Description
Sources Sought Notice (herein referred to as a Request for Information) is issued by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) for market research purposes to determine industry interest and capability to perform the services identified below. This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. This RFI is solely used for information and planning purposes, it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service based solely on the submission of this Request for Information nor does it intend to pay for any costs incurred in response to this announcement. A determination by the Government to procure this requirement based upon responses to this notice or other market research is solely at the discretion of the USCG. This RFI is subject to FAR 52.215-3, Request for Information of Solicitation for Planning Purposes. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation of responses to this RFI. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website. It is the responsibility of potential Offerors to monitor for additional information pertaining to this requirement. BACKGROUND: The USCG currently applies several solicitation methodologies used in the federal procurement process for required services and supplies and the use of reverse auction is a growing concept used to drive-down the total cost of acquisitions where Offerors bid against each other in real-time until the auction closing period. Bids are conducted electronically and contract is awarded to the responsible, technically acceptable Offeror whose price is lowest at the auction closing time. The USCG is seeking sources capable of providing reverse auction procurement functions. INSTRUCTIONS: Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a capability statement. The Request for Information (Capability Statement) response should be clear, concise, and mark any information that is sensitive, proprietary, or otherwise confidential. Interested Offerors shall submit an electronic copy of their capability statement via e-mail to the POC listed herein on or before 23 August 2017 11:00AM (ET). Cost and price information is not requested with the response; however the USCG requests interested parties to include an estimated fee structure per transaction, etc. Responses shall be limited to five (5) pages total with 11pt font. At a minimum, capabilities submission shall include the following information: 1. The Company's capability to meet the performance objective, inclusive of online reverse auction tool description, support such as on-site resources, training, etc. and provide relevant, applicable examples of previous work or solution implementations. Description of reverse auction tool along with features and capacity, knowledge and experience in the application of federal acquisition regulations and statutes; 2. List available GWACS, Agency-Specific Strategic Sourcing Vehicles available for use; 3. Fee structure and basis of fee calculation; transaction fee, percentage or otherwise; and 4. Business classification(s) (large business, small business, small disadvantaged business, 8(a)-certified small disadvantaged business, HUBZone small business, woman-owned small business, very small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business) based upon North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 454112 for Electronic Auctions. The USCG does not plan to respond to individual submissions. This RFI is being used to obtain information for planning purposes only and may affect future procurement strategies. As stipulated in FAR 15.201 (e), responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.