2) Program Operations Technical Assistance Support (SWIFT-Support) (C.5), which is a restricted pool.

SWIFT Programs will implement and manage activities from the Transition Activities Pool (TAP), conduct research initiatives, and support program-funded USAID personnel.

The SWIFT-Support work will recruit and deploy long-term and short-term technical assistance to support program operations.

Most SWIFT task orders are cost-reimbursable with an average 2–3-year duration and a $50M ceiling.

Solicitation Number: 7200AA23PRESOL00029

Estimated RFP Date: May 2023

Value: $5B

NAICS: 541611 (Administrative management and general management consulting services)

Contract Type: Small business set-aside

Expected Number of Awards: 7–9 under the unrestricted (SWIFT Programs) competition, which may include approximately 1 or 2 small business reserve contracts under the unrestricted competition and 1–3 small business set-asides for SWIFT-Support.

No. of Incumbents: 14

Acquisition Milestones:

• 05/05/2022 – Sources Sought/RFI/Market Research
• 05/17/2022 – Questions and Answers
• 01/30/2023 – Presolicitation Draft
• 02/22/2023 – Questions/Comments Due
• 03/02/2023 – Industry Day/Site Visit/Conference
• 03/10/2023 – Questions and Answers

Draft Proposal Requirement: This is a two-phase down-select. In Phase 1, the government wants a brief 6-8 page corporate experience summary describing the offeror’s capability to perform the statement of work services. In Phase 1, offerors can submit a technical proposal addressing Factor 1 Section L.7 (for SWIFT-Programs) and L.8 (for SWIFT-Support). There are no instructions for Phase 2 yet.

Draft Evaluation Criteria:

• Implementation of Transition Programs (SWIFT-Programs) Unrestricted
  • Subfactor 1.A Fast and Flexible Programming: Includes the offeror’s corporate capability, systems, and processes, experience.
  • Subfactor 1.B Operations: Includes the quality of the offeror’s systems, capacity, and depth of experience to mobilize teams to implement programs quickly and set up program infrastructures and systems.
• Implementation of SWIFT Support (Restricted)
  • Subfactor 1.A Recruitment, Deployment, and Support of Personnel: Includes an evaluation of the quality of the offeror’s corporate capability, systems, and processes, and depth of experience with quickly recruiting, hiring, deploying, and managing staff effectively in complex, fluid operating environments.
  • Subfactor 1.B Operations: Includes the quality of the offeror’s corporate capability, systems, processes, and depth of experience to implement task orders in complex, crisis (political), and transitional environments.

Challenge: Offerors must create a corporate experience summary demonstrating their expertise, experience, and capability to field flexible, short-term assistance in countries undergoing political transition and instability issues at a competitive price.

#3 FUELS: Worldwide Department of The Defense Petroleum Oil and Lubricant Systems Construction and Repair Services

Description: The Department of the Air Force and other Department of Defense (DoD) require a contractor to construct and repair DoD Petroleum, Oil, and Lubricant (POL) systems at military installations worldwide. The contractor will perform new construction or make additions, repairs, and upgrades to existing POL facilities.

Solicitation Number: FA890323R0017

Estimated RFP Date: 06/2023

Value: $2.5B

NAICS: 237120 (Oil and gas pipeline and related structures construction)

Expected Number of Awards: 25

No. of Incumbents: New requirement

Acquisition Milestones:

• 03/13/2023 – Draft
• 03/24/2023 – Questions/Comments Due

Draft Proposal Requirement:

• Volume I Contract Documentation
• Volume II Technical Capabilities
  • Corporate and On-site Key Personnel Table (Attachment L-4A)
  • Technical Factor 1 Bonding information
  • Technical Factor 2 Corporate Experience and Structure: 3-page description of corporate quality and 1-page descriptions of the Program Manager, Project Manager, Corporate Quality Control, and Safety Manager
  • Technical Factor 3 Qualifications of Key Field Personnel: 1 page per key field personnel
  • Technical Factor 4 Small Business Participation Commitment: 5 pages maximum and a subcontracting plan
• Volume III Price

Draft Evaluation Criteria: The government is evaluating proposals in two phases/gates. Gate 1 comprises Technical Factor 1 Bonding and Technical Factor 2 Corporate Experience and Corporate Key Personnel. Only those offerors that receive a technical rating of acceptable in all criteria in Gate 1 will progress to the next phase/gate. In Phase/Gate 2, the government will evaluate Technical Factor 3 Key Field Personnel for each desired pool and Volume III Price/Rates Proposal.

The government will only make awards to offerors that provide a technically acceptable Volume II Technical Proposal and a fair and reasonable Volume III Price/Rate Proposal.

Challenge: The government intends to award directly to firms that perform DOD POL Construction Management (Home and On-site Management/Quality Control) in-house (organically) without using teaming partners. The draft RFP advises offerors that using teaming partner resources, including experience and/or key personnel qualifications, is prohibited unless the offeror is a formal Joint Venture (JV). In addition, the key personnel/experience must be from the JV itself or one of its entities.

#4 MPE: Mission Partner Environment Program

Description: The Department of the Air Force, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Concepts, Development, and Management (SAF/CDM) Mission Partner Capability Office (MPCO) use the MPE Program to provide a secure, agile, resilient, and interoperable worldwide enterprise C2I information-sharing between DOD and mission partners. The work includes all types and phases of military operations to rationalize, modernize, and consolidate the MPE and enhance the military’s operational effectiveness, lethality, and survivability.

Solicitation Number: FA714623RB310

Estimated RFP Date: 05/2023

Value: $2-5B

NAICS: 541512 (Computer systems design services)

Contract Type: IDIQ – Agency Specific, Full and Open/Unrestricted

Expected Number of Awards: Multiple with the number unknown

No. of Incumbents: 4

Acquisition Milestones:

• 03/03/2022 – Draft
• 03/10/2022 – Sources Sought/RFI/Market Research
• 07/20/2022 – Questions and Answers
• 03/31/2023 – Draft
• 04/21/2023 – Questions/Comments Due (Planned)

Draft Proposal Requirement: The Air Force provided an extensive Performance Work Statement (PWS) describing its requirements. These requirements include defensive cyber operations, assessment and authorization (A&A) tasks, information system security officer (ISSO) services, IT service and knowledge management, training, data center management, and architectural and engineering services.

Draft Evaluation Criteria: None provided to date.

Challenge: Create a proposed solution to accomplish the military’s security requirements within an acceptable level of risk and at a competitive price while also addressing unforeseen security risks and system/data integration issues.

#5 ITSSS-2: Information Technology Supplies and Support Services 2nd Generation

Description: The solicitation provides a wide range of IT services, including workplace, business application, infrastructure and platform services, and a wide range of other IT services.

Solicitation Number: ITSSS22172023FBI

Estimated RFP Date: June 21, 2023 (there may be an industry event on June 7)

Value: $5–7B

NAICS: 541519 (Other computer-related services)

Contract Type: Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) Full and Open/Unrestricted

Expected Number of Awards: Multiple with the number unknown

No. of Incumbents: 43 awards

Acquisition Milestones:

• 05/25/2022 – Sources Sought/RFI/Market Research
• 08/12/2022, 12/22/2022, 02/17/2023 – Special Notices (bid status reports)
• 05/15/2023 – Draft (Planned)
• 06/07/2023 – Industry Day/Site Visit/Conference (Planned)
• 06/21/2023 – Solicitation Release (Planned)

Draft Proposal Requirement: On May 25, 2022, the government published a draft statement of work that indicated the RFP would address the following tasks:

• Workplace Solution/Services
• Business Application Solution/Services
• Delivery Solutions/Services
• Platform Solutions/Services
• Infrastructure Solutions/Services
• Emerging Technologies
• Other IT Solutions/Services

Draft Evaluation Criteria: Not provided to date.

Challenge: If the bid is released as planned, offerors will only have 1 month between the planned release of the draft and the RFP release. In addition, numerous incumbents with long-term FBI expertise make it harder for challengers to break into the agency without a proposal of significant merit at a competitive price.

By Brenda Crist, Vice President at Lohfeld Consulting Group, MPA, CPP APMP Fellow

Lohfeld Consulting Group has proven results specializing in helping companies create winning captures and proposals. As the premier capture and proposal services consulting firm focused exclusively on government markets, we provide expert assistance to government contractors in Capture Planning and Strategy, Proposal Management and Writing, Capture and Proposal Process and Infrastructure, and Training. In the last 3 years, we’ve supported over 550 proposals winning more than $170B for our clients—including the Top 10 government contractors. Lohfeld Consulting Group is your “go-to” capture and proposal source! Start winning by contacting us at www.lohfeldconsulting.com and join us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.