AMNT 0004 - RFP Attachment 4 - RFP Question and Answer.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 47 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- 1625-OFO-25-NAT-0019
About this file
This document is a Questions and Answers (Q&A) spreadsheet for a Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) solicitation for Current Employment Statistics (CES) Data Collection Center operations. The solicitation is for a hybrid firm-fixed-price and labor-hour contract with a base period from 02/02/2026 to 02/05/2027 and four potential option periods, covering data collection activities across multiple centers including Atlanta, Dallas, Fort Walton Beach, Kansas City, and Washington DC. The incumbent contractor is TelaForce, LLC, with 279 current personnel supporting 347 workstations.
Key details include a small business subcontracting goal of 60%, requirements for interviewers at multiple skill levels (Interviewer 1, 2, and 3), and a Help Desk component. The contract involves telephone-based survey data collection for economic indicators, with specific performance metrics and quality control requirements. The solicitation covers staffing, training, technology usage, and performance expectations, with labor categories subject to Service Contract Act wage determinations. Notably, the Q&A document clarifies numerous technical, administrative, and operational aspects of the requirement, including telework policies, training protocols, and proposal submission guidelines.
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| AMNT 0004 - Executed Atlanta CBA 22-25.pdf | ||
| AMNT 0004 - DOL RFP 1605C5-25-R-00002 0004.pdf | ||
| AMNT 0003 - DOL RFQ 1605C5-25-R-00002 0003.pdf | ||
| AMNT 0003 - RFP Attachment 3 - Pricing Sheet.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| AMNT 0003 - Wage Determinations for CES DCCs.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| AMNT 0003 - RFP Attachment 4 - RFP Question and Answer.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Sol_1605C5-25-R-00002_Amd_0002.pdf | ||
| DOL RFQ 1605C5-25-R-00002 0001.pdf | ||
| RFP Attachment 3 - Pricing Sheet.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| RFP Attachment 1 - PPQ.doc | DOC document | |
| RFP Attachment 5 - QASP.docx | DOCX document | |
| RFP Attachment 4 - RFP Question and Answer.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| RFP Attachment 6 - SMALL BUSINESS SUBCONTRACTING PLAN TEMPLATE.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| DOL RFQ 1605C5-25-R-00002 FINAL.pdf | ||
| RFP Attachment 2 - BLS Confidentiality and Security.docx | DOCX document |
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| Attachment 4 - CES - DCC Question and Answer Spreadsheet Solicitation Number - 1605C5-25-R-00002 | ||||
| Question Number | Question Title | RFP Section Number/Page Number | Vendor Questions | Government Comments |
| 1 | Readable RFP | N/A | Is it possible to obtain a searchable PDF or word version of the subject RFP? | Yes, a readable version will be provided with this amendment. See "DOL RFQ 1605C5-25-R-00002 Readable" in the RFP attachment list. |
| 2 | Past Perfomance | Section L, Factor 2 page 136 | Given the size and logistic complexity of this requirement, will the Government please confirm that past performance information may include contracts from subcontractors at lower tiers? | Yes, past performance can include information from subcontractors at a lower tier. The past performance submissions must clearly identify the offeror. |
| 3 | Place of Performance | 7.7.7/12 | Among the sites listed the DCCs and Helpdesk, are any employees at any of these listed sites part of a bargaining unit or union? If so, how many employees? Lastly, can government provide a copy of the bargaining agreement between government and contractors/employees? | The Atlanta DCC is the only DCC with employees currently in a bargaining unit. Interviewers are represented by District Lodge 131 and its Local Lodge 611 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL-CIO. |
| 4 | Telework | 1.7.8/13 | Can government provide a numerical total by labor category and by site location how many employees are currently approved for Telework? | All staff are eligible to telework within the terms of the telework plan approved by BLS. Eligibility under the current telework plan varies monthly and is tied to individual's performance levels. No staff are allowed to work remotely. |
| 5 | Training | 35 | Can government provide, based on historical events, the man hours that each training component takes for a new hire? And how many hours/month (or year) does each employee receive in Re-Fresher training? | The estimated number of hours to complete training modules and certification interviews for each listed trianing component is as follows: |
36 hours for Collection, 6.5 hours for Non-Response Prompting, 40 hours for Address Refinement, and 40 hours for Enrollment.
Currently, refresher training is provided on an as-needed basis. Training on individual topics may range from 30 minutes to 3 hours.
| 6 | SCA Crosswalk | Technical Exhibit 3 - Estimated Labor Categories/54 | Can government provide a cross walk between the Interviewer 1, 2, and 3 labor categories to the Service Contract Act Labor Occupation Title? Are there any other positions that are subject to the Service Contract Act wage determination? | The interviewer positions are covered by the SCA. Historically, the Interviewer 1 positions were cross referenced to the Survey Worker category while the Interviewer 2 positions were cross referenced to the Computer Operator II category. The Interviewer 3 category is new and will be cross referenced to the Computer Operator IV category. Wage determinations will be provided. |
| 7 | Estimated Labor Hours | Technical Exhibit 3 - Estimated Labor Categories/54 | Will the government provide an estimated number of labor hours for each labor category and facility/site? Additionally, can government confirm the number of hours per labor category per year we should use in our assessment? In viewing the date from the JOLTS solicitation it appears the government is using 1,912 hours per FTE per year. is this a correct assumption to use for all labor categories? | The pricing sheet has been updated with estimated hours for each labor category. |
| 8 | Personnel Qualifications | 5.7 | If a vendor is bidding both the CES and JOLTS opportunities, is it required that a separate Project Manager for each specific program (CES and JOLTS) or can one individual be bid, and be compliant, for both CES and JOLTS. | The project manager position is identified as being full-time in each individual solicitation. Given the different needs of the contracts, one person cannot exercise both functions. |
| 9 | Personnel Qualifications | 5.7 | If a vendor is bidding both the CES and JOLTS opportunities, is it required that separate Task Managers for each specific program (CES and JOLTS) or can one individual per site be bid, and be compliant, for both CES and JOLTS | Task managers are full time positions, so one individual cannot serve as a task manager for multiple programs in different locations. |
| 10 | Information Technology | N/A | Will the government allow SSL VPN portal on the production desktop to reach vendor intranet tools? If not, will the government allow a kiosk terminal in the production call center(s) for associates to reach vendor intranet tools/timekeeping systems? | The government will not allow SSL VPN portal to vendor intranet tools on government provided equipment. The contractor will not be allowed to access their time keeping system from BLS equipment and will have to utilize their own equipment for that purpose. The contractor will be provided access to the BLS timekeeping system from the BLS provided equipment. |
| 11 | Due to the complexity of the survey and data integrity requirements and economic importance of the monthly CES survey data to the nation's economy, Offeror requests an extension of two weeks to the submission due date to ensure the BLS receives the best technical proposals from all Offerors for evaluation. | The RFP deadline has been extended. | ||
| 12 | Pricing | Section I, page 118 | RFP identifies FAR Clause 52.222-41 Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS) as being applicable to this effort. Are the only labor categories included under the SCLS Interviewer 1 and Administrative Support? | All interviewer categories are covered by the SCA. Administrative support positions have not been billed directly to the government, so the government cannot ascertain whether specific positions are covered by the SCA. |
| 13 | Pricing | RFP 1.7.7, page 10 | What is the current staffing level (i.e., how many full time equivalents) for CES Interviewers (by level) at each location? | The FTE by Interviewer level for each center is as follows: |
In Atlanta, there are 35 Interviewer 1, 15 Interviewer 2, and 6 Lead Interviewers.
In Dallas, there are 21 Interviewer 1, 4.5 Interviewer 2, and 6 Lead Interviewers.
In Fort Walton Beach, there are 41 Interviewer 1, 9.5 Interviewer 2, and 6 Lead Interviewers.
In Kansas City, there are 65.5 Interviewer 1, 9.5 Interviewer 2 and 8 Lead Interviewers.
In DC, there are 5.5 Interviewer 1 and 3 Interviewer 2.
| 14 | Pricing | Attachment 3 | Attachment 3 Pricing Sheet has a column entitled: "Discount %." Please confirm that this is not applicable to the RFP. | Each offeror is responsible for determining the applicability and completing this column as appropriate in their proposal. | |
| 15 | Pricing | Attachment 3 | Attachment 3 Pricing Sheet has a column entitled: "Labor Description (if different)." Please confirm that this is not applicable to the RFP. | Each offeror is responsible for determining the applicability and completing this column as appropriate in their proposal. | |
| 16 | Pricing | RFP 5.7.7, page 56 | In regard to Section 5.7.7 Administrative Support, how many Administrative Support personnel currently support this effort? | We expect to award the contract based on burdened hourly rates for interviewers and a firm-fixed-price component for management and supervision. The expectation for this contract is for the project manager to focus on performance rather than HR and timekeeping activities, which can be performed by contractor staff covered under the overhead of the burdened hourly rates. | |
| 17 | Technical Approach | RFP Section L.1, Volume I, Factor I: Technical Approach, p133-4 | |||
| Please verify that the reference to a "Subcontracting Plan" as a subfactor to the Technical Approach listed in Section L.1 para3 pg 133 of the RFP is an error. If inclusion of a "Subcontracting Plan" in the Technical Approach was intentional, please clarify the difference between this and the Volume IV - Small Business Subcontracting Plan. | Correct, any reference to the “Subcontracting Plan” as a sub-factor under Factor 2 – Technical Capability is incorrect. The Subcontracting Plan is a separate evaluation factor and is properly addressed under Factor 4. | ||||
| 18 | Small Business Subk Plan | Attachment 6 | Attachment 6 Small Business Subcontracting Plan Template requires dollar distributions of Total Dollar Value of Contract by contract period, however, the total dollar value of the contract is not a calculated requirement of the RFQ. Can the government provide a plug number for calculation purposes to be used for Attachment 6? | This would be based upon the offeror's estimated total contract value being submitted. Pricing Sheet has been updated to reflect space to input a total cost per performance period & contract value. | |
| 19 | Small Business Subk Plan | Attachment 6 | Attachment 6 Small Business Subcontracting Plan Template identifies Award Term as a contract period (columns F&G), which is not identified within the RFQ or the Attachment 3 Pricing Sheet. Can these columns of the template be deleted or disregarded and noted as not applicable? | Pricing Sheet has been updated to reflect space to input a total cost per performance period & contract value. | |
| 20 | Technical Approach | RFP Section L.1, Volume I, Factor I: Technical Approach, p133-4 | |||
| RFP Section M.2 Volume I, Factor I: Technical Approach | In order to ensure consistency and compliance, would the Government normalize nomenclature of Subfactors 1-3 of Technical Approach under Section L.1 and Subfactors 1.a-1.c under Section M.2. | These revisions have been made. | |||
| 21 | Section C - Performance Work Statement | RFP Section C Part 5-Specific Tasks, p23 and Section C.5.5 p36 | In order to ensure consistency and compliance, would the Government normalize nomenclature of PWS Task 5: Quality Control (as shown in the Task table on p23) and the associated task description on p36 for "5.5 Quality Management"? | This revision has been made. | |
| 22 | Instructions to Offerors | RFP Section L.1 Instructions to Offerors, p40 | Page count limit provided is 30 pages for Volume I-Technical Approach. This solicitation is a combination of the prior BPA and prior BPA CES Task Order. Given the size and logistic complexity of this standalone requirement, will the Government please consider providing additional page count relief equivalent to the prior solicitation BPA (30 pages) and prior CES Task Order (30 pages) in the amount of 50 total pages? | No, we will maintain the current page limit of 30 pages for Volume I – Technical Approach. While we recognize the expanded scope, offerors are expected to concisely address all requirements within the specified limit. No changes will be made to the solicitation at this time. | |
| 23 | Instructions to Offerors | RFP Section L.1 Instructions to Offerors, Volume III: PRICE, p135 | "The Price Volume shall include detailed spreadsheet(s) and/or Table(s) (i.e. via MS Excel or Word Doc) that identifies, rates, and other direct costs (ODCs)." Should the offerors identify ODCs as a separate line item in Attach 03? | The government expects that labor hours be fully burdened. Travel for project managers can be identified as a separate line item. | |
| 24 | General Information | 1.7.1 p10 | Can the government please share the current Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP)? | Please refer to the draft QASP in Attachment 5. | |
| 25 | Quality Control | 5.5.2 p37 | Will the contractor be able to access their surveillance and recording functions of the telephone system remotely? Can contractors use contractor supplied IT equipment to access the surveillance and recording functions of the telephone system or is it required to use BLS provided equipment? | The contractor can use a BLS supplied laptop to access the telephone system remotely. The contractor must use BLS supplied equipment. | |
| 26 | Technical Exhibit 2 p53 | Can draft deliverables such as contractor quality control plan, phase in plan, and telework plan be submitted as an Appendix and excluded from the page count? | Yes, draft deliverables, such as the Contractor Quality Control Plan, Phase-In Plan, and Telework Plan, may be submitted as an appendix and will not count toward the 30-page limit for Volume I – Technical Approach. An amendment will be issued to clarify this. | ||
| 27 | General | Could the government provide a copy of any collective bargaining agreements from union entities currently supporting the CES effort, if applicable? | The Atlanta DCC is the only DCC with employees currently in a bargaining unit. Interviewers are represented by District Lodge 131 and its Local Lodge 611 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL-CIO. | ||
| 28 | Personnel Qualifications | 5.7.6 | There are no qualifications nor duties identified for Help Desk personnel. Can the Government please provide this information? | Please use the qualifications listed for Interviewer 1 and 2 in Section 5.7 Personnel Qualifications and Duties. | |
| 29 | Price Evaluation Criteria | M Factor 3: Price | Can the government provide details on the price evaluation process for the labor hour portion of the contract? e.g., will a set of representative hours by position be used to determine a total contract price, or will the rates be reviewed exclusive of any hours being applied? | The pricing sheet has been updated with estimated hours for each labor category. | |
| 30 | Instructions to Offerors | Section L, Factor 1, | |||
| pages 133-134 | The RFP states, "there are four subfactors within Volume I - Factor 1: Technical Approach (to include Experience), Management Plan, Quality Control, and Subcontracting Plan." Can the Government please confirm the subfactors Experience, Management, Quality Control, and Subcontracting Plan are in addition to the requirements to provide a Technical Approach? | There are in fact three subfactors within Volume I. Experience, Management, and Quality Control. Subcontracting Plans are their own factor (Factor IV). Revisions have been made. | |||
| 31 | Instructions to Offerors | Section L, Factor 1, | |||
| pages 133-134 | Can the Government please confirm that Subfactor 1 Experience should address the experience requirements and evaluation criteria listed under Subfactor 1 and does not include the 5 bullets and criteria listed above Subfactor 1, that this is covered in a separate section related to the technical approach? | The subfactors in Volume I (Technical Approach) are in addition to the bullets in the top of the section. Clarifying language has been added. | |||
| 32 | SB Subcontracting Goals | Section L, Vol. IV page 136 | With regard to the RFP’s Small Business Subcontracting goal of 60% (Section L, Vol. IV), our market research shows that no large business will be able to satisfy this goal without subcontracting with a substantial number of small businesses, which will prove to be inefficient and present unnecessary performance risks. Further, the current project scope lacks the breadth necessary to effectively include numerous small businesses. Would the Govt be willing to reduce the small business goal to 30%", as this will ensure substantial small business participation without the inefficiencies and risks presented by coordinating the efforts of an unmanageable number of subcontractors. | Subcontracting goals are set forth by the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization within the Department of Labor. Subcontracting plans are negotiable. Offerors are encouraged to document any market research, rationale, or justification for their proposed small business participation levels within their submitted subcontracting plan. | |
| 33 | Past Perfomance | Section L, Factor 2 page 136 | Offerors responding to the CES solicitation requirements to provide relevant contract references for Past Performance may also be responding to the similar and related BLS JOLTS solicitation (1605C5-25-R-0004). It is likely that the same relevant contracts provided for the CES solicitation response may also be cited by Offerors for JOLTS. Based on review of JOLTS Attachment 1-PPQ and to reduce the burden imposed on government clients asked by offerors to complete the CES/JOLTS government-provided Attachment 1-Past Performance Questionnaires, Offeror requests that BLS allow a single Attachment 1-Past Performance Questionnaire to meet the solicitation requirements for Volume II-Past Performance for both solicitation (CES/JOLTS). This would be affiliated by allowing our government clients to include both/all relevant solicitation numbers in the headers and RFP number sections of the PPQ they fill out and provide that single PPQ to the respective POCs based on the respective solicitation. | Offerors responding to both the CES and JOLTS solicitations may have their government references complete and submit a single Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) covering both solicitations, provided it is relevant to each. The respondent must clearly indicate both solicitation numbers in the PPQ, as well as in the subject line and body of the email submission. This will ensure proper credit is given under both solicitations while minimizing burden on the reference. | |
| 34 | Past Perfomance | Section L, Factor 2 page 136 | Given the size and logistic complexity of this requirement, will the Government please confirm that past performance information may include contracts from subcontractors at lower tiers? | Yes, past performance information may include contracts performed by subcontractors at lower tiers, provided the Offeror clearly demonstrates the relevance of that experience to the requirements of this solicitation. | |
| 35 | Pricing Narrative | Section L.1. INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS; VOLUME III: PRICE/Page 134 | Will the Government please confirm whether the contractor can provide pricing narrative in a Word document separate from Attachment 3, and, if so, please confirm the page count for that document? | Yes, the Government requires detailed pricing as outlined in Section L, Factor 3 – Price: “The Price Volume shall include detailed spreadsheet(s) and/or table(s) (e.g., in MS Excel or Word) identifying rates and other direct costs (ODCs).” |
There is no page limitation for the Price Volume.
| 36 | Small Business Subcontracting Plan Format | Section L.1. INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS; VOLUME IV: SMALL BUSINESS SUBCONTRACTING PLAN (Does not apply to Small Businesses)/Pages 135 - 136 | |||
| RFP+Attachment+6+-+SMALL+BUSINESS+SUBCONTRACTING+PLAN+TEMPLATE/First Tab | Will the Government please confirm that offerors are required to submit a written Small Business Subcontracting Plan addressing all 15 elements outlined in FAR 52.219-9 (rather than FAR 52.219-19, which is currently reserved) in addition to completing Attachment 6? | Yes, offerors are required to submit a written Small Business Subcontracting Plan in accordance with FAR 52.219-9, which includes addressing all 15 required elements. Please disregard the reference to FAR 52.219-19, as that clause is currently reserved. The written plan must be submitted in addition to completing Attachment 6. | |||
| 37 | Small Business Subcontracting Plan Total Contract Value | RFP+Attachment+6+-+SMALL+BUSINESS+SUBCONTRACTING+PLAN+TEMPLATE/First Tab | Will the Government please confirm that the intent is for the contractor to approximate a Total Contract Value for Attachment 6? | Yes. Pricing Sheet has been updated to reflect space to input a total cost per performance period & contract value. | |
| 38 | Placement of Section K Reps and Certs | SECTION K - REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS, AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF BIDDER/ Pages 128-131 | Will the Government please clarify whether Section K - Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offerors should be included within a specific proposal volume or submitted as a separate attachment? | Section K – Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offerors should be submitted as a separate attachment and does not need to be included within any specific proposal volume. Please ensure it is clearly labeled and submitted with the complete proposal package. | |
| 39 | Placement of SF 1449 | N/A | Will the Government please specify in which proposal volume the completed and signed SF 1449 should be included? | The signed SF 1449 should be submitted as a separate attachment and does not need to be included within any specific proposal volume. Please ensure it is clearly labeled and submitted with the complete proposal package. | |
| 40 | Placement of SF 30 Amendments | AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/Page 1 | Will the Government please specify in which proposal volume the completed and signed SF 30 amendment(s) should be included? | The signed SF 30 should be submitted as a separate attachment and does not need to be included within any specific proposal volume. Please ensure it is clearly labeled and submitted with the complete proposal package. | |
| 41 | Certainty Units AQL Credit | Section 1.3 Background (a): CES Survey Units/Page 8 | REF: The CES survey consists of certainty selected and probability selected units. All government units, units with large levels of employment, and units processed by the EDI Center are certainty selections and remain in the CES survey indefinitely. | ||
| Will the Government please clarify if the certainty units that remain in the survey indefinitely are counted toward performance targets for contract staff? | Certainty Units are counted in performance targets. | ||||
| 42 | Placement of Draft Phase-In and Draft Telework Plans | Technical Exhibit 2 - Deliverables Schedule/Page 53 | Will the Government please specify which proposal volume the Draft Phase-In Plan and Draft Telework Plan should be included in, as they are both identified as proposal deliverables? | The draft Phase-in Plan and Telework Plan should be included in Factor 1 - Technical Approach. | |
| 43 | RFP Attachment 6 and Narrative Requirement Clarification | Section L.1. INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS; VOLUME IV: SMALL BUSINESS SUBCONTRACTING PLAN (Does not apply to Small Businesses)/Pages 135 - 136 | |||
| RFP+Attachment+6+-+SMALL+BUSINESS+SUBCONTRACTING+PLAN+TEMPLATE/First Tab | Will the Government please clarify whether offerors are required to submit both a completed Attachment 6 and a separate narrative response that aligns with the structure of FAR 52.219-9, or if the completed Attachment 6 alone is sufficient to meet the requirement? | Yes, offerors are required to submit a written Small Business Subcontracting Plan in accordance with FAR 52.219-9, which includes addressing all 15 required elements. Please disregard the reference to FAR 52.219-19, as that clause is currently reserved. The written plan must be submitted in addition to completing Attachment 6. | |||
| 44 | Proposal Submission Files | Section L.1, Instructions to Offerors, p. 132 | Would DOL please confirm that other than for Attachment 3 - Pricing Sheet, offerors may submit their proposals as PDF files? | Yes, the Government requires detailed pricing as outlined in Section L, Factor 3 – Price: “The Price Volume shall include detailed spreadsheet(s) and/or table(s) (e.g., in MS Excel or Word) identifying rates and other direct costs (ODCs).” |
| 45 | Submission due date | Section L.1, Instructions to Offerors, p. 132 | Would DOL please extend the submission deadline by 1 week to allow Offerors sufficient time to review answers to questions and prepare comprehensive proposals? | The RFP deadline has been extended. | |
| 46 | Contractor Quality Control Plan, Phase-In Plan, and Telework Plan excluded from page count | Section C, Part 7, Technical Exhibit 2 - Deliverables Schedule, p. 53 | Would DOL allow the Contractor Quality Control Plan, Phase-In Plan, and Telework Plan to be included as appendices to the Technical Volume and excluded from the 30-page limit? | Yes, the Contractor Quality Control Plan, Phase-In Plan, and Telework Plan may be included as appendices to the Technical Volume and will be excluded from the 30-page limit. Offerors should clearly label each appendix and ensure the main Technical Volume remains within the page limit. | |
| 47 | Clarifying Technical Approach Subfactors | Section L.1, Instructions to Offerors, pp. 133-134 | In two places on page 133, the RFP states that there are four subfactors within Volume I-Factor I. However, on page 134 only three subfactors are described. Would DOL please confirm that there are only three Technical Approach subfactors for offerors to response to--Experience, Management Plan, and Quality Control Plan? | There are in fact three subfactors within Volume I. Experience, Management, and Quality Control. Subcontracting Plans are their own factor (Factor IV). Revisions have been made. | |
| 48 | OCI and Limitation on Future Contracting | Section J, RFP Attachment 2, BLS Confidentiality and Security Requirements | A Contractor performing on this contract could become privy to sensitive and confidential information from a variety of businesses. Would DOL confirm that the strict confidentiality and security provisions in Attachment 2 – BLS Confidentiality and Security Requirements, including employee non-diversion obligations and established firewall protocols, fully mitigate any potential Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) and therefore obviate the need for a separate OCI mitigation plan? | DOL confirms that the confidentiality and security requirements outlined in Attachment 2 are sufficient to address potential OCI concerns, and a separate OCI mitigation plan is not required at this time. However, during the life of the contract, DOL reserves the right to reassess and will notify the contractor if additional measures are deemed necessary. | |
| 49 | Applicable Wage Determinations | Section I.3, Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Labor Standards Clauses, p. 94 | If FLSA is applicable to this solicitation, would DOL please incorporate applicable wage determinations for the expected performance locations? | Wage determinations will be provided. | |
| 50 | RFP Amednment 1 Attachment - File Corrupt | RFP 1605C5-25-R-00002 and | |||
| Amendment 1 PDF File DOL RFQ 1605C5-25-R-00002 0001 | The RFP file (1605C5-25-R-00002) and the Amendment 1 file (1605C5-25-R-00002 0001) are in a format that cannot be searched and do not support OCR text recognition. Would DOL please share another version of these files that would support searching and text recognition so offerors can be sure not to miss anything? | Readable versions of the solicitation and amendments will be provided in the Attachments section of the RFP. | |||
| 51 | Clarifying Instructions for Charts, Graphics, and Tables | Section L.1, Instructions to Offerors, pp. 132-133 | The RFP indicates that charts are excluded from the 30-page limit for the Technical Approach. Would DOL please confirm that when it refers to "charts" it is referring to large tables and graphics within the technical approach? How will DOL determine whether a proposal is within the page limit? | Yes, when the RFP states that charts are excluded from the 30-page limit for the Technical Approach, this includes large tables and graphics that support the narrative content. However, Offerors should ensure that such materials are clearly distinguishable as charts, tables, or graphics and not used to circumvent the page limitation. |
Page counts will be determined based on the narrative content of the Technical Volume, excluding clearly labeled and separated charts, tables, and graphics. Any pages that contain substantial narrative content outside of designated charts or graphics may be counted toward the 30-page limit.
| 52 | Page Limit for Technical Proposal | Section L.1, Instructions to Offerors, pp. 132-133 | Would DOL please confirm that offerors may include a cover letter as part of its technical proposal that is not subject to the 30-page limit? | The Cover Letter should be submitted as a separate attachment and does not need to be included within any specific proposal volume. Please ensure it is clearly labeled and submitted with the complete proposal package. |
| 53 | Availability of general telephone numbers in CES case registry | Section C, Part 5, Specific Tasks, 5.1.1 Address Refinement, p. 24 | Would DOL please clarify whether the CES sample provided to the DCCs will include a general telephone number for each establishment (apart from any potential point of contact information)? Or is the contractor expected to perform general telephone number look-ups for each establishment as part of the address refinement process described in Task 5.1.1? | A small percentage of sampled establishments may not include a usable phone number when provided to the DCCs. A majority of establishments do include at least a general phone number. The search for a usable telephone number may be part of address refinement activities. |
| 54 | Clarify Help Desk definition | Section C, Part 7, Technical Exhibit 4 - Glossary, p. 58 | Technical Exhibit 4 - Glossary. The Help Desk defintion references "TDE" respondents. Would the government please define TDE respondents? | TDE (touchtone data entry) has been phased out of data collection. References to TDE have been removed. |
| 55 | Estimated Hours for CES | Section C, Part 7, Technical Exhibit 3, p. 54 | In the referenced table, there is a blank column at the far right. Would DOL provide in that column the estimated hours by labor category that offerors will use in their price proposals? | The pricing sheet has been updated with estimated hours for each labor category. |
| 56 | Pricing Workbook modifications | Section J, RFP Attachment 3 - Pricing Sheet | The pricing tables do not have columns to include a level of effort (LOE) and an extended price per each category. May the offeror add columns to the Excel workbook as necessary? Will the client provide an updated Attachment 3 - Pricing Sheet? | The pricing sheet has been updated with estimated hours for each labor category. The contractor may add columns as they see fit. |
| 57 | Pricing Workbook modifications | Section J, RFP Attachment 3 - Pricing Sheet | There is not a place in the workbook to include a summary of the individual contract periods. May the offeror add additional tab worksheets to the Excel workbook as necessary? Will the client provide an updated Attachment 3 - Pricing Sheet? | The contractor may choose to incorporate a summary. |
| 58 | Submission Extension | Instructions to Offerors, Page no. 132 | Will the Department of Labor consider granting offerors an extension for the proposal submission deadline from August 7, 2025, to August 14, 2025? | The RFP deadline has been extended. |
| 59 | Staffing | 1.7.10 Security Requirements, p.14 | What is the average time required to complete a new employee clearance and onboarding process? | The average time it takes for the Division of Personnel Suitability and Security to perform a check based on the subset of the last 50 candidates who have been cleared to onboard is 11 calendar days from the date they are sponsored, with a median of 10 calendar days. The minimum was zero days (for candidates who have worked on other federal jobs or contracts to whom reciprocity was applied) and the maximum was 42 days. Delays are usually caused by candidates not responding to DPSS requests in a timely manner, or lacking required documentation to schedule USAccess enrollment appointments with GSA (recently due to REAL ID requirements). Once cleared by DPSS, they have to be given an enter on duty date based on the contractor's training schedule. The government attempts to onboard staff as quickly as possible, but requests five business days for network accounts and equipment to be prepared for new hires. |
| 60 | Staffing | 1.7.10 Security Requirements, p.14 | If a current CES project employee has already completed the security and clearance requirements, would they have to complete the requirements again if they have been hired by another company? | The Division of Personnel Suitability and Security is able to apply reciprocity to candidates who have been previously cleared to work on federal projects as employees or contractors, even for other agencies. That said, the government is currently operating under a continuous vetting system, so all government employees and contractors are subject to additional clearance requirements at all times to ensure they continue to meet clearance requirements. |
| 61 | Staffing | 1.7.7a Data Collection Centers, p.12 | How many vendor employees for the scope of work in the RFP currently support the Current Employment Statistics (CES) contract? | The total number of current employees, including interviewers and management and excluding vacancies, by center is as follows: |
Atlanta: 63 employees Dallas: 37 employees Fort Walton Beach: 65 employees Kansas City: 102 employees DC: 10 employees
| 62 | Technology | 5.2 Multi-Modal Collection, p.27 | Please confirm, BLS will provide all systems, such as CATI, telephony, ticketing, etc. | The government will provide all systems such as the CATI, telephony and ticketing system. |
| 63 | Training | 5.4 Training, p.34 | How long is training period for new hires? | Training for Collection, Address Refinement, and Enrollment takes approximately 116 hours, including training modules and certification interviews. This is typically spread out over the new hire's first 60 days. |
| 64 | General | N/A | What are the major challenges or pain points BLS has experienced in prior survey waves? | CES has experienced similar challenges that many federal surveys face such as the voluntary nature of the survey, respondent survey fatigue, the prevalence in caller ID and/or skepticism of unknown calls or calls labelled survey. |
| 65 | Staffing | N/A | What percentage of employees are bilingual? | BLS does not have that information nor require it from vendors. The PWS requires that at least one staff member at each DCC be a Spanish speaker to assist respondents. This is not required for the Help Desk. |
| 66 | Staffing | 5.7 Personnel Qualifications and Duties, p.44 | What percentage of employees are interviewer 1s, interviewer 2s or interviewer 3s? | The FTE by Interviewer level for each center is as follows: |
In Atlanta, there are 35 Interviewer 1, 15 Interviewer 2, and 6 Lead Interviewers.
In Dallas, there are 21 Interviewer 1, 4.5 Interviewer 2, and 6 Lead Interviewers.
In Fort Walton Beach, there are 41 Interviewer 1, 9.5 Interviewer 2, and 6 Lead Interviewers.
In Kansas City, there are 65.5 Interviewer 1, 9.5 Interviewer 2 and 8 Lead Interviewers.
In DC, there are 5.5 Interviewer 1 and 3 Interviewer 2.
| 67 | Pricing | Attachment 3 - Pricing Sheet | Please confirm that the firm fixed price is paid monthly as 1/12 of the annual price? | That is correct. The annual price is paid in twelve equal monthly installments. |
| 68 | Small Business Plan | Volume IV, Small Business Subcontracting Plan, page 136 | The small business subcontracting requirements noted on page 136 indicate that BLS is looking for a Prime contractor (other than a small business contractor) to deliver only 40% of the project scope. Please confirm. | The RFP’s small business subcontracting requirements state that, if the Prime Contractor is not a small business, it is expected to award 60% of the total subcontracted dollars to small businesses. |
| 69 | Small Business Plan | Volume IV, Small Business Subcontracting Plan, page 136 | To achieve superior performance and consistent delivery for BLS, it is important that contractor delivery teams are cohesive and aligned to the same objectives and principles with regard to staffing and management for SLA achievement. Is it BLS' intent that 60% of the work for this project be assigned to a Small Business, regardless of type -or- that, as part of the 60% small business goal, there needs to be a HUBZone SB to deliver 3% of the work; a separate WOSB to deliver 7% of the work, an SDVOSB to deliver 5% of the work. another VOSB to deliver 5% of the work and an SDB to deliver 11% of the work (potentially 5 subcontractor firms with small work scope)? | Overall, the goal is 60% small business participation, with the various socio-economic categories (e.g., HUBZone, WOSB, SDVOSB, VOSB, SDB) comprising portions of that total. This does not necessarily mean five separate subcontractor firms are required, as some firms may hold multiple certifications and can satisfy more than one socio-economic category. |
| 70 | General | Box 8, SF 1449 | We respectfully request a two week extension the the response due date in order to allow vendors sufficient time to properly vet and bring on necessary suppliers to meet BLS' substantial small business objective, and so that all offerors have the opportunity to develop informed, high-quality proposals. | The RFP deadline has been extended. |
| 71 | Data Entry From Mail | 5.3.3 Data Entry, pg. 33 | "The contractor shall manually enter data collected by the government via transcript (postal mail) into government provided software." For postal mail received, is the data entry performed from the paper mail, or are paper transcripts scanned and digitized prior to data entry? | Data entry is performed directly from the paper mail. Mailed forms are only scanned in the rare occasions where all staff are in a telework posture. |
| 72 | GFP | RFP Section C Part 3 | Please provide a list of the type and an estimate of the amounts of GFP intended to be provided. | The government will provide a laptop, charging cable, headset, monitor, keyboard, mouse, desk phone or web phone, and docking station for each contracting employee working on the contract. |
| 73 | GFP | Section I | Does the Government intend to include FAR 52.245-1? | Yes, FAR 52.245-1, Government Property, will be included in the solicitation. This clause is being added because Government-furnished property may be provided to the Contractor during performance and must be properly managed, accounted for, and safeguarded in accordance with the clause requirements. |
| 74 | GFP | RFP, Section C Part 4. | Please confirm that the Government is not requesting title to any "contractor furnished items". | Please see applicable data rights clauses within the contract. |
| 75 | Data rights | RFP C.1.7.11. | The second and third sentences of this provision (i.e. "All documents and materials, to include the source codes of any software, produced under this contract shall be government owned and are the property of the government with all rights and privileges of ownership/copyright belonging exclusively to the government. All materials supplied to the government will be the sole property of the government and may not be used for any other purpose.") contradicts the license framework included within FAR 52.227-14(b), which is included within Section I. |
| Please strike these two sentences within this paragraph and replace with "FAR 52.227-14 and the other data rights clauses govern the Government's level of rights under this contract." | RFP, Section C.1.7.11 has not been updated. | |||||
| 76 | Data rights | I.21, paragraph 10. | Since 52.227-14 is included, please strike this paragraph, though the final sentence seems appropriate. | This paragraph will not be removed as it is a part of the clause. | ||
| 77 | Data rights | RFP, paragraph C.3.2. | Since 52.227-14 is included, please strike "All materials developed | |||
| by the contractor under this contract shall become the property of the U.S. Department of Labor". | RFP, Paragraph C.3.2 has not be removed. | |||||
| 78 | Data rights | Clause I.6 | To avoid any inconsistencies with FAR 52.227-14, please consider striking this clause or putting in the appropriate subparagraph headers. | Clause I.6 has not been removed. | ||
| 79 | Data rights | Clause I.8 | To avoid any inconsistencies with FAR 52.227-17, please consider (a) including that clause, whether in full text or IBR, and (b) strike I.8. | Clause I.8 has not been removed. | ||
| 80 | Training | RFP para C.5.4 | Please confirm the Government intends to utilize existing and approved training materials. | Yes, the government intends to utilize existing government-provided or government-approved training materials. | ||
| 81 | Attachment 5 | QASP, paragraph 5 | Please confrim the "incentives" and "disincentives" relate to CPAR ratings and not any kind of financial impact. | The contract does not have financial incentives or disincentives. CPARS evaluations will reflect performance. | ||
| 82 | OCI | Clause I.10 | If awarded this contract, which current DOL contracts would the awardee be prohibited from participating in the re-compete? | At this time, the contractor is not prohibited from participating in any future re-competitions. | ||
| 83 | CLINs | ODCs | Will the Government consider adding a ODC CLIN for any materials required during performance of the contract? See I.12 (FAR 52.232-7) | Supplies will be provided by the government. A CLIN for travel may be included in the pricing sheet. | ||
| 84 | Future Demand | 1.3 Background, p.7 | RFQ indicates that "nearly all initial CES enrollment occurs in the DCCs via Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI). Does the government believe that percentage will substantially change over the term of the contract? | The government does not anticipate the percentage of enrollment in the DCCs will substantially change. | ||
| 85 | Future Demand | 1.3 Background, p.7 | RFQ indicates that "approximately 25% of all ongoing data collection occurs in the DCCS". Does the government believe that percentage will substantially change over the term of the contract? | The government does not believe that the percent of ongoing data collection at the DCCs will substantially change. | ||
| 86 | Estimated Labor Categories | Technical Exibit 3, p.54 | How many hours per year should we assume that an Interviewer 1 works? An interviewer 2? An interviewer 3? | The assumed hours for an FTE is 1,912. | ||
| 87 | Avergae Interview Length | 1.3 Background, p.7 | How long, on average, does it take to enroll a new sample unit? | On average, it takes about 20-30 minutes to enroll a new sample unit. That time may be spread out over multiple calls in multiple days. | ||
| 88 | Average Interview Length | 1.3 Background, p.7 | How long, on average, does it take to conduct an ongoing monthly collection interview? | On average, it takes about 3-5 minutes to collect all data elements during an interview. | ||
| 89 | General | N/A | 1. | For OCI due diligence purposes, what companies provided or are providing any support to the agency in developing the source selection plan, evaluation criteria, the RFP, and any other advisory or technical support related to this procurement? | ||
| The government conducts all of these activites. | ||||||
| 90 | General | N/A | 2. | For OCI due diligence purposes, what companies are barred by a confidentiality agreement or other agency restriction from participating as a bidder, team member, prime contractor, subcontractor, or consultant in connection with this procurement? | No companies are barred by a confidentiality agreement or other agency restriction from participating in this procurement as a bidder, team member, prime contractor, subcontractor, or consultant. | |
| 91 | Section J | 127 | Please clarify if the 2 documents below ought to be submitted with proposals. If so, are they aprt of Volume I? |
RFP Attachment 2 - BLS Confidentiality and Security
| RFP Attachment 5 - QASP | The BLS Confidentiality and Security Attachment is for reference purposes only, and contains CIPSEA as well as copies of the BLS Agent Agreement and Data Integrity Document that all contractors must sign to perform on the requirement. The Draft QASP is also for reference purposes. | |||
| 92 | Factor 1: Technical Approach | 133 | The requirement states: "There are four subfactors within Volume I-Factor IT Technical Approach (to include Experience), Management Plan, Quality Control Plan, and Subcontracting Plan.". However, only three subfactors are listed: Subfactor 1 - Experience |
Subfactor 2 – Management Plan Subfactor 3 – Quality Control Plan
| Please clarify. | There are in fact three subfactors within Volume I. Experience, Management, and Quality Control. Subcontracting Plans are their own factor (Factor IV). Revisions have been made. | ||||
| 93 | L1. Instructions | 132 | Page count for Volume I states "Excluding covers, title pages, executive summaries, charts and table of contents". Please confirm that tables fall within the category of charts. | Yes, confirmed. For the purposes of the page count exclusions in Volume I, tables are considered to fall within the category of “charts” and are therefore excluded from the 30-page limit, provided they are used to support the technical approach and are not used to circumvent the narrative content limit. | |
| 94 | Address Refinement Tools | Section 1.5 (a)/Page 6 AND |
Section 5.1.1/Page 21
| The RFP says that the contractor must perform address refinement activities to verify and update unit registry information, confirm business operational status, and identify a POC to receive enrollment materials, but it also says the POC contact information is not always provided. How is the contractor supposed to perform these address refinement activities when they aren't provided? | Part of address refinement includes identifying a POC if one is not provided by the government, based on the establishment information provided in Section 5.1.1.b. This can be completed using various resources on the internet, calling the establishment, or by using resources provided by the agency. | |
| 95 | Best Effort Evaluation and Payment Withholding | Part 2/Page 16 |
| Can you explain what is meant by ‘Best Effort’? Will there be a clear definition of "Best Effort" that is mutually agreed to by you and the contractor? How will the payment be withheld--a percentage of the contract value, a reduction in the LH rate for staff, or something else? Are there opportunities for the contractors to receive additional payments when "Best Effort" is exceeded? | The contract does not have financial incentives or disincentives. CPARS evaluations will reflect performance. The government does not intend to reduce labor hour rates; historically the government has identified invoiced hours for which effort could not be corroborated through our CATI system and requested that the contractor remove those from invoices. | |
| 96 | Case Assignment Methodology | CES - Section 1.4/Page 5 |
| The RFP says that the government retains responsibility for the assignment of cases for enrollment and collection to Data Collection Centers (DCCs), how are these assignments determined and are the number of cases allocated to each Interviewer and each DCC? | The government allocates new sample cases for enrollment and ongoing collection cases based on each center's full time staffing ratios. Once the cases have been assigned to the DCC, the contract staff is responsible for assigning the case to the individual contract interviewers. | ||||
| 97 | CES Help Desk Staffing Level | Section 1.7.7(b)/Page 10 | The CES Help Desk table says that the total number of CES Help Desk staff is five, but the number of workstations was changed from five to ten. Should the staff be 5 or 10, or is that determined by the contractor? | The PWS has been revised to 10 staff in the Help Desk. | |
| 98 | Definition of "All in Sample Panels" | Technical Exhibit 7/Page 64 | What is meant by “All in sample panels” for the purposes of calculating performance metrics? Does this include only active cases, or does it include cases previously assigned but unresolved? | All in sample panels refers to all cases that are assigned to the DCCs and are active and in the CES sample. For the Collection Rate, this includes all reports that are not out of business, out of scope, or refusals. For the Total Response Rate, this includes all units that are not out of business or out of scope (includes refusals). | |
| 99 | Definition of High Performance | Section 5.7.4 (b)/Page 43 | |||
| Section 5.7.5 (b)/Page 44 | What does "High Performance" for the Interviewer 2 and 3 roles mean? Is the new contractor limited to only hiring staff that has currently supported BLS with a track record of "high performance" or is it okay for us to bring in new staff who have supported similar work on other outbound call centers who are "high performers"? If they have to be staff who currently support BLS, can you tell us what the rate is so that we can make sure our rates cover the cost of the existing "high performers"? | High performance should be measured by the contractor relative to the contract's Acceptable Quality Levels (i.e., interviewers who do not exceed individual AQLs should not be promoted). Outside staff can be hired for Interviewer levels 2 and 3 if the contractor has high confidence that they can perform the duties; however, given the knowledge of the program and the training certifications required for interviewers to work independently, historically, most promotions have been internal. | |||
| 100 | Enrollment of New Sample | Section 5.1.2/Page 26 | How many enrollment attempts must be made to the POC before it is categorized as a final refusal? | At a minimum, two attempts are required. However there are procedural guidelines that may require additional attempts based on the type of initial refusal and turnaround steps taken. | |
| 101 | Enrollment of New Sample | Section 5.1.2/Page 25 | How do you want the contractor to handle rude, disrespectful, or threatening behavior by respondents who are not interested in enrolling in the program? | The contractor must remain professional when making data collection phone calls regardless of the behavior of the person they are contacting. The contractor should train their interviewers to handle these situations. The government telephony system allows interviewers to record calls in the exceedingly rare situations where threatening comments are made. | |
| 102 | Enrollment of New Sample | Section 5.1.2/Page 25 | How do CATI phone numbers show up on the POC's phone? US Government? Unknown Number? Potential Spam? Survey Call? City/State? And, has the practice of "screening calls" for these types of numbers impacted the ability to enroll new samples? | The caller ID for DCC calls placed is the U. S. Department of Labor. The government white lists the DCC main phone numbers with the major phone carriers. The DCC phone number may show up as spam depending on an individual's cell phone settings. | |
| 103 | Enrollment of New Sample | Section 5.1.2/Page 25 | How are respondent businesses selected for the survey? The respondent expressed interest in supporting this program? Or, they were randomly selected by BLS or another entity? | The CES sample is selected by CES and is a stratified, simple random sample of worksites, clustered by unemployment insurance (UI) account number. |
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