RFI_Questions and Answers.pdf

SCASA Veg Mgmt/Haz Fuels Reduction IDIQ 1291S820R0015 RFI/Questions & Answers

1. The solicitation #1291S820R0015 refers to Section B Schedule of items but there isn't one included. Was this an oversight or are you only looking at the bid prices on the individual task orders?

A: Refers to Services and Schedule of Items, page 6 of solicitation

2. Will the contractor be required to bid on all task orders or at least one as in the past?

A: Please refer to section 24 Contract Administration Data – Task Order Issuance –

(3) page 44. Must state a reason why an offer cannot be provided for any of the task orders. Providing pricing on at least one task order will be beneficial to evaluating price instead of relying of just Services and Schedule of items (pg 6).

3. Would you confirm which of the following contract completion dates are correct for the South Big Bear project attachment 6? All of the others show 365 days.

A: South Big Bear project is being removed from solicitation at this time. Site is still unreachable due to snow.

4. Will award will be made on the basis of price as reflected in the services & prices schedule of items, (Sol pg.6) and other related factors such as past performance or will award be made on the basis of offeror price and ability to perform on the task orders within the period of performance?

A: Please refer to Section 35 (pg.66) Evaluation – Commercial items. The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered.

5. Does the government anticipate future projects to be issued under this IDIQ, other than the 6 task orders?

A: Solicitation specifically states orders may be issued from date of contract award through 5 years. Reference Section 4 (pg. 17) Ordering. Pg.6 also states 5 yr contract period unless contract ceiling is reached.

6. The solicitation document has several embedded sections that require signatures, check marks, or other information. Should we fill in the spaces WITHIN THE DOCUMENT and submit the whole thing as our "Technical Proposal", or would you prefer that those items requiring input be in a separate document sent along with our company's broad proposal? Although the solicitation is very specific about things like font size, it does not provide much guidance as to proposal format. Please advise.

A: Please submit embedded sections with fill in information as part of technical proposal. Instructions have been updated. It would be section 4 of Technical Proposal (sections listed on page 66).

7. Is there a form or prescribed format for Price Proposals?

A: Price proposals should include page 6 of solicitation (Services & prices schedule of items) and page 1 and 2 (section B) of each task order you are providing pricing for.

8. Is there a TIME deadline for email responses on 4/27?

A: Yes, time deadline is listed. Now extended to 3:00 PM on 5/1/2020.

9. Do Offerors have to include section regarding certificates exempting Service Contract Labor Standards (on pg.58)?

A: No, Service Contract Labor Standards do apply and section k(1) or k(2) was not checked. The SCA does apply to the contract and wage determinations are included in every task order. Also, please not this is part of FAR provision 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications – Commercial Items. Offeror will only complete paragraph (b) of provision if annual representations and certification have been completed in the System for Award Management (SAM). If not, then Offeror will complete paragraphs (c) through (v) of provision.

10. How should the IDIQ technical proposal work plan differ from the individual task order work plans? Do you want redundancy or can we refer back to our technical proposal work plan in the individual task order work plans?

A: You may just reference IDIQ work plan. Page 40 of solicitation for submittals states update per task order as needed. If there is something that would be different on a task order you would just update that difference for the task order.

11. The solicitation references a page limit under section 34 - Supplemental Instructions for Submission of Offers, but it does not provide the actual number of pages it is limited to.

Is there a page limit for Volume 2 - Technical Proposal? If so, what is the page limit?

A: There is no page limit for Volume 2. Page limit has been removed from Instructions. Please note that for Past Performance offeror shall provide Past Performance information for at least three (3), but not more than five (5) relevant contracts performed for Federal Agencies and/or commercial customers within the last three (3) years. Up to an additional three (3) for each of your major subcontractors, teaming partners, or key personnel that you want evaluated may also be submitted. (page 67)

12. On page 67 under Factor 1: Past Performance Questionnaires, it says "All Past Performance questionnaires will be collected by the offeror and submitted with their proposal." However, on the actual PPQ form it says the "PPQ may also be submitted directly to the Forest Service by references/clients." Please clarify if we (Offeror) need to collect the completed PPQ's from our references/clients to submit with our proposal?

A: The PPQs can be submitted either directly with your proposal or sent by the respondents. It is to give added flexibility in regards to time specifically if its approaching the proposal due date.

13. Will the individual task orders be awarded from this submittal, or will these task orders be re-released for bid again to the contractors awarded the IDIQ?

A: The task orders solicited along with the IDIQ (seed projects) will be awarded right along with the IDIQ awards. They will not be re-released except for the South Big Bear Project as it is still unreachable for a site visit.

14. Can you please explain what is to be included under Geographic Location?

A: List distance from office location to nearest forest covered under the solicitation.

15. Pg. 24-25 For the Workforce Certification where do we include it in the proposal (volume 1 or 2)? Location and description check box, where do we put this?

A: Please submit all sections that require fill in/check box/answer with Volume 2 technical proposal label as section 4 of Technical Proposal.

16. Pg 66 11. Responsibilities Determinations FAR 9.1 Is there anything we need to submit for that section?

A: No, You do not have to submit anything else for the Responsibility determination. Responsibility will be determined by proposals responding to solicitation requirements/being active in SAM/not debarred/able to receive award.

17. I understand under the price portion we need to include for each project and what we would bid for pricing, but under the Management and Technical approach are we supposed to include a separate management and technical approach for each of the 6 projects? Or are we to address the tasks listed on Pg26-35 of the main solicitation? or both?

A: Address the tasks listed on the main solicitation. If any task order would alter your management/technical approach you can specify how it would differ for a specific task order.

18. Do work and quality control plans for each of the 6 tasks need to be submitted at this time for individual task orders or after they are awarded?

A: Same as previous answer and question 10. If there are any differences in work plans for a specific task order follow direction of page 40 of solicitation. Update as needed for task orders.

19. Palomar Task Order specific. Is Item 1 all handwork or can we use various pieces of equipment to complete tasks? How about a UTV off the existing road system to run fuel and supplies to hand crews?

A: The answer to both is no, Item 1 has been designed as a hand treatment due to slope and soil restrictions.

20. Palomar Task Order specific. When introducing the unit the Forest Service example marked, it was stated by FS that it represented some of the hardest ground and that is why it was chosen for the example, the question was then asked as to what percentage of the other units looks like unit 11 which was marked for example by Forest Service?

A: Estimated around 40 percent of the acres shown for item 1 are similar or same in nature to unit 11. This is based upon FS observations from walking the ground and is not based on any quantitative measurement.

21. Palomar Task Order Specific. Is there a faster way of ingress/egress to item 2 which took about 45 minutes to reach from item 1 on a high clearance two track native surface road during the site visit?

A: While not necessarily faster, you can stay on state route 79 east out of Temecula and approach the unit from high point road just east of the community of sunshine summit.

22. Palomar Task Order Specific. Can we use a masticator in item 2, slopes seem to be favorable to machine work?

A: Per the Palomar District Fuels Program, activities in item 2 will remain as hand treatment, mastication with heavy equipment will not be allowed. The District has used a masticator in the past to maintain the fuelbreak and found that it did not provided a sufficient and continuous fuel bed to subsequently understory burn the following year the same way that hand cutting and lop & scatter has done.