International Exposition Services IDIQ, Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources (R/PPR)

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides responses to vendor questions regarding the solicitation for the EXPO RFP, clarifying various aspects of the requirements and submission guidelines.

• Technical Approach Format: Vendors can submit their technical approach in PDF format, styled like a PowerPoint presentation, even though the general instruction specifies MS Word or PDF with standard formatting. (Question 1)
• Concept Plan Submission: Non-Cost Factors 2 (Technical Approach for Belgrade) and 3 (Concept Plan for Riyadh) must be submitted as separate documents/presentations and cannot be combined. (Question 2)
• Event Plan Due Dates: Event plans are due 30 days prior to the commencement of the event. For the Retail Concept, event plans are due 90 days pre-opening. (Questions 3 & 4)
• Maintenance Responsibilities: The Design-Build Contractor is responsible for equipment, exhibit systems, and structural/facility repairs (including HVAC/heating). The Operator's responsibility is limited to day-to-day guest/visitor operational maintenance, such as routine upkeep and minor touch-ups. (Question 5)
• Pricing Spreadsheet: No specific pricing spreadsheet was provided. Offerors should follow their company's cost accounting and pricing methodology, adhering to Volume II, Factor 5 – Price Proposal requirements. (Question 6)
• Youth Ambassadors/Pavilion Hosts: These are the same role, functioning as docents. Approximately 45 Hosts will be required for Belgrade. (Question 7)
• Subcontracting: The Youth Ambassador and Cultural Programming components are part of the master operator contract, meaning involvement would likely be as a subcontractor. The government clarified that subcontracting arrangements are between the selected prime contractor and subcontractors. (Question 8)

These clarifications provide vendors with specific guidance on document formatting, submission separation, due dates, responsibility delineation, and pricing methodology, which are crucial for preparing compliant and competitive proposals.

Statement of Work (SOW) / Performance Work Statement (PWS)

To secure a fully integrated Operator for the U.S. Pavilion at Expo 2027 Belgrade, ensuring seamless operations, alignment with U.S. values, and impactful visitor experiences. The operator will represent the United States, advancing foreign policy, commercial promotion, and cultural diplomacy.

The Contractor shall provide all personnel, supervision, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, and services for the U.S. Pavilion operations. Key responsibilities include:

• Full operational support across all Pavilion functions.
• Staffing, training, workforce management, and uniforms.
• Cultural programming, performances, events, and national day ceremonies.
• Management of retail, food & beverage (F&B), donor/sponsorship fulfillment, communications, protocol, security, utilities, cleaning, maintenance, and decommissioning.
• Compliance with all performance standards, BIE rules, U.S. Government policies, and host-country laws.

Specific performance standards are outlined for various operational services, including recruitment timelines, onboarding, training, uniform procurement, reporting, equipment installation, insurance compliance, event planning, F&B and retail operations, marketing deliverables, security protocols, cleaning schedules, utility payments, gifting, programming, and business event management. Key deliverables include comprehensive staffing plans, operational reports, marketing collateral, and financial reconciliations.

• Period of Performance: March 2026 – September 2027

• Place of Performance: Belgrade, Serbia and Contractor headquarters as required.

• Staffing: Requires U.S. Citizenship for key roles (Pavilion Director, Operations Director, Deputy Operations Director, Protocol Manager, Media Manager, Business Manager). Preference for American staff in other roles. Host staff must be American citizens with hospitality experience.

• Security: Compliance with DoS/RSO protocols; all staff must pass background checks.

• Reporting: Regular reporting to the Department of State Expo Unit and COR is required across various operational areas.

• Donor/Sponsorship Program: Must align with U.S. Department of State policies, including vetting of potential partners and adherence to branding restrictions.

• F&B and Retail: Operator retains all profits; sales are not a KPI, but a present and open offering is expected. Focus on U.S. culinary diversity and sourcing U.S. export products.

• Gifting: Procurement and distribution of official U.S. Pavilion gifts in three tiers.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation is for International Expositions Services IDIQ, R/PPR. The government is procuring comprehensive operational services for U.S. Pavilions at international expositions. Orders may be placed for in-scope services which may include full-scale operational services for Expo 2027 in Belgrade, Serbia, and Expo 2030 in Riyadh. The contractor will partner with the Department of State to manage risks and ensure a safe and comfortable environment.

The scope of work includes:

• Staffing: Recruitment, hiring, vetting, training, implementation, and management of full-service pavilion staff.

• Supplies and Equipment: Procurement and management of all equipment and supplies for the USA pavilion.

• Communications: Management of all USA Pavilion social media platforms and website.

• Youth Ambassador Hosts: Recruitment, vetting, training, and management of American citizens to serve as hosts.

• Commercial Business Development: Solicitation, negotiation, and activation of sponsorship and donation agreements.

• Commercial Events, Food, and Beverage: Management of event spaces and all food and beverage implementation.

• Cultural Programming: Recruitment, vetting, training, and management of American cultural performers.

• Special Events and U.S. National Day: Planning and execution of public and private events.

• Retail Store: Development and management of a retail store.

• Utilities: Procurement and management of all possible utilities.

• Transportation: Procurement and management of local transportation.

• Security: Comprehensive commercial security services.

• Cleaning: Comprehensive cleaning of all pavilion spaces.

• Maintenance: Procurement and management of supplies and personnel for pavilion maintenance.

• Decommissioning: Coordination with Expo authorities and compliance with regulations for pavilion decommissioning.

• Contract Type: Anticipated Indefinite-Delivery Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract utilizing Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) line items.

• Period of Performance: Five-year ordering period, with a potential extension of up to six months (FAR Clause 52.217-8).

• Place of Performance: Worldwide.

• Security Clearance Requirements: Moderate Risk Public Trust (MRPT).

• Proposal submission instructions are detailed in Section L.

• Evaluation factors for award are detailed in Section M.

• Key deadlines: Solicitation issued on 01/10/2026. Offers are due by 02/13/2026 at 09:00 CT.

Not specified in the provided sections.

• The contract includes various FAR and DOSAR clauses related to inspection, payment, property management, and security.

Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP)

This document outlines the systematic method the Government will use to monitor and evaluate the Contractor’s performance for the U.S. Pavilion at Expo 2027 Belgrade, ensuring all requirements in the Performance Work Statement (PWS) are met.

Applies to all services under the PWS for the U.S. Pavilion, including operations, staffing, security, programming, donor management, communications, F&B, retail, logistics, cleaning, utilities, and VIP support.

• Contracting Officer (CO): Overall contract authority.
• Contracting Officer Representative (COR): Oversees daily performance and verifies compliance.
• Authorized Client Representative (ACR): Provides technical oversight and ensures alignment with U.S. Government policy.

Key areas include workforce, uniforms, daily operations, FF&E, insurance, events, F&B, retail, marketing, transportation, venue management, cleaning, utilities, gifting, cultural programming, business events, and donor/sponsorship management.

• 100% Inspection: For mission-critical tasks like VIP protocol, security, and gifting.
• Random Sampling: For recurring tasks like cleaning and uniform compliance.
• Periodic Inspection: Daily logs, weekly summaries, monthly reports.
• On-Site Observation: By COR/ACR at any time.
• Contractor Reporting: Review of KPI dashboards, asset registers, logs, schedules, and incident reports.
• Customer Feedback: From VIPs, Embassies, and public surveys.

Includes standards for staffing coverage (100%), VIP protocol (100%), reporting timeliness (95%), F&B safety (100%), security response times, cleaning compliance (95%), FF&E asset accuracy (95%), and gifting/donor tracking (100%).

Ranges from daily (staffing, cleaning) to weekly (KPIs, VIP reports), monthly (FF&E, insurance), and quarterly (compliance assessments).

If performance falls below AQLs, a Corrective Action Request (CAR) is issued. The contractor must respond within 3 business days and implement a remediation plan. Repeat deficiencies may lead to contract remedies and CPARS reporting.

The contractor remains fully responsible for their Quality Control (QC) program; the QASP does not alter this obligation.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document provides a template for offerors to submit questions to the Government regarding the solicitation. It is intended to standardize the format of questions to ensure clarity and efficient processing.

• Questions Sheet: Contains columns for 'ID', 'Solicitation Reference', 'Technical Questions', and 'Price Questions'.
• Instructions Sheet: Provides detailed guidance on how to complete the template.
  • Offerors must use the 'Questions' tab.
  • Questions should be submitted during the designated Question and Answer period.
  • Column A ('Reference') requires citing the relevant portion of the solicitation documents (RFP, SOW/SOO/PWS, attachments) using a specific format: Document; page number; section, clause, or provision; relevant passage.
  • Column B ('Question') should contain the question itself, in the same row as the reference.
  • Each row should contain only ONE question.
  • Offerors must ensure all parts of the reference and question are visible and complete each entry as if it were independent.
  • An example is provided demonstrating how to format references and questions.

This template is crucial for bidders who wish to ask clarifying questions about the solicitation. Following these instructions precisely will ensure their questions are properly submitted and addressed by the Government, aiding in the preparation of a compliant and accurate proposal.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is Appendix B, the Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) Form. It is designed to collect feedback from clients on a contractor's past performance. Offerors are required to have this questionnaire completed by their clients and submit it with their proposal. The government may also use this information to verify past performance.

Contractor Information (to be completed by Contractor):

• Firm Name, UEI, Address, Point of Contact, Phone, Email
• Role (Prime, Sub, JV, Other) and percentage of work performed
• Contract details (Number, Task Order, Type, Title, Location, Dates, Price)
• Project Description (Complexity, Relevance to current opportunity)

Client Information (to be completed by Client):

• Name, Title, Phone, Email
• Description of client's role
• Date completed, Signature

Performance Ratings (to be completed by Client):

• Adjective ratings (Exceptional, Very Good, Satisfactory, Marginal, Unsatisfactory, Not Applicable) for:
  • Quality (technical data, standards, problem resolution, QC program)
  • Schedule/Timeliness
  • Customer Satisfaction (end-user, contractor cooperation, overall)
  • Management/Personnel/Labor (on-site management, workforce, property control, personnel expertise, small business utilization, multi-project management, change assimilation, overall management)
  • Cost/Financial Management (meeting price terms, cost reduction proposals, invoicing, accounting system adequacy, terminations, financial problems)
  • Safety/Security (safety environment, security compliance)
  • General (emergency response, contract compliance, likelihood to rehire, overall rating)
• Space for remarks and narrative on strengths, weaknesses, deficiencies.

This form is critical for bidders to gather and submit evidence of their past performance. Bidders must ensure they provide this to their clients in a timely manner and that the completed questionnaires accurately reflect their performance. The ratings and remarks provided by the client will directly impact the evaluation of the bidder's past performance, a key factor in proposal assessment.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This document outlines the evaluation factors for award for an unrestricted, full-and-open competition. The government will use a best-value tradeoff source selection process, meaning the award may not necessarily go to the lowest-priced offeror but to the one providing the most advantageous value when considering both price and other factors.

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria, listed in descending order of importance:

• NCF 1 – Experience: Evaluates the offeror's demonstrated capabilities similar in scope, magnitude, and complexity to the solicitation's requirements.
• NCF 2 – Technical Approach for Expo Belgrade: Assesses the proposed technical approach and understanding for the Belgrade task order.
• NCF 3 - Concept Plan for Riyadh: Evaluates the proposed concept plan and understanding for the Riyadh task order.
• NCF 4 – Past Performance: Assesses the offeror's recent and relevant record of performance.
• Factor 5 – Price: Evaluates the fairness and reasonableness of the proposed price.

All non-cost factors combined are significantly more important than price. An "Unacceptable" rating on any subfactor of NCF 1-3 or a "No Confidence" rating on NCF 4 will make an offer ineligible for award.

Not explicitly stated in this section.

• Evaluation Process: Proposals will be evaluated by the Source Selection Team (SST). The government may reject offers that fail to submit required documents (Section L) or have unsubstantiated cost/price proposals.
• Rating Definitions: The document defines terms like "Significant Strength," "Strength," "Weakness," "Significant Weakness," and "Deficiency." It also provides rating scales for proposals (Superior, Satisfactory, Marginal, Unacceptable) and confidence levels for Past Performance (Substantial, Satisfactory, Unknown, Limited, No Confidence).
• Best Value Tradeoff: The government may award to an offeror other than the lowest bidder if their technical proposal offers greater value.
• Discussions: The government intends to award without discussions, so proposals should represent the offeror's best terms. However, discussions may be held if deemed necessary.

This competition is conducted on an unrestricted/full-and-open basis.

• Past performance must be within the last five (5) years from the solicitation's issuance date to be considered recent.
• Relevancy assessment for past performance considers the number/type of events, and place of performance (OCONUS locations like Belgrade and Riyadh are favored).
• Price will be evaluated for fairness and reasonableness, primarily through price competition and analysis techniques outlined in FAR 15.404. Price itself will not be scored.

Statement of Work (SOW) / Performance Work Statement (PWS)

This Performance Work Statement (PWS) outlines the requirements for operational services for the U.S. Pavilion at Expo 2030 Riyadh. The goal is to ensure seamless daily operations, advance American values and innovation, and deliver impactful visitor experiences throughout the six-month event.

The Contractor shall provide comprehensive operational support for the U.S. Pavilion, including but not limited to:

• Staffing, training, and workforce management.

• Cultural programming, events, and national day ceremonies.

• Retail, Food & Beverage (F&B) operations, donor/sponsorship fulfillment.

• Communications, protocol, security, and hospitality.

• Technical operations, maintenance, cleaning, and decommissioning.

• Compliance with Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) rules, U.S. Government policies, and host-country laws.

• Recruitment plans due 45 days post-award.

• Full staff onboarded 60 days before opening.

• Training plans approved 90 days before opening.

• Uniforms procured by July 2030.

• Equipment installed by September 1, 2030.

• Event plans due 30 days prior to events.

• Café operational 14 days pre-opening.

• Store operational 14 days pre-opening.

• Media plan due 30 days post-award.

• Patrol plan due 15 days before handover.

• Emergency reporting within 2 hours.

• Daily cleaning compliance.

• Bi-weekly waste logs.

• Monthly payment proofs for utilities.

• Gifting actions logged within 24 hours.

• Performance schedules submitted 30 days before Expo opening.

• Business outreach plan and donor acquisition concept submitted within 60 days of award.

• Period of Performance: November 2027 – December 2031.

• Place of Performance: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Contractor headquarters as required.

• Staffing includes mandatory U.S. Citizenship for key roles and preference for American citizens in others. Host country staff recruitment is also required.

• All staff must pass background checks and comply with DoS/RSO protocols.

• The Contractor must manage insurance, including public liability and building & property.

• A comprehensive donor/sponsorship program must be implemented, aligning with U.S. Department of State policies and strategic objectives.

• Retail and F&B profits belong to the operator; sales are not a KPI but a present and open offering is expected.

• Cultural programming requires a minimum of 1000 performances for Expo 2030, with performers being American citizens.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This document outlines the instructions, conditions, and notices for offerors responding to a Request for Proposal (RFP). It details the process for submitting proposals, asking questions, and the expected format and organization of the submitted documents.

Proposals must be submitted electronically via email to the Contracting Officer (Christopher L. Toso at TosoCL@state.gov) by the specified due date and time. Emails should not exceed 40MB; multiple emails must be clearly identified. Read receipts are required. Proposals must be valid for 180 calendar days. The government is not liable for offeror expenses.

Proposal Format:

• Files (except price tables) in MS Word or PDF, single-spaced, 12-point New Times Roman font.
• Margins: 1" all sides. Page size: 8.5"x11".
• Price tables must be in MS Excel (Read/Write format) with unprotected formulas.

Proposal Organization (3 Volumes):

• Volume I: Non-Cost Factors:
  • Factor 1: Experience (20-page limit). Max 8 projects performed outside the Continental US within the last 10 years. Focus on scope and complexity similar to Expo operations. Include prime contractor self-performance or subcontractor involvement with a Letter of Meaningful Involvement.
  • Factor 2: Technical Approach for Belgrade Expo. Address understanding of requirements, operational capabilities, and technical approach for the Belgrade Expo 2027 PWS.
  • Factor 3: Concept Plan for Riyadh Expo. Address understanding of requirements and technical concept for the Riyadh Expo PWS.
  • Factor 4: Past Performance. Provide recent (within 10 years) and relevant past performance questionnaires or CPARS. Focus on efforts similar to Factor 1.
• Volume II: Factor 5: Price Proposal. Comprehensive pricing for the Belgrade Expo seed task order, including a detailed price narrative. Fixed prices and labor rates will form the IDIQ Price Schedule.

Content Restrictions:

• No cost or price information in Volume I.
• Avoid "parroting" technical requirements; demonstrate clear understanding and capability.
• No classified data. Proprietary information must be marked. Hyperlinks are prohibited.

Questions:

• Submit questions via email to TosoCL@state.gov within 14 calendar days of issuance, by 0900 ET, using Appendix A – Q&A Template. Separate technical and price questions. Include solicitation number in the subject line.

Not specified in this section.

Proposals not meeting instructions may be rejected. False statements are subject to penalties under 18 USC 1001.