15-233-SOL-00374_-_Questions_Requests_for_Clarification.docx

Q&A

15-233-SOL-00374

Amendment 2 1Q: Reference: Section F.2 Period of Performance/IDIQ Term.

Question: The first paragraph indicates that the “IDIQ expires five (5) years after award) and the Base Period is listed as January 30, 2016 through January 29, 2021”. The second paragraph of F.2 indicates that, “This IDIQ expires on November 29, 2020, or at the end of the contract period, whichever is earlier”. Please confirm the base period of this contract.

1A: This section has been updated 2Q: Reference: Section L.8, Paragraph 2 states, “Information for the evaluation of past performance will be evaluated utilizing the Past Performance Evaluation Questionnaire (reference Attachment B).” Can the Government confirm that the Past Performance Evaluation Questionnaires our references submitted by August 31, 2015 in response to the original solicitation and Amendment 1 will be used to meet this requirement?

2A: If your company has submitted Past Performance Evaluation Questionnaires we will honor them. You do not have to resubmit.

3Q: Will an amended Form 30 be forthcoming?

3A: The SF30 has been added 4Q Are we required to submit new proposals or just sign the amended Form 30?

4A: If you have submitted a proposal already and you feel it does not have to be updated then submitting only the SF30 is acceptable. However a labor category has been added (A58 Sr. Engineer) 5Q: Is the sample task order for reference only?

5A: The Sample task orders are for pricing purposes. The government is asking for offerors to propose price for the sample task order to help evaluate pricing.

6Q: The original SF33 in block 10 is marked “Unrestricted” and under the General Information part of FedBizOps the Original Set Aside and Set Aside notations are marked “N/A”, but in the body of the “Notice Details” Tab of FedBizOps HHS states: “This is a small business set-aside. Please only small businesses propose.” Please help to clarify/correct the SF33 and FedBizOps.

6A: This is a small business set-aside 7Q The Amendment Two documentation does not include a Standard Form 30 document. Please help to correct/clarify.

7A: This document has been attached 8Q: The Amendment Two document is called revised SOW, but includes changes throughout the RFP, not just the SOW. Please provide the Amended Solicitation with the changes marked.

8A: The changes where noted on the modification notification on FEDBIZOPPS. It is also been updated on the SF 30.

“….Base Period: January 30, 2016 through January 29, 2021 This IDIQ expires on November 29, 2020, or at the end of the contract period, whichever is earlier…” The period of performance of the Base Period indicates that HHS anticipates starting the base period on 30 January 2016. If this is so, then the IDIQ expiration date does not correspond to five years. Please Clarify.

10A: This information has been updated.

11Q: Paragraph H.6 and L.1.a. of the Amended Solicitation indicates that the effort is a Small Business Set-aside, but does not provide a NAICS code or size standard so there is no way for a bidder to determine if they are qualified to bid. Please provide the Amended Solicitation with the NAICS Code and size standard included.

11A: The NAICS code is 512110 in the notice on FEDBIZOPPS which is. This is a small business set-aside.

12Q: Paragraph L.7 of the Solicitation - under the first dark bullet, HHS requires that:

“Quoters must submit each of the volumes in a separate WORD or PDF attachment and must include a table of contents indicating page numbers for each section, figure, and table. Each section must start on a new page. Within each section, quoters must number each page consecutively, identifying the specific section…” Will the Volume Covers and table of contents be included in the page count for the page limitations?

12A: Volume covers and table of contents do not count against the page limit.

13Q: Since the Government requires that each section in a Volume begin on a new page, will blank pages forced by this requirement count against the page limitations?

13A: NO

14Q: Paragraph L.7 of the Solicitation - In the page limitation table, under Volume 1, Section 3 "Personnel Qualifications", HHS imposes a 10-page limit. However, in paragraph L.2.b of the solicitation, HHS requires the submission of personnel resumes for proposed personnel and letters of commitment for personnel proposed that are not current employees of the Offeror. HHS also states in the guidance that Offerors will be evaluated on the quality of the personnel proposed based upon the resumes submitted. If an Offeror who is not the incumbent proposes the incumbent personnel (9 people according to HHS' response to questions), we will have to provide a resume and a letter of commitment for each. Assuming that each resume is limited to one page, this requirement requires 18 pages (one for each resume and one for each commitment letter). Please either exempt resumes and commitment letters from the page count or increase the page count of Volume 1 Section 3 "Personnel Qualifications" to account for the resumes and commitment letters for a minimum of 9 personnel.

14A: Letters of commitment do not count against the page limit 15Q: Paragraph L.7 of the Solicitation - In the page limitation table it appears that the page limits for Volume 2 "Past Performance" (Unlimited pages) and Volume 3 "Business Quote" (20 pages) have been transposed. The Past Performance instructions limits the information provided to 3-5 contracts performed within the past 3 years and it limits the information provided to that explicitly asked for in the guidance. This is easily provided within a 20-page limit. However, the Business Quote has 9 different requirements (see paragraph L.3 on page 102 and 103 of 115 of the solicitation and paragraph L. 9 beginning on page 110 of 115). Responding to these requirements requires far more than the 20 pages allotted to the Business Quote in the paragraph in question. For example, filling in the basic pricing required for the tables in paragraph B.3 of the solicitation requires 8 pages. Providing the pricing backup [i.e. how the prices were arrived at as required by paragraph L.9.3] for the B.3 pricing requires an additional 15 pages (2 pages for CLINs A01 - A57 for each year of the contract, and one page for each year of the contract for the remaining CLINS), for a total of 23 pages just to provide pricing with backup for Section B. This exceeds the 20-page limitation without responding to the other 8 items required by the solicitation (such as a multipage Financial Statement and the sample Task Order – Attachment 150731). Please change the Volume 2 "Past Performance" page limitation in the table to 20 pages and change the Volume 3 "Business Quote" page limitation to N/A.

15A: This section will remain unchanged. Your business proposal should address section B in the solicitation along with the 2 sample task orders. The business quote and the business proposal are one in the same.

16Q: Paragraph L.7.3 of the Solicitation requires Offerors to submit a transition plan that requires a milestone chart detailing timelines and stages of transition. Please provide HHS’s anticipated award date so we have a base for the milestone chart.

16A: USE A “DAY 1 TO DAY X” FOR THE MILESTONES. The exact date is not required.

17Q: Paragraph L.7.6 Volume 1, Section 4: "508 Compliance" requires Offerors to submit Attachment A for "...evaluation of compliance capabilities". Attachment A is the HHS 508 Compliance Template that is used evaluate the 508 compliance of EIT products and services (software and/or hardware) that is being provided by an Offeror. The instructions for the form and the form itself requires the make and model of the software and/or hardware being provided be entered and 508 compliance data be provided for the specific EIT product or service provided. Under the IDIQ contract, there are no EIT products or services (software or hardware) being provided so the form cannot be filled in. The Form would apply once a specific RFTOP is issued under the IDIQ that identifies a specific deliverable where the 508 requirement would apply (such as ordering a video system upgrade, or new software). As written, under the solicitation the only person who can fill this form in accurately is the incumbent, since they know the software and the make and model of the hardware being used by HHS. All the other Offerors can do is address how they will ensure 508 compliance of products produced under RFTOPs (such as Videos Productions) - they cannot fill in the form until they have a specific deliverable. Please delete the requirement for the form or provide clarification as to how you want to modify the template instructions referenced in the solicitation so the form can be filled in.

17A: The 508 compliance template is to assure the government that your company is in compliance with the 508 rules and regulations along with being able to make documents 508 compliant. Please see ATTACHMENT.

18Q: Paragraph L.9.2 requires that offerors “Propose cost on the sample task order (Attachment 150731)”. Is this different from the cost quote required in paragraph L.3.b? If so, please explain what HHS requires for the cost quote.

18A: The Sample task orders are for pricing purposes. The government is asking for contractors to propose pricing for the sample task order to help evaluate pricing.

19Q. Does the HHS want offerors to also provide the other fill-ins required by the Sample Task Order (such as Key Personnel)? If so in which volume?

19A: The Sample task order is for pricing purposes. The government is asking for offerors to propose price for the sample task orders to help evaluate pricing. You do not have to put the Key Personnel information. It should be submitted in Volume 3 20Q. Under paragraph M.3 – Technical Factor 1 – paragraph 2, HHS states that:

“Offerors will be evaluated on “Evidence of specific methods and techniques for completing each discrete task, to include such items as quality assurance, and customer- service, as detailed in the Quality Assurance Plan and Project Management Plan.” However, Quality Assurance and Project Plans are not required to be submitted with this quote – they are specific deliverables by task order (see paragraph F.6 on page 47 of 115) Additionally, in Question 25 in the original Questions and Answers, HHS stated that the QASP is “…is to be co-developed by the contractor and the government. The Offeror should propose a QASP structure and key elements.” Given the guidance contained in paragraph F.6 of Amendment Two this seems to be a new requirement. Will HHS increase the page limitation from 25 to 30 pages to allow offerors room to adequately address the QASP structure and its key elements?

20A: Technical factor I part 2 has been updated. Please see highlighted area in that section.

21Q: Sample Task Order - Attachment 150731 – In the Heading and under paragraph G.2 the Task Order refers to BPA # and BPA Call number – Given Amendment 2 shouldn’t this be Contract Number and RFTOP Number respectively?

21A: This has been updated.

22Q: Page 100; Amendment 2: Section L – Written Response, states that Section 3 of the proposal has a 10 page limit. Do the resumes and promissory letters count against the 10 page limit?

22A: No, resumes and promissory letters don’t count 23Q: In Section L.7 Written Response – Business Quote “references made to other sections” please clarify ‘Other Sections”?

23A: If you put information in the wrong section we are not required to read it. If you put personal qualification in section one the government is required to read.

28A: This section has been updated to correct the language.

29Q. Base period is changed to 30 JAN 2016-29 JAN 2021; however Paragraph F.2 still states that the IDIQ expires on 29 NOV 2020. Is this intentional?

29A. This is a 5-year IDIQ. The task orders will have base + periods of performance 30Q. Will the government publish a new 1449 or SF-30?

30A. SF-30 has been added 31Q. Since this IDIQ is a small business set-aside, is it possible that future Task Orders may apply other more-restrictive set-asides such as HUBZone or WOSB as suggested by the table in paragraph I.4.3? If this is the case, as a single-awardee, we may not be eligible to propose some set-asides.

31A. The IDIQ is a set-aside. The individual task orders will flow down with no additional set-aside restrictions.

32Q.How shall Offerors respond to the Sample Task Order?

1. A completed table B.2 from the Sample Task Order attached to the Business Quote Volume 3?

2. A technical, management and cost response following the Task Order Placement and Ordering Procedures in paragraph F.8. (technical and/or management approach and cost, but no specific format specified)

3. Following Task Order Procedures in paragraph H.1 (evaluation factors and basis of award are included in the RFTOP; which in this case, are not specified)

4. Some other method or combination of the above.

32A. The government will be evaluating the pricing table in section B by labor category. The Sample task orders are for pricing purposes. The government is asking for offerors to propose price for the sample task orders to help evaluate pricing. You do not have to put the Key Personnel information. It should be submitted in Volume 3

33Q. Should the Written Response from paragraph L address the IDIQ or Sample Task Order SOW?

33A. See answer 33 34Q. Was this statement intentional? “Note: It is DHHS policy that Contractors are responsible for providing all equipment and facilities necessary for performance of contracts.”

34A: This section has been updated.

35Q. It is only possible to provide a quote for the Day-to-Day objectives mentioned in the Sample Task Order (Objectives 1-3). However, Paragraph L asks that the offeror “Propose cost on the sample task order.” Should the Surge and Ramp up objectives (4&5) be part of the base IDIQ, be removed from the Sample Task Order and be added to subsequent Task Orders to address surge and ramp-up requirements? If not, what basis shall the offeror use to determine the level of effort for objectives 4&5?

35A. The Sample task order is for pricing purposes. The government is asking for offerors to propose price for the sample task order to help evaluate pricing. You do not have to put the Key Personnel information. It should be submitted in Volume 3