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RFP 15JPSS25R00000001, Private Counsel Debt Collection – Western District of Pennsylvania Responses to Vendor Questions
| Question/Comment |
| Response |
| Please reconfirm the due date for this procurement by providing it in response to answers to questions. |
| Proposals are due no later than November 8, 2024 at 4:30p.m. ET. |
| What is the date by which you will answer these questions? |
| The Department’s responses, along with the questions, will be posted to the Contract Opportunities website, https://sam.gov/content/opportunities |
| Are bidders permitted to deviate in any way from any manner of quoting fees you may be expecting? For example, if there is a pricing page in the RFP, can bidders submit an alternate fee structure? If there is no pricing page in the RFP, do you have any preference for how bidders should quote fees or can bidders create their own pricing categories? |
| Offerors shall not deviate from the requirements of the solicitation. |
All offerors must insert the fixed unit rates for the specified line items utilizing the file entitled “Price Proposal Template” associated with this solicitation.
| Please describe your level of satisfaction with your current or recent vendor(s) for the same purchasing activity, if applicable. |
| The Government is satisfied with the current vendor’s performance. |
| Has the current contract gone full term? |
| No. |
| Have all options to extend the current contract been exercised? |
| Not applicable. There are no options on the current contracts. |
| Who is the incumbent, and how long has the incumbent been providing the requested services? |
| The incumbents are KML Law Group PC and Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett PC. They have been providing services since March 16, 2020. |
| How are fees currently being billed by any incumbent(s), by category, and at what rates? |
| Contingency fee payments are paid automatically based upon unsecured debt collections. The vendor invoices DOJ regularly for earned flat fees, hourly pay, and cost reimbursements. We cannot disclose the rates. |
| What estimated or actual dollars were paid last year, last month, or last quarter to any incumbent(s)? |
| This information is not readily available. |
| To how many vendors are you seeking to award a contract? |
| Two |
| To what extent are these accounts owed by private consumers versus commercial businesses? |
| The majority of these accounts are private consumers whose debts arise out of federal loan programs, federal benefits, or civil penalties or fines. |
| What is the monthly or quarterly number of accounts expected to be placed with the vendor(s) by category? |
| We cannot predict the volume of intake of additional accounts to the existing caseload. |
| What is the monthly or quarterly dollar value of accounts expected to be placed with the vendor(s) by category? |
| We cannot predict the volume of intake of additional accounts to the existing caseload. |
| What has been the historical rate of return or liquidation rate provided by any incumbent(s), and/or what is anticipated or expected as a result of this procurement? |
| We do not track the rate of return or liquidation rates on these accounts. We cannot predict future rates for these accounts. |
| Can you please indicate what inbound and outbound contact methods, beyond phone calls or letters (such as email and text), would be permitted by the scope of work? |
| All contractors must work in strict compliance with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) which provides guidance on how communications in debt collection must be conducted with consumers. Only communications done within the scope of the FDCPA are permissible. |
