Della Glenn, USTDA, 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22209-2131, Tel: (703) 875-4357, Fax No.: (703) 875-4009

R -- TDA INDEFINITE QUANTITY CONTRACT (IQC) FOR CONFERENCES IN THE U.S. OR ABROAD AND/OR ORIENTATION VISITS (TO BRING FOREIGN DELEGATIONS TO THE U.S. TO FAMILIARIZE THE DELEGATES WITH U.S. TECHNOLOGY). POC Della Glenn, USTDA, 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22209-2131, Tel: (703) 875-4357, Fax No.: (703) 875-4009 The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) seeks to award a one year IQC, with 4 one year options, under which delivery orders will be awarded to approximately 12-20 U.S. contractors who are capable of arranging for and managing Conferences and/or Orientation Visits (OVs) on a quick response, thoroughly professional, and smoothly operational basis. TDA, located in the Washington, D.C. area, is a export-oriented, U.S. Government foreign assistance agency committed to promoting environmentally sound, sustainable economic development and trade in middle income and developing countries. Among TDA's major program activities are project-specific Conferences. Conferences generally last 2-3 days and typically involve between 100-300 people. Under TDA oversight, organization of a Conference involves identification and invitation of appropriate foreign and U.S. individuals to address or attend the Conference, marketing the event, soliciting participation by U.S. and foreign firms, obtaining corporate sponsorships, arranging the agenda and speakers, handling all logistics at the Conference site and organizing functions related to the Conference such as site visits, social functions, and one-on-one business meetings. Another of TDA's major program activities are Orientation Visits (OVs), in which TDA funds visits to the United States of foreign decision-makers responsible for projects in developing and middle-income countries. OVs give the decision-makers an opportunity to see U.S. technology at work and to meet representatives of U.S. companies that can supply goods and services to their projects. OVs generally are scheduled to coincide with procurement decisions, but can be held at any point in a project's cycle. OVs typically last 7-14 days, and involve the travel of approximately 4-20 foreign delegates from their country(ies), visits to a number of sites within the U.S., attendance at various meetings with U.S. industry, attendance at business briefings and trade fairs, and return travel to the foreign country. Contractors generally will not have more than 60 days notice of a desired OV, and often will have substantially less time. The Conferences and OVs take place throughout the United States and, on occasion, in a foreign country. The ability to market the event and to solicit participation by appropriate U.S. and foreign firms is very important. TDA seeks to have contractors throughout the U.S. compete for this IQC. Contractors will be expected to have the ability to organize Conferences in any location in the United States, although they may demonstrate special expertise in a particular region or location. Contractors will be asked in their bids to give their experience and willingness to organize Conferences overseas in TDA's major regions (Africa, Asia, Central Europe, Latin America, and the NIS). Contractors will also be expected to have, or obtain, special expertise in TDA's main sectors (energy, telecommunications, transportation, and water/environment) when necessary. Contractor's proposals should indicatetheir experience in organizing Conferences and should specifically state the qualifications of the sector experts (either in-house or available through subcontract) listed in their roster of personnel. TDA will evaluate offers based on the rates for the one year contract as well as the rates pertaining to options for additional years. TDA retains the right to renew or not renew any of the contracts and the right to evaluate any renewal based upon past performance, personnel and other relevant considerations. This option may include up to four 1 year renewals, with the total possible duration of this contract being 5 years. TDA will notify contractors 60 days in advance of any exercise of the option to renew the contract. Any contracts awarded under this RFP will be chosen on the basis of the personnel the contractor proposes under the Labor Categories set forth in C.3. of this RFP; the fixed daily rate for all personnel the contractor proposes to use in providing its services; costs such as overhead, generaland administrative, profit and other fees; and the general approach and presentation by the contractor to the requirements of the RFP. TDA expects to award contracts on the basis of a fixed ceiling price with retroactive price determination. For each particular event, TDA shall specify on the request for bids which Other Direct Costs, such as usage fees for conference facilities, will be included within the fixed price portion, and which Other Direct Costs, such as international air fare, shall be estimated by the contractor when preparing his bid and which will be subsequently reimbursed based upon actual costs. The fixed price portion and the reimbursable portion shall constitute the total contract value, which may not exceed the established ceiling price specified in the Deliver Order Request. Once contracts are in place pursuant to this RFP, TDA may request offers for each particular Conference and/or OV as the need arises by issuing Requests for Delivery Orders from contractors (see below). TDA will normally ask a minimum of three firms from among the approximately 12 to 20 contractors to compete for each event, and the competition will be based upon capability, personnel and price. TDA will notify contractors by mail, phone or fax of the opportunity to compete for a particular Conference and/or OV. Contractors will receive details of the Conference and/or OV including, for Conferences, the subject matter of the Conference, its duration, the number of attendees, the firms TDA specifically wants to be in attendance, and the tentative location and dates of the Conference, and for OVs, the approximate number of delegates in the OV, their length of stay in the U.S., an outline of proposed activities, the purpose of the particular OV, and the extent of the follow-up work required at the conclusion on the OV. Contractors will prepare their offers for a particular Conference and/or OV based upon this information. The choice of contractor at this stage will be determined by the contractor's proposed approach to theparticular Conference and/or OV and by price considerations, although personnel proposed for the Conference and/or OV and contractor's past performance may affect TDA's choice in a particular instance. This procurement shall be a full and open competition, under which any type of organization (including for-profit firms, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations) is eligible to compete. All participating organizations involved with supplying professional services must be of United States nationality. The competitive proposals method of solicitation, as set forth in Part 15 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) (48 CFR Chapter 1), shall be utilized for this procurement. The solicitation in no way obligates TDA to award a contract nor does it commit TDA to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Except if given at the pre-bid briefing described at the end of this announcement, any explanation desired by an offeror regarding the meaning or interpretation of this solicitation must be requested in writing and with sufficient time allowed for reply to reach the offerors before submission of their offers. Any written information given to a prospective offeror concerning the solicitation will be furnished promptly to all prospective offerors as an amendment of the solicitation, if such information is necessary to offerors submitting proposals or if lack of such information would be prejudicial to uniformed offerors. The Request for Proposal (RFP) will be issued on/or about fifteen (15) days after the publication date of this announcement. Closing date for proposals will be forty (40) days thereafter. Only written requests for the RFP will be honored. Those interested in receiving RFP # TDA-98-Q-012 should send a letter or fax requesting it from TDA, 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 300, Arlington, VA. 22209-2131; Fax -- 703-875-4009. A pre-bid briefing will be held in the Washington, D.C. area regarding this RFP. The briefing is tentatively scheduled for Friday, January 16, 1998 at 10:00 a.m. in Rosslyn, Virginia. Notification of the actual date, time and location of the briefing will be sent with the RFP. Notes will be taken at the briefing and will be sent to any firm which requests the RFP. (0014). (0350)

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