FA4_Draft_RFP_QAs_Consolidated_Responses.pdf

DRAFT RFP 19AQMM18R0252 – CONSOLIDATED Q&As

Section / Attachment Number

Page Number and Paragraph Solicitation Requirement Question / Recommendation Government’s Response

1. C-003 Main Performance Areas

Pg. 29 of 146 Par. 1.5

“The contractor may be required to complete repairs of tactical and commercial equipment, components, accessories, assemblies, sub-assemblies, and plug-in units.”

What does the government consider Tactical Equipment?

Reference to “tactical and commercial” will be removed. Repairs may be required on a wide variety of equipment.

2. C-003 Main Performance Areas

Pg. 30 of 146 Par. 1.11

“The contractor maybe required to manage and maintain emergency back-up power generation systems and make arrangements for the provision of potable water.”

Does the government anticipate water treatment plants for potable water or is the provision of potable water in reference to bottled water only?

Both.

3. C-003 Main Performance Areas

Pg. 31 of 146 Par. 1.14

“Waste characterization and source reduction studies”

What does the government consider waste characterization?

Waste characterization means finding out how much paper, glass, food waste, etc., are discarded in your waste stream. Waste characterization information helps in planning how to reduce waste, set up recycling programs, and conserve money and resources.

For examples, refer to:

https://www2.calrecycle.ca.gov/WasteCharacteriz ation/Study.

4. F-005 Page 43, Par 1 Place of Performance How many locations in Colombia will require personnel to be assigned?

Actual performance locations will be provided via Task Order Proposal Request (TOPR). The information is not known at this time.

5. F-005 Page 43, Par 1 Place of Performance How many locations in Mexico will require personnel to be assigned?

Actual performance locations will be provided via TOPR. The information is not known at this time.

https://www2.calrecycle.ca.gov/WasteCharacterization/Study https://www2.calrecycle.ca.gov/WasteCharacterization/Study

Page Number and Paragraph Solicitation Requirement Question / Recommendation Government’s Response

6. Section G-008(h) Section H-043 Section M-012

p. 58

p. 88

p. 146

p. 58 When submitting backup documentation in other currencies, the Contractor shall provide sufficient documentation to support the currency conversion from the currency of payment to USD, to include the applicable exchange rate for the day the cost was incurred.

p. 88 The USD rates applicable to each task order will remain fixed for the duration of the task order and will not be subject to adjustment due to exchange rate fluctuations.

p. 146 For price evaluation purposes only, the Government will convert all local currency fully-loaded hourly labor rates to United States dollars by utilizing the Department of State’s International Currency Exchange rate (http://ice.cgfs.state.sbu/) in effect as follows:

(1) The date specified for receipt of proposals, if award is made without discussions; or

(2) The date specified for receipt of final proposal revisions, if award is made with discussions.

On page 58 the government states that incurred cost will we converted at exchange rate applicable on the day they are incurred. Following that statement on p.88 it is noted that exchange rates will remain fixed for the full term of the task order. In task order operation does the government intent to convert local currency cost to US Dollars at a rate in line with the exchange when these cost were incurred, or at the mentioned fixed rate negotiated at the task order level?

The second sentence in Section G-008(h) on page 58 refers to a task order type for which Government payment is based on the contractor’s actual costs incurred. Therefore and for example, the Government does not require documentation to support the currency conversion for a firm-fixed-price task order (or CLIN), unless progress payments based on costs apply.

In the final RFP, such second sentence will read, “When submitting backup documentation in other currencies, which applies to a task order type for which Government payment is based on the Contractor’s actual costs incurred (e.g., Materials portion of T&M type), the Contractor shall provide sufficient documentation to support the currency conversion from the currency of payment to USD, to include the applicable exchange rate for the day the cost was incurred.”

Sections H-043 and M-012 remain unchanged, except that the Government will substitute the current URL with another URL (e.g., https://www.x-rates.com/) in the final RFP.

7. H-003 Licenses, Bonds, and Permits

Pg. 62 of 146

“The Contractor shall provide any official bonds and/or licenses required for the performance of this contract.”

(a) Will contractors need license by task order proposal submission date or start date?

(b) Can the government provide a list of any anticipated countries in addition to Colombia and Mexico?

(a) Depends. Requirement will be established via

TOPR.

(b) Not at this time.

http://ice.cgfs.state.sbu/ https://www.x-rates.com/

Page Number and Paragraph Solicitation Requirement Question / Recommendation Government’s Response

8. Section H-018 Contractor Personnel Performing Under Worldwide Department of State Contracts

Pg. 73 of 146 Par. (g) Military clothing and protective equipment

“The contractor shall provide deployable personnel with identifiable uniforms.”

Should military clothing and PPE costs be priced into FF labor rates or will this be considered an

ODC?

Section L-016(C)(b)(20) reads in part, “Each negotiated NTE fully-loaded hourly labor rate consists of an unloaded hourly labor rate, any labor-related direct costs (e.g., any direct fringe benefits, any direct bonuses), all costs associated with satisfying any local labor laws, applicable indirect costs, and profit amount. It does not include any other costs.”

Therefore, military clothing and personnel protective equipment (and other ODCs/non-labor-related direct costs) shall be excluded from the proposed NTE fully-loaded hourly labor rates.

These items will not be negotiated at the IDIQ level. Each will be proposed and negotiated as a separate line item at the task order level.

9. Section H-018 Contractor Personnel Performing Under Worldwide Department of State Contracts

Par. (o) Contractor Support

All contractor or subcontractor employees under this contract shall be in good general health and possess up-to-date inoculations for both domestic and international travel in areas where service will be performed.

(a) Should medical examinations be priced into the NTE FF Labor Rates?

(b) Inoculations for domestic and international travel are sometimes location / country specific.

Are these costs to be priced into the NTE FFP Labor Rates or will inoculation costs be considered an ODC item?

(a) No. See Government’s Response to Question 8.

(b) No. See Government’s Response to Question

Page Number and Paragraph Solicitation Requirement Question / Recommendation Government’s Response

10. Section H-020 Language Proficiency

Page 77 of 146 “When a particular language is identified as a requirement in a position description, both verbal and written fluency is required. The Contractor shall provide proof of language certification when submitting resumes.

Language proficiency certifications will generally follow the criteria established in 3

FAH-2 H-400.

Language testing shall be accomplished through the U.S. Embassy approved providers.”

(a) Are the costs of language testing to be built into the NTE FFP labor rates or is this an ODC item?

(b) Can the government provide the list of U.S Embassy approved providers in order to price this requirement?

(c) Can the government provide language proficiency testing requirements (i.e. Spanish English 3/3)

(a) No. See Government’s Response to Question

(b) List will be provided via TOPR.

(c) Language proficiency requirements for IDIQ-specified labor categories will be included in the final RFP.

11. H-043 Conversion of Local Currency & M- 012 Price Evaluation

“The local currency fully-loaded hourly labor rates shall be converted to USD using the Department of State’s International Currency Exchange Rate (http://ice.cgfs.state.sbu/)”

“Government will convert all local currency fully-loaded hourly labor rates to United States dollars by utilizing the Department of State’s International Currency Exchange rate (http://ice.cgfs.state.sbu)”

Note URL is subject to change

(a) This URL is not valid. Please provide a valid site URL.

(b) Will the government accept the use of other Currency Exchange Rate websites?

(a) and (b) The URL is valid to Department of State personnel. However, the Government will substitute the current URL with another URL (e.g., https://www.x-rates.com/) in the final RFP.

http://ice.cgfs.state.sbu/

Page Number and Paragraph Solicitation Requirement Question / Recommendation Government’s Response

12. C Volume III – Price Proposal and Attachment 8

Pg. 129 of 146 Par. C. (b) 8)

“Therefore, such rates shall reflect the dollar amount the offeror anticipates to receive through the duration of this potential contract”.

Attachment 8 - Tables 1 & 2 have examples of how to complete the table. These tables do not have a column for dollar amount anticipated.

Please revise these tables to include a column to provide the dollar amount requested.

Pricing Tables 1 and 2 require no revision.

When developing the indirect cost rates proposed in Pricing Tables 1 and 2, offerors should refer to FAR 31.203(c), which reads in part, “The contractor shall accumulate indirect costs by logical cost groupings with due consideration of the reasons for incurring such costs. The contractor shall determine each grouping so as to permit use of an allocation base that is common to all cost objectives to which the grouping is to be allocated. The base selected shall allocate the grouping on the basis of the benefits accruing to intermediate and final cost objectives.” (bolding added for emphasis)

Offerors are further advised to refer to FAR 42.704(b), which reads in part, “In establishing billing rates, the contracting officer (or cognizant Federal agency official) or auditor should ensure that the billing rates are as close as possible to the final indirect cost rates anticipated for the contractor’s fiscal period, as adjusted for any unallowable costs.” (bolding added for emphasis)

Therefore, offerors shall rely on their own business forecast to derive the dollar amount that they anticipate to receive through the duration of this potential contract (and other potential contracts and existing contracts), and subsequently, their indirect cost rates proposed in Pricing Tables 1 and 2. See also Section L- 016(C)(b)(29).

Page Number and Paragraph Solicitation Requirement Question / Recommendation Government’s Response

13. Section L Vol III Pricing Table 4, rows 149,157

p. 131-132

In Pricing Table 4, the proposed NTE fully-loaded hourly labor rates shall be in United States dollars, Colombian pesos, or Mexican pesos. Pricing Table 4 shows, as part of the CLIN identifier, “US,” “C,” or “M.”

In Pricing Table 4, the Government provided formulas to calculate automatically each proposed Subtotal, Total, and Overall Proposed Price.

The government requests all fully loaded labor rates to be provided in the local currencies, but the government provided total costs calculations do not include any exchange rate conversion. Please modify the excel sheets or provide further instruction to this means.

Section M-012 reads in part, “For price evaluation purposes only, the Government will convert all local currency fully-loaded hourly labor rates to United States dollars by utilizing the Department of State’s International Currency Exchange rate (http://ice.cgfs.state.sbu/) in effect as follows:

(1) The date specified for receipt of proposals, if award is made without discussions; or

(2) The date specified for receipt of final proposal revisions, if award is made with discussions.”

The foregoing refers to Pricing Table 4.

However, the Government will substitute the current URL with another URL (e.g., https://www.x-rates.com/) in the final RFP.

14. C. Volume III – Price Proposal

Pg. 131 of 146 Par. (b) Price Proposal Instructions 16)

16) In Pricing Table 4, the proposed NTE fully-loaded hourly labor rates shall be in United States dollars, Colombian pesos, or Mexican pesos.

Please verify if the NTE full-loaded hourly labor rates shall be priced separately for each of the three currencies.

The rest of Section L-016(C)(b)(16) and the first three notes in Pricing Table 4 indicate that the NTE fully-loaded hourly labor rates shall be proposed in accordance with the Pricing Table 4 CLIN identifier of “US,” “C,” or “M” (in column A).

Therefore, the NTE fully-loaded hourly labor rates proposed in Pricing Table 4 for each given labor category shall be proposed in one currency only.

15. D. Volume IV – Corporate Experience

Pg. 134 of 146

“Provide a list of up to ten (10) corporate experience references.”

Will there be a minimum number of corporate experience references required?

No.

Page Number and Paragraph Solicitation Requirement Question / Recommendation Government’s Response

16. D. Volume IV – Corporate Experience

Pg. 134 of 146

“The Government will consider recent and relevant corporate experience of the offeror to be more significant than similar corporate experience of a major subcontractor.”

Is there a minimum and/or a maximum number of corporate experience references required from major subcontractors?

No more than 10 total references may be provided. It is up to the Offeror to decide how to divide these references among the Offeror and major subcontractors.

17. Attachment 8 All Pricing Tables, IDIQ Prices (Table 4) Call all prices be in U.S. Dollars?

No. See Government’s Response to Question 14, and Section’s H-043 (for task order level) and M- 012 (for IDIQ level).

18. General Can the construction type be defined per NAICS codes or more specifically horizontal or vertical construction?

NAICS codes are included in Section C-003.

While most likely horizontal construction will be required, the Government reserves the right to perform vertical construction if required.

19. General Which Government entity or entities (i.e. DOD, DOA, etc.) are anticipated to use the contract vehicle?

Department of State (DOS).

20. General Are there incumbent contractors providing these services now at Mexico and Colombia Project Offices or will all work be performed in the field?

There are no incumbents for this contemplated IDIQ contract.