U.S. Department of State Evolve Request for Proposals (RFP)

Active

Contract Opportunity

(UPDATE) January 17, 2025

Dear Industry Partners,

The Government would like to provide an update regarding the ongoing procurement for the Evolve Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ), issued under Solicitation No. 19AQMM23R0042. We appreciate your continued interest and engagement throughout this process.

The source selection phase is nearing completion, and we anticipate issuing awards on a rolling basis over the next 60 to 90 days by functional category.

We remain committed to ensuring a thorough and fair evaluation of all proposals.

For any questions regarding this notice, please contact the Contracting Officer at Evolve@state.gov .

Thank you for your patience and understanding. Additional updates will be provided as necessary

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(UPDATE) AUGUST 19, 2024.

Dear Evolve Offerors,

Thank you for your continued interest in the Evolve IDIQ solicitation. We appreciate your patience as we work through the evaluation process.

While we’ve made significant progress, the evaluations are still ongoing, and we are not yet ready to award contracts. Rest assured, our team is committed to a thorough and fair assessment of each proposal. We will continue to provide updates here on SAM.gov to keep you informed of any developments.

For any specific inquiries, please contact the Evolve team at Evolve@State.gov.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

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(UPDATE) JUNE 20, 2024.

Dear Offerors,

Thank you for your continued interest and participation in the Evolve Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) solicitation. We appreciate your patience and commitment during this process.

Due to multiple inquiries about the timeline for award, we would like to provide an update on the status of the evaluations. While significant progress has been made, the evaluation process is still ongoing. Our team is diligently working to ensure a thorough and fair assessment of each proposal.

We understand the importance of timely updates and transparency. Therefore, we will continue to post regular updates on the System for Award Management (SAM) to keep you informed of our progress and any relevant developments.

Please feel free to reach out to the Contracting Officer Ernest Mbandi and the Evolve team at Evolve@State.gov with pecific inquiries or concerns.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we complete this critical phase of the procurement process.

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(UPDATE) February 7, 2024.

Dear Offerors,

We appreciate your continued interest and participation in the procurement process for the Evolve Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) solicitation. As the contracting officer overseeing this effort, I would like to provide you with an update on the status of the evaluation process.

Due to the high level of industry interest and participation, phase II evaluations will take longer than initially anticipated to complete. We recognize the importance of transparency and wish to assure all offerors that the Department is actively working on the proposal evaluations.

Our dedicated evaluation team is diligently reviewing and assessing each proposal to ensure a thorough and fair evaluation. We understand the importance of timely updates and commit to providing regular communications leading up to the award. To maintain transparency and keep offerors informed, we will post updates on the System for Award Management (SAM). These updates will include information such as general progress, anticipated timelines for the next phases of the procurement process, and any other relevant information that may impact the timeline to award.

We understand the significance of your commitment and investment in this process, and we are fully committed to ensuring a comprehensive evaluation leading to a successful award. Your patience and understanding are greatly appreciated as we navigate through the complexities of the procurement process.

For specific inquiries or concerns, please contact the Evolve team at Evolve@state.gov.

Thank you for your continued collaboration and participation in the Evolve procurement.

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Amendment 11 (P0011)

The purpose of this amendment (P0011) is to accomplish the following:

1. Request signed SF-30s and SF-33s to acknowledge amendments 0010 and 0011 of the Evolve Solicitation from all offerors who: 1) submitted proposals prior to the due dates for proposal submission; or 2) who submitted timely proposals but were unable to acknowledge amendment 0010 after it was issued. Amendment 0010 was issued on 10/05/2023, the same day proposals for FC1 and FC4 were due, and a day before proposals for FC2 were due. The government is only requesting the signed forms to acknowledge the amendments. The government is not requesting revised proposals to be submitted. The government shall not accept any form of proposal revisions submitted in response to this amendment.


2. Provide answers to offeror questions for FC5 (See attached FC5 Questions and Answers spreadsheet).

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Amendment 10 (P0010)

The Purpose of amendment (P0010) is to accomplish the following:

1. Publish proposal due dates for Functional Categories (FC) 1 (one) through 5 (five) as follows;

FC1 – 5 October 2023 at 5PM EST

FC4 – 5 October 2023 at 5PM EST

FC2 – 6 October 2023 at 5PM EST

FC3 – 25 October 2023 at 5PM EST

FC 5 – 31 October 2023 at 5PM EST

2. Provide answers to offeror questions for FC3 (See attached FC3 Questions and Answers spreadsheet).

3. Acknowledge clerical errors in the RFP identified by offeror questions (See FC3 Questions and Answers spreadsheet - questions # 6, 8, and 22).

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Amendment 9 (P0009)

The purpose of this amendment is to provide responses to timely questions not previously addressed by the government for Functional Category One (FC1). Please review "Additional Questions and Answers FC1. v.2" attached for the government's response.

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Amendment 8 (P0008)

The Purpose of this amendment is to incorporate version 8 (eight) of the RFP (Please review 19AQMM23R0042.v7 Tracked Changes P0008 and clean version P0008, and all attachments accompanying P0008 for the full scope of this amendment). Also see, amendment 6 (six) of the RFP for instructions on submitting phase 2 (two) proposals.

Amendment 8 encompasses the following:

1. Provide government answers to offeror questions for Functional Categories (FC) 2, 4, and outstanding questions from FC1.


2. Amend Section B resulting from offeror questions.


3. Amend Table L4 Phase 2 Page Restrictions, to address cover page restrictions.


4. Resolve a clerical error for the table of contents for Attachment J-35. Network Services STO (See Attachment J-35 Network Services STO.v3).


5. Update Attachment J-28 Subcontracting Plan to remove references to VOSB and a 42% small business goal, consistent with updates made during amendment 1 (See Attachment J-28 Small Business SubK Plan.v3).


6. Update proposal delivery due dates for phase 2 (two) as follows:

FC1 – 5 October 2023

FC4 – 5 October 2023

FC2 – 6 October 2023

Note: Proposal due dates for FC3 and FC5 shall be specified in offeror advisory opt-in or Opt-out notification letters.

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Amendment 7, (P0007) Posted 9/5/2023.

Amendment 0007 provides answers to questions pertaining to revised pricing and technical proposal submission instructions provided within Amendment 0006 of this RFP (See attachment: Evolve Questions and Answers.v3).

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Amendment 6, (P0006) posted 08/10/2023

The Purpose of this amendment is to incorporate version 6 (six) of the RFP (Please review 19AQMM23R0042.v6 P0006 Tracked and clean versions, and all attachments with P0006 for full scope of this amendment). The changes captured within amendment 6 are as follows:

1. The Government will conduct 5 (five) separate source selections under this solicitation. Advisory down-select notices will be furnished to industry on a rolling basis as the government completes evaluations for each Functional Category (FC). Down-select notices for FCs 1 through 5 are not scheduled to go out in a particular order. The timelines for issuance of the advisory down-select notifications, source selection timelines and best value award decisions for any FC will not affect the timelines for the other FCs. The government anticipates releasing all down select notices by the end of September 2023 (See Provision L.4 Proposal Schedule)


2. Remove Michael Ku as Contracting Officer and replace him with Michael Dickson.


3. Includes changes to Section B to clarify Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) references, including minimum and maximum quantities, fully loaded hourly labor rates, travel costs, overtime hours, Cost Price related Laws (See Section B).


4. Retire the use of Symphony for all aspects of this procurement and request phase II proposals and all correspondence to be submitted via email. Any remaining references to Symphony pertain to phase 1 (one) only (see attachments 19AQMM23R0042.v6 Tracked P0006 and 19AQMM23R0042.v6 version P0006).


5. Update numbering of Table C910 to read Table C9: Capability Areas within Network and Telecommunications Functional Category. This is only a numbering change to the table.


6. Update the Draft Evolve Ordering Guide, Attachment J-24 (Refer to attachment J-24 Evolve Ordering Guide v2 tracked P0006 and Clean P0006 ).


7. Update the price proposal instructions and incorporate revised pricing tables (Provision L.19.1 Price Proposal Information, and attachments J-9A through J-9E P0006).


8. Update the method for questions submission to email only (See provision L.5 Communications and Questions). Those Offerors who Opt-In must submit their Opt-in decision, questions, and their Phase 2 proposals by the due dates and times indicated within the Down-Select notification in order to be considered for Phase 2. Questions are welcomed for the revised price proposal instructions and updated technical proposal email instructions only (See provision L.6). Any questions referencing technical proposals will not be answered.


9. Update proposal delivery instructions for phase 2 (two) to be by email only (See provision L.6 and L.11 Proposal Preparation Instructions).


10. Remove all clauses and references to cost reimbursement (See Provision I Contract Clauses).


11. Update Phase 2 proposal submission instructions (See Provision L.6).

Offerors shall submit separate proposals for each functional category. For each functional category, offerors shall summit separate and complete volumes so that the government can evaluate them independently. Each volume shall include a cover page including the following information:

1. Title of Acquisition (i.e., EVOLVE)


2. Indicate the Functional Category being proposed


3. RFP Number


4. Volume Number


5. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Number


6. Socio-Economic Status


7. CAGE Code


8. Company Name


9. Company Address


10. Company Point of Contact Email and Phone Number

Each volume must include the specified Proposal Documents and conform to the page restrictions specified in Table L4: Phase 2 Page Restrictions.

Offerors are required to submit a single email containing separate zipped folders for volumes 3,4,5, and 6. The entire submission shall not exceed 50MB.Offerors must clearly label each Zipped folder volume (i.e., Volume 3 - Sample TO Technical Solution; Volume 4 - Management Approach etc.).

If the file(s) for each submission cannot be reduced below 50MB, then offerors shall divide the file into 50MB increments and send over multiple emails. The subject line for each email shall reference which portion of the proposal is attached (i.e., Volume 3, Part 1 of 2 Sample TO Technical proposal).

Offerors must clearly label each file within each zipped folder in accordance with the requirements of the Evolve solicitation Table L6: Proposal Volume Structure (i.e., Volume 3 - Sample TO Technical proposal; Volume 4 - Program management; Volume 4 - IDIQ OM POC Resume; Volume 4 – Quality Control Solution etc.).

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March 15, 2023 (Update)

This solicitation is currently under evaluation. Once we are at the end of phase 1 we will notify each offeror to advise them of next steps. No further communications will occur on SAM.gov until the IDIQ awardees are announced. Thanks for your interest and participation

(End of update)

The purpose of this amendment (P00005)

(posted 02/03/2023) - is to reduce the following point values in “Attachment J-30_Self-Scoring Sheet”:

For the Cloud & Data Center Tab (FC2): reduce the hardship post point value from a maximum of 150 to a maximum of zero. For the Application

Development Tab (FC3): reduce the hardship post point value from a maximum of 150 to a maximum of zero. For the Application Development Tab

(FC3): reduce the ISO 9001 point value from a maximum of 100 to a maximum of zero.

The purpose of Section L.12.1 Meaningful Relationship Certification is to address meaningful relationships and not Joint Ventures nor 13 C.F.R. 125.2.

Please reference section.

L.13 and section L.14 for submission information on Joint Ventures and 13 C.F.R. 125.2.

The following language is removed from Section L.12 in its entirety:

“In order for the Offeror to take credit for project experience and technical qualifications of its teaming partners, joint ventures, or subcontractors, a

meaningful relationship must exist. To prove this (if applicable to the Offeror’s submission), a Meaningful Relationship Certification must be provided as

part of the proposal. This certification does not count towards the page limit.”

The proposal due date and time is extended until February 10, 2023, at 11 pm ET.

Amendment 4, posted 02/02/2023:

The purpose of this amendment is to incorporate version 4 of the RFP.

• Version 4 captures necessary changes identified by Department of State since the posting of Amendment 2.


• Version 4 of Attachment J-2 Labor Categories Descriptions is hereby incorporated.


• Version 1 of DD254 Questions and Answers document is hereby incorporated.


• Version 3 of Attachment J-27 SCRM worksheet is hereby incorporated.


• The proposal due date and time is extended to February 8, 2023, at 11PM EST.

Amendment 3, posted 01/24/2023:

The purpose of this amendment is to extend the proposal due date until February 8, 2023 at 2pm EST. The Contracting Officer for this solicitation is changed from Katherine Vultaggio to Michael Ku.

An additional Amendment 4 will be posted within 7 days to further clarify some questions received. Further extension of the February 8, 2023 proposal due date is not anticipated at this time. A revised RFP version 4 will be posted as attachments to Amendment 4.

In accordance with Section L.12.1 Meaningful Relationship Certification (MRCL) and Attachment J-10 of the solicitation, the MRCL is amended as defined under Section L.12.1, page 134:

Removed from solicitation:

“An entity is a managing or team member of the Joint Venture Offeror”

“Teaming Partner or Subcontractor”

Section L.12. 1 as amended:

L.12.1 Meaningful Relationship Certification

DOS will allow an offeror to take credit for relevant experience project(s), system(s), or certification(s) from a Parent Company, Affiliate, Division, and/or Subsidiary so long as there is a meaningful relationship to the offeror and commitment letters are provided to the Government. Offerors using affiliate experience and/or past performance must use the Attachment at J-10 “Meaningful Relationship Commitment Capabilities, Past Performance, and Experience Letter” in order for this information to be considered at evaluation. Systems, certifications, and clearances may not be submitted from a subcontractor within Symphony.

For the purposes of Evolve, a “meaningful relationship” exists when at least one of the following conditions exists:

1. An entity is a wholly owned subsidiary of a parent organization.


2. An entity is a parent of a wholly owned subsidiary.


3. An entity operates under a single internal operational unit.


4. An entity operates under a consolidated accounting system.


5. An entity operates under a consolidated purchasing system.


6. An entity operates under a consolidated human resources or personnel system.


7. An entity operates under common policy and corporate guidelines.


8. Operating structure between the entities includes internal organizational reporting lines and management chains for “lines of business” that operate across the formal corporate subsidiaries.

Special Notice, posted 01/19/2023:

The SF-30 for Amendment 2 (titled "19AQMM23R0042_P0002") has been added to the attachments section.

Amendment 2, posted 01/12/2023:

Please see the following minor corrections, clarifications and updates to the Evolve RFP:

• RFP v.3 (clean and markup) shows minor changes & corrections to the RFP.

• Updates for clarity added to the Q&A document (see “Evolve Questions and Answers.v2”)
  
  
  
  • Corrections are located in Column E.
  
  
  
  

• Important updates to the clarifications document (now titled “Amend 2 Clarifications”) and the RFP (redlines and clean version, titled "19AQMM23R0042.v3" and "19AQMM23R0042.v3.clean" respectively) including (but not limited to):

• 
  
  
  
  • Additional information on submitting PPQs in Symphony for Volumes 1a and 2.
  
  
  • CMMI Dev or Services may be submitted for points in Volume 1a.
  
  
  • Azure, Google, AWS and ServiceNow technical clarification.
  
  
  
  

• Revised Attachment J-2, adding “Wireless Service Specialist”.

Special Notice, posted 12/31/2022

Please see the attached Clarifications document (titled: Amend 1 Clarifications") which provides additional clarity regarding the RFP changes implemented at Amendment 1.

Amendment 1, posted 12/27/2022

Please see the following attachments for Amendment 1:

• Evolve Q&A Spreadsheet (Q&A will also be released via Symphony shortly)


• Amendment 1 SF-30 (title: 19AQMM23R0042_P0001) and


• RFP “Clean” Attachment (title: 19AQMM23R0042.v2Amd1)


• RFP "Marked Up" attachment (title: 19AQMM23R0042.v2Amd1.mkp) with tracked changes


• Zip File (title: Evolve Attachments.v2) with Amended Evolve "v2" Attachments

Notable Changes:

1. Shift from “confidence Ratings” to “adjectival ratings”

2. Removal of sample task order pricing submission & evaluation

3. Removal of self-scoring points for experience submitted for the “Prime” vs “Sub”

4. Administrative corrections and clarifications based on the Q&A received.

The submission due date is hereby extended to January 25, 2022 at 2:00PM Eastern Time.

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**Update 12/19/2022**

Vendors may access Symphony registration training via the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwWPaZFzME4

**Update 12/16/2022**

Correction: Amendment 1, including Questions and Answers and the Amended RFP will be posted no earlier than December 26, 2022. The Symphony proposal submission portal will also not be open for submissions before that time. The due date for Phase 1 Proposals will be extended at the time of Amendment 1.

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**Update 12/11/2022**

There is a delay for the proposal submission portal opening in Symphony to allow configuration consistent with RFP Amendment 1.

• RFP Amendment 1 with Q&As is anticipated to be released by Noon Eastern Time on Friday, December 16, 2022 (subject to change).


• Symphony submission portal for Phase 1 will be live for Offerors at 9:00AM Eastern Time on Monday, December 19, 2022.

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**Note**

• Symphony is live for registration and questions submission.
  
  
  
  
  • Symphony Link: https://dos-evolve.app.cloud.gov/
    
    
    
    
    • Symphony has a live helpdesk hotline and a helpdesk ticket system if your firm needs assistance with Symphony registration or submission of questions.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

• A live webinar is being offered on 12/14/22 at 12 Noon Eastern Time by Apex Logic.
  
  
  
  
  • Vendors are not required to attend the live webinar in order to register in Symphony.
  
  
  • There is no longer a need to register for this webinar; simply access the link at the time of the event (or dial in using the information posted in the RFP):
    
    
    
    • Zoom Link for 12/14/22 only: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88659768243?pwd=NjlNczBibGtKUVN1aDdPd3BPTkFPdz09
    
    
    • The webinar will be recorded and posted to SAM.gov
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

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Attached please find the Evolve Multiple Award Indefinite-Delivery Indefinite-Quantity (ID/IQ) request for proposals (RFP). This is a Phased Solicitation. Provide Phase 1 proposal submissions in accordance with the attached RFP by the date and time listed on the SF-33. Note that SAM.gov only provides an option to indicate a "partial set-aside", so that option has been selected; however, this RFP includes a Small Business Reserve.

Attachments/Links