Will the labor categories from CIO-SP3 be the same labor categories for CIO-SP4?
Based on the draft RFP issued earlier in 2020, it appears that most, if not all, of the labor categories on CIO-SP4 will be the same as those used on the predecessor contract. See Article B.4 Prices, Article B.7 Posting Requirements for Rates, Attachment J.1 Pricing Tables, and Attachment J.2 Description of Labor Categoriesin the draft RFP for more information on anticipated CIO-SP4 labor categories. The TMG CIO-SP4 Pricing Analysis Tool will provide a great starting point for setting the CIO-SP4 CY1 rates, incorporating user-selectable criteria applied to the CIO-SP3 data set to help companies determine the best rates to propose.
Aren’t all the CIO-SP3 rates publicly available?
Yes, but not in a manner that is easily usable and accessible. Only the Government, through their internal sources, has this data consolidated. The TMG CIO-SP4 Pricing Analysis tool is the only other quick means to obtain this information. TMG went to all contract-holder websites and gathered the posted rates. In most cases, the rates were in PDF format, separated by location (Government or Contractor site). TMG converted the PDF files to MS Excel and added the ability to analyze this data in user-selectable ways in order to help companies have the best data on hand for use in targeting CIO-SP4 rates to propose.
Why should I start the process for determining rates to propose now?
The sooner companies set their rates, the more time there is to focus on other aspects of the proposal to ensure a successful award. Determining rates sooner also allows additional time to gather any supporting documentation that may be required, and to begin planning for how to market and win task orders once an awardee on CIO-SP4. The TMG CIO-SP4 Pricing Analysis Tool can help shrink the time investment companies need to make in gathering and analyzing data for the purpose of setting the new contract rates.
Will the rates proposed matter in the evaluation?
Yes, ultimately, price always matters. It is important that companies propose rates that are supportable, but also within the range of all the rates being proposed. Being the highest or lowest rate, even in a single labor category, can potentially lead to an unsuccessful proposal. Making the decision more difficult is the fact that the rates proposed become the maximum that can be utilized on T&M and FFP task orders under CIO-SP4 and must be able to accommodate not only prime contractor labor fully-loaded labor costs, but potentially those of subcontractors or CTA partners as well. Thus, knowing where the range of rates for all labor categories will be is important to ensure the bid doesn’t include any outlier rates that could cause issues. The TMG CIO-SP4 Pricing Analysis tool will help bidders find that balance of rates that are reasonable, usable, awardable, and ultimately, profitable.