S01_QandA - 12FPC423Q0022 Title Service OH.pdf

Questions and Answers:

1. Is there an incumbent and, and if so, what were the fees by line item that the government paid?

A. Currently there is no incumbent for this requirement.

2. There is a requirement for the contractor to accept payment by credit card. Is PayPal acceptable for this solicitation?

A. PayPal is not an acceptable form of invoicing for this requirement.

3. The solicitation states that this is a BPA and only one award will be made. A BPA is typically used when multiple awards are being made so that if a contractor is unable to accept an assignment the government would have another option for placing the work.

A. There will be One awardee for the BPA

a. Is this a BPA or a contract?

A. This is a BPA

b. If this is a BPA and the government is making only one award will the contractor be able to reject an order as in typical BPA guidelines?

A. The BPA will be constrained per all Federal and USDA Acquisition Regulations, Policies and standards.

4. Understanding these could be located anywhere in the state, over that last five (5) years in what counties have most of the easements been located?

A. Predominantly Northwest, Northeast and Central / West Central Counties

5. How many orders does your office typically assign to a contractor at one time given the timeframe to deliver preliminary title commitments?

A. This Information will be determined by the needs of the end user

6. Under Section IV Standards and Responsibilities in the first paragraph it states “… determination of ownership and interest share of surface and subsurface rights …” Please confirm this addresses severance of mineral rights and determining if mineral rights have been severed. Without a separate subsurface rights search which is normally performed by a “Landman” and is quite expensive, one cannot determine who currently owns the subsurface rights.

7. A. Per the Statement of Work, determination of ownership and interest share of surface and subsurface rights must be provided with the title commitment.

8. Under Section IV Standards and Responsibilities in the first paragraph it states “… necessary curative instruments to ensure merchantable title…” Please confirm this is a review task only and that the seller is responsible for curative work with the contractor providing assistance to the seller and NRCS.

A. Seller is responsible for curative work, but contractor/BPA awardee is responsible for evaluating whether or not curative work will result in successful removal of item from title.

9. Will the government send the deed with the Acceptance by Grantee page executed? This has been the norm with most offices and it saves shipping costs.

A. Yes. The government would send the deed with Acceptance by Grantee executed.

10. Regarding the fee schedule:

a. Line Item 7 provides for a cost to remove general exceptions related to minerals?

i. Is the government looking for an endorsement?

A.The government is requiring that no general exceptions for mineral rights exist on the final title policy.

ii. What is the purpose of this line item?

A. To communicate to any potential bidder that general exceptions for mineral rights are not acceptable to remain on the final title policy.

b. Line Item 2 provides for a cost for additional chains of title. However in the fine print it states “… the government will consider accommodating additional vendor costs…” Does that mean that there is a possibility that the government would not pay for additional chains of title even if there was evidence to support the additional work?

A. The government will pay for additional chains of title if warranted. The purpose of having this as a separate line item is to adequately accommodate this in the task order / request. Sometimes we do not know that another chain is required until the contractor advises us.

c. Line Item 9 under Optional Services provides for a cost to perform a subsurface mineral rights search. Mineral rights searches are performed by a Landman and paid on an hourly basis. Would the government consider removing line item 9 under Optional Services and handle this work under a contract modification when specific information about the parcel and search would be available and a more precise quote could be provided?

A. This is an optional service because not all properties will have questionable mineral ownership. We would accept an hourly rate to be put in this line item for purposes of bids with a NTE rate.

d. Line Item 9 under Tiered Fee Schedule provides for a cost for title premiums. The fine print states that the rates MUST separately list costs/premiums for removing general exceptions for mechanic liens, survey matters, and mineral interests in Ohio. Is the government looking for a separate rate chart for these matters in addition to the typical title premium rate chart?

A. Yes A separate rate chart is expected for items in addition to those that have a tiered scale.

e. Can the government provide an example of what they are looking for?

A. Example of Tiered Fee schedule for premiums:

11. Are any oil or gas leases are needed for this project?

A. We don’t need oil and gas leases. We do require the landowner to remove the oil and gas leases according to Ohio law. The title company will need to review the removal documents and approve them so they can remove them from the title insurance policy.