ES IDIQ Solicitation - Responses to Offerors Questions.pdf

Environmental Services IDIQ Solicitation

Question and Answers

Notice ID: 1305M421RNAAJ0003

Related Notice: NAAJ5754-21-00319

Pre-Solicitation Question NOAA Response

1. I just received a PTAC notification for the subject title's ES SOL. Looking at the PWS for groundwater services on St. Paul and the respective dates for submission/execution, I'm curious what the timeline is for all matters.

The "Offers Due" on SAM.gov states 15 June, with a published date of 15 June, and the PWS requires first groundwater testing be completed by May 2022, last month. We are interested in the project, but would like to know what the solicitation's current status and timeline expectations are if SAM.gov's listing is incorrect, thank you.

The St. Paul Groundwater PWS is for “task order” sampling, only.

Please refer to solicitation for proposal preparation and submission instructions.

The “offers due” posted on SAM.gov states 3 pm (ET), July 15, 2022.

2. Who is performing the work today? The FY22 Groundwater Monitoring Services on St. Paul is being performed by another contractor.

3. Page 59 of 65 in the PDF, Section (2)(i)(C) states that proposal must be typed, double-spaced, with one inch margins, using Times New Roman font, 12 pitch. Double-spaced and 12 point font will limit the information contained in our response. Please confirm this is what you’d like to see in responses.

Please prepare your proposal, IAW the guidelines of the solicitation. In addition, the double-space format doesn't apply to project description and resumes, per our response to Question #8.

4. Page 61 of 65 in the PDF, Factor 4 – Key Personnel requests resumes for key personnel to be assigned to the contract. Please confirm you’re referencing the four key personnel listed on page 14 of 65 (Section H.5) and not the personnel listed in the SOW.

Confirmed. Only the resumes for the four key personnel listed in page 14 of the PDF are required.

Please also see response to Question #28

5. Project Manager is included in the Key Personnel listed in Section H.5 of the solicitation, but no minimum experience requirements for this position are listed in the SOW. Please advise

Experience requirements should be similar to those of the Program Manager, but with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in Project Management for other projects.

6. Contracts Manager is included in the Key Personnel listed in Section H.5 of the solicitation, but no minimum experience requirements for this position are listed in the SOW. Contracts Manager can be interpreted to mean two types of positions. Please advise

Refer to Factor 4: Key Personnel on page 61, for additional information and at a minimum of five (5) years’ experience.

7. SAM.gov lists the NAICS code for this opportunity as 541620, Environmental Consulting Services. No NAICS code is listed in the solicitation. Please confirm the SAM.gov NAICS code of 541620 is correct.

Yes, NAICS Code is 541620 – Environmental Consulting Services

8. Reference: RFP Section L.6 Item 2 Volume II- Technical Proposal Requirements.

Question: Per RFP requirements in L.6, the technical proposal requires double-spaced format. It is not clear as to whether this includes resumes and project descriptions. Please clarify if double spacing is required for these two components.

Secondary Question: If double spacing is required for resumes and project descriptions, would the client consider foregoing that requirement as double spacing will significantly limit the amount space for the level of information required for each component.

Double spacing is not required for resumes or project descriptions.

They may be single-spaced or of another format.

9. Reference: RFP Section L.6 Factor 5 Past Performance.

Question: Per the RFP, offerors are required to submit 5 to 10 projects completed within the past 5 years. Will the client accept on-going projects as long as they are at least 65% complete?

Yes, ongoing projects that are at least 65% complete will be accepted.

10. Reference: RFP Section H.5 Key Personnel, RFP Section L.6 Factor 4 Key Personnel.

Refer to Question #6.

Question: Please clarify the required qualifications for the Project Manager and the Contracts Manager.

11. Reference: RFP Section H.1 Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCIs).

Question: Are offerors to include a statement regarding any potential OCIs in their proposal or state that they have none?

Yes.

12. Reference: RFP Section L.6 (3) Volume III – IDIQ Labor rate and Pricing Table.

Question: Please confirm offerors are not to provide cost breakdown with the proposal and that if required, the Government will ask for the detail following submission of the proposal.

Refer back to Section L.6, page 58, for Proposal Preparation and Instructions

13 Reference: RFP Section H.5 CAR 1352.237-75 Key Personnel and Section L.6(2) Volume II – Technical Proposal Factor 4 – Key Personnel.

Question: Please confirm that resumes and associated information are only required for the 4 Key Personnel positions identified in Section H.5:

Program Manager, Contracts Manager, Project Manager, and Contractor Quality Control Supervisor.

Only the resumes for the four key personnel listed in page 14 of the PDF are required.

Also see response to Question #28.

14. Reference: sample project Performance Work Statement Section 1.3 Overall Contract Management.

Question: Please confirm that offerors are not to include mobilization costs associated with sampling of the two wells. Please also confirm that

Confirmed. As stated in Section 1.1 in Attachment J2 Sample Statement of Work (SOW) Task Order, “It is assumed that the May 2022 sampling event will be conducted concurrently with the groundwater sampling event being conducted under the Two-Party Agreement (TPA) and no separate mobilization effort will be required”. Therefore the offerors do not need to include mobilization offerors are not to price any sampling activities associated with the Two- Party Agreement work.

costs associated with sampling of the two wells. In addition, the offerors do not need to price sampling activities associated with the Two-Party Agreement work.

15. Reference: sample project Performance Work Statement Section 7.0 Deliverable Schedule.

Question: This section states that the period of performance is through September 30, 2022. Given award of this contract may not happen by September 20, 2022, can the government please provide revised dates for the award and completion of the project?

The Period of Performance ending in September 30, 2022 is for the sample project and is not applicable to future task orders that could be issued under this IDIQ.

16. Reference: RFP Section L.6 Item 2 Volume II- Technical Proposal Requirements.

Question: Per RFP requirements in L.6, the technical proposal requires double-spaced format. It is not clear as to whether this includes resumes and project descriptions. Please clarify if double spacing is required for these two components. If double spacing is required for resumes and project descriptions, would the client consider foregoing that requirement as double spacing will significantly limit the amount space for the level of information required for each component.

Refer to Question #8

17. Reference: RFP Section L.6 Factor 5 Past Performance.

Question: Per the RFP, offerors are required to submit 5 to 10 projects completed within the past 5 years. Will the client accept on-going projects as long as they are at least 65% complete?

Refer to Question #9.

18. Reference: RFP Section H.5 Key Personnel, RFP Section L.6 Factor 4 Key Personnel.

Question: Please clarify the required qualifications for the Project Manager and the Contracts Manager.

For the Project Manager, experience requirements should be similar to those of the Program Manager, but with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in Project Management for other project.

For the Contract Manager, refer to Factor 4: Key Personnel on page 61, for additional information and at a minimum of five (5) years’ experience.

19. Reference: RFP Section H.1 Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCIs).

Question: Are offerors to include a statement regarding any potential OCIs in their proposal or state that they have none

Refer to Question #11.

20. Reference: RFP Section L.6 (3) Volume III – IDIQ Labor rate and Pricing Table.

Question: Please confirm offerors are not to provide cost breakdown with the proposal and that if required, the Government will ask for the detail following submission of the proposal.

Refer to Questions #12.

21. Reference: RFP Section H.5 CAR 1352.237-75 Key Personnel and Section L.6(2) Volume II – Technical Proposal Factor 4 – Key Personnel.

Question: Please confirm that resumes and associated information are only required for the 4 Key Personnel positions identified in Section H.5:

Program Manager, Contracts Manager, Project Manager, and Contractor Quality Control Supervisor.

Refer to question #13.

22. Reference: sample project Performance Work Statement Section 1.3 Overall Contract Management.

Refer to question #14.

Question: Please confirm that offerors are not to include mobilization costs associated with sampling of the two wells. Please also confirm that offerors are not to price any sampling activities associated with the Two- Party Agreement work.

23. Reference: sample project Performance Work Statement Section 7.0 Deliverable Schedule.

Question: This section states that the period of performance is through September 30, 2022. Given award of this contract may not happen by September 20, 2022, can the government please provide revised dates for the award and completion of the project?

Refer to Question #15.

24. Reference: On page 9 of 27 in the PWS, Key Personnel, V.B, it states that the Contractor Quality Control Supervisor (CQCS) is part of the project management functions, yet in the CQCS position description on page 10, it states that the CQCS will have the authority to act in all CQC matters and will need to be on-site.

Question: Please provide clarification as to whether this is project-specific position or an overall QC program position.

The Key Personnel Contractor Quality Control Supervisor (CQCS) shall be responsible for overall management of the Contractor Quality Control (CQC) and have the authority to act on all CQC matters. The CQCS may have elect to have on-site qualified individual(s) to serve as the serve as his/her field to serve as their field representatives in on project specific task orders

25. Question: Please confirm 11x17 pages are acceptable in our response to demonstrate an organizational chart and/or a project/scope of work matrix.

11x17 pages are acceptable for displaying an organization chart and/or a project/scope of work matrix.

26. Question: Please confirm an 11x17 page will count as one page in the overall page count.

Yes, an 11x17 page will count as one page in the overall page count.

27. Reference: Ambiguity related to the font size and line spacing (Section L.6, (2) Volume II – Technical Proposal (i), (C)) is impacting the ability to prepare our response.

Question: Will the Government consider a one-week extension if the answers to questions are delayed beyond July 1, 2022 and/or if the answers to questions significantly change the outline of the response?

No extension is necessary and Government’s responses will not change the overall solicitation, for offerors proposal submission.

28.

Can contractor personnel fulfill more than one Key Personnel position?

Please confirm the 10-page limit for resumes is for all Key Personnel positions.

Key Personnel:

1. Program Manager

2. Contracts Manager

3. Project Manager

4. Contractor QC Supervisor

5. Safety and Health

Manager

6. Site Safety and Health

Officer

7. Geologist

8. Hydrogeologist

9. Program Chemist

10. Risk Assessor/Toxicologist

11. Civil Engineer Process

Engineer

12. Regulatory Specialist

13. Multi-Disciplined Tech

Staff Historical/Cultural Resources Professional

Reference Section V. Key Personnel of the PWS. For Key Personnel, one individual shall be designated as the Program Manager and one individual shall be designated as the Contractor Quality Control Supervisor. More than one person may fulfill the Key Personnel positions as the Contracts Manager and Project Manager, but the resumes of all Key Personnel shall be provided.

Key Personnel requests resumes for key personnel to be assigned to the contract are required. Other resumes may be provided, but all the resumes, including those of the Key Personnel, must be within the 10 page limit.

29. The sample task order appeared to have some legacy language in it:

(b) Schedule and complete 1 groundwater sampling event (May 2022). It is assumed that the May 2022 sampling event will be conducted concurrently with the groundwater sampling event being conducted

The sample task order is intended to illustrate the type of the work that will be performed under this contract. Once the IDIQ is awarded, the selected contractor will likely be responsible for performing groundwater monitoring projects on the Pribilof Islands including NMFS UST. No. 2 site and Two-Party Agreement.

under the Two-Party Agreement (TPA) and no separate mobilization effort will be required.

Will another organization be performing this sampling event therefore no additional mobilization is necessary? Would we be reporting on another contractor’s sampling? Or should the second sentence be struck?

Also see response to Question #14.

30. Volume II- Factor 4 Key Personnel. Are you looking for qualifications/resumes for only the Program Manager, Contracts Manager, Project Manager, and Contractor Quality Control Supervisor?

Refer to Question #13.