RFIs.docx

RFIs, 12639524R0038

1. 452.201-70 states that the inquiries deadline is 10 days before the due date of receipt of proposals. Please clarify if these are 10 business days or 10 calendar days.

Calendar days.

2. Please advise if this project has endorsement of local water utility company (PRASA) for the street potable water connection.

We have filed for PRASA endorsement for new connections only, normally new construction.

In this case, the connection is existing and there is no increase in the demand. Therefore, we do not anticipate the need for requesting endorsement from PRASA.

3. Please clarify what the requirements are for our proposal submittal. Should we submit our proposal electronically via email to the Contracting Officer or do we have to submit hard copies?

Email to james.g.roloff@usda.gov

4. Please confirm if this contract is subject only to the Davis-Bacon Related Acts clause.

These labor-related clauses apply to the solicitation and resultant contract:

52.222-4 Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards -- Overtime Compensation (May 2018) 52.222-6 Construction Wage Rate Requirements (Aug 2018) 52.222-7 Withholding of Funds (May 2014) 52.222-8 Payrolls and Basic Records (Jul 2021) 52.222-9 Apprentices and Trainees (Jul 2005) 52.222-10 Compliance with Copeland Act Requirements (Feb 1988) 52.222-11 Subcontracts (Labor Standards) (May 2014) 52.222-12 Contract Termination—Debarment (May 2014) 52.222-13 Compliance with Construction Wage Rate Requirements and Related Regulations (May 2014) 52.222-14 Disputes Concerning Labor Standards (Feb 1988) 52.222-15 Certification of Eligibility (May 2014) The following clause is not in the solicitation but will be incorporated by amendment later, prior to the closing date: 52.222-5 Construction Wage Rate Requirements-Secondary Site of the Work (May 2014)

5. Basis For Award states that the Government evaluation will be in a two-phased approach. Please confirm if this solicitation at this stage is for phase 1 only and will not require a Price Proposal.

That is correct. Only phase 2 requires a price proposal.

6. The solicitation states, “The criteria will be evaluated using Confidence Ratings.” Please clarify if this is applicable to all five criteria, or only phase I, or only phase II.

It applies to the entirety of the submission—phases 1 and 2.

7. Will phase I criteria be evaluated during phase II again?

Phase 1 will be evaluated in conjunction with phase 2 because we must consider price realism, which means that the prices in an offeror’s proposal—

(1) Are realistic for the work to be performed

(2) Reflect a clear understanding of the requirements

(3) Are consistent with the various elements of the offeror’s technical proposal. Contractor submissions that are either too low or too high will be deemed unreasonable or incorporating too much risk for the government to accept.