Questions and Answers 1.docx

Questions and Answers 1

Q1. Are the weekly janitorial services limited to the conference and lunch areas in Buildings 95 and 116 and the five restrooms identified in Section 3.3, or are offices, laboratories, hallways, and other areas also included in the weekly cleaning requirement?

A1: The square footage listed in the SOW includes the hallways in Buildings 95 and 113, other than that, only what is on the SOW

Q2. Could the Government provide the approximate square footage of the conference and lunch areas in Buildings 95 and 116 that require weekly cleaning?

A2: Building 95 includes the breakroom/kitchenette and hallway, 551 sq ft. Building 116 houses the conference room which is 790 sq ft. However, a site visit is required and contractor should verify square footage requirements.

Q3. Could the Government provide the approximate number of restroom fixtures or stalls covered by this requirement?

A3: Each restroom is a standalone room with one sink and one toilet. Building 300 has two standalone restrooms with one toilet and one sink each.

Q4. Is there a separate pricing schedule or Schedule of Items that offerors should use? If not, should quotations provide one annual firm-fixed price for each of the base and four option years?

A4: There is no separate pricing schedule. Your quote should be able to explain how it fits the SOW. Each year should be priced separately. The base year is set at contract award, but the option years may not be exercised.

Q5. Should offerors provide a separate six-month price for the potential extension under FAR 52.217-8, or will the Government calculate that amount using one-half of the final option-year price?

A5: This additional pricing will help the selection process.

Q6. The solicitation states that performance is expected to begin within five days after award. What employee clearance, badging, or background-check requirements must be completed before contractor personnel may begin work?

A6: There is no requirement

Q7. Is there a required weekly service day, or may the contractor coordinate the service day with the COR, provided services are performed Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.?

A7: Preferably the same day every week, whether it is a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Can be temporarily shifted one day if unable to make that same day. We don’t want cleaning on Monday of one week and Friday of the following week.

Q8. FAR 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting, is not checked in the solicitation. Can the Government confirm whether any prime-contractor self-performance percentage will apply to this procurement?

A8: The only real requirement on subcontract is that a small business cannot subcontract more than 49% to anything other than small businesses. The associated clause is only required for contracts expected to be over the Simplified Acquisitions Threshold of $350,000.

Q9. Is there an incumbent janitorial contractor? If so, can the Government provide the incumbent contract number and any releasable historical information regarding staffing levels, labor hours, or annual contract value?

A9: There is no current janitorial contract.

Q10. If USDA adds or removes building areas during performance, will the resulting price adjustment be negotiated through a written bilateral contract modification before the changed services begin?

A10: There is not expected to be any changes to the SOW. If any changes occur to the SOW then a bilateral modification will be required.