1305M326Q0082_Questions_and_Answers_docx_0001.pdf

1305M325Q0082 Marine Mammal Hotline Service

1305M325Q0082 Solicitation Questions and Answers

*** IAW the Solicitation and CAR 1352.215-72 Inquiries, the deadline to submit questions was no later than Thursday March 5, 2026 at 1:00 pm Eastern Time. The following questions below were received.

Note: Only the responses included below/ posted as an amendment to the solicitation will govern or alter the solicitation requirements. ***

1) Is the project considered as a potential new requirement or is there an incumbent contract currently performing these services?

a.) The previous contract was 1305M323PNFFO0531 awarded to Beborgem Enterprises Incorporated.

2) Who is the incumbent, and how long has the incumbent been providing the requested services?

a) Answered in Q1. Services have been provided since 2023.

3) Is an estimated contract value available for this requirement? Is it estimated to be greater than $1 Million?

a) The estimated contract value for this requirement is less than $350,000 also referred to as less than the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) which IAW the RFO FAR Overhaul “Part 2 Definitions" is a maximum of $350,000.

4) Are bidders permitted to deviate in any way from any manner of quoting fees you may be expecting? For example, if there is a pricing page in the RFP, can bidders submit an alternate fee structure? If there is no pricing page in the RFP, do you have any preference for how bidders should quote fees or can bidders create their own pricing categories?

a) No, a price per month is requested for each period under the contract (base year, option year 1, etc.) is requested in that format. This service is firm-fixed-price and will be billed monthly regardless of the number of calls made in the month.

5) There is a Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) that is required to be completed. Do we complete the form using one of the current clients or is it requiring a Federal contract performance?

a) PPQ’s may be completed by Government (Federal, State, and Local) Points of Contact, as well as Non-Government Points of Contact. Since some non-Government work is not supported by a contract number, if submitting non-Government work please ensure that the work performed is relative to the solicitation requirement, has a contract number (if one is available), and has an appropriate POC name and contact information is listed to confirm proof of the work.

1305M325Q0082 Marine Mammal Hotline Service

6) How many past performance questionnaires are required?

a) PPQs are not required. However, IAW the solicitation provision FAR 52.212-2, “Vendors lacking relevant past performance history, or for whom past performance information is either not available or has not been submitted to the Government, will receive a rating of “Neutral” for past performance. Neutral ratings will not be considered negatively, but may be considered less favorably when compared to higher rated past performance ratings.”

7) The period of performance is listed as April 1, 2026. Is that when the contractor is expected to begin answering calls?

a) April 1, 2026 is the anticipated start date of the period of performance and the date the contractor is anticipated to start work, although the contractual period of performance is bilaterally agreed upon signature of the resultant purchase order.

8) How soon does the government intend to make an award decision?

a) The anticipated award date is before April 1, 2026 with a period of performance start date ON April 1, 2026.

9) Will the Government issue an applicable SCA Wage Determination for this requirement? If so, will it be provided via amendment to the solicitation prior to the offer due date? If not, should offerors price their proposals based solely on the GS-05 equivalent rate referenced in FAR 52.222-42?

a) SCA Wage Determinations apply to this solicitation. The equivalent rate referenced in FAR 52.222-42 is only an estimate and as stated in the clause, “This Statement is for Information Only: It Is Not A Wage Determination”.

10)Additionally, we note that the place of performance is at the contractor's facility (PWS Section 9.0), which could be in any locality. Should offerors apply the wage determination for their own place of business, or for the Seattle, WA locality where the administering office (WAD-SAP) is located?

a) SCA Wage Determinations apply to this solicitation, and the place of performance is the contractor’s place of business. Since it is unknown where the potential awardee is located at this time, vendors should use the following link and filter by their (1) state and (2) county to find their appropriate wage determination for their place of business. The “Previously Performed” question is not required as a filter. The “contractor’s place of business” will be based on the company’s address in their SAM registration and the applicable SCA Wage Determination for that county/state will apply to the contract.

b) https://sam.gov/search/?index=sca&page=1&pageSize=25&sort=-modifiedDate&sfm%5 Bstatus%5D%5Bis_active%5D=true https://sam.gov/search/?index=sca&page=1&pageSize=25&sort=-modifiedDate&sfm%5Bstatus%5D%5Bis_active%5D=true https://sam.gov/search/?index=sca&page=1&pageSize=25&sort=-modifiedDate&sfm%5Bstatus%5D%5Bis_active%5D=true