Att. 3- Vendor Q.As 4.30.2024.pdf

1305M224R0030 Amendment 0001

1. If a contractor is successfully awarded this contract, is a vendor ineglible to be awarded the OCM CRC Support Services contract from Solicitation # 1305M224Q0021?

Government Response: No.

2. Please confirm if tables and graphics used in the Technical Proposal can use single-spaced, size 10 or eleven font.

Government Response: Spacing and font size requirements are specified in the solicitation instructions.

3. Can NOAA provide an explanation of the "mental" benefits required or the expectations?

Government Response: The contractor is required to provide a description of all health benefits and that the health insurance to be provided includes coverage for mental health. Solicitation Evaluation Criteria has been updated see Amendment 001.

4. Medical and wellness benefits mandatory requirements vary by states and US territories.

Can NOAA provide specific cities for the territories that fellows may be placed so that vendors can prepare the benefit structure?

Government Response: Per PWS Section 1.1, Collaboratives will be across the costal United States and Territories and each collaborative will be eligible to receive a fellow. US territories may be potential hosts for the resilience fellows:

USVI, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, CNMI, and Guam.

5. May vendors propose a mix of Professional Development Trainers, with one lead Trainer and substitute additional trainers based on the subject matter? Because this is FFP, can vendors have a lead trainer and mentor.

Government Response: The Government has identified the labor categories required to support this effort. Solicitation Attachment A, Pricing Spreadsheet provides these details. Additional Labor categories will not be added.

6. Are resumes excluded from the 6 page limits in the management volume? Is there a page limit for the resumes provided?

Government Response: Resumes are not included in the page count; there are no page limits for resumes. See Amendment 001.

7. Do the collaboratives consist of regions from the CRRC competition Track One awardees? Will there be at least one fellow in each region?

Government Response: The grant recipients, both Track 1 and Track 2, are eligible to host a fellow but some may choose not to participate in the program.

Fellows will be placed at the site identified by the recipient. There is no requirement that each region will have a fellow, it is solely based on the needs and desires of each grant recipient as to whether they will have a fellow. Amendment 001 clarifies PWS section 1.1.

8. Whom is responsible for the selection of all fellows? Is the selected contractor to work with NOAA on the selection of the fellowship cohorts?

Government Response: No, the selected contractor will not be involved in the interview of fellows. Interested fellows will submit applications to NOAA and as part of the application will indicate which host they are interested in. NOAA will send those applications to the host to review and conduct interviews and they will let NOAA know which fellow they would like. NOAA will let the contractor know which fellows will be hired and for which site.

9. Does the government anticipate needing to backfill or provide a new fellow in the case that a fellow leaves early?

Government Response: If a selected fellow leaves prior to the end of their two-years, NOAA, the selected contractor, and the host will discuss options.

Historically, based on the other NOAA OCM fellowship programs, the host has opted not to replace the fellow with a new fellow, because the selected fellow was able to finish their project before their departure. However, there have been a few occasions, in the past, when the host has wanted a new fellow to finish out their term. In those instances, NOAA and the host will work with the selected contractor to advertise and recruit for a replacement. Amendment 001 clarifies PWS Section 5.0.

10. Is the vendor responsible for developing a pool of candidates for the fellowship selection? Is there a delivery timeline for the candidates to be provided to NOAA? Is there an expectation of the number of candidates the vendor will need to provide to NOAA? Does NOAA select the final fellows?

Government Response: The selected contractor is responsible for helping advertise the program to a variety of colleges, universities, and specifically targeted regions and communities where the fellows will be placed. The host will also assist with recruitment, especially within their state/region/community.

Interested fellows will submit applications to NOAA and as part of the application will indicate which host they are interested in. NOAA will send those applications to the host to review and conduct interviews and they will let NOAA know which fellow they would like. NOAA will let the contractor know which fellows will be hired and for which site. Amendment 001 clarifies PWS section 1.1.

11. Is there a due date for when all potential fellow candidates are due to NOAA?

Government Response: The selected contractor is not responsible for compiling applications to send to NOAA. Interested fellow applications will come to NOAA directly. It is anticipated that applications will be due in late winter/early spring of 2025.

12. Please confirm that selected contractor will need to provide laptops to each fellow, and that fellows will not receive a NOAA laptop nor need a CAC?

Government Response: The selected contractor will not provide laptops to the fellows. All office equipment and supplies are provided to the fellows by the host organization. CACs will not be issued.

13. Attachment 2 has the travel and ODC costs entered in the template. Please confirm if G&A and/or overhead can be applied to any or all travel and ODC?

Government Response: The solicitation instructions already address G & A and /or Overhead. Attachment 2 has been updated to remove the plug numbers. See Amendment 001.

14. The word "mentor" and "mentee" is used throughout 3.2.1. Can NOAA elaborate on who serves as the mentor, are there multiple mentors, are mentors provided by NOAA or by the vendor?

Government Response: The host organization provides a mentor for the fellow, to help guide them on their project and to provide professional development opportunities

15. RFP pg 69 Proposal Form (1) states that the SF1449 should be used as the cover sheet to Volume I – Business proposal. RFP pg 68, General Instructions require offerors to include a title page/cover sheet that include the title of the proposal, volume number, RFP number, name/address of contractor, cage code, UEI, business size and TIN.

Q: Can the offeror include the title page/cover sheet in Volume I before the SF1449 or will that be deemed uncompliant?

Government Response: Confirming offerors should include the required title page/coversheet in addition to the required signed SF 1449. This has been clarified in Amendment 001.

16. RFP pg 69, item 5B(iii). The first sentence states the technical proposal must, “not exceed 13 pages…” and the second sentence states, “Any pages in excess of 12 will be disregarded.” Q: Please clarify how many pages are the maximum for the technical proposal and update the RFP accordingly.

Government Response: Confirming 12 pages is correct. Amendment 001 incorporates the correction needed.

17. RFP pg 71, item 6. Key personnel resumes are required.

Q1: Are key personnel resumes included in the 6 page Factor II – management approach?

Q2: If so, would the government consider excluding resumes from the page count or increasing the page count by 4 pages to allow for resumes?

Government Response: See question number 6.

18. RFP pg 71, Volume III, Price proposal, item 2b.

Q: May offeror submit a MS Word document with supporting documentation to enable the government to fully evaluate the price submittal?

Government Response: Volume II, Price Proposal does not have a page limit.

The question is already addressed in the solicitation instructions.

19. RFP pg 69 Volume II – Technical Proposal, item B(iii) requires the proposal to be double-spaced and limits it to 13 pages. The requirements of the technical response include: Factor 1 with 3 sub requirements and Factor 2 with 6 sub requirements each limited to 6 pages.

Q: Will the government consider extending the technical proposal to 20 pages double spaced or allowing contractors to use single-spacing in the technical proposal response?

Government Response: Volume II, Technical Proposal is limited to 12 pages not including resumes.

20. If a 6. RFP pg 75 Factor II – Management Approach states that offerors will be evaluated on how fellows are administratively supported include benefits (health/mental) outside the continental US.

Q: To ensure appropriate pricing of healthcare benefits and eligibility outside the continental US, can the government provide an estimated number of fellows (e.g., 2 out of 10 required) that will be working OCONUS?

Government Response: At this time, the Government cannot provide the requested estimate of many fellows will be outside of the Continental US. There is a potential that a fellow will be placed in one or more of states and territories outside of CONUS including AK, Hawaii, USVI, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, CNMI, and Guam

21. PWS 3.1.1 bullet 1 states that fellows that qualify (based on location of collaborative site) will be provided with a locality pay or cost of living adjustment. The adjustment will be based on the current Federal Employees General Schedule Locality Pay Tables.

Q1: Since this is an IDIQ contract with task order issued under it and the provided Attachment 2 pricing worksheet requires ceiling labor rates, will the contractor have the ability to modify or add this cost of living adjustment/locality pay at the task order level?

Q2: Or, will the contractor be required to use the annual rate per fellow provided in its original IDIQ price proposal?

Q3: If contractor is required to use annual rate per fellow in IDIQ price proposal, what locations will the fellows be supporting each year?

Government Response: At the task order level, the specific location of the fellow will be noted and the locality adjustment percentage will be provided to allow the selected contractor to correctly cost out that fellow's labor.

22. PWS 3.1.1 bullet 2 states that payment of medical insurance, etc. is required by contractor.

Q: For pricing purposes, can the government further specify what Caribbean or Pacific Islands insurance and worker’s compensation fellows may be located at?

Government Response: At this time, we do not know where the fellows will be located. That will be specified at the task order level. A fellow may be placed in one or more of the territories

23. PWS 8.0, item 2 (pg 9) states that the Professional Development Trainer serves on the review panel for the selection of the fellow finalists each year.

Q1: Other than advertising and collecting fellow resumes and serving on the review panel, does the contractor have any other responsibilities in supporting the review panel or organizing, coordinating, and managing the annual fellow review panel?

Q2: Or, is that a government function? If not a NOAA (government) function, please provide specific tasks required by the contractor in an updated PWS.

Government Response: The trainer will not serve on the review panel for selection of fellow finalists. Amendment 001 corrects this.

24. PWS Page 8, Section 8.0: Under Program Manager (PM) role, the duties state that the PM will serve as the POC for the host sites regarding host cost-share agreements.

Q: Please provide detail information regarding the host cost-share agreements.

Government Response: There will be no cost-share agreement with the hosts for this requirement Amendment 001 corrects this.

25. PWS 3.12: It states the PM will travel to the required meeting of the fellows.

Q: Will the Trainer be required to travel to his fellows meeting?

Government Response: Having the trainer attend the required meeting of the fellows in 2027 is a TBD at this point.

26. RFP Page 72 – The travel estimate for the fellows shows $7,439. However, the PWS, pg.

3 states that the fellows receive $9,000 for travel.

Q: Please clarify which amount should be used in price proposal.

Government Response: A total of $9000 for the two years of the fellowship. See amendment 001.

27. PWS Page 2, Para 3.1.1: States “Payment of annual salary of $42,000 (gross) to each fellow. Those fellows that qualify (based on the location of the collaborative site) will be provided with a locality pay or a cost of living adjustment. The adjustment will be based on the current Federal Employees General Schedule Locality Pay Tables.”

Q: Is the contractor able to request adjustment for loaded rate depending on the locality of the Fellow?

Government Response: The location of the fellows will be provided at the task order level and the locality adjustment percentage will be provided at that time.

28. PWS Page 3, Para 3.1.1: States “Reimbursement for professional development travel (transportation including airfare, rental, or mileage for personal vehicle, lodging, per diem, and miscellaneous expenses) to also include professional development courses and textbooks. A total of $9,000 of travel is allocated per fellow for the two years. $6,000 of that is to attend one required meeting and for their own use for professional development.

The remaining $3,000 is to support travel directly related to their project. If a fellow is located in Alaska or on a Pacific Island, NOAA will determine if they receive additional travel funds to cover expenses associated with traveling from those states and territories.”

Q: Pricing Sheet shows $7,439.00 Per Fellows. What dollar amount should be quoted for Fellow Travel and ODC?

Government Response: See response to question 26.

29. PWS Page 3, Para 3.1.1: States “Relocation allowance of $2,500 per year. This money is used to help move the fellow to their host site in the first year and then move the fellow from their host site at the end of the fellowship. If a fellow is located in Alaska or on a Pacific Island, NOAA will determine if they may receive additional relocation funds to cover expenses associated with traveling to those states and territories.

Q: In the pricing sheet, where do we insert the $2,500 per year for Relocation allowance?

Government Response: NOAA will provide this as part of the fellows travel.

30. Is this a current contract? If so, what is the current contract number and contractor name?

Government Response: This is a new requirement.

31. Since the PWS and pricing attachments were not included in the initial post of the RFP, would the government consider extending the proposal response date for an additional 7- 10 days?

Government Response: The attachments were included when the solicitation was posted to SAM.gov. The government does not intend to extend the solicitation closing time at this time.

32. If a 18. PWS 6.0 Security Requirements does not provide any requirement for a security clearance.

Q1: Please confirm that contractor employees and/or fellows are not required to have a security clearance?

Q2: Are contractor employees and/or fellows required to be a US citizen? Or, are permanent residents allowed to support this contract?

Government Response: No security clearance is required. Both Contractor Employees and Fellows are required to be US Citizens. See Amendment 001