Questions and Answers.pdf

1. Is this contract firm fixed price or time & material? This contract is a Hybrid - Firm Fixed Price/Cost Type Contract. Amendment 0002 adds ODC CLINs for Travel Costs and Training Costs.

Block 20 of Standard form 1449 states firm fixed price.

However, Section 8. PRODUCTIVE DIRECT LABOR HOURS The Contractor can only charge the Government for “Productive Direct Labor Hours”. “Productive Direct Labor Hours” are defined as those hours expended by Contractor personnel in performing work under this Task Order. This does not include sick leave, vacation, Government or Contractor holidays, jury duty, or any other kind of administrative leave.

iii. The Contractor shall submit expenditures and hours of effort used by each individual during the reporting period; cumulative expenditures through the reporting period; and a summary of the total number of hours worked during the reporting period and also a year-to-date running total in order to determine if Contractor will be reaching the maximum number of hours stated in the contract.

2. Is there a current incumbent contractor performing these services? If so, what is the name of the incumbent contractor and contract number? Yes, Eagle Harbor is the incumbent.

3. Have there been any significant changes in the scope of work of the current contract? No

4. Is there a size standard for the specific NAICS code? Yes, 19.5 million

5. Will the government provide protective work wear (e.g. gloves, goggles, coats, masks)? Yes

6. What is the estimated period of performance start date? March 18, 2024

7. The RFQ 15DDHQ24Q00000036 posted to SAM.gov has a company’s information populated on the SF1449 (Eagle Harbor, LLC.). Is this opportunity intended as a Sole Source to that company only or is it open for responses to any qualifying 8a firm? It is open for responses to any qualifying 8a firm. Amended the solicitation to remove the company’s information from block 17a.

8. Can the government please provide historical workload data for all positions? All of their work supports laboratory functions.

9. Statement of Work Page 3 of 5 – 14. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY. “The Government shall furnish all equipment and supplies necessary for the performance of the stated tasks when work is performed at the Government’s facility.”

Question: Can the government please elaborate on the equipment and supplies that will be provided? Does this include a laptop, mouse, charger, and monitor? Yes that includes a computer (or laptop), keyboard, mouse, charger, monitor and any protective work wear.

11. Can the government please provide all updates in red or a highlighted font within the amended solicitation to clearly demonstrate the exact changes made? Amended the solicitation to remove the company’s information from block 17a.

12. Can the government please ensure that all questions provided to the government are responded to? Answer: All questions will be accounted for and the government will not provide duplicate questions. We understand that some may appear to be duplicates between vendors, however this help ensures all questions are accounted for.

13. Question: Can the proposal volumes be submitted in PDF format? Yes

14. Question: In order to best reference in our proposal response, can the government please confirm the official contract title for this procurement? Physical Science Technicians

15. Reference: RFQ Page 57 of 69 – K. Page Limit. “Section I – Understanding of the Requirement; 55 pages.”

Question: Would the government clarify if 55 pages is an accurate page limitation? 55 pages is accurate.

16. Reference: RFQ Page 57 of 69 – K. Page Limit. “Section III – Experience/Past Performance 5 pages.”

Question: Would the government consider increasing the page limitation to 10 pages for Section III - Experience/Past Performance? Section III – Experience/Past Performance will remain at 5 pages.

17. Reference: RFQ Page 55 of 69 - FACTOR 4. Experience/Past Performance.

Question: Can the government please confirm the number of project/contract references Offerors may submit? The government requires a minimum of three (3) project/contract references.

18. Reference: RFQ Page 56 of 69 - D. Submission of quotes. “(7) Past performance information, when included as an evaluation factor, to include recent and relevant contracts for the same or similar items and other references (including contract numbers, points of contact with telephone numbers and other relevant information).”

Question: Can the government please provide definitions of “recent” and “relevant” contracts?

Recent is work done within the last three (3) years. Relevant means contracts for the same or similar services.

19. Reference: RFQ Page 56 of 69 - D. Submission of quotes. “(3) A technical description of the items being offered in sufficient detail to evaluate compliance with the requirements in the solicitation. This may include product literature, or other documents, if necessary;”

Question: Can the Government please clarify on what specifically is requested by “product literature, or other documents” For example, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)? Offerors must meet the requirements of providing Physical Science Technicians that meet the criteria listed in the Solicitation. Such as a technical description that the Offeror will provide Physical Science Technicians in accordance with the solicitation.

20. Reference: RFQ Page 56 of 69 - D. Submission of quotes. “(6) Acknowledge of Solicitation Amendments” Question: Can the government please clarify if Offerors should acknowledge Amendments within Volume I or II? Volume II

21. Reference: Statement of Work Page 2 of 5 – 6. WORK ENVIRONMENT “The work involves regular and recurring moderate risks or discomforts which require special safety precautions from working around irritant chemicals. The work requires protective clothing to be worn such as masks, laboratory coats, goggles and gloves.”

Question: Will the government please confirm that all protective clothing listed will be provided by the government? Yes, protective clothing will be provided by the government.

22. Reference: Statement of Work Page 3 of 5 – 13. DRUG TESTING “The Contractor will be responsible for performing pre-employment and random drug testing of provided Contractor employees.”

Question: How often are employees expected to be randomly drug tested for this contract?

Random drug testing should be performed at least once annually.

23. Reference: Statement of Work Page 2 of 5 – 9. TRAINING “Physical science technicians are required to attend 16 hours of training annually.”

Question: Can the government please incorporate an Other Direct Cost (ODC) CLIN to account for training hours? Yes

24. Reference: Statement of Work Page 2 of 5 – 9. TRAINING “DEA will reimburse Contractor for Government specific training only if preapproved in writing by the COR.”

Question: Will the government please provide a PLUG number for an ODC CLIN? The Government has added an ODC CLIN for Training Costs and an ODC CLIN for Travel Costs.

25. Reference: Statement of Work Page 1 of 5 – 3. SCOPE OF WORK “a) Preparing routine solutions and reagents.”

Question: Will the government please elaborate on the solutions and reagents that will need to be prepared? Preparation of solutions for drug quantitation. Examples of reagents would be marquis and cobalt thiocyanate.

26. Reference: Statement of Work Page 1 of 5 – 3. SCOPE OF WORK “i) Conducting stockroom supply inventory.”

Question: Is there a current inventory of all stockroom supply items? Yes

27. Reference: Statement of Work Page 1 of 5 – 3. SCOPE OF WORK “i) Conducting stockroom supply inventory.”

Question: What system is currently used to keep track of inventory? Maintained on spreadsheets and databases.

28. Reference: Statement of Work Page 1 of 5 – 3. SCOPE OF WORK “g) Conducting instrument performance checks and maintenance.”

Question: Will the government please elaborate on the instruments that will need to be checked and maintained? Please provide how often these checks and maintenance procedures will need to be conducted. Examples of systems that would need to be checked: Gas Chromatographs, Balances, Mass Spectrometers. Instruments are checked either weekly or monthly.

29. Question: In order to effectively respond to the solicitation, can the government please provide a one-week extension once the Q/As are posted? The close date has been extended to March 6, 2024; 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

30. We refer to Amendment 0001, specifically page 57, Section L, which states, “The Offeror shall propose a single, firm-fixed price for the CLINs marked ‘Firm-fixed-price’ in the schedule of services in Section 2. Include the unit price and the total extended price for each CLIN.”

Our query concerns the quantities to be used for each of the Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) listed in this section. Currently, the quantities for each CLIN are shown as “0”. We are seeking clarification on whether these quantities should instead reflect a quantity of “1”, or should they be “12” to represent a monthly price? As it stands, the current representation would result in a total of $0.00 for each CLIN, which we believe might be a clerical error or misrepresentation.

Could you please provide guidance on this matter to ensure that our proposal accurately reflects the DEA's requirements and expectations? DEA is asking for one PST at each location, quantity should be one (1).

31. Referencing Unit type: The unit in the Schedule of Services is currently listed as “Each”, but in the statement of work it mentions that contractors can only charge for productive direct labor hours.

• Can you please clarify if offerors pricing should be submitted in the units of “Hours”?

No, should be submitted in unit of one (1).

32. Referencing Quantity in Schedule of Services: This is currently listed as “0”.

• Should offerors fill in the estimated quantity when submitting their offer, or leave it as “0” for evaluation purposes? Quantity should be one (1) for firm fixed Price CLINs.

33. Referencing Security Clearance: We noticed on page 67 that there is a mention of potentially Secret, Top Secret, or Top Secret with SCI Access information that may fall under this contract.

• Can you please clarify if offerors will be required to have a Secret or Top Secret security clearance to be qualified for this opportunity? They will not be required to have a Secret or Top Secret security clearance.

34. Referencing Technical Acceptability: There seems to be two different sections in the solicitation referencing evaluation factors. On Page 60-61 it appears technical acceptability is determined based on factors such as Understanding of the Requirement and Staffing Plan. On page 17 it technical acceptability defined as Ability to provide seven (7) Physical Science Technicians as evidenced by the offeror submitting pricing for all Physical Science Technicians.

o Can you please confirm which section is the intended evaluation method? Page 60-61 is the intended evaluation method. Technical acceptability information has been removed from page 17.

o If it is the one on page 17, can you confirm if offerors are still required to submit sections on the Understanding of the Requirement and the Staffing Plan?

Offerors are required to submit sections on the Understanding of the Requirement and the Staffing Plan. Technical acceptability information has been removed from page 17.

35. It is our understanding that travel expenses will be reimbursed if approved. Will a CLIN be added to the final award for travel expenses? Yes

36. The SOW position requirements indicate that these positions would be covered by the SCA.

Please provide the applicable DOL wage determination(s). The DOL wage determination has been added to the solicitation.

37. Section 6. Work Environment states “The work requires protective clothing to be worn such as masks, laboratory coats, goggles and gloves.” Is to be provided by the Government or the Contractor? Yes

38. Are there incumbent personnel? If so, please provide how many at each location and the associated seniority date for each incumbent. No, there are no incumbent personnel currently performing these services.

39. FACTOR 4 states, “Experience/Past Performance. Offers shall identify the company’s proven experience in providing the same or similar type of services defined by this solicitation for other Federal agencies. Greater value will be given to providing with the same level of security review for Federal positions (Federal suitability concerns for public trust positions; as well as drug usage and financial credit reviews). To the extent possible, Government will supplement the information provided by the Offeror with information the Government obtains through reference checks, its own knowledge/experience, and/or from other sources. These sources, in the case of Federal contracts, may include, but not necessarily be limited to, other Government contracting offices, the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), and the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS).”

a. Questions: Is there a timeframe for relevant past performance the Government will consider? For example, may offerors submit experience dating back up to 3 years? 5 years? 7 years? 3 years

b. Will the Government accept work that has been performed as a subcontractor? Yes

c. Will work performed as a subcontractor be evaluated the same (i.e., as favorably) as it would it the work was performed by the Offeror? Yes

d. May offerors submit base IDIQ/BPAs to represent the ability to perform on multiple concurrent, geographically dispersed task orders/projects throughout the country? Yes

40. Regarding the Physical Science Technician positions:

a. Questions: Does the Government have a comparable GS skill level for the Physical Science Technicians? For example, Level I, II, III, etc. Yes

b. When using the method of study and “experience” combined, does the Government still require “at least 12 semester hours in any combination of courses such as physical science, or any branch of mathematics, except financial and commercial mathematics?” Yes

c. Are there incumbents currently working on the contract, and how long have those incumbents been working in their respective positions? No

d. How many of the positions are currently vacant and in what locations? All positions and locations are listed. All positions are vacant.

41. On Page 54, the Factor 3: Staffing Plan reads: Recruitment Plan – The Offeror shall demonstrate its capabilities to recruit qualified candidates to fill all of the positions required in the Statement of Work.

Can you please confirm that resumes for the 7 physical science technicians are not required to be submitted at the time of quote? Correct

42. Section 5 at Factor 2 Understanding the Requirement, states we are to provide a clear understanding of the requirements in the Statement of Work and how it will support the mission of the “Crime Laboratories”. Section 6, however, refers to supporting the mission of the “Digital Evidence Laboratory”. Will the government revise these sections to correctly identify the laboratory work to be supported (e.g., Forensic Laboratory)? References to the Digital Evidence Laboratory has been removed. Reference to “Laboratory-approved industry certification in digital forensic analysis” in the Deliverables have been removed.

43. Can the government please clarify the contract type for this solicitation? Per Section 5L, this is a firm fixed price contract and that the offeror should “include the unit price and the total extended price for each CLIN.” Is the contract type a Firm fixed price in that a fixed monthly fee will be invoiced for all service rendered or is the contract type a Firm fixed price level of effort in that only the hours actually worked are invoiced at the agreed upon fixed hourly rate?

The contract is Firm Fixed Price in which the Unit is 1, and the contractor should include an estimated cost for that PST per location for a 12 month period.

44. Section 5 at 52.212-1, Paragraph A indicates the government intends to make an award that....”will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered.” In Factors 2 and 3, Understanding the Requirement and Staffing Plan, the Government seeks “innovative methods” and “employee benefits and commitments that will ensure retention of candidates for multiple years”. However, the “Evaluation Process” included in the solicitation indicates award will be made using the “lowest-price, technically acceptable source selection process. These provisions appear to be in conflict and/or contradictory to the stated requirements in the referenced Evaluation Factors. Will the government consider revising the evaluation methodology to conduct a “Best Value” evaluation that includes the opportunity to conduct a tradeoff analysis that would enable the Government to consider award to other than the lowest price offer? The evaluation methodology has been changed to “Best Value”. Updates have been made to Section 5: Instructions, Conditions, and Notice to Offerors and Section 6: Evaluation Factors/Basis of Award.