Amendment_0002_Questions_and_Answers_0002.pdf

ID or SOLICITATION NO. 140PS124Q0007 AMENDMENT NO. (if applicable) 0002 SOLICITATION TITLE: Colorado Seed Collection AGENCY: National Park Service

# Reference/ Location Question/suggestion or feedback Government Response

1 None

Who is the incumbent.

This is a new requirement. Services have been provided in the past by several companies via government purchase card, individual purchase order, individual and General Service Administration task orders. The last known purchase order was to‐‐ Wilson Associates Inc.

Valued at: $26,003.00 Purchase Order: 140P2123P0068

2 Page 6 of 23, Sol/Syn

Can you please explain in more detail how the annual work order will be posted and when? And explain how it works and what information I will need to provide at that time?

Does my pricing change each year? How is that determined?

See the combined solicitation/synopsis, paragraph titled, Addendum 2.0: Ordering Procedures, subparagraphs 4 and 5 . There is an annual ordering period. The unit prices will change with the ordering period (annually). The new service request/task order [work order] is placed as the services are required and as the funding becomes available. A task order is requested in accordance with the awarded contract's ordering procedures, terms and conditions and at the agreed to unit prices. Typically, the information needed for a new task order are the schedule and price. To come to an agreement, the number of hours/price per task, delivery and travel, etc. may be requested by the task order contracting officer and may be negotiated. All travel must be in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation.

Page 3 of 7, Task Order

BLCA_SAND…

What specific documentation do you expect regarding the daily activities of the collection crew (e.g., GPS locations, weight logs, species handling records)?

Once collection physically starts, "The Contractor shall maintain a log‐book of daily collection activities. Activities including hours spent collecting, species collected, bulk weights of the days collected materials, GPS locations of collections (in latitude and longitude or UTMs), and species labeling, drying, and handling procedures shall be documented. The log‐book shall be provided to the COR at the end of each collection trip. The Contractor shall either provide GNSS (i.e. GIS) shapefiles and the datum used for GPS at the end of the collection season or enter all data into the SOS database (as determined by the COR)." Reference Page 3, Task Order BLCA_SAND... Also, each scouting trip should be noted.

4 None How often do I need to check in with SAM to see solicitation notices?

Consider signing up for the solicitation notification. Changes and amendments are not scheduled but are issued as necessary. NOTE: An account is required, and you must be signed‐in to follow an opportunity or save a search. Task order request for proposals are not sent via SAM.gov. They are provided directly to the awardee in writing [via email] or other allowed methods.

This document respond to questions received. Offeror are advised to read the solicitation and all related documents in their entirety.

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5 Wage Determination Which occupation code is applicable? (Wage Determination) ‐ 08190 Forestry Technician $25.46/hr Or, ‐ 08250 General Forestry Laborer $17.65/hr

“The SCLS requires contractors pay their covered employees no less than the prevailing wage rates and fringe benefits, as determined by the DOL [Department of Labor] and found in the DOL Wage Determination incorporated as a material part of the contract and provided to the contractor.” Compliance with the minimum is required. There is no maximum amount. The business is also responsible for selecting the correct occupational code/category. "The Contractor shall classify any class of service employee which is not listed therein and which is to be employed under the contract (i.e., the work to be performed is not performed by any classification listed in the wage determination) so as to provide a reasonable relationship (i.e., appropriate level of skill comparison) between such unlisted classifications and the classifications listed in the wage determination." (Reference FAR Clause 52.222‐41, https://www.acquisition.gov/far/52.222‐41)

6 52.222.41 When is a Conformance Process required?

Conformance is required when no labor category is available. Unless the question is when a Standard Form 1444 is required. A SF 1444 must be required prior to performance. Some professional employees, and others, are exempt from the Service Contract Labor Standard (SCLS).

52.212‐5(e)

If a worker is hired as a temporary sub‐contractor, should their rate of pay include the inherent Health & Welfare compensation required...?

See 52.212‐5(e) for a list of the flow‐down clauses to subcontractors. It is their responsibility to comply. It is the prime’s responsibility to pass on [flow down] the required clauses. Reference the DOL.gov website. “Every service employee performing any of the Government contract work under a service contract in excess of $2,500 must be paid not less than the monetary wages, and must be furnished fringe benefits.” (Frequently Asked Questions Pertaining to the Issuance of Wage Determinations Under the McNamara‐O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA) of 1965, as Amended | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov))

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Price Sheet

Please explain how the Excel Price sheet will work. The Hours field accepts no input from me. Who determines the number of work hours it will take to reach the 40 lbs. per year per location goals?

The level of effort/number of hours are only requested once. (See the worksheet: Task Order & Year 1 Unit Price)

Be sure to note that‐‐

1. Complete the Summary Page first (Row 1: Company’s Name, UEI, email address and POC/Principal Name and Phone)

2. Then the Task Order & Year 1 Unit Price. It serves 2 purposes—

a. Complete the green blocks to propose on the initial Task Order (The task order requirements are detailed in the attachment, Task Order BLCA_SAND_SeedCollection_PWS.pdf) (NOTE: The Total [number of hours] Level of Effort/Quantity (in white) are total from the proposed Task 1‐5 hours proposed by the quoter.)

b. If additional task orders are issued during the first ordering year, the Unit Rates are as agreed to. For additional services, the task order details will be provided at the time of the need in the form of an emailed, task order request for proposal.

3. Year # Unit Price (This is the quoter’s proposed rates for ordering years 2‐5). It will use the initial order’s proposed level of effort (number of hours, plus other direct cost, delivery and travel) and duplicates it to calculate and simulate what the price would be if the same order and the same level of effort were used for the additional ordering years. Only the rates will be binding for Years 2‐5. Years 2‐5 are not actual orders. It only duplicates the first order at the proposed Unit rates for that corresponding years (2‐5). All years, the initial task order, and years 2‐5 are used to evaluate the ID/IQ award. When additional task order are needed by the Government, they will follow the ordering instruction provided in the contract. ALL PRICES ARE FULLY BURDENED. LIST

ANY ASSUMPTION MADE AND SUPPLEMENT IF NEEDED TO REFLECT THE TOTAL PRICE

OF THE PROJECT.

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I saw your request for Sagebrush / Grassland seed and wanted to reach out to ask if I should submit bids to this email?

For context, I'm based in New York and run the leading digital hub for the commercial seed industry. I should be able to source almost any seed you need from seed breeders and producers in the US or abroad.

We welcome the submission of an offer [quote]. Keep in mind that you are harvesting native seeds and then delivering them to a NPS storage facility.

10 Price Sheet How is the escalation rate calculated?

If the unit rate increases over the previous year, input the percentage of the increase in the escalation rate box. If there is no change from the prior year, leave it at 0%. The way a percentage is calculated is by taking the difference between the rates, and dividing it by the previous amount. As an example: If the Unit price in the previous year was $1.25 per hour. The next year it is $1.50 an hour. This is an increase of $0.25.

(25/1.25=0.2 or 20%) THIS IS AN EXAMPLE AND DOES NOT IMPLY THAT AN

ESCALATION OF 20% IS REASONABLE.

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Provisions to be completed‐ certified

Must I complete the representations that are highlighted in the “Provisions Incorporated by Reference."

The highlighted information is to help quoters complete the needed certifications. The Provisions to be completed‐certified document must be submitted by all. Most clauses allow completion via SAM.gov. Others are required each time, even with task order. Is there a specific one in question? I noticed that some provisions included in the "PROVISIONS TO BE COMPLETED‐CERTIFIED" were not in the provision solicitation area.

The below correct this‐‐ The following provisions are inadvertently excluded from the provision section of the solicitation. Amendment 0002 clarifies this. The following provisions are included in the "PROVISIONS TO BE COMPLETED‐CERTIFIED" and the Provisions area of the solicitation.

52.209‐7 INFORMATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS (OCT 2018) See attachment: PROVISIONS TO BE COMPLETED‐CERTIFIED 52.222‐22 Previous Contracts and Compliance Reports (FEB 1999) See attachment:

PROVISIONS TO BE COMPLETED‐CERTIFIED

52.223‐1 Biobased Product Certification (MAY 2012) See attachment: PROVISIONS TO

BE COMPLETED‐CERTIFIED

52.229‐11 Tax on Certain Foreign Procurements—Notice and Representation (Jun 2020) See attachment: PROVISIONS TO BE COMPLETED‐CERTIFIED 52.252‐1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998) See attachment: PROVISIONS TO BE COMPLETED‐CERTIFIED

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Amendment 0002: A virtual call [Industry Day] has been added. The addition of the Industry Day (question and answer session) is as follows: Date: 30 October 2024, 9:30 am MDT ‐ 10:30 am MDT, By: Microsoft Teams. Attendees must RSVP in advance and consent to recording. The recording will be recorded and transcribed. RSVP No Later Than: 21 October 2024, 12:30 pm MDT. The agenda, link and calendar invitation will be sent to RSVP'd guest only. To RSVP, send the following information to jacqueline_scott@nps.gov by the due date and time: (1) UEI,(2) Prime Company's Name, (3) atendee names, and (4) # of attendees.

Market conditions (i.e., inflation, pandemic, ect.) has caused much higher costs. A firm‐fixed priced (FFP) contract places the risk on the contractor. Would an escalation rate that exceeds inflation be accepted?

Keep in mind that all companies are on equal footing. The proposed escalation rate is a business decision. One approach the Government uses to determine a price fair and reasonable is by comparision with competition (other quotes). NOTE: “A Firm‐Fixed‐ Price (FFP) (FAR Subpart 16.2) contract provides for a price that is not subject to any adjustment based on the contractor’s cost experience in performing the contract.” The contract type was slected based on historical data and NPS expects that “[p]erformance uncertainties can be identified and reasonable estimates of their cost impact can be made, and the contractor is willing to accept a firm fixed price representing assumption of the risks involved.”

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