Questions for 2025 Annual Review Type 2 BPA.pdf

Questions for 2025 Annual Review Type 2 BPA

1. Question: Are CTR’s that are signed by overhead the final authority for finance teams for both hours and per diem. Our company has been signed off for daily hours and occasionally per diem by the overhead but frequently contested by finance audit. As a company we pay according to hours and details on the CTR but weeks down the road finance argues the hours and won’t pay.

Answer: Overhead is not authorized to change anything that is outlined in the agreement. The agreement defines what is considered on-shift duties and when Travel expenses are authorized. The Finance sections responsibility is to verify that the invoice and supporting documentation being submitted is in accordance with the terms and conditions of the agreement. If the question is to actual hours worked, finance should be following up with the government representative that signed the CTR.

2. Question: How do you verify a valid CRWB for a dispatch site when he hasn’t been on a fire for five years, but his record is used to get another dispatch site. We understand what the Agreement says as to CRWB credentials but how do you validate it?

Answer: The government does not certify any of the contractors’ employee qualifications. The company is required to have the relevant documents supporting that their employees meet the requirements of the agreement. We as the government verify those documents to ensure they represent the stated qualifications.

3. Question: If a CRWB is approved under one company but then moves to another does the new company need to send all of his task books or is he/she in the system and good to go whatever company he works for?

Answer: You can state in your quote that the individual worked and was verified with a different company to facilitate our verification process. However, you will still need to submit a complete package for any key personnel that have not previously been verified with your company. Please reference Section D.1.5 of the solicitation for position qualification requirements.

4. Question: How are you going to remedy the issue of payment teams not submitting invoices for payment? We had 4 dispatches that payment for invoice was not even submitted within the first 60 days. Invoices were given at time of demob but they were never submitted for payment by payment team. A BLM invoice was submitted to

Albuquerque incorrectly, a Roseburg invoice was found in a desk drawer, etc.

Additionally, only BLM paid interest when we finally got a payment but none of the Forest Service late payments came with interest. Why do we have to ask for interest?

Answer: If you have any payment issues you should reach out to the CO or COR for further guidance.

5. Question: Does your algorithm compute the cost of a local crew that has a higher bid price that is within 30 miles and self-sufficient versus a crew that is not local and per diem and RON is paid to them?

Answer: No. You can find the ordering procedures in Section C.24(b).

6. Question: Considering the changes with the current administration, will E-verification be enforced on this year's contract?

Answer: Notwithstanding the current administration, FAR 52-222-54 is checked in FAR 52.212-5 of this solicitation and resultant BPA, thus requiring contractors to verify employment eligibility.

7. Question: Is it acceptable to change or rotate trainees during a 14 day assignment?

Answer: The BPA requires that trainees be identified on the crew manifest and maximum of 3 trainees per assignment are authorized (Reference Section D.1.5(e)(4)).

Once you submit your crew manifest you should not change it.

8. Question: A crew is dispatched to an incident and then returns to the same incident under a different resource order. Can these be separate incidents on a verification sheet considering both assignments utilize the same incident name and number?

Answer: Yes, it is two different assignments that can be delineated by the different resource orders (C#’s).

9. Question: If there are two qualified crew bosses on a crew, can two of the trainee positions be crewboss trainees?

Answer: There is only one CRWB position on the crew and therefore only one trainee CRWB at a time.

10. Question: Clarification: Process Reinstating T2C with established past CLIN / ID numbers?

o Submit Schedule of Items per past CLIN number and ID number.

o Submit B.5.3. Identification of Key Personnel Qualifications and Training Type 2 Firefighter Crew, required?

Answer: If you previously had T2C numbers assigned you would submit them again now, or new numbers will be assigned if you do not identify the previous numbers that were assigned to your company. If you had key personnel previously verified for your company, you would not need to submit their documents again.

11. Question: Which sections of the agreement, amendment #7 were updated other than the latest wage determination and Section B.5.3.

Answer: That information is contained in the SF 30 Block 14.

12. Question: When will the USFS share the number of 2025 Available T2C for each DDP?

Answer: We will post the established BPA’s to the public site as soon as possible after the annual review is completed.

13. Question: Will DOL visit the fire camps?

Answer: We have no knowledge of the Department of Labors plans. You will have to reach out to them to answer that question.

14. Question: For current BPA holders that are increasing capacity, is there a requirement to submit a narrative addressing the steps that the company is taking to meet the needs of the increased capacity?

Answer: You would need to submit the required information outlined in Section E of the solicitation. No narrative response is required.

15. Question: If any of the CRWB either primary or alternate hasn’t been verified in the past year. Do we submit his complete resume to your email?

Answer: You will follow the instructions in Section E.2 related to submitting supporting documents.

16. Question: In the situation when a crew travels home after assignment and needs to be reimburse for hotel receipts, where do we submit?

Answer: The first step is to reach back out to the IMT or host unit for that fire. If you do not have success, then send them to the CO or COR.

17. Question: Are contractors within their rights to refuse calls based on type of assignment? I.E. Preposition, camp support availability, time and place needed?

Answer: Yes, in accordance with Section C.11(b) the contractor is required to perform to the extent they are willing and able.

18. Question: If a contractor has two crews dispatched from the same physical address that are registered under two different CLIN's is there any effect on their potential dispatch priority?

Answer: This BPA does not have a dispatch priority. Orders are place in accordance with the procedures outlined in Section C.24(b).

19. Question: What information is required to be provided by dispatchers to contractors upon a dispatch?

Answer: That is covered in Section C.24(d).

20. Question: Can a contractor refuse calls to California?

Answer: Yes, in accordance with Section C.11(b) the contractor is required to perform to the extent they are willing and able. However, language will be added to Section C.24(b)(6) stating the following:

(6) The NICC may change a resource status to unavailable in the system if the contractor turns down two assignments in one day, when listed as available. The contractor would need to update their status for the following day.

21. Question: Can a change in company address/phone number be done by submitting an updated Standard Form 1449 as part of the annual review period?

Answer: A new SF 1449 is not required just provide that information in response to the Company Information Microsoft forms listed in the solicitation.

22. Question: Fringe of $5.36 in the Western Region

Answer: $5.36 is not correct for this agreement. If you look in the WD it will state what the fringe is required. Executive Order 13706 applies to this WD and the Fringe is 4.93/hour. Because of the paid sick leave that was implemented in EO 13706 that health and welfare of $4.93 applies to this requirement because 13706 say that any contract or agreement that’s established after a certain date 13706 is to be applied.

23. Question: Can make your resource available local, regional, or national

Answer: the system allows you to do that, but keep in mind that new section that states if you turn down an order two times within a day then NICC can change your status. If you’re listed as available, then you’re likely not going to get an order if you put yourself that way. So best to list yourselves as available national.

24. Question: Did anyone notice any changes with the key personnel/alternates section?

They said it was updated based on industry conditions, but it appears to be the same as last year.

Answer: Last year and previous years you were allowed to have two alternates per crew but those Alternates could only by utilized on that specific crew. Now you can have up to two per established crew but if you have two people on one crew and two on another, you can use those 4 people interchangeably within those crews that are established within your company. Alternates aren’t tied to a specific T2C, you’re allowed to have up to two alternates per established crew. One primary, two alternates.

25. Question: Are we supposed to get a confirmation email for each crew we submit?

Answer: There will be a message at the end of that Microsoft Forms and it will basically tell you that you’ve completed that process. If you have Microsoft Office 365 account that you’re logging into when responding to those forms, then you can save your responses and go back to edit those responses up and to the closing date and time of the solicitation. That information is contained directly in that Microsoft Forms. We won’t tell you directly, but the system will tell you that it was submitted.

26. When determining Fair and reasonable and / or average pricing 2025 what percentages will be used by the agency to calculate 2025 CPI, WD SVC, increased fuel costs? not assessed for price realism?

Answer: We don’t use any of that information to determine fair and reasonableness. We compare and look at the pricing that is received in response to the solicitation, we analyze those prices as a whole…as the main deciding factor in determining fair and reasonableness.

27. Question: Are you aware of any updates from DOL

Answer: The Wage Determination is the updates to this solicitation. As far as any Service Contract Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, compliance or anything with DOL you’d have to reach out to DOL.

28. Question: Please define, Key Personnel SUBSTITUTION vs. REPLACEMENT

Answer: A substitution is temporary, and a replacement is permanent.

29. Question: If any alternate can work for any crew within the same company, why do we need to assign two alternates to specific crews?

Answer: For ease of gathering the data through that Microsoft forms process and will be listed your crew summary next to those crews, but they are interchangeable within any of those crews you have. The reason you submit them with that crew is because you can only have two alternates, the number of two alternates per crew that is awarded on your agreement.

30. Question: What will the national contracting office do to prevent doubles of key personnel across companies? For instance, company A has the same key personnel or alternate listed as company B.

Answer: We keep a local data base per se, and the program tries to scrub that the best they can. The problem is some names are very similar, we will reach out throughout those processes and ask questions but it’s not feasible for us to catch everything.

31. Question: Instructions for submitting new key personnel for new crews that have recently completed task books. Resume package or revised Technical Portion?

Answer: You just need to provide those relevant documents that are required of the solicitation to represent that your key personnel meet the qualifications of that agreement.

32. Question: Is there going to be an update to wages in July of this year?

Answer: The DOL may update the WD, however, whatever WD is in the BPA, that is what is applicable to the performance of the BPA.

33. Question: What information is a dispatcher required to provide to contractors "before" you accept or decline an assignment? The resource order is typically provided after accepting the assignment.

Answer: Dispatch is happy to answer all questions you have before accepting an assignment. The main information we need to get is if you’re available and at DDP.

Needed Date and Time and where you’re going to. Dispatch will provide DTN and location of the requesting incident.

34. Question: Have federal layoffs impacted NICC dispatching staffing?

Answer: Not relevant to the solicitation. But we as an organization are committed to our duties and responsibilities and the NICC is going to do everything they can to fulfill our mission requirements.

35. Question: Will the Forest Service establish a limit on the crews allowed on this year’s solicitation?

Answer: The solicitation states that we will establish as many as we see fit but right now, we don’t intend to put any limits on this years annual review.

36. Question: Can the two alternate Crew bosses also be listed as a primary CRWB on another crew?

Answer: No, primary CRWB are not interchangeable, and they cannot be alternates and vice-a-versa.

37. Question: There are rumors that ICE (immigration) will be sent to fire camps - has the forest service received any correspondence to confirm this?

Answer: No, no knowledge of what other agencies are doing.

38. Question: Can a verified CRWB be a primary for multiple companies?

Answer: No, primary CRWB and alternates CRWB key personnel are not interchangeable between companies.

39. Question: You do realize that the complicated dispatch formula results in a further away (but cheaper) resource being dispatched, thereby resulting in more miles in travel status and delayed report time to the incident (relative to a closer crew)? This bothers me so much that I am asking you to put it on the record.

Answer: Yes, we do understand, and these are not IA resources. The formula is created, and ordering procedures are based on how the agency intends to order and put the resources on fire. Date and time needed, and availability of the resources are our main two factors and then the formula after that. If the resource can meet date and time needed that’s the way we go.

40. Question: Two alternatives per crew or per company?

Answer: It is limited to two alternates per crew established on the agreement.

41. Question: Can you provide a more consistent method to account for travel time compared to what it is now. Since currently the travel time that is shown on Google Maps at the time of the fire is not the same as it is when Albuquerque audits these CTR travel tickets 3-5 months after the fire has been completed. This results in hours being taken off those invoices which results in a company loss, since those crews affected by that time adjustment have already been paid. Any feedback for this?

Answer: Not aware of ABQ auditing CTRs. If you have a situation, feel free to reach out as that occurs. Google Maps allows you to go back in time and put in a specific departure time from point A to point B and it uses the historical data from Google Maps to provide that travel time at that point.

42. Is there a concern from the NICC? Or is there a solution from the NICC? To the high number of Unable To Fill crew orders in 2024 when crews were actually available. With all calls for dispatch running thru one channel (The NICC) only a small number of companies are called in a day vs the total amount of crews available. By day 2 of trying to fill the Crew Order the % of companies still on the available list but are too far away to meet the Order requirements only raising the likelihood the order cannot be filled raises. Some Ideas:

Can we open the window to 4 days or 6 to arrive instead of the standard 48 hours? After 24 hours of trying to fill an order can the order be passes to more local dispatch centers to make the calls to more local available crews.

Answer: This is a contract administration question…please submit separate from this conference.

43. Will crew extensions be considered this resource year? Last year many crews were denied an extension during critical fire activity. Rather than keep crews they ordered new ones, often from farther dispatch locations.

Answer: This is a contract administration question please submit separate from this conference. However, the agency determines when resources can be extended based on the guidelines outlined in the Interagency Business Management Handbook.