1630J4-18-R-00004_Amendment_4_Questions_and_Answers.pdf

1630J4-18-R-00004 AMENDMENT 4

NEW HAVEN QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

1. Page # / Reference Page 14, Section B.2 Pricing Schedule Discussion CLIN 0016 is titled Termination. The RFP does not describe the use of this CLIN. Furthermore, the numbering of this CLIN as 0016 appears inconsistent with the placement in the B.2 Pricing Schedule.

Question/Comment Please confirm the contractor is not required to propose amounts for this CLIN.

Government Response This CLIN should be left blank without pricing.

2. Page # / Reference Page 4, Section B.2

Discussion

Question/Comment Will the contractor receive payments for arrivals or placements exceeding the goals?

Government Response Please refer to G.3.1 (page 31) “Technical Performance Incentive Fee”. However, OMS incentive fee tables are based on many OMS criteria and not on arrivals only.

3. Page # / Reference Section L.7, Proposal Content, FACTOR 5. BUSINESS MANAGEMENT PROPOSAL, c. Pricing Schedule and Cost Detail,

p. 101 (Amendment 1 conformed RFP); Attachment J.1

Discussion This area in Section L.7 states in part “Please also note that offerors shall propose the average technical performance incentive fee (1.2%) and the average cost incentive fee (2.0%) for the purpose of cost analysis and contract award amount.”

Question/Comment Will the government clarify that the cost incentive fee is not applicable to the FFP portion of this contract? Will the government confirm that cost incentive fee is applicable only to CR NTE line items 07, 12, 19, 21, 23, 26, 27, as stated in Row 45 of the "DFP & Incetive Fees" tab of Attachment J.1?

Government Response There is only the technical performance incentive fee. The cost incentive fee isn’t applicable for this solicitation.

4. Page # / Reference RFP Section B.2; Attachment J-1 (Pricing Detail Template);

Discussion Refer to the Price Detail Template (Attachment J-1), and specifically to tabs for Pricing Summary and Outreach Admissions. The CLINs between the Pricing Summary tab and Outreach Admissions tabs do not match for Career Transition Services CLINs x008 and x010. For example, the Pricing Summary tab has CLIN 0008 as "Career Transition Services/Graduates (40% of total price), 6 months", whereas the Outreach Admissions tab has CLIN 0008 as "Career Transition Services FFP Initial Former Enrollee / Type: FFP (40% of total price) ".

Question/Comment Will the government clarify the correct description for these CLINs and provide a revised Attachment J.1, and if necessary update the CLIN descriptions in Section B.2 of the RFP?

Government Response Corrected. See Amendment 2 Revised J-1.

5. Page # / Reference Attachment J-1 Discussion Refer to the Price Detail Template (Attachment J-1), and specifically to tabs for Line 2 (Other Academic Expenses), Line 4 (Other Career Technical Training Expenses), Line 6 (Other Career Success Expenses), Line 8 (Clothing), Line 10 (Other Support Service Expenses), Line 14 (Other Career Preparation & Career Transition Readiness Expenses), and Line 16 (Other Administrative Expenses).

Question/Comment Will the Government please provide instructions for completing these non-labor cost tabs? Is it acceptable for these worksheets to be completed with total amounts only, and the calculations shown in the Cost Narrative Section of the Business Management Proposal?

Government Response Specific detail is required in the table.

6. Page # / Reference Attachment J-1 (Pricing Detail Template) Discussion Refer to the Price Detail Template (Attachment J-1), and specifically to the "Overall Contract Value Table" tab.

Question/Comment For cells J13 through J17 under the column heading "Overall

Technical Performance Incentive Fee" , why are the formulas calculating the totals of Columns D through K for each row, which includes "Overall Personnel Expense", "Overall Other Exp", "Overall Outreach and Admin Exp", "Overall Career Transition Services Exp", and "Overall Surge CLIN (Only exercised if change in OBS)". Should this Column be linked to the "DFP & Incentive Fees" worksheet?

Government Response Offerors can choose to link both worksheets but can’t change the format of the spreadsheet.

7. Page # / Reference Attachment J-1 (Pricing Detail Template) Discussion Refer to the Price Detail Template (Attachment J-1), and specifically to tab for Position by Title and Holidays, which breaks out Labor Categories by Managers, Instructors, and Staff Support. Some Position Titles appear to be in the wrong category: for example, the Culinary Arts position is listed under "Staff Support" and should presumably be listed under Instructors. "Driver" and "Cook Helper (Assistant) are listed under "Instructors" instead of "Staff Support".

Question/Comment Can the Government please clarify? Does the Offeror have flexibility when identifying labor categories by Manager, Instructor, and Staff Support?

Government Response The offerors may change the incorrect titles to reflect the correct titles as specified in the PRH and other staffing information contained in the solicitation.

8. Page # / Reference J-1 Attachment Discussion Previous versions of the worksheet named Overall Contract

Value Table contained formulas. This worksheet does not.

Question/Comment Please clarify if this worksheet should contain formulas or if this worksheet will require a manual tabulation.

Government Response Offerors can choose to apply formulas or use manual tabulation but can’t change the format of the spreadsheet.

9. Page # / Reference Attachment J-1 Discussion Question/Comment Please confirm all references to Attachment J-3 throughout the

RFP are unnecessary as all information is now provided in the Attachment J-1.

Government Response Confirmed. J-3 is a reserved section and not applicable to this solicitation.

10. Page # / Reference Pages 6-14 Section B.2 Pricing Schedule & Attachment J-1 Discussion There are many formula and linking issues with the Attachment

J-1 Pricing Schedule, but the file includes instructions not to revise the formulas. Please clarify/revise the worksheet.

Question/Comment 1. It appears the Attachment J-1 Pricing Summary is intended to summarize the base period total and option year annual amounts. The detail worksheets in the current file do not function properly to produce these totals. Most worksheets are calculating a monthly amount, some are annual. Furthermore, the Pricing Summary does not multiply the monthly rate times the applicable number of months. Therefore, the Pricing Summary does not reflect correct amounts.

2. Are offerors expected to revise the formulas to correct the calculations? If so, how will the government ensure the accuracy and consistency of the proposals for evaluation purposes?

3. The Attachment J-1 calculation for the technical fees differs from the RFP. Please confirm contractors can revise the Attachment J-1 formulas.

Government Response The formulas in the J-1 Spreadsheet can be revised to reflect the solicitation language. However, the offerors can’t change the format of the spreadsheet. See Revised Spreadsheet.

11. Page # / Reference Page 31-32, Section G.3, Page 101, Section L.7, Factor 5, c & Attachment J-1

Discussion The fee information is incomplete and inconsistent in the RFP and Attachment J-1. The RFP language would not be adequate to implement in a contract award.

Question/Comment 1. The Technical Performance Incentive Fee section describes the potential for contractors to earn a “technical performance excellence bonus” in addition to the regular technical performance fee. Neither the Center Operations fee chart nor the Attachment J-1 includes a section for the calculation of this

Performance Excellence Bonus. A rate and calculation should be identified in the proposal/contract. Please confirm the rate is 0.50%, as outlined in other Job Corps RFP’s. Clarify whether the offeror should revise the form.

2. The fee bases for the fee calculations are not clear. The RFP narrative describes the calculation to be on total direct and indirect costs. The Attachment J-1 is not formatted similarly. Are contractors allowed to revise the formulas?

3. Section G of the RFP does not include narrative about the cost incentive fees, but Section L instructs offerors to propose the cost incentive fees at the average rate of 2%. Additionally, the Attachment J-1 includes sections for cost incentive fees. Please clarify the cost incentive fees. Please confirm the cost-incentive fees are only applicable to the CR NTE lines (Operations).

Government Response 1) The Government will calculate the Performance Excellence Bonus annually after the close of the contract year..

2) The formulas in the J-1 Spreadsheet can be revised to reflect the solicitation language. However, the offerors can’t change the format of the spreadsheet.

3) There is no cost incentive fee applicable to this solicitation.

12. Page # / Reference Page 38-39, Section G.15 & Attachment J-1 (Pricing Schedule and Outreach Admissions worksheets)

Discussion It appears the “total unit price” referenced in Section G and Attachment J-1 is the total OA or CTS amount proposed for the services.

Question/Comment Please confirm that based on the outline of the pricing schedule, the contractor will bill a semi-monthly rate of the respective OA and CTS CLIN amounts each billing period. Otherwise, the forms are not formatted to accommodate per unit pricing.

Additionally, please revise Section G.15 accordingly.

Government Response Sections B and G require the contractor to bill/invoice ½ of the unit price on a semi-monthly basis.

13. Page # / Reference Attachment J-1 Discussion The Attachment J-1 requests detail for the FFP CLINs. FAR

15.404-1(b)(1) states: “Price analysis is the process of examining and evaluating a proposed price without evaluating its separate cost elements and proposed profit.”

Question/Comment As this is a proposal for firm-fixed price (FFP) components, what is the purpose of requesting the costing detail for this proposal, which includes a price analysis evaluation?

Government Response This information is being collected for historical data and will not be included in the price analysis.

Page # / Reference Attachment J-1

14. Discussion There are some problems with the Attachment J-1, as mentioned previously. The integrity of the file is questionable because the formulas and links are inconsistent and incomplete.

Additional issues are summarized below:

Question/Comment 1. Positions by Title and Holidays

a. Are offerors expected to categorize positions in the detailed personnel worksheets according to the Positions by Title worksheet categories of Managers, Instructors and Staff Support? If so, please clarify how contractors should categorize duplicated positions that appear in multiple columns (i.e., Accountant title in Manager and Instructor categories, Physician title in all three columns-Manager, Instructor and Staff Support).

b. Are contractors required to follow the 10 holidays listed?

2. Overall Contract Value Tab

a. Is the Surge CLIN price part of the overall evaluated price?

b. What Total should the Overall Contract Value represent-FFP and Incentive Fees only? The Overall OA and CTS totals are not included in the Overall Contract Value formula.

3. The Personnel Line worksheets calculate monthly rates, not an annual rate. These amounts are then transferred to the Pricing Summary schedule, which should provide the annual totals.

a. The Pricing Summary does not multiply the monthly rates on the detail worksheets by the quantities listed in the summary schedule. Therefore, the Pricing Summary is only a listing of the monthly rates, not the base period or the annual option amounts.

b. Throughout the file, the base period is not formulated any differently from the option years. The calculations should include adjustments for the 2-year base period, which would result in figures twice as much as an annual option period.

c. Please confirm offerors should list the period total hours, not monthly hours in order to calculate the costs correctly on the Pricing Summary.

4. The CR NTE worksheet includes the CR Other Expenses, but it is marked as “NTE AMOUNTS ARE PROVIDED.”

a. Will the RFP be amended to provide the amounts for the procurement?

5. Outreach Admissions - Please confirm contractors are expected to enter the total proposed price in the Unit Price column. The worksheet applies the 40% & 60% only to the Unit Price value.

6. Throughout the proposal the first two contract years are presented as a base period. Will the base period be managed as one period in all cost management/budget aspects, including the cost-reimbursable CLINs? In the past, Job Corps has required separate budgets for each contract year, including separate years for the base period. If each year is managed separately, the government should provide a form identifying the two separate contract years in the base period.

Government Response 1a) Offerors should list the position in each area it occurs and then provide the number for the amount of FTEs.

1b) The holidays were provided for reference only.

2) No. The Surge CLINS are not part of the overall evaluated price.

3) The formulas in the J-1 Spreadsheet can be revised to reflect the solicitation language. However, the offerors can’t change the format of the spreadsheet.

4) The Government will provide these NTE amounts.

5) This is correct.

6) Yes. The base period consists of two years.

15. Page # / Reference Section L.7, Proposal Content, FACTOR 5. BUSINESS MANAGEMENT PROPOSAL, c. Pricing Schedule and Cost Detail, p. 101 (Amendment 1 conformed RFP); Attachment J.1

Discussion This area in Section L.7 states in part “Please also note that offerors shall propose the average technical performance incentive fee (1.2%) and the average cost incentive fee (2.0%) for the purpose of cost analysis and contract award amount.”

Question/Comment Will the government clarify that the cost incentive fee is not applicable to the FFP portion of this contract? Will the government confirm that cost incentive fee is applicable only to CR NTE line items 07, 12, 19, 21, 23, 26, 27, as stated in Row 45 of the "DFP & Incetive Fees" tab of Attachment J.1?

Government Response The cost incentive fee is not applicable to this solicitation.

16. Page # / Reference Section B.2, p. 5 (Amendment 1 conformed RFP); Attachment J.1;

Discussion The 4th paragraph on p. 5 begins "Cost Reimbursable Not-to- Exceed (NTE) overall CLIN amount will be provided by the Government and will not be considered as part of the Offeror’s total evaluated cost."

Question/Comment Will the CLIN x004 G&A and Profit applicable to CR NTE items 07, 12, 19, 21, 23, 26, 27 be considered as part of the offeror's evaluated cost? Will the government be providing CR NTE amounts for these items prior to proposal submission?

Government Response Yes. Only CLINs 0012, 0013, 0014, and 0015 (and all options CLINS) will not be considered for evaluation of award.

17. Page # / Reference Attachment J-14

Discussion

Question/Comment There is no attachment J-14 to the solicitation.

Government Response Attachment J-14 is listed in this solicitation as Attachment J-15 (Regional Career Pathway Plan).