RFP_Q&A.xlsx
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- 19AQMM19R0093
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| 19AQMM19R0093 Draft RFP Q&A | Official RFP Questions | ||||
| Question | Answer | Question | Answer | ||
| 1 | Will the final RFP contain subcontracting requirements? If so, can the government provide details of those requirements prior to the final RFP, so industry can begin forming teams? If subcontracting is required, will the government also provide the evaluation criteria for subcontracting plans? | Yes, see clause 652.219-70 in the Draft RFP. Subcontracting plan will be evaluated as well, to be a part of Factor 3. Will be reflected in official RFP. | 145 | 1. Regarding “Section I. Phase I – Performance Confidence Assessment (Past Performance)”, the requirement states, “If subcontracting, the Offeror shall also identify one subcontractor/teaming partner as their ‘significant subcontractor’ who is expected to perform aspects of the effort that the Offeror considers critical to the overall success of the program. The Offeror shall submit a maximum of two separate references for the ‘significant subcontractor’ and a maximum of one for each of the other subcontractors/teaming partners.” |
Are all teams required to identify a “significant subcontractor” among their team members? Or does the Prime have the option not to identify a “significant subcontractor” among its subcontractors, and therefore requiring each subcontractor to offer 1 PP?
| Shall has been replaced with "may". See updated instructions | |
| 2 | Are questions due 20 Feb 2019 (5 days from D-RFP) or 5 days from the live solicitation? L-006 QUESTIONS REGARDING SOLICITATION |
" (A) Prospective offerors should submit any questions regarding this solicitation in writing to the Contracting Officer. Questions should be received by close of business five (5) calendar days after issuance of this solicitation to ensure a timely response. Questions received after that date may not be answered prior to the date established for the receipt of proposals."
| That clause refers to the the draft RFP as well as the official RFP. | 146 | 2. Given the hard copy submission requirements, we would graciously ask for a 5-business-day extension for Phase I? | Accidental omission for postal option. See updated instructions. | |||
| 3 | Since this opportunity is listed in the SF1449 as an unrestricted acquisition, are there any workshare requirements or limitations that the prime must adhere to? | See answer to question 1 above. | 147 | I see on the recently released solicitation that phase one PP volume should be hand delivered to you by 7AM on March 11th. I just wanted to clarify the time and whether we would be able to coordinate for 0600 to 0700 Monday morning or should Phase 1 be delivered on Friday March 8th, prior to close of business. | See answer 146. Time will also be extended to 0900 on March 11th to accommodate hand deliveries. Please coordinate with myself if deliveries are to be by hand or courier. | |
| 4 | Regarding key personnel and resume’s listed in the RFP under CLIN 001, are these the only positions that will require resume’s as part of the proposal submission? Additionally, the number of FTEs during the base year varies across fiscal years, so it is unclear how many resumes per labor category are required. We recommend the government require one resume per labor category as a representative example of the type of personnel bidders will provide to support this effort. | The resumes required are the positions listed in CLIN 001 for FY19. All twelve (12) resumes will be required for proposal submission. | 148 | Which of TIA’s four offices will OSIP be housed within? | OSIN is going to be a new office in the TIA directorate. Until we establish the new org code (probably taking a year or more to do), we are assigned to DS/TIA, i.e. TIA front office. | |
| 5 | Does the Government anticipate the inclusion of a Program Manager as part of the final submission? If so, will this position be a funded/unfunded position, on site/off site, and will there be specified requirements or Position Description for this position? | The Government doesn't intend to include a Program Manager position at this time. All operational management will come from Gov't managers. Any adminstrative costs should be added to one of the bidders' indirect rates( Overhead, G&A, etc). | 149 | Will you consider extending the deadline for submission of Customer Satisfaction Surveys? The designated personnel that must fill out these surveys have indicated they have a full schedule and will be challenged to submit this by the deadline. | Not at this time | |
| 6 | Given the discrete and technical nature required in this solicitation, we recommend allowing more than 1 subcontractor past performance reference be included for Phase I to demonstrate the combined expertise of teams. A recommendation would be to limit the total amount of past performance references to 5, of which 2 must come from the prime offeror. | See answer 42. | 150 | Under the Evaluation Criteria for past performance complexity, we’re asked to speak to the “Number of monitored and protected equities.” Since this is classified information for most of our contracts, will we be allowed to submit general, unclassified information on this? | The information must be sufficient to evaluate for relevancy, but does not need to contain classified, specific monitoring information. | |
| 7 | The draft RPF notates an 11.5 hour work day coupled with a 45 minutes unpaid lunch period totaling 12 hours daily for those labor categories requiring 24x7x365 coverage. Please provide the shift schedules to be worked, hours worked, total weekly, monthly, annual (e.g. 2080) work per FTE , and their hours worked outside the standard 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. window Monday thru Friday? | The Government will provide a shift schedule at a later date based on12 hour shifts. | 151 | Do you need Customer Satisfaction Surveys for the Offeror’s subcontractors, as well? | If they are sending in a reference(s), yes. See the instructions, "For each reference, the Offeror shall send a corresponding Past Performance Customer Satisfaction Survey…" | |
| 8 | Does the government anticipate the payment of Shift Work Premiums as part of the base pay or as a separate CLIN? | I have added a column on the Pricing Wokrbook for OT pay rates to be proposed | 152 | Is it mandatory that Prime Offerors identify a “significant subcontractor” or is this optional? Do we have to select one of our subcontractors as “significant”? | See question 145. | |
| 9 | The draft RFP states the page limit for Phase I submissions as 10 pages. Given that up to 5 past performance references can be provided, the 10 page limit restricts the level of detail bidders can provide in order to address all of the elements required for each reference. We recommend increasing the page limitation to 15 pages to allow bidders to provide the necessary information required and present the bidding team’s collective capabilities and expertise through an executive summary. | RFP will be amended to state a maximum of 15 pages. | 153 | Respectfully request the government consider an extension to Phase 1 proposals. The draft RFP certainly assisted with preparation for release of the RFP, but the quick turn for past performances alone places an undue burden on contractors and current customers. Due to the required coordination with current customers and contracting officers review of past performance narratives and surveys that include descriptions of work that are sensitive in nature, approvals will require additional time. An extension will allow government approval time and quality responses. Will the government consider an extension to 22 March 2019? | See answer 149. The draft RFP was released on 15 Feb. | |
| 10 | Draft RFP Attachment 3 – Additional Instructions to Offerors, Section I Phase I – Performance Confidence Assessment (Past Performance) states: “Only one contract per reference is permitted. Offerors are not permitted to cite one contract multiple times to meet the minimum or maximum reference specifications of this requirement.” Would the Government please clarify whether offerors can use the same reference on multiple contracts for the same support as long as each past performance has a separate contract number? For example: a company has a contract and multiple follow-on contracts for the same support and agency (each with a separate contract number and period of performance), but the reference is the same for each contract; would the offeror be allowed to use those multiple contracts to acceptably satisfy this requirement? | Offerors shall submit one reference per effort. The references shall not be the same effort(requirement) over multiple contracts/task orders. | 154 | Due to the government’s current uncertainty regarding the timeframe for making competitive range determinations, will they consider establishing a timeframe to produce Phase II – Technical and Cost/Price Proposals after competitive determinations? | Timeframe depends on many factors. The Gov't can't accurately develop a timeframe at this moment. | |
| 11 | Draft RFP Attachment 3 – Additional Instructions to Offerors, Section I Phase I – Performance Confidence Assessment (Past Performance), Phase I Proposal format and Phase I Proposal delivery: Given the information requested by the Government for Phase I and that the offeror’s past performance references will be emailing their completed surveys to the Government, would the Government please consider allowing offerors to submit their Phase I response via email as opposed to hand delivery? | Please submit the Phase I responses as per the instructions. | 155 | Because this date falls on a Monday at the start of the day, it is very difficult for couriers to deliver a submission prior to this time as most deliveries occur prior to the close of business. For this reason, will the government consider moving the due date to 3/12/2019 at 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time? | Gov't has added option for Mailing in proposals. Also extended time to 9AM to ensure ability for contractors to hand delivery or courier proposals. | |
| 12 | Draft RFP Attachment 3 – Additional Instructions to Offerors, Section I Phase I – Performance Confidence Assessment (Past Performance), Phase I Page limitation: Would the Government allow offerors to provide a cover page that includes a disclosure statement, and allow this cover page to be outside the page limitations for Phase I? | Yes, cover page will not be included in the page limit. The RFP will be amended. | 156 | The government proceeds to list Postal with Fedex, USP, and DHS in parenthesis as options for mailing Phase I. Can the government clarify this contraction? | Clarified via Attachment 03. No USPS. | |
| 13 | On page 2 of Attachment 3, it states that the Offeror must identify a minimum of 3 prime past performance references; however, it later states that the Offeror must have been the prime for at least 2 of the references. Can the government confirm that the minimum is 2 not 3 prime references? | I have changed the instructions, see Attachment 3. | 157 | The Attachment 4 description of “magnitude” states that “the offeror’s past performance as a prime contractor will be compared to the estimated cost/price per year for this effort.” Will this comparison be done for the prime contractor only? If so, should this item be omitted from the description of a subcontractor’s past performance? | See updated attachment 4. | |
| 14 | In considering the ‘magnitude’ of an Offeror's Phase 1 past performance, will the government consider each citation as a standalone effort for comparison or would the government consider the average of the past performance references (particularly if one of these references is a large 24/7 operations with a value of $58M)? Rationale: The cost/price is not a singular determining element and the scope/complexity is better illustrated across an offerors total business base. | Changed the evaluation factor. | 158 | While we understand that you do not want to receive multiple references for essentially identical work, a single blanket contract is sometimes used by an agency for entirely separate and distinct work. Our company has a BPA with an agency that is used for a wide variety of work. We have two task orders on this BPA that utilize completely different SOWs, different labor categories, different CORs, and are used by different divisions within the agency. If the offeror can demonstrate that the work under a single contract number is very distinct and different, is it permissible to use each project as a separate reference? | Yes. See updated Attachment 03. | |
| 15 | Are the SB goals listed in the draft RFP specific for this requirement? | Yes, see clause 652.219-70 | 159 | Which other Language Classification Proficiency standards will you accept besides the ACTFL or US DOS School of Language Studies? | Please inform the CO asap for approval of the language standard you anticipate using. | |
| 16 | The minimum education / qualifications of these positions (Bachelor’s degree and 5+ years of experience or 8+ years of experience with no degree) do not align with the requirements of these positions which state that personnel must have expert knowledge of media platforms, advanced concepts, methods, and practices, etc. Most Offerors will propose rates on the minimum years of experience (objective) and not the assessment (subjective) of a candidate's knowledge. The result is a rate that will not secure a resource with the expert knowledge that the Government is seeking. We respectfully recommend increasing the minimum years of experience for both of these Labor Categories (Overseas Support Analyst and Special Programs Analyst (TS/SCI Clearance)) to “Bachelor’s degree and 10+ years of experience or 13+ years of experience with no degree”. | The Government doesn't intend to change this requirement. | 160 | In this solicitation, this is the first mention of this labor category, can you please clarify these requirements, similar to how you defined for the other labor categories? | See C.4.7 of the SOW. The langauge enabled will be TBD, not required for proposal. | |
| 17 | This section states in part "All proposed substitutes shall meet or exceed the qualifications of the person to be replaced." Given that this is anticipated to be a five year effort and that it is expected that there will be some unavoidable staff departures as well as several instances where incumbent staff will mature in their abilities to the point where they will advance to a higher labor category, will the Government consider revising this language to state "All proposed substitutes shall meet or exceed the labor category qualifications included in the RFP"? | Change made to H-016. | 161 | What is the maximum number of reference allowed for submission for the entire Phase 1 response? | There is no maximum. It depends on how many subcontractors you have. Please read it carefully. | |
| 18 | This section states in part "the Contractor agrees to assign to this contract those key persons whose resumes were submitted with the proposal necessary to fulfill the requirements of the contract." Will the Government confirm that Offerors should only submit the twelve (12) resumes for the initial staff identified in Attachment 2 - Pricing Spreadsheet? Is there a limit on how many pages are allowed for each required resume? Are resumes excluded from the 50-page count limit for the Phase II Technical Proposal? | See answer to question 4 above. There is no limit on the number of pages, but the resumes are included in the 50 page limit. | 162 | • Will the government reconsider its previous answer regarding a Program Manager labor category and position (Question # 5 from the Draft RFP Q&A)? Considering the government’s high prioritization of Management (Evaluation Factor 3) and the many management responsibilities laid out therein while simultaneously increasing the size of the contract threefold within 18 months, this is a measurable level of effort required of any vendor. While Government managers will provide invaluable leadership for the program, there are a number of responsibilities that are contractor/vendor specific and therefore require oversight by Contractor management. Furthermore, the use of indirect burdens and rates is a highly regulated process with substantial attention in the FAR. Management costs that are in direct support of a contract, such as those referenced in the RFQ, should be billable. | The Government has consdiered this, but sticks with the answer in number 5. | |
| 19 | To provide customer POCs a cleaner performance survey, respectfully recommend creating a separate Customer Satisfaction Survey Instructions document for customer POCs with instructional language for each question, and removing instructional language from the Customer Satisfaction Survey. | Contractors are able to modify the surveys as long as all of the pertitent information is included. | 163 | • Will the Government reconsider the proposal instructions to allow electronic submittal and a time that is within normal business operating hours? | Proposal instructions stay the same. Proposal deadline is 9AM on Monday, which is within normal business hours. | |
| 20 | Based on our experience staffing 24x7x365 watch centers, it is our experience that having a Project Manager/Technical SME to oversee the scheduling, operational surge, training, and to serve as the point of contact for contractual items allows for increased efficiency in communications and operational output. Will the Government consider adding a Project Manager/Technical SME position or add additional Project Manager responsibilities to an existing labor category? | See answer 5. | 164 | Please confirm that employee timecards can be accpeted in an Excel format such as Deltek reports. | As long as the pertitent information is accessible, yes. | |
| 21 | The sum function in cell E17 in each contract year tab does not include the Office Management Specialist labor hours | Fixed. | 165 | Please confirm that a Top Secret Facility clearance is required for subcontractors. Att. 4 mentions it is required Factor 3(6); Att. 3 does not include this direction. | Factor 3(6) was eliminated previously. Only subcontractors whose personnel would be required to have Top Secret personnel security clearances to perform on the contract would require a Top Secret facility clearance. | |
| 22 | Would the Government clarify if there are page limits for resumes and whether the resumes and employment agreements count towards the page limitations of the Technical proposal? | See Answer 18. | 166 | Is there a daily record-keeping system for data retrieved, analyzed and disseminated? | This process will be designed and managed by DS and is outside of the scope of this contract. | |
| 23 | Given the focus on evaluating the day-to-day functions, controls, and staffing processes of Offerors as well as and the implied focus on quality of service, we recommend adding the requirement for Offerors to include their quality assurance processes as part of the Management Approach. | Now included in the RFP. | 167 | Does the government use/want automated rule sets for alerts? | Tools and software for use by this program will be designated and implemented by DS and is outside of the scope of this contract. | |
| 24 | The Industry Day slides place emphasis on “Domestic Equities and Protectees”, the "Privacy Compliance Act of 1974", and monitoring “for threats (direct and indirect) towards designated DS equities…” To evaluate Offerors' knowledge and capabilities to meet these specific requirements of the RFP, we respectfully recommend requiring a technical approach as part of the Phase II Written Technical Proposal. | The Government doesn't intend to require this at this time. | 168 | What methods are used/required for sending to higher/lower classified domains? | These processes are outside of the scope of this contract. | |
| 25 | Recruiting flow diagrams are required in both the Staffing Approach (Factor 2) and the Management Approach (Factor 3). Please clarify if this is intentional or if there are different aspects to recruiting process flows (either from a management or technical perspective) that the Government is seeking. | Eliminated Recruiting flow diagrams from management approach section. | 169 | Does the government anticipate a need for upgraded data management for enhanced analysis and dissemination? | Tools and software for use by this program will be designated and implemented by DS and is outside of the scope of this contract. | |
| 26 | Would the Government confirm a “binding bilateral employment agreement” is a signed offer letter? | Yes, confirmed | 170 | Please confirm that offerors' teams will be final and submitted with Phase II. | The teaming arrangements should be final as of Phase I as the Government will only be evaluating performance confidence during phase I. | |
| 27 | Based on the Government's focus on Offerors' internal business processes, we recommend requiring Offerors to have a certified ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System (QMS). This external, third party verification of an organization's QMS helps to ensure organizations are appropriately investing in quality management of its internal processes (recruiting, staffing, employee care, accounting/finance, etc.) thereby reducing delivery risks for the Government. | The Government doesn't intend to require this at this time. | 171 | We recommend that the binding bilateral employment agreements either not be included in the proposal as we must already include Letters of Commitment or if they must be included then they should NOT count against page count due to the variable length of employment agreements (on average of five to ten pages per employment agreement). | See updated Attachment 04. Binding bilateral employment agreement are excluded from the page count | |
| 28 | We respectfully recommend that the Government consider adding hours for a Special Programs Analyst starting on 6/1/19. Having this position staffed at award would provide senior-level technical subject matter expertise and on-site management to facilitate initial operating capability including support for over-the-shoulder training, development of SOPs, analytic techniques, and innovation. | The Government doesn't intend to require this at this time. | 172 | DoD reinvestigations are now performed every 6 years. Must our personnel requiring SCI access have a completed background investigation within the last five years, or is within six years acceptable? | Though the standard has previously been for contractor personnel to have an investigation current within the past five years, given the current DoD policy with regard to the timing of periodic reinvestigations, the Department of State will accept investigations current within six years. | |
| 29 | Based on our experience staffing 24x7x365 watch centers in the Northern VA area, it is our experience that 8-hour shifts are preferred over 12-hour shifts. Using an 8-hour schedule provides increased stability and predictability for watch-standers, accommodates vacation and sick days more easily, balances weekend work, and facilitates response to operational surges. The FBI's CT Watch operates as follows: - CT Watch has three 8-hour shifts (0600 - 1400), (1400 - 2200), and (2200 - 0600) - The shifts run 24/7/365 and are generally on two rotations: Sunday - Thursday or Tuesday - Saturday- There is one individual who works a "Swing Shift (1200 - 2000) =- There is some fluidity to The schedule as some workers will come in early or stay late to make up hours or to complete a class or certification. - Watch schedules are usually made about 1-2 months out and are very flexible with regard to requesting time off. - From a "seasoned" watch stander perspective, 8-hour shifts allow employees to develop more of a permanent "normal" schedule than a 12 hour shift. Would the Government be open to considering alternatives to the 12-hour watch shift? | An 8 hour shift schedule is not in the best interest of the government at this time, but the shift schedule may change during contract performance. | 173 | It is stated that personnel not possessing a current SSBI (issued within the last five years) are required to be processed for an SSBI. DoD will not process such requests prior to six years unless the individual requires access to SAP. Is six years acceptable? | Though the standard has previously been for contractor personnel to have an investigation current within the past five years, given the current DoD policy with regard to the timing of periodic reinvestigations, the Department of State will accept investigations current within six years. | |
| 30 | Would the Government consider differential rates for shift work on nights and weekends? This is a common arrangement for contracts requiring shift work. | Bidders should include any differential rates in their fully burdened labor rates. | 174 | If personal protective equipment (PPE) is required during OCONUS travel, is the Government responsible for issuing and recovering PPE from contractors? | Yes. | |
| 31 | Whether companies from Outside USA can apply for this? (like,from India or Canada) | To perform on the contract, the company must be eligible for a facility security clearance. Only US firms incorporated in the United States are eligible for a facility security clearance. | 175 | For instances of OCONUS travel to countries with high threat levels requiring the use of PPE, is the contractor required to attend any specific training prior to travel? If yes: |
Is this training local?
Is this training cost/travel reimbursable?
| HTC are not seen as potential destinations at this time, but the training would be State specific in DC Region and costs reimburesable. | |||||
| 32 | Whether we need to come over there for meetings? | See Clause G-006. | 176 | If the shift schedule changes during contract performance, will the Government increase contractor staffing to accommodate additional personnel required to meet the operational demand to staff additional shifts? | If there is a necessity for an increase to personnel, yes. |
| 33 | Can we perform the tasks (related to RFP) outside USA? (like, from India or Canada) | Performance is required at Gov't facilities in Arlington, VA. | 177 | As specified in the RFP, in the event of an emergency or crisis, are alternate work locations located within or outside of the NVA/NCR areas? If outside of normal commuting distance in NVA/NCR, is travel, lodging, per diem, etc. reimbursable? | In case of an emergency, the contract employee will report to the normal place of business unless notified otherwise. |
| 34 | Can we submit the proposals via email? | Please submit the bidder proposal responses as per the instructions. | 178 | Would the Government please clarify whether individual salaries should be redacted from any bilateral employment agreements provided in the Technical Proposal? | No, the salaries should remain. |
| 35 | According to RFP Section H-007, “the Contractor shall, at no additional expense to this contract, provide and maintain, in addition to any other insurance coverage required elsewhere in this contract, the following types of insurance in the amounts specified.” It then proceeds to list (a) Workers’ Compensation and Employer’s Liability, (b) General Liability, (c) Automobile Liability, Aircraft Public and Passenger Liability, and Vessel Liability. The RFP does not currently address government mandated Defense Base Act Insurance (DBAI) and the cost recovery of this mandated insurance when contract employees deploy. With the unknown OCONUS travel associated with this contract, will the government authorize the reimbursement of DBAI for OCONUS travel on a cost reimbursable basis and subject to applicable FAR provisions. | DBAI costs will be covered under the COST CLINs for Travel and ODCs. | 179 | Would the Government please confirm that Phase II proposals may also be delivered via non-USPS delivery services (e.g., FedEx, UPS, DHL), as was provided for under the instructions for Phase I proposals in solicitation Amendment 001? | That is correct. See updated Attachment 03. |
| 36 | Phase I of the Performance Confidence Assessment states, “For at least 2 of the references, the Offeror must have been the prime.” Due to the limited number of Open Source Intelligence services contracts across Industry, and to ensure the government receives the most highly relevant teaming and technical experience, will the government please confirm the 2 Prime Past Performances are related to cumulative experience of the team.” | See changed evlaution factors. | 180 | Under Subfactor #1: Relevant Experience, bullet 3, Complexity, |
can the Government please define “LE adjacent work” as it appears in the following sentence?: “…interaction with Intelligence Community (IC) and Law Enforcement (LE) community, LE adjacent work, operations requiring language and cultural expertise services).”
| Defined as investigative or analytical functions in support of formal law enforcement operations | |||||
| 37 | According to Attachment 3, Evaluation Factor 2: Staffing Approach, “The Offeror shall submit a resume for each key personnel proposed for the contract. Instructions for the identification of Key Personnel for this contract are identified in Section H-016.” The Draft RFP appears to be missing section H-010 through H-019. Will the government please provide the missing sections or provide a list of Key Personnel requirements? | Added H-015. All others are not applicable to this requirement. Requirements for Key Personnel is listed in Instructions under Factor 1, (2) (g) | 181 | How long does the Government want for offers to be valid? | 180 days. See updated attachment 03. |
| 38 | 1. Attachment 3 - Additional Instructions to Offerors, I. Phase I - Performance Confidence Assessment (Past Performance): Can the government please clarify if the prime offeror must submit two past performance references where they were the prime, or can subcontractors/teaming partners use their past performance references to fulfill the two prime references required? | See answer 6. | 182 | Please confirm the Government considers this a Service Contract Act covered contract, and provide the relevant Wage Determination. | That is correct. See updated RFP WD attachment. The SCA clauses were appropriately "checked". |
| 39 | 19AQMM19R0093 – Draft RFP, C-001 Statement of Work, Labor Categories: Can the government please specify to which OCONUS region(s) personnel may be required to travel, and the anticipated length of stay for OCONUS travel? | Infortmation related to OCONUS travel is unavailable at this time. | 183 | "This single award is a Time and Materials / Labor Hour Contract with fixed prices.” |
| Please clarify the reference to “fixed prices”, as none of the CLINS appear to be fixed price (maybe intended to be Fixed Ceiling Price?) | Yes, it is T&M/LH, but the rates are fixed. The labor rates will not change unless there is a change order. | |||||
| 40 | 1. 19AQMM19R0093 – Draft RFP, C-001 Statement of Work, Labor Categories: Can the government please address if contractors are allowed to offer shift differentials for those personnel working on 12-hour night or weekend shifts? | See answer 30. | 184 | The Government requires employee timecards. So as to avoid any appearance of personal services, will a printout from the Contractor’s timekeeping system satisfy this requirement? | Yes | |
| 41 | 1. 19AQMM19R0093 – Draft RFP, H-016 Key Personnel: Can the government please clarify if resumes are required for each of the 11 key personnel, or if resumes are only needed for the 12 personnel listed for the first three months of contract performance (four Monitoring Specialists III, four Monitoring Specialists Arabic, four Overseas Support Analysts)? | Resumes in the RFP process are required for only the personnel that will be performing during FY19, i.e.. the 12 personnel. | 185 | Small Business Goals. |
a.Please clarify if the designated percentages are based on total subcontracted dollars or total awarded dollars.
| b.Omnibus Goals – please clarify these in relations to the ones identified in B1- though B5. In addition, which subclassification(s) of businesses are included in your terminology of “minority business”? | Please see clause 52.219-9 Alt II (d)(1) for subcontracting plan instructions. The Omnibus goals are not applicable as seen in the clause. | |||||
| 42 | 1. Limiting each subcontractor to a single citation does not take into consideration the role each subcontractor may have. We recommend the Government allow for the prime offeror to name one “significant subcontractor” and allow for two past performance references from the “significant subcontractor” while limiting all other subcontractors to a single citation. This will enable the Government to better understand the make up of each team during the Phase 1 competitive range determinations. | Changes made to Instructions paragraph "I". | 186 | DBA insurance is recoverable under Travel/ODC CLINs so iit would be part of the plug numbers. | If this is a question, the answer is yes. | |
| 43 | 1. Attachment 4 – Evaluation Factors for Award states “For subcontractors/teaming partners, the relevancy determination will focus on the present and past work history as it relates to the specific role and scope of work the subcontractor/teaming partner is proposed to perform for this effort.” How will the Government make this determination during Phase I? | See instructions, phase I proposal content, (9). | 187 | If Offerors do not intend to utilize subcontractors in the performance of this contract, would the Government confirm that a Small Business Subcontracting Plan is not required to be submitted with proposals? | A subcontracting plan is required for large businesses, but not required if proposing as a small business. | |
| 44 | 1. Attachment 4 – Evaluation Factors for Award states “To arrive at an overall Performance Confidence Rating for each Offeror, the evaluation team will consider: · The context of present and past efforts (i.e. previous performance as prime; contractor or subcontractor) in relation to the Offeror’s proposed role on this effort; · The percentage of effort the prime and each subcontractor is contributing to the effort;”o How will the Government determine proposed role and percentage of effort during Phase I? | See answer 43. | 188 | Offerors are required to acknowledge all RFP amendments, if any, by signing and returning the SF30. Would the Government provide the SF 30 for the second amendment that was posted on March 2, 2019? | It will be posted asap. | |
| 45 | 1. These services require over night work which requires different rates than the daytime positions. We recommend the Government provide a means for offerors to price the overnight hours. | See answer 30. | 189 | The RFP document contains FAR clause 52.222-17, Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers. With there not having been a predecessor contract, would the Government remove this clause as it does not seem to be applicable? | Removed the check mark. | |
| 46 | 1. Please confirm that Phase II Technical is more important than Phase I Past Performance | During trade-off, all three of non-cost factors are of equal importance. | 190 | The RFP states investigations on contractor personnel that have been conducted within the past five years, which meet the investigative requirements and adjudicative standards, set forth in ICD 704 may serve as a basis for granting access approval. At this time, however, DSS and IC communities are moving to Continuous Evaluation (CE) or Continuous Monitoring (CM). A person who is in CE or CM has been reviewed and is considered to be in good standing. In such a case, a periodic reinvestigation is not completed and they are not issued a new Background Investigation (BI) date, which means an individual could have a BI date of 6 years but be in a CE/CM status and eligible. Given this new process, would the Government consider revising the RFP security requirements to state that the Government will accept an individual who is in a CE/CM status? | Currently obtaining an answer from security. | |
| 47 | 1. How do non-price factors relate to price? (equal or more important) | When combined the non-cost/price factors are significantly more important than cost/price | 191 | RFP Section B-010, states “This single award is a Time and Materials/Labor Hour Contract with fixed prices.” Is it the Government’s intention that the “fixed prices” will be calculated by applying provided hours against the T&M rates proposed for each Labor category? If yes, does the Government intend to treat the resulting contract as a Firm Fixed Price contract (for Labor only), to be invoiced to the Government in 12 equal monthly installments for each contract year? | No, please see answer 183. | |
| 48 | 1. Please confirm the Monitoring Specialist - (Secret) (Language Enabled TBD) will not be evaluated as part of the total evaluated price. | No it will not. | 192 | Will the government provide a timeframe it expects to make its evaluation and determination of the Phase I proposals and notify offerors of their inclusion in or exclusion to participate in Phase II? | Many proposals were submitted. The Government will hopefully make a determination by 03/29. Offerors will be notified yes. | |
| 49 | 1. Please confirm that resumes and signed letters of commitment are required for all 12 positions required at contract start on 6/3/19. | Yes. | 193 | Will the government provide an anticipated Phase II proposal due date or the period of time it will require offerors to complete Phase II proposals? | A timeframe between 21 and 30 days for Phase II submission. | |
| 50 | 1. Please confirm the number of key personnel resumes required with Phase II submission. | The initial FY19 twelve personnel. | 194 | During Phase II, will the government allow a period of time for offerors to submit clarification questions? | No more questions after this willl be answered. | |
| 51 | 1. Please confirm that the prime offerors past performance references and subcontractor references are limited to a maximum of 10 pages. | Changed to 15 pages. The 15 pages are for the phase I proposal, the references are separate. | 195 | Please confirm that the SB Subcontracting Plan is excluded from page count as only large companies are required to submit one and would put large companies at a disadvantage in including all requirements within 50 pages. | Yes, it is excluded. | |
| 52 | 1. What is the expected timeline for making competitive range determinations following the submission of Phase I? | Unknown, it depends on a variety of factors, including how many proposals are received. | 196 | Please confim SEC filings such as 10K and 10Q are acceptable and in compliance with the requirements of Section 4 Business Management Section. | Yes they are acceptable as long as you point to the proper section to make your point. | |
| 53 | 1. Please confirm that everything required within Attachment 3 Instructions, 4. Business Management is outside of the 50 page limit for Phase II. | There is no page limitation for the cost/price volume. | 197 | We discovered part of the original question was not answered, and is important to developing the required Small Business Subcontracting plan. |
Would you please clarify, if the designated percentages are based on total subcontracted dollars or total awarded dollars.
| The mandated percentage goals are based on total subcontracted dollars, NOT total award dollars. | |||||
| 54 | For the Option Year CLINs, can the Government advise how the fiscal year (FY) FTE #’s align with Option Years for pricing purposes? | I don't understand your question, it is fairly straightforward in regards to pricing and the number of FTEs. | 198 | Please confirm Large Business Prime Offerors can fulfill Section 5 iii of Additional Instructions (Subcontracting Plan IAW Clause 52.219-9 Alt II and 652.219-70) by including this Plan in the Cost/Price Proposal or as a separate attachment. The SB Subcontracting Plan is only required of large prime offerors, and including all requirements within 50 pages of the Technical Proposal would put large companies at a disadvantage. | The Subcontracting Plan is excluded in regards to page count. See Attachment 03. |
| 55 | Are bidders required to complete the Unit Prices per CLIN Lot in the SF 1449 Line Item Summary as these do not align to the individual Labor Category Rates? | They do align. There are different numbers of FTEs by FY, but the rates should theoretically be the same, but that's ultimately up to the bidder to decide. | 199 | Please confim SEC filings such as 10K and 10Q are acceptable and in compliance with the requirements of Section 4 Business Management Section. | See question 196 |
| 56 | Item (g) requires a resume for each key personnel proposed. H-016 lists 12 labor categories as key: |
1. Monitoring Specialist I (Secret) (SOW C.4.1)
2. Monitoring Specialist II (Secret) (SOW C.4.2)
3. Monitoring Specialist III (Secret) (SOW C.4.3)
4. Monitoring Specialist IV (Secret) (SOW C.4.5)
5. Monitoring Specialist III (TS/SCI) (SOW C.4.4)
6. Monitoring Specialist IV (TS/SCI) (SOW C.4.6)
7. Monitoring Specialist - (Secret) (Arabic) (SOW C.4.7)
8. Monitoring Specialist - (Secret) (Language Enabled TBD) (SOW C.4.7)
9. Overseas Support Analyst - (TS/SCI) (SOW C.4.8)
10. Special Programs Analyst - (TS/SCI) (SOW C.4.9)
11. Logistics Coordinator - (TS) (SOW C.4.10)
12. Office Management Specialist - (TS) (SOW C.4.11)
Can the Government confirm resumes for the above 12 labor categories are required?
If a resume is required for the Monitoring Specialist - (Secret) (Language Enabled TBD), can the offeror select the language to be represented in the resume?
| No, only resumes for the twelve personnel that perform at the start of Base Year. | 200 | The solicitation documents include an Attachment 5, “Explanation of Benefits;” however this attachment is not referenced anywhere in the proposal preparation instructions. If a completed Attachment 5 form is to be provided as part of the proposal response, would the Government please indicate in which proposal volume it is to be included, and whether all subcontractors are also required to complete the form? If the form is required from all subcontractors, please confirm that the forms are not counted in the 50-page limit on the Technical Volume. | See updated Attachment 03 and 04. Offeror and Subcontractors are required to provide the form. The forms will be counted as part of the 50 pages. | |||
| 57 | Can resumes, signed statements of permission, and bilateral employment agreements be excluded from the 50 page limitation in the Technical Volume? | No, they are included. | 201 | Attachment 5 is formatted with 11-point fonts, which is inconsistent with the 12-point font requirement specified by Amendment 04. Should Attachment 5 be required as part of the proposal submission, would the Government confirm that the 11-point font size, which is native to the form, is acceptable? | The 11 point font is acceptable. | |
| 58 | Item 2. requires offerors to depict a structure “flowing down to the DoS organizations to be supported” and contractor staff “assigned to each DoS organization.” Can the Government provide a list or structure of the DoS organizations to be supported by this contract? | Changed instructions and evaluation factors. | 202 | Given that the Government is requesting detailed proprietary information that is not commonly shared between teaming partners, will the Government allow our subcontractors to submit their completed Attachment 5 in a separate email directly to the Government, following the Phase II Proposal delivery instructions included in Attachment 3? | Yes, the explanation of benefits from subcontractors can be sent directly to the Gov't. | |
| 59 | Factor 2 Staffing Approach and Factor 3 Management Approach each require a recruiting flow diagram and a description of the recruiting process. Can the Government clarify in which section the offeror should address this requirement? | See answer 25. | 203 | If the Government allows subcontractors to submit their completed Attachment 5 as a separate email, will the subcontractor’s submission count against the page limitation for the Phase II Technical Proposal? | Yes it will, the Offeror shall coordinate with their subcontractor(s) on the subcontractor's submission page count to ensure compliance with 50 page limit. | |
| 60 | 1. Is this a new requirement? | Yes | 204 | The revised instructions of Amendment 5 that require Attachment 5 “Explanation of Benefits” forms to be included within the 50-page limit of the Technical Volume puts large businesses at a disadvantage, as small business have no requirement to meet SB subcontracting goals, and therefore no need to enlist the services of additional partners to meet all requisite socio-economic categories. Would the Government please allow Explanation of Benefits forms to be excluded from page count to allow for fair competition between large and small businesses? | All of the firms that were included the competitive range are Large Businesses under NAICS 541990. Therefore, everyone is on an even playing field. | |
| 61 | 1. Is there an incumbent contractor currently performing the work? | No | 205 | Given the impact to proposals created by the revised instructions contained in Amendment 5, we respectfully request a one-week extension in the due date associated with this solicitation. | The Government is not going to extend the deadline at this time. | |
| 62 | 1. Historically, has there been a contractor performing similar or exact scope of work? If yes, what are the company’s? | Unknown. | ||||
| 63 | Regarding Attachment 4 Evaluation Factors -- How long of an evaluation period will there be between Phase I and Phase II? | Unknown at this time. | ||||
| 64 | Regarding Section H-016 Key Personnel of the Draft RFP, 6 Labor Categories are enumerated, and in the Draft Pricing Spreadsheet for the Base Year, it enumerates 4 Monitoring Specialist III, 4 Monitoring Specialist (Arabic) and 4 Overseas Support Specialist for a total of 12 FTE’s - Who are considered Key Personnel for proposal submission? And how many resumes are required for proposal submission? | See answer 41. | ||||
| 65 | DRFP SOW Section C.4.7. The government identifies all dialects are required for Arabic Language Enabled Monitoring Specialists. There are seven regional language groups holding 30+ common Arabic Dialects. Although most Arabic linguists are skilled in more than one dialect within a regional language group, it is nearly impossible for bidders to meet this requirement as written with the number of projected FTEs identified on the 13 February 2019 Industry Day Slide 6 and listed on pages 2-6 of the DRFP. Will the government please specify the specific dialect(s) required for this contract, so bidders can meet the key personnel requirement and properly bid this work? | See updated SOW for dialects. | ||||
| 66 | DRFP Line Item Summary Descriptions Summary (Pages 2-6) and SOW Section C.4.7. The government identifies “Others at government discretion” in reference to types of Language Enabled Monitoring Specialists required. All languages are not equal in the availability of linguists, market salaries for various linguists, etc. Without clarifying the types of languages, it is nearly impossible to properly bid these TBD positions. Will the government consider either identifying all languages required to be bid or remove this portion from section C.4.7? | Bidders do not need to bid a price for C.4.7. | ||||
| 67 | DRFP Section H-016 “Key Personnel” (page 46), Identifies all labor categories as key personnel. Will the government please clarify if just one position within each labor category is key personnel requiring a resume or if 100% of all FTEs are key personnel with a requirement to submit resumes in the proposal for every position? | See answer 64. | ||||
| 68 | Attachment 2 Pricing Sheet. The Government placed the number of hours contracted per labor category in Column E. Will the Government please confirm that 2080 is the required level of effort (LOE) per full-time employee (FTE)/per a full year or does the Government want a contractor to propose an alternative LOE? | Based on the amount of hours for 24x7x365, 2,080 plus some estimated Overtime is required per FTE. | ||||
| 69 | Industry Day information articulated that the monitoring labor category specialists will be required to use the Department of State (DoS) OSIN Tools and DoS will provide the necessary training. Draft RFP Sections C.4.1, C.4.2, C.4.3, C.4.4, C.4.5, C.4.6, and C.4.7 does not list this requirement under training. What are the location, length, and timeframe upon hire for the required DoS OSIN Tools training? Will this training have a travel requirement or is it on the job training? | The govt will provide all necessary training. | ||||
| 70 | Draft RFP section C.4.11 office management specialist (top secret (TS) clearance) articulates the requirement for an undergraduate degree and 2+ years of specialized office experience preferred. All other labor categories specifically identify a requirement for a bachelor degree. Understanding that undergraduate degrees are either associate or bachelor. Is the requirement for the office management specialist to possess at least an associate degree or bachelor degree? | Associate's Degree. | ||||
| 71 | Draft RFP section H-005, Page 41 EMERGENCY PERSONNEL identifies that personnel performing on this contract may be required to be designated as an Emergency Employee. Will the Government please clarify which labor categories are to be considered Emergency Employees or if all contract personnel are considered Emergency Employees since this requires upfront identification to applicants as part of their duty description and responsibilities? | See updated SOW descriptions. | ||||
| 72 | Draft RFP section H-034, Page 45 Additional Security Requirements articulates that all personnel performing under this contract shall be U.S. citizens with a security clearance at the SECRET or TOP SECRET level. Specific TS-cleared personnel, if required by their position and assignment, will be required to be indoctrinated to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI). |
PART 1 - For TS cleared positions requiring SCI adjudication at the time of hire, is Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS) acceptable, or is it the intent of the Government to conduct their own SCI adjudication following hire?
PART 2 - Additionally, are TS/SCI eligible employees who are in Scattered Castles and/or JPAS acceptable to the Government?
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