Responses_to_Update_08012018_Questions_191NLE18R0006_(002).docx

1. I am hoping to find out if there is an incumbent contractor currently performing these services or if this is a new requirement. If there is an incumbent, could you please provide the contract number? DECO, INC. Curriculum Development and Support SINLEC13F0115

2. Can the government confirm that the prime contractor can use subcontractor past performance references (page 7)? Yes

3. Can the government confirm which labor categories are considered “key” (page 6) requiring resumes? All position require resumes

4. Can the government clarify the discrepancy between the statement that the “Instructional Services Unit (ISU)” is said to include 5 roles (page 21) but 6 roles are included in Addendum C?

Yes, 5 roles for Instructional Services, and the 6 links to Addendum B – Specialized Instructors.

5. Will the government provide a pricing template via Microsoft Excel (page 8) or should offerors provide their own? Yes, see attached Pricing Matrix

6. The Solicitation states that “The Government intends to award a firm fixed price contract for ALL specifications listed under this RFP” (page 2) but also that “This contract shall be considered a Time and Materials/Labor Hour solicitation” (page 3). Can the government please clarify the type of pricing it would like to receive for this solicitation as well as any hours estimate and LOE for the requested labor categories? The solicitation has been changed to reflect a Time and Materials/Labor Hour type contract. A pricing matrix has been included with estimated hours for each labor category.

7. There is a requirement that states "7) ability to acquire proper licenses to perform task in country of performance" (page 4) Can the government confirm that this requirement refers to proper licenses to perform task in the US and not related to other types of licensing for when the offeror would potentially would need to send trainers overseas on this contract? (Yes for U.S. not permits to work in other countries.

8. Can the government clarify if the ISU Staffing SMEs are to be instructional SMEs (page 21)? (Yes)

9. Can the government confirm that the requirement for Specialized Instructor/Facilitators on "as needed basis" (page 15) refers to the actual deployment of training based on the schedule shown in Addendum A? (Yes, that is a sample. Specialized trainers are used primarily for the 8-day INL Prep Course.)

10. Can the government provide additional education, background, and certification requirements for the staffing in Addendum C (page 21)? (Lead instructional designer possesses CPLP; others, any combination of education and past performance)

11. Can the government please extend the due date for proposals from August 16, to August 30, 2018?(No)

12. RFP. PAGE 9. FORMAT FOR TECHNICAL AND COST/PRICE QUOTE. Volume I Technical Quote, Part A: Management Approach and Technical Capabilities. This section lists five subsections required to be addressed in Part A. However, on Page 4, Technical Evaluation Factor 1: Management Approach and Technical Capabilities, Proposal Requirement Instructions, there are seven subsections. Please clarify. RFP has been changed to reflect seven (7) sub sections

13. Will the Government provide the Contractor with one (1) workspace at the INL/CAP Training Center?(Only during course preparation and implementation of the course.)

14. Will Government provide an editable version of Addendum E – Past Performance Questionnaire? Yes, a separate attachment has been added. The will also accept CPARs

15. SF 1449 page 3. Please confirm that we are to propose 1 hour each for CLINS 001-009.

The SF 1449 was included as an example only, however the Government has changed the CLINs to reflect the labor categories in the pricing matrix and Addendum B & C. Please provide all pricing in the attached pricing matrix

16. SF 1449 page 3 / Solicitation page 14. Page 14 of the solicitation states Period of Performance will be one base year with two option years (one year each). The pricing profile on page 3 of the SF 1449 only has CLINS for base year 9/30/18-9/29/19. Please confirm if we are to propose CLINS 101-110 and 201-210 for Option Years with the same $2000 plug for ODC CLINS 110 and 210. The solicitation has been changed to reflect both option years plus the base and yes the $2,000 will be used for both option years.

17. Solicitation page 8 Cost/Price Proposal requirement. This section states “Offerors must submit proposed direct loaded labor hourly rates for each labor category proposed.” Later it also states “Separate rates must be submitted for each individual proposed under each labor category.” [highlight added] Under a Labor Hour contract, there is one single hourly rate for a labor category; the hourly rate is not changeable per person. Additionally, at this time it is not know what specific individuals will be engaged under the contract. Please clarify these instructions.

The vendor shall submit one labor rate for each labor category proposed IAW pricing matrix. The Government has deleted the language in the solicitation that stated “Separate rates must be submitted for each individual proposed under each labor category”

18. The Sources Sought for this effort 191NLE18ALP01 expressed the intent that the effort would be a complete Small business set aside. SF1449, box 10 for solicitation 191NLE18R0006 states the acquisition is Unrestricted. Page 29 of the Solicitation indicates that FAR 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set Aside is incorporated into the solicitation. Please confirm if this FAR clause was included in error. The Government reviewed the solicitation and could not find reference to clause FAR 52.219-6. This solicitation is being solicited as unrestricted because the responses to the RFI did not give the Government confidence that a small business could provide satisfactory performance under this contract. The Small Business Administration concurred with this assessment and provided approval to solicit unrestricted on 7/6/2018.

19. Can INL provide the expected hour requirements for each position in the ISU listed in the SOW? Does INL expect all six positions to be filled full time?(Refer to Addendum A)

20. Do the Subject Matter Experts/Facilitators need employment agreements as well? N/A

21. Who are considered key personnel in the RFP? PM Instructional designer lead

22. What is the relationship between the ISU and the Training Team? What responsibilities are filled by the Training Team versus the contractor provided SME/facilitator? Will the contractor provide the majority of instruction, or act in a support capacity? Contractor provides support capacity.

23. Can INL provide the current training materials in advance of the RFP due date? No.

24. Can INL share the current Kirkpatrick Evaluation Levels being used? Levels 1-3, page 16.

25. When was the last time the PREP, Mobile, Global, Recharge, & Virtual curricula were updated? On-going sustainment since course inception

26. Does INL guarantee a certain number of trainings per year? No

27. Reference Solicitation Page 6, Technical Evaluation Factor 2: Organization Experience, “The contractor shall submit resumes for key personnel.”

a. Please specify which personnel are required to be submitted as key? Program Manager

b. Does INL require resumes for non-key personnel? – All Personnel

28. Reference Solicitation Page 8, Evaluation Factors and Methodology, Cost/Price.

What is the evaluation criteria for the cost/price factor?

The Government has included a Pricing Matrix with Labor Categories and hours that will be used to evaluate price.

29. Reference Solicitation Page 9, Format for Technical and Cost/Price Quote.

a. Is the Project Management Plan included in the 30-page limit?

No

b. Please clarify the required format for the Project Management Plan (i.e. narrative, graphical (Gantt), or both)? Your choice the Government does not have a preference

30. Reference Solicitation Page 9, Format for Technical and Cost/Price Quote.

a. What additional detail, beyond the completed CLIN table from the SF1449, is required to be included in Volume II Cost/Price? Vendors are only required to fill out the new attached pricing table IAW the instructions provided within

b. In the CLIN table, is INL only requiring hourly rates? See new attached pricing Matrix

c. Are offerors required to provide hourly estimates for each labor category? See instructions in attached pricing Matrix

d. The CLIN table only includes line items for the base year. Is the offeror required to provide pricing for the option years as well? Yes, the CLIN table was changed to reflect all option years. Provide pricing IAW new attached Pricing Matrix.

31. Reference Solicitation Pages 14 – 16, Requirements. Also, Reference Solicitation Page 19, Addendum B, Specialized Instructor/Facilitator.

The Requirements described in the Statement of Work appear to include training development and support activities, with no training delivery described. The requirements for the Specialized Instructor/Facilitator appear to focus on training delivery. Please clarify the contractor training delivery requirements for this project. See page 15-16 and Addendum A and B.

32. Reference Solicitation Page 20, Position Location & Hours, “The physical work location is 22685 Holiday Park Drive, Dulles, VA 20166…International locations for adjunct instructors may include, up to -3 trainers able to deliver blocks of 2 week trainings in our Africa, Pacific, and South-Central Asian partner up to 3x per year, per country.” Also reference Solicitation Page 33, Travel, “No travel costs (or associated labor time during travel) shall be allowable for work performed at a Contractor’s local office or any other work site within a 50-miles’ radius of the Contractor employee’s local place of performance (official duty station).”

a. What tasks, if any, may be performed at the contractor site? Preparation & Implementation

b. Will the contractor be responsible for delivering training in the international locations listed? Yes, to support implementation and delivery

c. If the contractor is responsible for delivering training in the international locations listed, should international travel cost estimates be included in the pricing? No, Travel cost will be covered under the ODC CLIN

33. Reference Solicitation Pages 19 – 22, Addendums B&C. Also reference SF1449.

There are 7 positions listed in Addendums B & C, while there are 9 labor category CLINs in SF1449. Please clarify how the 7 positions map to the 9 labor category CLINs. The Government has updated the SF 1449 and included a Pricing Matrix that reflects the labor categories in Addendums B & C

34. Reference Solicitation Page 21, Addendum C, ISU Staffing.

“1. Lead Instructional Designer / Program Manager

• Lead the full instructional design lifecycle (ADDIE) as a contributing instructional designer while engaging the client for the learning solutions.

• Preferred qualifications- Master’s Degree in Information and Learning Technologies with an emphasis in Adult Learning from an accredited University.

• Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP)”

Please clarify whether the CPLP for the Lead Instructional Designer / Program Manager is required, or preferred. CPLP required for PM

35. Reference Solicitation Page 22, Addendum C, Subject Matter Expert (SME).

Please provide detail on the expertise required of the Contractor SME. ). Page 19 addendum B Preferred qualifications

36. Reference Solicitation Page 28, Addendum E.

Please provide an editable version of Addendum E, Past Performance Questionnaire, for completion by the offerors’ past performance references. A separate attachment has been included to allow for editing.

37. Small businesses provide essential support for the federal government often characterized by greater flexibility and more tailored service, while helping to stimulate the national economy. The small business community is well equipped to provide the essential skills needed to fulfill the tasks of this solicitation. Would DoS INL consider making this solicitation a small business set-aside? No. However, small business may still submit proposal

38. The NAICS code assigned is 541990 - All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services. We respectfully recommend that INL considers changing the NAICS code to 611430 - Professional and Management Development Training, as 611430 is more appropriate for the type of services required. The Government is not considering changing the NAICs code at this time

39. Offerors may need to make significant adjustments to their bids based on answers to questions received from INL. Given the current timeline for questions, we respectfully request a two-week extension once questions are answered. No extensions.

40. Is the incumbent contractor currently performing Can the Government provide an estimate of how many students are expected for each of these classes? Number of participants has no bearing on sustainment and implementation of course content INL PREP (8 days): up to 2 days pre and 1-day post INL Mobile (1 day): up to 1-day pre and 1-day post INL Virtual (1/2 day): up to 1-day pre and 1-day post INL Global (3 days): up to 2 days pre and 1-day post INL Recharge (3 days): up to 1-day pre and 1-day post INL CAP International Training Initiatives

41. Can the Government provide their expected instructor/student ratio? Less than 24

42. Can the Government provide their requirement on how many instructors teach each class? 3 - 4

43. Section 1 General Information, Technical Evaluation Factor 2; Proposal Requirement Instruction states, “The contractor shall submit resumes for key personnel.”

Can the Government please identify which positions are considered Key Personnel? PM instructional designer lead is considered Key Personnel; however, other position still require a resume. See page 6 “evaluation criteria.”

44. Can the Government please confirm if team personnel can fulfill multiple roles (e.g. can the team include a SME who is also an Instructor)? Yes, if they meet the criteria. See Addendum C.

45. Can the Government please identify which positions are required to work onsite in the Dulles, VA location and which positions may perform their work remotely, at contractor location? PM and training support analyst during training implementation

46. Can the Government confirm that US based Instructors can perform the International classes? Yes.

47. Can the Government confirm the number of adjunct instructors required in each OCONUS locations? See page 15.

48. How does the Scope of this PWS compare to the current contract? Following contract requirement

49. Is the “Specialized Instructor / Facilitator” (Addendum B) the only Key Personnel and the only resume required for proposal submission? No, PM/Lead instruction Designer is Key. We would want resumes for all staffing positions. See Addendum C.

50. If not, how many Key Personnel are required? Are we expected to submit resumes of Non-Key Personnel? How many overall resumes are required? See question 50

51. Does the Cover Letter for each Volume fall outside the prescribed page count? If not, what is the page limit for the Cover Letter? Cover letter does not count towards page count

52. Can the Offeror substitute CPARs for PPQs (Addendum E)? Yes

53. Can the Offeror use another clear, readable 12-point font other than Times New Roman, for instance Calibri? The Government will accept Calibri