AMENDMENT 00001 - 1131PL25RDM31027 TO EXTEND SOLICITATION AND QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES TO DM.pdf

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

(a) By completing items 8 and 15, and returning or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not is required to sign this document and return copies to the issuing office.

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT 1. CONTRACT ID CODE

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQUISITION NUMBER 5. PROJECT NUMBER (If applicable)

7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6) CODE

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 11/2016)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

FACILITY CODE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers is extended. is not extended.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required) copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted;

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS.

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER

NUMBER IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation data, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15C. DATE SIGNED

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

16C. DATE SIGNED

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

PAGE OF PAGES

6. ISSUED BY CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (Number, street, county, State and ZIP Code) (X)

CODE

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

Previous edition unusable

1131PL25RDM31027 A00001

1131PL

N/A

TYRONE W. JOHNSON, CONTRACTING OFFICER

The purpose of this Amendment 00001 is to Extend the Closing date to Friday 5th, September 2025 at 1pm., Arlington, VA Time and Provide Responses (in BOLD) to Questions received under solicitation number: 1131PL25RDM31027. All Else Remain Unchanged.

1131PL

Office of Acquisition Management United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) 1101 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1100 Arlington, Virginia 22209

SAME AS BLOCK 6

2025027

1131PL25RDM31027

1 5

See Block 31c.

08/08/2025

Title: Indo-Pacific: Digital Infrastructure Opportunities Definitional Mission Solicitation Number: 1131PL25RDS31027

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CONTINUATION PAGE OF SF30 FOR BLOCK 14a…

Reference: Solicitation #1131PL25RDM31027 for Indo-Pacific: Digital Infrastructure Opportunities Definitional Mission

Amendment 0002: Questions and Responses (BOLD).

1. Attachment I stipulates "Contractor and U.S. subcontractor employees used shall be either U.S. citizens or non-U.S. citizens lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States.” However, USTDA’s standard Nationality, Source, and Origin (NSO) language for grant agreements stipulates that "All natural persons who perform any part of the Activity as the Contractor or a Subcontractor, or as an employee of the Contractor or of a Subcontractor, shall be either (i) U.S. citizens, or (ii) non-U.S. citizens lawfully authorized to work, or admitted for permanent residence, in the United States.” The NSO language for grants therefore allows for the participation of non-U.S. citizens who are lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. but who are not U.S. permanent residents, whereas Attachment I does not appear to permit this. What is the rationale for the difference in language? If there is not intended to be a difference in language, would the Government amend (or otherwise clarify) the contract language to indicate that the U.S.

contractor (and subcontractors) may use any individuals lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. to support this contract, as is the case under the NSO policy for grants?

Answer: USTDA contract requirements and grant requirements are distinct. This difference in language is intentional.

2. In this proposal I see that the number of Preliminary Assessment Reports (PA) is Up-to-6 reports and the number of Project Reports is up to 12. Is this correct, as usually it is reverse. The number of Project Assessment reports are often double the number of Project Reports. Not all assessment reports turn into full Project Reports. In my current project the number of Project Assessment reports are double the number of Project Reports, I look forward to hearing from you with this clarification.

Answer: This is correct. Some proposals may be submitted with enough detail to not need a preliminary report before a full project report review.

3. Section D.1.6.3: What specific countries and locations in the Indo-Pacific does USTDA anticipate the travel/work to take place? Specific information will allows vendors to provide detailed costs on travel, visas, and incidental costs that may vary significantly (e.g., Thailand versus Tuvalu).

Answer: While it is not possible to anticipate exact travel needs for the contract period of performance, for the purpose of providing an estimate, the Offeror can estimate based on two trips to two distinct markets in Southeast Asia, as well as two trips to two distinct markets in the Pacific Islands.

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4. Section D.1.6.3: Would USTDA be willing to provide a plug figure for the travel component to ensure consistent evaluation across bids?

Answer: No. See response in Question #10.

5. Section D.1.6.1: Solicitation section D.1.6.1 says that contractor will be required to sign an NDA. Can USTDA share a template of the NDA to expedite internal legal review?

Answer: The NDA template will be provided for legal review following selection of the Contractor.

6. Based on the USTDA nationality requirements and the availability of highly-qualified local experts, is it acceptable to include non-U.S. employees or non-U.S. subcontractors in proposed staffing to enable us to draw on the expertise in other countries?

Answer: No, please see the response to Question #1.

7. Section E.5 (J)(e): Can the offeror submit relevant CPARS evaluation in place of the Past Performance Questionnaire?

Answer: No, the evaluator will review relevant available CPARS as part of the evaluation process.

8. Section E.5 Volume I(a): Technical Proposal (d) and (j) & E.6 (1) a.: There are several explicit mentions of demonstrated healthcare infrastructure experience under the Instructions for Submissions of Offer/Proposal and Evaluation Factors for Award. Did USTDA intend for the prospective vendor to focus on healthcare infrastructure or digital infrastructure (as defined in the RFP) in the technical response?

Answer: The language should reflect digital infrastructure, not healthcare infrastructure.

9. Would the client be willing to offer an extension?

Answer: Yes, This solicitation shall be extended to Close on Friday 5th September 2025 at 1pm Arlington, VA Time.

10. Please indicate the budget range for this project to help us align our proposal accordingly.

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Answer: Please read the requirements in the solicitation. USTDA request Offeror provides a price proposal. USTDA will not provide an Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) to Offeror(s).

11. Emerging Technology Standards Assessment: Our proposed methodology integrates a dedicated Standards & Resilience module. Should this module include our proprietary vendor benchmarks and analytical models, or focus solely on publicly available standards and regulatory frameworks?

Answer: The Offeror should provide the information it feels best meets the requirements specified in the solicitation.

12. Scoping Mission Report Format: Will USTDA provide a specific report template (branding, structure, section headings), or should offerors submit a proposed format consistent with Attachment I?

Answer: The outline/template is provided in Attachment I.

13. COR-Directed Deliverables Approval Process: For each deliverable type, will the COR establish a formal approval milestone prior to invoice submission, or is government acceptance after receipt considered sufficient?

Answer: Written COR approval of deliverables will be required before invoices can be submitted/approved.

14. DM Tracker Interim Updates: Section D.1.7.b cites monthly DM Tracker submissions. Would USTDA prefer bi-weekly digests for high-priority deliverables to enhance real-time visibility, or should we adhere strictly to the monthly schedule?

Answer: USTDA’s requirements are specified in the solicitation. Specific preferences can be discussed once the contract is awarded.

15. We would like to know if this is a brand new contract OR if there is (was) an incumbent performing these services.

If not brand new, could you please provide the current / previous contract number?

Answer: This solicitation number: 1131PL25RDM31027 is a new requirement.

16. Question: Can you possibly provide any additional guidance on the countries/geographies where USTDA hopes to have Scoping Reports and Project Reports

Page | 5 created? If there are ultimately 12 Project Reports created, can you suggest how they might ideally be distributed across the regions mentioned above?

Answer: It is not possible to anticipate exact travel needs and proposals that will be reviewed during the contract period of performance. These needs will be determined based on demand during the contract period of performance.

ALL ELSE REMAIN UNCHANGED.