Response_to_Vendor_Inquiries.pdf

FBO Request for Proposal (RFP) 123A9418R0005:

Pathogen Detection Instruments and Kits

Amendment #1

Response to Offeror Inquiries Dated May 30, 2018

Q1. Is there a general set of pathogens listed with the RFP or an area of pathogens (livestock? Fruit?

Etc).

Response: The set of pathogens are noted in the Performance Work Statement

(PWS).

Q2. Should instrument lease/purchase pricing be based on current configuration or cost for additional instruments?

Response: Offerors shall provide its instrument lease/purchase pricing in accordance with Request for Proposal (RFP) Section B-3, Pricing and Section L, Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors.

Q3. If awarded, is the expectation that the current instruments will remain or will new instruments be required?

Response: If USDA anticipates new instruments, a Delivery Order will be issued to the Successful IDIQ Offeror.

Q4. For all 5 parameters, are cost per kits expected to be the same?

Response: USDA is looking for Offerors to propose its price per kits for the Base Period and four (4) Option Years.

Q5. The FSIS Laboratories perform regulatory testing of approximately 100,000 samples per calendar year of meat, poultry and egg products for the presence Salmonella sp, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O-groups, O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145, and Campylobacter sp.

a. Is the 100,000 samples a total of all the pathogens combined?

Response: No; each sample is assayed for multiple microbiological analytes.

b. Is that total all three labs combined as well?

Response: Yes

c. Are any or all of the FSIS labs using Bio-Rad CFX96 Real-Time PCR detection systems or equivalent?

Response: None of the FSIS Field Service Laboratories uses the CFX 96 real-time system.

Performance Work Statement

1) While the contract would be IDIQ, does the USDA plan to regularly place orders in quantities of 10,000 tests (equivalent of 104 test kits containing 96 individual tests)?

Response: Yes. In October, 2017 450 kits were ordered. However, the timing of these orders is often budget-related.

Will it be possible to provide 3 M a maximum quantity potential order?

Response: Potentially 450-500 kits.

2) Would the 10,000 test order be per pathogen, Response: No or a combination of pathogens (assuming the offeror is selected for multiple pathogens)? Response: Yes

3) Is it possible that single orders larger than 10,000 tests would be placed? Response: Yes, [10,000 tests = 104 kits] Does USDA anticipate orders for say, 20,000-50,000 Response: [208 kits - 521 kits] tests at one time from contractors, if chosen for multiple pathogens?

Response: Yes

4) Is the USDA interested in information about 3M eee assays that were not included in Phase 2, but that are now commercially available, for example 3 M’seee Campylobacter assay, commercialized on March 1, 2018?

Response: Evaluation will be based on the availability of the technology at the time the testing was conducted.

5) The 3M Molecular Detection software is a Windows based application, and therefore can take advantage of the accessibility tools built in to that platform – can we therefore assume that we do not need to provide additional details proving our acceptability under the 508 Compliance Accessibility of Electronic and Information Technology description in section G.

Response: Please provide the appropriate details pertaining to your technologies capabilities and acceptability for clarity.

RFP

Volume I

1) SF1449 - Size Standard: Registration of NAICS code listed (325414) on System for Award Management is in-process. If the NAICS is not reflected on our active sam.gov registration by the time of the proposal submittal, will this pose an issue for the government? Also, 3 M is a large business and is reflected on sam.gov as such. Must a proposing vendor for this solicitation be a small business as listed on “size standard” (~1250)?

Response: No. There is no set aside on this acquisition.

2) Section B-3: We plan to offer varying assay prices based on each year’s minimum contract amount, instrument purchase or lease, and dependent upon the year of the contract. Do you have any concerns about us conveying this is the B-3 tables? Are we allowed to alter the formatting to best convey our offer, or should that be done in Volume IV, while the B-3 tables are filled in as-is without formatting changes?

Response: Please do not change the format; however, an explanation to support the price breakdown can be included for clarity.

3) Section B-3 (Table 1): Pertaining to the definition of lease and maintain “total cost to own equipment” – shall this include the include the cost of the service agreement(s) in the preceding column?

Response: The cost of the service agreement can be separated; if included, please annotate.

4) Section D-10: To clarify, will the minimum contract amount be 75,000 [= 781 kits] tests per year, or would the minimum amount be in the 0-10,000 test per year range?

Response: The approximate number of kits would depend on agency needs and upon the number of vendors selected. Please refer to the FSIS/OPHS sampling plan(s) for historical information on sample numbers received and the number of analyses completed by the FSIS laboratories.

FY17 sampling plan: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/6dd9dba0-7710-4bd3-a4c2-cc149c15a58a/Sampling-Program-Plan-FY2017.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

FY18 sampling plan: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/43ac799e-6fc0-4dd6-b1c9- 237047ff7e67/Sampling-Program-Plan-FY2018.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

5) Section E – Page 7: Are we interpreting correctly that we will need to ship all test kits and instruments directly to one location in Urbandale, IA? Is it possible to obtain a contact person at that location that can help us set up a ship-to and charge-to account as soon as possible? 3 M is undergoing an ERP transformation and will have limited availability to create new accounts through July. The 3 FSIS regional labs are already established accounts and we would have no problem shipping to those locations at any time.

Response: No kits will be required to be shipped.

6) Section F – Deliveries or Performance: is there specific direction or assignment by the USDA of the CLIN numbers, or does 3M have the liberty to assign these according to our own standards?

Response: No. There will be one CLIN for kits, one CLIN for accessory equipment one CLIN for leasing or purchase and one CLIN for maintenance.

7) Section I: What is the best process for proposing a removal of clauses in Section I or taking exceptions that may be difficult or impossible for the company to meet based on internal processes and systems? 3M plans on outlining both the self-deleting and internal process compliance exceptions on the first page of our RFP submission – is this process acceptable?

Response: There will be no removal of clauses. If the offeror is selected for award, further discussions on exceptions with the Government will be conducted to best fit the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the process.

Volume III:

1) Relevant contracts: Would 3 M contracts with agencies other than USDA be relevant to the evaluation of the offeror? For example, 3 M contracts with US Department of Defense, Department of Transportation, or Department of Health and Human Services?

Response: Past Performance and Past experience will be relevant.

2) Relevant performance history: 3 M typically does not share confidential customer information – is it acceptable to provide generic detail level of our customers and types of institutions we service? How many examples does the USDA need to sufficiently answer the requirement? Currently 3 M plans to list 4 government contract examples and up to 3-5 relevant customers who are willing to be listed.

Response: 3 vendors are acceptable.

Volume IV:

8) Submission timelines: Are we correct in interpreting that it is acceptable to provide an electronic submission, but we also must post mark physical copies of the RFP by 1:00 pm on June 4th?

Response: Only electronic copies will be accepted.

9) Section M-7: Is non-fixed price accounting required for this fixed-price contract? When does USDA expect pricing to change – with each 10,000 test order, or every year based upon the previous year’s actual volume?

Response: Cost accounting is expected for costs exceeding $750K. The Government is looking for Offeror’s to propose fair and reasonable pricing for the base period and option years.

10) Option Years: We see no reference to clarify an annual price escalation – would this be allowed or does USDA expect prices to remain constant for all 5 years of the performance period?

Response: The Government is looking for Offerors to propose their base period and option year pricing.

11) M-7: The pricing table from B-3 implies that this is a firm fixed price contract. However, M-7 references non-fixed price line items. Are we correct in assuming we are free to change the base prices of the assays dependent upon the year of the contract (ex. 2% increase to base price every year?) Does the USDA expect the pricing of assays to change within each year with every additional 10,000 tests ordered beyond the contract minimum?

Response: The price is expected to be FFP, and the Government is looking for Offerors to propose their base period and option year pricing.