International Credit Rating Agency Research Subscriptions

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation for Commercial Services

General Information

Document Type: Combined Synopsis/Solicitation

Solicitation Number: 77344422Q0081

Posting Date: September 10, 2022

Closing Date: September 21, 2022, 4:00pm Eastern

NAICS Code: 519130

Product Service Code (PSC): DA10

PSC Name: IT and Telecom- Business Application/Application Development Software as a Service

Contracting Office:     United States Development Finance Corporation (DFC)

1100 New York Ave, NW

Washington, DC 20527

Contracting Officer:    Samuel Dustin

                                    samuel.dustin@dfc.gov

                                   

Set-Aside Status: None

Description

This is a combined synopsis/ solicitation for commercial products or commercial services prepared in accordance with the format in subpart  12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; competitive quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The RFQ number is 77344422Q0081. The government anticipates that one or more contracts will be awarded as a result of this solicitation.

The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2022-07, Effective 8/10/2022.

             

The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is the development finance institution of the United States government.  DFC partners with the private sector to finance solutions to the most critical challenges facing the developing world today. We invest across sectors including energy, healthcare, critical infrastructure, and technology. DFC’s tools include direct loans, guaranties, equity investments, feasibility studies, support for investment funds, political risk insurance, and technical assistance.

To appropriately assess the credit risk of the projects and transactions undertaken in pursuit of this mission, DFC requires access to international credit rating agency research and ratings in the following sectors:  Corporates, Banks, and Governments.

The service(s) we seek must provide global coverage of the above sectors via the Internet. The subscription will provide access for both a) up to 5 Strategic Information Division staff who will provide ratings and research as needed to staff throughout the agency, and b) additional individual staff from multiple departments throughout the agency.  We anticipate that there will be around 50 staff requesting individual access. Please refer to attached Statement of Work (SOW) for additional information.

Contractor Qualifications

Any contractor submitting a quote must be registered as a Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (NRSR) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Offers from companies that do not meet this qualification will not evaluated or considered for award.

Submission Requirements

Interested contractors shall submit their quotes electronically to the Contracting Officer, Samuel Dustin via email to samuel.dustin@dfc.gov. The closing date for submissions is September 20, 2022, at 4:00pm Eastern.

Submissions must include the following:

1.  Technical volume that comprehensively demonstrate contractor’s ability to provide access to the international credit ratings and research and meet both the coverage and general service requirements of the SOW. The technical portion of the quote shall not exceed 25 pages.

2. Statistical Profile Chart – each proposer must submit a chart showing a statistical distribution of their ratings. The chart must include the following information at a minimum:

• Number of current ratings in each of the following geographic regions:  Africa, North America (U.S. and Canada only), Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
• Total number of current Government ratings, corporate ratings, and financial institution ratings

3. Pricing Quote: Contractors shall quote a firm-fixed annual price for the services requested in the SOW that accommodates a minimum of 50 users. Contractor’s pricing quote shall clearly indicate the price (if applicable) for the government to incrementally add additional users during the contract period if required.

4. Quoters shall confirm whether their offerings are compliant with the IT Accessibility Requirements detailed in the SOW. If the product being submitted does not fully conform to the Section 508 standards, respondents shall clearly identify those products/features that are not compliant.

Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses

The full text of FAR provisions and clauses may be accessed electronically at https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far

The provision at 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Products and Commercial Services, applies to this acquisition.

The provision at 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Products and Commercial Services applies to this acquisition.

(a) The Government will award one or more contracts resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror(s) whose offer(s) conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: Technical Capability and Price.  Technical capability is more important than price.

Each quote will be evaluated based upon the degree that it addresses the technical requirements, whether pricing is representative of the market and therefore fair and reasonable, and whether it represents the best value to the Government.    

(b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

(c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror(s) within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

(End of provision)

Respondents shall include a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial Services, with their quotes.

The clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Products and Commercial Services, applies to this acquisition.

The clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Products and Commercial Services applies to this acquisition. The following FAR clauses and provisions cited in the clause are applicable to the acquisition:

           

52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (Jun 2020)

52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (Oct 2018)

52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Representation (Sep 2021)

52.222-3, Convict Labor (Jun 2003)

52.222-19, Child Labor-Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies (Jan 2022)

52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Sep 2016)

52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (Jun 2020) 

52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (Jun 2020)

52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans (Jun 2020)

52.222-40, Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act (Dec 2010) 

52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (Nov 2021)

52.223-18, Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (Jun 2020) 

52.224-3 Privacy Training (Jan 2017)

52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-System for Award Management (Oct2018)

The following provisions are also applicable to this solicitation:

            52.217-5, Evaluation of Options (July 1990)

Except when it is determined in accordance with FAR 17.206(b) not to be in the Government’s best interests, the Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

(End of provision)

The following contract clauses are also applicable to this solicitation:

            52.217-8, Option to Extend Services (Nov 1999)

The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only because of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within 30 days of contract expiration

(End of clause)

            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 15 days of contract expiration; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 30 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 5 years, 6 months.

(End of clause)

IPP-001, Electronic Invoicing and Payment Requirements- Invoice Processing Platform (IPP)

Payment requests must be submitted electronically through the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) system or any successor site using the “Bill to Agency” of U.S. International Development Finance Corporation - DFC.

“Payment request” means any request for contract financing payment or invoice payment by the Contractor. To constitute a proper invoice, the payment request must comply with the requirements identified in  FAR 32.905(b), “Content of Invoices” and the applicable Payment clause included in the contract, or the clause 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions.

(End of clause)

Responses to this RFQ shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer, Samuel Dustin, via email to samuel.dustin@dfc.gov no later than 4:00pm Eastern on September 20, 2022.

Please submit questions related to this RFQ to the Contracting Officer, Samuel Dustin, via email to samuel.dustin@dfc.gov no later than 4:00pm Eastern on September 15, 2022.

Attachments:

Statement of Work