Q As_13-250-SOL-00007-JL.docx

This Solicitation is hereby amended to provide responses to questions received from industry. The Questions and Responses are as follows:

Question 1: While the solicitation has been set-aside for certified SDVOSB companies, will consideration and additional value be factored in the selection of companies holding multiple set-aside designations that submit acceptable proposals, e.g. SBA 8(a), WOSB and HUBZone?

Response to Question 1: No.

Question 2: The specified number of pages for the technical proposal is 25, excluding resumes. May resumes be placed in an appendix to the technical proposal and other documents included in the same appendix and not be counted against the 25 page limit? Other documents identified as graphics, flow and organizational charts.

Response to Question 2: Yes.

Question 3: Is there an incumbent contractor performing the work currently?

Response to Question 3: No.

Question 4: Does the government have a proposed or expected level of effort for this work? If so, will it be provided to offerors?

Response to Question 4: No. Offerors should provide its best response based on the number of aproximated relocations provided in the SOW.

Question 5: Does the government have a proposed or expected personnel or staffing resource model for this work? If so, will it be provided to offerors?

Response to Question 5: No.

Question 6: Is there planned or target contract award date for this solicitation and will it be disclosed to offerors?

Response to Question 6: No. Award will be made as deemed in the best interest of the Government.

Question 7: Is there a planned or target start date for task execution for this solicitation and will it be disclosed to offerors?

Response to Question 7: Upon contract award, refer to Schedule of Deliverables (Section F).

Question 8: This was initially a HUBZone set aside contract and has now been switched to a SDVOB set aside – is there a particular reason for the switch in socio-economic designation?

Response to Question 8: This is a new requirement in its entirety. HRSA previously awarded a contract was more comprehensive (providing relocation, conference support, content development, interview support). As an agency, it was decided to unbundle the services; therefore, this solicitation is new in its requirements.

Question 9: Is the current incumbent a HUBZone and SDVOB certified company?

Response to Question 9: This requirement is new in its entirety (see above). There is not an incumbent.

Question 10: Is the current incumbent able to bid on this contract if not a SDVOB certified company?

Response to Question10: This requirement is 100% set-aside for SDVOSD.

Question 11: What is the value of the current contract, and is the scope of work the same as this one?

Response to Question 11: See above.

Question 12: Are alternative electronic formats acceptable for the scholar expense reimbursement form, or is a fillable pdf form the only acceptable method?

Response to Question 12: Fillable PDF is the preferred format; however fillable Microsoft Office forms may also be acceptable.

Question 13: Over the last year of the contract, how many FTEs were utilized, and what were the labor categories?

Response to Question 13: This is a new requirement.

Question 14: How many hours were funded?

Response to Question 14: See above.

Question 15: Please define further the expectations for an inspection work/system.

Response to Question 15: This is a competitive procurement and the Offeror should provide its best response.

Question 16: Is there a typical turnaround time for relocating the scholars (i.e., from site visit to final move)?

Response to Question 16: This will depend on the scholar, the interview conducted, and the time frame from when the site visits begin, and the end of the training program or residency program. It is encouraged the upcoming scholar class in June/July time period begin to look for its site as soon as possible. In some cases this period may be up to one year from first site visit to relocation.

Question 17: For budgeting purposes, is there a list of locations that the scholars will be traveling from/to?

Response to Question 17: No, the scholars find their sites through a wide range of sources, from the NHSC Jobs Center to discussions with friends and colleagues. The sites visited can be from a major urban center to a rural/frontier site.

Question 18: How many site visits will be conducted per scholar?

Response to Question 18: There is no limit to the number of visits a scholar may request or conduct, however, the total limit is $1200.00 for site visits. Anything over the $1200.00 allotment will need to be paid for by the scholar. However, the scholar may continue to request site visits through the process in order to have their site “Locked-In” with their HPSA score.

Question 19: Does the travel allotment only include moving and storage expenses up to $10,000?

Response to Question 19: No, the relocation allotment is set at $10,000 for moving, storage expenses and travel expenses for the scholar and family members for relocations within the Continental United States only. For scholars who choose to do their service in Hawaii, Alaska, the Pacific Trust Territories, and Puerto Rico the allotment is capped at $25,000, this will include moving, storage, and travel expenses for the scholar and family members. The $25,000 cap also includes the cost of moving a Privately Owned Automobile to the site. The NHSC does not provide any funding to move household goods back to the United States for any scholar.

Question 20: Are the logistical materials that will be sent to the scholars subject to clearance for external communications?

Response to Question 20: No.

Question 21: The Appendices didn’t appear to be attached, in particular the “Travel Request Form.” Is there a copy available?

Response to Question 21: Appendix C is now attached as part of this amendment.

Question 22: Is the Product Accessibility Template (PAT) included in the 25-page limit? Or may it be included as an appendix?

Response to Question 22: PAT may be submitted as an appendix.

Question 23: Are the job descriptions required in the personnel section included in the 25-page limit? Or may they be included as an appendix?

Response to Question 23: The job descriptions required in the personnel section should be included in the 25-page limit.

Question 24: Is the letter of commitment from the subcontractor required in the corporate experience section included in the 25-page limit? Or may it be included as an appendix?

Response to Question 24: The letter of commitment from the subcontractor may be included as an appendix.

Question 25: Task 7.1 states that "there shall be a total of 10 Ad Hoc summary reports required per week." Please clarify. Does that mean that the Contractor will be expected to prepare 10 Ad Hoc reports per week, every week, for the life of the contract? Or does that mean that the BCRS staff will be able to request up to 10 Ad Hoc reports per week, every week, for the life of the contract?

Response to Question 25: This means the BCRS staff will be able to request up to 10 Ad Hoc reports per week, it does not necessarily mean that this will be the case every week for the life of the contract, but should be available if needed. On average, BCRS may request 2 or 3 Ad Hoc reports a week or none at all.

Question 26: Is the completed GPAT included in the 25 page count?

Response to Question 26: See response to Question 22.

Question 27: This SOW was originally part of a larger contract. Does the government intend to issue a solicitation for those services not included in the BCRS Site Visit and Relocation solicitation?

Response to Question 27: That information is unknown at this time.

Question 28: Please confirm the number of participants to receive travel support. For budgeting purposes, is the maximum number to receive travel support 150 or 200?

Response to Question 28: This number may vary within a of 150 to 200 range depending on the size of the original class, defaults and other extenuating circumstance. For budgetary purposes use the number 200.

Question 29: Is there a maximum allotment for scholars relocating to Alaska or Hawaii? Of the 150 or 200 scholars, approximately how many are expected to relocate to Alaska or Hawaii?

Response to Question 29: The limit for any overseas travel, Alaska, Hawaii, the Pacific Trust Territories, and Puerto Rico is $25,000. On a standard year, 2 to 3 scholars select Alaska, 3 to 5 scholars select Hawaii, 1 to 2 scholars select the Pacific Trust Territories, and 1-2 scholars select Puerto Rico.

Question 30: Task 2.0 Travel, are costs related to travel for the site visit included in the $10,000 maximum? If not, is there a maximum allotment for the scholar's site visit expenses?

Response to Question 30: $1200.00

Question 31: Task 2.0 Travel, What's the anticipated number of days approved for the scholar's site visits?

Response to Question 31: It is encouraged that scholars bundle their site visits to include two or three site visits per trip. The limit as to what the NHSC will approve is 3 days/2 nights. Anything over this period the scholar is expected to pay for.

Question 32: Task 2.4 Securing Rental Car, Is the car rental cost included in the $10,000? If not, is there a maximum allowed for rental cars?

Response to Question 32: Rental car for relocation is quite unusual; it is handled on a case by case basis and is rarely approved. However, rental car may be requested for site visits, and again is approved on a case by case basis, with the foremost reason being distance from a regional airport to a remote rural/frontier site. This cost comes out of the scholar’s $1200.00 site visit allotment.

Question 33: Task 3.0 Reimburse Scholars for Eligible Expenses, Are these expenses included in the $10,000? If not, is there a maximum allowed?

Response to Question 33: The Eligible Expenses allowed for a relocation include, hotel, mileage for one vehicle that the scholar may be driving to their site, Meals and Incidental Expenses to cover meals. Both Hotel and Meals and Incidental Expenses are at the federal per diem rate, and cannot exceed that daily rate.

Question 34: In the previous contract, meeting planning and support services for orientation, loan repayment, training, and program conferences and workshops were required in addition to the Scholar Site Visit and Relocation Services. Please confirm that the current SOW does not include meeting logistics requirements under “other tasks.” If they are required under this SOW, please provide estimates of the number of meetings and attendees.

Response to Question 34: This is a new requirement. All scope of work has been included in the SOW. Training and support to NHSC scholars, and loan re-payers may be provided by National Health Service Corps staff or other methods.

Question 35: Will the contracts officer accept a bid from a SDVOB Joint Venture consistent with 13 CFR 125.15?

Response to Question 35: Yes

Question 36: Should we include the joint venture agreement in our proposal and, if yes, will this be outside the page limit?

Response to Question 36: The Joint venture agreement may be submitted with the offer; however, it must comply with all requirements for SDVOSB Joint Venture at the time the offer is submitted.

The joint venture agreement should be submitted with the Offeror’s business proposal and therefore, will not count against the page limit.

Question 37: Will the HRSA contracts officer be responsible for approving the Joint Venture Agreement after submission and prior to award? If not, who is the approving official and when must this approval be sought?

Response to Question 37: Yes, the CO is responsible for the approval of the joint venture agreement.

Question 38: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provided guidance to VA Contracting Officers in respect of SDVOB joint ventures under 13 CFR 125.15 in a letter dated March 9, 2006 (Ref 049-06-4) available online at http://www.va.gov/oal/docs/library/ils/il06-4.pdf Does HRSA follow the same process and/or is there any similar guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in respect of SDVOB joint ventures under 13 CFR 125.15?

Response to Question 38: 13 CFR 125.15 applies to the Department of Health and Human Services. There is no supplemental guidance.

Question 39: Will the Government provide an estimated level of effort for this statement of work?

Response to Question 39: No. This is a best value procurement. The Government has provided as estimated number of relocations.

Question 40: For budgeting purposes, should we assume 175 scholars as this is half way between 150 and 200?

Response to Question 40: For budgetary purposes use the number 200.

Question 41: For budgeting purposes, should we assume that each scholar went on one site visit and that half of them brought a family member with them? If no, please can you provide an alternative assumption or provide information on the percentage of scholars who took sites visits, the number of site visits taken by the average student and the percentage of those who brought a family member with them?

Response to Question 41: The average number of site visits per scholar is 3. Assume 30% of scholars will bring a family member along on (1) site visit. The NHSC encourages that a family member participate in a site visit if the site that is being visited is the most likely choice for their placement. A family member is only allowed to accompany the scholar on one site visit.

Question 42: For budget purposes, should we assume that $10,000 in moving costs are used by all scholars? If no, what was the average amount in moving costs used by students in the previous years or can the Government provide an amount for budgeting purposes?

Response to Question 42: Not all scholars will require relocation, the NHSC has a requirement that a scholar must be outside a 50 mile radius before the NHSC will reimburse for relocation. The percentage of scholars that use relocation funds changes each year, based on historical data it has ranged between 40 to 75%. The average cost of relocation within the contiguous U.S. is approximately $6000.

Question 43: Is the “up to $10,000” moving and storage costs per scholar paid by the contractor to the moving and storage vendor(s) or to the student?

Response to Question 43: The NHSC offers two moving options:

(1) Government sponsored option where the contractor handles all aspects of the move, from household goods pick-up and delivery, to moving the scholar and family members.

(2) Self-move option where the scholar pays for all relocation expenses and is then reimbursed by the contractor.

Question 44: Does the “up to $10,000” moving and storage costs include scholar airfare and per diem during the relocation?

Response to Question 44: Yes. It also includes mileage for one privately owned vehicle.

Question 45: Is travel during the relocation to be budgeted in addition to the travel for site visits?

Response to Question 45: No, they are two separate allotments, a $1200 allotment for site visits and a separate $10,000 allotment for relocation.

Question to 46: Are there training events or other instances of travel to be reimbursed after scholar relocation under this contract? If yes, please can you provide details for budgeting purposes?

Response to Question 46: No.