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This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.603, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This an... This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.603, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals (offers) are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation number 6923G519R0068(R) is issued as a request for proposals under full and open competition. The St. Lawrence Seaway System (Seaway) is a marine transportation trade route comprising a series of connecting channels, canals, lakes, and locks extending from Montreal to Lake Ontario which are managed jointly by the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS or Corporation) and the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) of Canada. The GLS is a wholly-owned government corporation within the U. S. Department of Transportation which is authorized to operate and maintain that portion of the Seaway within the territorial limits of the United States. To support this mission, the GLS owns and operates two locks, a maintenance base, an administration building, several remote RF stations, and marine and mobile equipment. The GLS is seeking cost and technical proposals for a comprehensive Communication Study, including all existing equipment, and recommendations for system enhancement for marine, maintenance and administrative facilities and functions associated with the operation and maintenance requirements of GLS. *WORK STATEMENT AND REFERENCE DRAWINGS Work Statement and Drawings are furnished as attachments. *COMPLETION OF TECHNICAL AND COST PROPOSALS Each offeror is required to complete and return electronic copies each of a Technical and Cost Proposal as outlined below and in the work statement. Technical Proposals Requirements: Technical Proposals shall include sufficient information so that a proper evaluation can be made with respect to the requirements outlined in the Statement of Work. As a minimum, Technical Proposals shall include the following: Discussion of the understanding of the Statement of Work and how their proposal will meet the requirements of the Statement of Work in this RFP. Discussion of project approach which shall include: Assumptions of existing conditions (e.g. equipment and facilities, topographic, etc.) that will be used as the basis of planning. Schedule with time frames and approximate dates for project milestones. This includes sequencing of key activities. Outline of measurement, test methods, software to be used, calculations, etc. Project approach and steps to be taken to accomplish the work. Staffing plan. Detailed description of deliverables and content. List of subcontractors and applicable services not being performed by the Contractor’s own employees. Organization of all key personnel anticipated for the completion of work. Resumes describing the qualifications and experience all key personnel to be assigned to complete this Statement of Work. Cost Proposals Requirements: Cost Proposals shall include any and all costs to complete the Statement of Work. GLS intends to award a Time and Materials, not to exceed contract for this solicitation. The GLS intends to evaluate offers and award a contract without discussions with offerors. Therefore, the offeror’s initial offer should contain the offeror’s best terms from a cost and technical perspective. However, the GLS reserves the right to conduct discussions with offerors if deemed necessary by the Contracting Officer. The Cost Proposal shall be formatted to show a unit fee schedule for personnel that will be working on the project including subcontractors. Fixed hourly rates shall include wages, overhead, general and administrative expenses, and profit for each category of labor to be performed by the offeror and each subcontractor. any travel required to GLS locations, travel charges shall include all airfare, vehicle rentals, mileage costs, per diem, hourly rate for personnel when travelling, and all other expenses associated with the round-trip travel. Reimbursable travel expenses shall be in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations. The offeror shall also include other direct allocable costs such as reproduction of plans and specifications. Cost Proposals shall provide an estimated price for the each of the requirements/locations below to include the anticipated number of hours that the personnel included in the Technical Proposal will work on the project; hourly rates; travel costs, and other items as discussed in this paragraph. The Contractor is expected to furnish the equipment necessary to accomplish the requirements of the Statement of Work. Any equipment or software purchased by the Contractor for which the Contractor is entitled to be reimbursed as a direct item of cost under this contract, shall become the property of the GLS upon delivery. *EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS The GLS will make award to the responsible offeror whose offer conforms to the requirements and on the weighted evaluation factors listed below: Technical Proposals (50%): The Technical Proposals shall address the requirements specified under the Technical Proposal Requirements above. Past Performance (25%): The offeror and subcontractor(s) shall have completed at least two (2) projects of similar scope and complexity within the past ten (10) years. References shall be provided. Each reference shall include the name and address of the client, a brief but detailed description of the work performed and a contact person with valid contact information (phone number and email). Price (25%): Pricing as specified under the Cost Proposal Requirements. *INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS Offerors are responsible for submitting proposals to reach the Contracting Officer by no later than June 15, 2021 by 2:00 PM (EST). Offers shall be sent by e-mail to jason.brockway@dot.gov and katie.maloney@dot.gov. The subject line of all emails shall contain the solicitation number 6923G519R0068(R) and Communications Study. Any offer or revision of an offer received after the time specified for receipt of offers, shall be considered “late” and will not be considered. During the solicitation stage, offerors shall submit any requests for clarification to the Contracting Officer no later than June 7, 2021 by 1:00 PM local time. Requests may be sent by e-mail to jason.brockway@dot.gov and katie.maloney@dot.gov. The subject line of all emails shall contain the solicitation number 6923G519R0068(R) and Communications Study. Any information given to a prospective offeror concerning a solicitation will be furnished promptly to all other prospective offerors as an amendment to the solicitation, if that information is necessary in submitting quotations. GLS will not provide any Corporation facilities, utilities, or equipment. *CONTRACT AWARD (1) The SLSDC intends to award a Time and Materials(T&M) contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror(s) whose proposal(s) represents the best value after evaluation in accordance with the factors in the solicitation. (2) The SLSDC may reject any or all proposals if such action is in the SLSDC’s interest. (3) The SLSDC may waive informalities and minor irregularities in proposals received. (4) The SLSDC intends to evaluate proposals and award a contract without discussions with offerors (except clarifications as described in FAR 15.306(a)). Therefore, the offeror’s initial proposal should contain the offeror’s best terms from a cost or price and technical standpoint. The SLSDC reserves the right to conduct discussions if the Contracting Officer later determines them to be necessary. If the Contracting Officer determines that the number of proposals that would otherwise be in the competitive range exceeds the number at which an efficient competition can be conducted, the Contracting Officer may limit the number of proposals in the competitive range to the greatest number that will permit an efficient competition among the most highly rated proposals. (5) Exchanges with offerors after receipt of a proposal do not constitute a rejection or counteroffer by the SLSDC. (6) The SLSDC may determine that a proposal is unacceptable if the prices proposed are materially unbalanced between line items or subline items. Unbalanced pricing exists when, despite an acceptable total evaluated price, the price of one or more line items is significantly overstated or understated as indicated by the application of cost or price analysis techniques. A proposal may be rejected if the Contracting Officer determines that the lack of balance poses an unacceptable risk to the SLSDC. (7) A written award or acceptance of proposal mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time specified in the proposal shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. A contract will be awarded only if the price is within available funding appropriations and relates to the SLSDC’s concept of the project. *SITE VISITS Site visits will be held on May 27 and June 2, 2021 at 10:00am (EST). It is strongly recommended that those interested in submitting a proposal arrange for a site visit to become familiar with the GLS facilities. Arrangements must be made through the Offices of Engineering and Maintenance at (315) 764-3265 at least three business days in advance in order to make preparations for access to GLS property. Any expenses involved in a site visit shall be borne by the attendees. *CLAUSES AND PROVISIONS Offerors are required to include a completed copy of FAR provision 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items, with its offer if they have not completed their certifications and representations on the System for Award Management (SAM) website at www.sam.gov this clause has been provided in full text as an attachment. This procurement includes by reference FAR Clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items. The FAR clause 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items and the following FAR clauses contained within are applicable to this acquisition: 52.203 -- Prohibition on Requiring Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements, 52.204-23 -- Prohibition on Contracting for Hardware, Software, and Services Developed or Provided by Kaspersky Lab and Other Covered Entities, 52.204-25 -- Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment, 52.209-10 -- Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations, 52.233-3 -- Protest After Award, 52.233-4 -- Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim, 52.204-10 - Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards, 52.209-6 -- Protecting the Governments Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment, 52.219-14 -- Limitations on Subcontracting, 52.222-3 Convict Labor, 52.222-21 Prohibition of Segregated Facilities, 52.222-26 Equal Opportunity, 52.222-36 - Equal Opportunity for Workers With Disabilities, 52.222-50 Combatting Trafficking in Persons, 52.223-18 Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging while Driving, 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-System for Award Management, 52.222-17 Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers, 52.222-41 Service Contract Labor Standards, 52.222-42 Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires, 52.222-55 -- Minimum Wages Under Executive Order 13658, 52.222-62 Paid Sick Leave Under Executive Order 13706. Other applicable FAR provisions and clauses incorporated by reference in accordance with; 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference and 52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference include: 52.223-2 Affirmative Procurement of Biobased Products under Service and Construction Contracts, 52.223-17 Affirmative Procurement of EPA-Designated Items in Service and Construction Contracts, 52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors, 52.245-1 Government Property, 52.245-9 Use and Charges. Provisions and Clause Included in Full Text 52.204-24 Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (Oct 2020) The Offeror shall not complete the representation at paragraph (d)(1) of this provision if the Offeror has represented that it "does not provide covered telecommunications equipment or services as a part of its offered products or services to the Government in the performance of any contract, subcontract, or other contractual instrument" in paragraph (c)(1) in the provision at 52.204-26, Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services—Representation, or in paragraph (v)(2)(i) of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items. The Offeror shall not complete the representation in paragraph (d)(2) of this provision if the Offeror has represented that it "does not use covered telecommunications equipment or services, or any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services" in paragraph (c)(2) of the provision at 52.204-26, or in paragraph (v)(2)(ii) of the provision at 52.212-3. (a) Definitions. As used in this provision— Backhaul, covered telecommunications equipment or services, critical technology, interconnection arrangements, reasonable inquiry, roaming, and substantial or essential component have the meanings provided in the clause 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment. (b) Prohibition. (1) Section 889(a)(1)(A) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232) prohibits the head of an executive agency on or after August 13, 2019, from procuring or obtaining, or extending or renewing a contract to procure or obtain, any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system. Nothing in the prohibition shall be construed to— (i) Prohibit the head of an executive agency from procuring with an entity to provide a service that connects to the facilities of a third-party, such as backhaul, roaming, or interconnection arrangements; or (ii) Cover telecommunications equipment that cannot route or redirect user data traffic or cannot permit visibility into any user data or packets that such equipment transmits or otherwise handles. (2) Section 889(a)(1)(B) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232) prohibits the head of an executive agency on or after August 13, 2020, from entering into a contract or extending or renewing a contract with an entity that uses any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system. This prohibition applies to the use of covered telecommunications equipment or services, regardless of whether that use is in performance of work under a Federal contract. Nothing in the prohibition shall be construed to— (i) Prohibit the head of an executive agency from procuring with an entity to provide a service that connects to the facilities of a third-party, such as backhaul, roaming, or interconnection arrangements; or (ii) Cover telecommunications equipment that cannot route or redirect user data traffic or cannot permit visibility into any user data or packets that such equipment transmits or otherwise handles. (c) Procedures. The Offeror shall review the list of excluded parties in the System for Award Management (SAM) (https://www.sam.gov) for entities excluded from receiving federal awards for "covered telecommunications equipment or services". (d) Representation. The Offeror represents that— (1) It will, will not provide covered telecommunications equipment or services to the Government in the performance of any contract, subcontract or other contractual instrument resulting from this solicitation. The Offeror shall provide the additional disclosure information required at paragraph (e)(1) of this section if the Offeror responds "will" in paragraph (d)(1) of this section; and (2) After conducting a reasonable inquiry, for purposes of this representation, the Offeror represents that— It does, does not use covered telecommunications equipment or services, or use any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services. The Offeror shall provide the additional disclosure information required at paragraph (e)(2) of this section if the Offeror responds "does" in paragraph (d)(2) of this section. (e) Disclosures. (1) Disclosure for the representation in paragraph (d)(1) of this provision. If the Offeror has responded "will" in the representation in paragraph (d)(1) of this provision, the Offeror shall provide the following information as part of the offer: (i) For covered equipment— (A) The entity that produced the covered telecommunications equipment (include entity name, unique entity identifier, CAGE code, and whether the entity was the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or a distributor, if known); (B) A description of all covered telecommunications equipment offered (include brand; model number, such as OEM number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number; and item description, as applicable); and (C) Explanation of the proposed use of covered telecommunications equipment and any factors relevant to determining if such use would be permissible under the prohibition in paragraph (b)(1) of this provision. (ii) For covered services— (A) If the service is related to item maintenance: A description of all covered telecommunications services offered (include on the item being maintained: Brand; model number, such as OEM number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number; and item description, as applicable); or (B) If not associated with maintenance, the Product Service Code (PSC) of the service being provided; and explanation of the proposed use of covered telecommunications services and any factors relevant to determining if such use would be permissible under the prohibition in paragraph (b)(1) of this provision. (2) Disclosure for the representation in paragraph (d)(2) of this provision. If the Offeror has responded "does" in the representation in paragraph (d)(2) of this provision, the Offeror shall provide the following information as part of the offer: (i) For covered equipment— (A) The entity that produced the covered telecommunications equipment (include entity name, unique entity identifier, CAGE code, and whether the entity was the OEM or a distributor, if known); (B) A description of all covered telecommunications equipment offered (include brand; model number, such as OEM number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number; and item description, as applicable); and (C) Explanation of the proposed use of covered telecommunications equipment and any factors relevant to determining if such use would be permissible under the prohibition in paragraph (b)(2) of this provision. (ii) For covered services— (A) If the service is related to item maintenance: A description of all covered telecommunications services offered (include on the item being maintained: Brand; model number, such as OEM number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number; and item description, as applicable); or (B) If not associated with maintenance, the PSC of the service being provided; and explanation of the proposed use of covered telecommunications services and any factors relevant to determining if such use would be permissible under the prohibition in paragraph (b)(2) of this provision. (End of provision) 2.204-26 Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services-Representation (Oct 2020) (a) Definitions. As used in this provision, "covered telecommunications equipment or services" and "reasonable inquiry" have the meaning provided in the clause 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment. (b) Procedures. The Offeror shall review the list of excluded parties in the System for Award Management (SAM) (https://www.sam.gov) for entities excluded from receiving federal awards for "covered telecommunications equipment or services". (c) (1) Representation. The Offeror represents that it ? does, ? does not provide covered telecommunications equipment or services as a part of its offered products or services to the Government in the performance of any contract, subcontract, or other contractual instrument. (2) After conducting a reasonable inquiry for purposes of this representation, the offeror represents that it ? does, ? does not use covered telecommunications equipment or services, or any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services. (End of provision) 52.222-42 Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires (May 2014) In compliance with the Service Contract Labor Standards statute and the regulations of the Secretary of Labor ( 29 CFR Part 4), this clause identifies the classes of service employees expected to be employed under the contract and states the wages and fringe benefits payable to each if they were employed by the contracting agency subject to the provisions of 5 U.S.C.5341 or 5 332. This Statement is for Information Only: It is not a Wage Determination Employee Class Monetary Wage-Fringe Benefits Electrical Engineer GS-0850-13 $42.89 + %55 Engineering Technician GS-0802-11 $25.78 + %55 (End of clause) *This solicitation was amended on 05/26/2021 to clarify that the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation has changed its name to the Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation and will be abbreviated as GLS. Second, to clarify that the GLS intends to award a Time and Materials(T&M) contract resulting from this solicitation. Third, to add provisions and clauses that were inadvertently left out of the original solicitation and the Service Contract Act Wage Determinations as an attachment. The amendment 6923G521R0068(R)A00001 was added as an attachment and shall be signed and returned with proposals. The entirety of the amendment must reviewed and filled out. Particular attention and care should be paid to filling out the provision 52.204-24 Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (Oct 2020). *This solicitation was amended on 06/14/2021 to extend the response date and time to 2:00pm (est), Tuesday, July 06, 2021. Second, it serves to offer an additional site visit at 10:00am (est), Thursday, June 24, 2021. Arrangements for the site visit must be made through the Offices of Engineering and Maintenance at (315) 764-3265. Any expenses involved in a site visit shall be borne by the attendees. The amendment 6923G521R0068(R)A00002 was added as an attachment and shall be signed and returned with proposals. *This solicitation was amended on 06/25/2021 to extend the response date and time to 2:00pm (est), Tuesday, July 13, 2021. Additionaly,it serves to change the date the Draft Report is due to October 29, 2021 and the date Final Report is due and Project Completion to November 30, 2021. The amendment 6923G521R0068(R)A00003 was added as an attachment and shall be signed and returned with proposals. *This solicitation was amended on 07/07/2021 to provide the answers to questions asked by interested contractors. The amendment 6923G521R0068(R)A00004 was added as an attachment along with Supporting documentation; Practices and Procedures and Sector Charts and are attached as pdf files. The amendment pdf provides the questions and answers and shall be signed and returned with proposals. *This solicitation was amended on 07/12/2021 to extend the response date and time to 2:00pm (est), Monday, July 19, 2021. The amendment 6923G521R0068(R)A00005 was added as an attachment and shall be signed and returned with proposals.