CSU solicitation 12024B25Q7002 Questions and Answers PART 2.pdf

Clerical Support Unit Answers to Common Questions – PART 2.

1. What are your criteria regarding the daily rate to determine if someone is too low? If you speak with vendor A, what assurance do we have that the same information is given to Vendor B? Who is making this decision on whether daily is too low or needs to be adjusted?

On the Q&A sheet posted on the Clerical Support Unit in SAM.gov, question 11 talks about the lack of information on past awards being available to the public. Please refer to that in addition to the following response.

We recognize that having a reference to previous pricing is a helpful starting point in regard to submitting a daily price. However, in this case, that information is not available to any vendor. This is the same situation that would occur if the equipment was a completely new request. The specifications listed on this solicitation are not the same that were requested back in 2020, nor with the solicitation before that due to technology advancements and standard operating procedures of fire camp also advancing. All vendors will need to rely on setting pricing based on their own business processes and costs in relation to the specifications listed in the solicitation and duration. We cannot and do not provide the Government’s estimate and range of pricing to ANY vendor as that would undermine the price negotiation process.

After the solicitation closes, a price evaluation process begins wherein the designated Contract Specialist or Officer (CO) evaluates all offers and compares the proposed prices with that of the Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE). It is the CO and the program office representative requesting the equipment who are determining the acceptable range based on current market research of the specifications listed in the solicitation. Responses outside of the IGCE range could either be considered too low (offer may not include the costs of ALL necessary specifications and performance could be negatively affected) or too high (offer may include costs that are not included in the specifications and performance could stretch beyond the scope of the agreement). Please keep in mind that the government’s goal is to lock in FAIR AND REASONABLE pricing for the specifications listed in the solicitation. We don’t want to put a financial hardship on businesses who agree to do business with us, however we also want to make sure that the taxpayer’s money is being spent wisely.

We are posting all vendor questions whose answers clarify solicitation details and would be of value to all vendors within the solicitation posting on SAM.gov (VIPR I-BPA for Clerical Support Unit for Region 13 - National), you can find the attached document towards the bottom of the posting.

2. Regarding lamination prices on the table in the solicitation; if a vendor uses proper thickness (5mil) for an adequate lamination job, these prices are not sufficient to cover product cost, especially for the 11/x17 size. Can these prices be adjusted?

The prices set in B.2.1 for consumables used for the Clerical Support Units will remain consistent for all vendors, all regions and all incidents. The solicitation does not specify the thickness of the laminates to be used. It is up to the vendor to provide an appropriate https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsam.gov%2Fopp%2Fa387d9184d504efab9df379371b184b5%2Fview&data=05%7C02%7Cjennifer.travis%40usda.gov%7C8cf818fafd134c78a63f08dd5db41b47%7Ced5b36e701ee4ebc867ee03cfa0d4697%7C1%7C0%7C638769750315759866%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=F%2FrCLa4bJ%2FYhZ7e6xLdaoZH8IE43NJNdkhFNUgxhma0%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsam.gov%2Fopp%2Fa387d9184d504efab9df379371b184b5%2Fview&data=05%7C02%7Cjennifer.travis%40usda.gov%7C8cf818fafd134c78a63f08dd5db41b47%7Ced5b36e701ee4ebc867ee03cfa0d4697%7C1%7C0%7C638769750315778813%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=XJmVINTPSBzAXvNDd0kTOSv4CeShKvex3NcO%2BJLtbI8%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsam.gov%2Fopp%2Fa387d9184d504efab9df379371b184b5%2Fview&data=05%7C02%7Cjennifer.travis%40usda.gov%7C8cf818fafd134c78a63f08dd5db41b47%7Ced5b36e701ee4ebc867ee03cfa0d4697%7C1%7C0%7C638769750315778813%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=XJmVINTPSBzAXvNDd0kTOSv4CeShKvex3NcO%2BJLtbI8%3D&reserved=0 product that fits the rate specified. Items not included on the rate schedule listed in B.2.1 are considered specialty/custom items and should not be provided as there will be no mechanism to pay for those items based on this solicitation.

3. Are we responsible for our own internet or is the government providing internet that we can use?

Clerical Support Units are required to provide their own internet connectivity for their use.

The Government/camp crews should not be permitted to use this connectivity as the solicitation doesn’t provide a means to pay for that service.

4. We have multiple resources and would like to have multiple dispatch centers associated with them. How do we do that?

Within the VIPR program, you can assign different units to different dispatch centers. If you need assistance with how that system works, please call the VIPR help desk.

To be clear, each unit may only be assigned to ONE dispatch center and will only be listed in ONE Dispatch Priority List. For help desk information please visit the VIPR Vendor Support Website. Scroll down the highlighted “Getting Help” box.

5. Regarding the scanning per document charge: many times we will have to manually scan individual shift tickets to build a document, this is very time consuming. Please reconsider the .10 per document rate.

For orders to scan shift tickets, you may require that the tickets are submitted already taped to an 8.5x11 sheet of paper and are ready to be fed through a document feeder.

6. I saw the question regarding labor laws and age. Are 15-year-olds eligible for this if the state allows “clerical” work?

Vendors are required to abide by all Department of Labor (DOL) regulations ensuring that all employees are legally authorized to work in the state in which the Emergency Incident work is occurring.

The labor needs of this solicitation cannot supersede the laws of any state.

7. Regarding personnel working the clerical unit, is it correct they do not need RT 130 class, Nomex, or radio?

Yes, that is correct. Those personnel are not required to be Red Carded.

8. Also regarding staffing requirements I see 2 personnel, from my understanding these run day and night shifts sometimes, is 1 person needed per shift or 2 per shift?

Historically, Clerical Support Trailers are operated on a 24-hour basis with one person per shift. It is up to the vendor to staff adequately during high demand times.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/business/incident/vendorsupport.php?tab=tab_d

9. Should the 8.5x11 color paper/color copy rate be further evaluated given the $.25/page rate in comparison to the 8.5x11 rate for white paper/color copy at $.33/page?

The difference in pricing between sizes of paper, black/white/vs color ink and white vs color paper have been questioned. The market research used to determine pricing took into consideration: Current Government Printing Office pricing, rates offered through Emergency Equipment Rental Agreements (EERAs) over the past two seasons, total copies reported on EERA invoices, commercial cost of copy machine maintenance/rental. The research, using estimated quantities, determine the rates to be fair and reasonable with the prices shown in Amendment 0002.