Interested Party Questions BPF Final 9 25 2023.xlsx
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- Book Print Personalization Facilities
- Solicitation number
- 19AQMM23R0004
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| BPF Maintenance Sheet_JUL2023.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| WD 2015-5113 Rev 19 - APC.pdf | ||
| WD 2015-5473 Rev 19 - TPC.pdf | ||
| 19AQMM23R0004 Amendment 0003.pdf | ||
| 19AQMM23R0004 Amendment 0002.pdf | ||
| 19AQMM23R0004 Amendment 0001.pdf | ||
| BPF Site Visit Information and Registration.docx | DOCX document | |
| 19AQMM23R0004 - Attachments.zip | ZIP file | |
| 19AQMM23R0004 Appendix I - Final 5 18 2023.docx | DOCX document | |
| 19AQMM23R0004 SF33 - Sections D E F I K.pdf |
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Questions Answers
| 1 | Solicitation Section # L.2.1.2, Solicitation Page # 77: There are a number of references throughout the proposal that seem to be based on a submission of printed volumes. Please confirm that it is the Government’s intent for the page number to be limited to 50 electronic pages. | The Government's intention is for Volume 1 to have a maximum of 100 pages which, if printed, would equate to 50 double-sided pages. | |
| 2 | Solicitation Section # L.2.1.2, Solicitation Page # 76: The RFP mentions using ‘dividers’ which normally would be included in a hard copy RFP response delivery. Please confirm that the Govt is requesting a separation page in the electronic version. | The Government will remove this sentence from L.2.1.2. | |
| 3 | L.3.1, and L.6.5: The employment agreement section states they "shall be signed within fifteen days prior to the date of submission of proposals". In light of the amount of work involved in preparing resumes and getting all paperwork lined up for proposal submission, request that the government change the requirement to "...and shall be signed within 30 days of government’s initial proposal due date." | Concur. The government will revise Section 6.5 to read thirty days. | |
| 4 | L.3.2: Task 1, Overseeing Facility Maintenance references C.8.1.7 but is not found. | ||
| Question: Can the government provide the intended reference? | C.8.1.7 is a typo. The correct reference is C.8.1.2 Facility Maintenance Requirements | ||
| 5 | C.8.1.1 Facility Acquisition "The Contractor shall be responsible for taking over the current lease from the current lessor for each BPF. The Contractor must provide copies of all relevant documentation demonstrating the legality and other aspects of the lease, including the required insurance, where applicable." | ||
| There does not appear to be a plug number or Cost Plus CLIN for the existing facility costs in Attachment A titled Schedule of cost. It is requested that the Government provide a CLIN and plug number for these costs. Alternatively, it is requested that the Government provide instructions as to how these costs should be accounted for in the proposals. | As stated in Section L.6.3.1, the Task 1 price is the fixed price to be paid for all elements associated with facility acquisition, maintenance, and security on a yearly basis as described in Section C.8.1. This includes the costs associated with renting each BPF. Section L.6.3 states that the support detail of the cost/price proposal shall consist of the complete breakdown of price for each CLIN to include all applicable cost elements and Section L.6.3.1 states that the Offeror shall provide a detailed monthly cost breakdown. Therefore, the rental costs should be included in the detailed monthly cost breakdown for this CLIN. | ||
| 6 | Attachment M: The government provided staffing counts by facility. Can the government provide the travel card, passport book, and BCC order amount that correspond with this staffing count by BPF? | Bookprint: APC 8 million and TPC 9 million; Travel Card: APC 1.25 million and TPC 1.75 million; and Border Crossing Card: APC 500,000 and TPC 500,000. The government is providing these numbers as a reference, not a guide, and is not directing that the current level of staff is required for this order level. | |
| 7 | Section C.8.1.3 of the PWS states that, “All Contractor personnel clearance paperwork shall be submitted within twenty calendar days after the contract award date.” | ||
| Request for Clarification: It is requested that the Government confirm that the requirement is for the contractor to have initiated the process of obtaining the requisite SECRET clearances for personnel within 20 calendar date after the contract award date and NOT that the contractor personnel shall have the necessary clearances in place within 20 calendar days. | As stated in C.8.1.3: "All Contractor personnel clearance paperwork shall be submitted within twenty calendar days after the contract award date." The Government confirms that the contractor must submit paperwork for SECRET clearances and MPRT determinations within 20 calendar days after award. | ||
| 8 | L.2.1.1, L.3, and M.12.1: Section L.2.1.1 Content Requirements states, "The proposal should demonstrate the Offeror’s clear understanding of the entire scope of work to be performed under this contract. All approaches (transition, risk management, quality control, etc.) presented in the proposal should comprise a logical breakdown that adequately reflects the effort involved with the task, function, or service area." |
Additionally, Section L requirements for the Executive Summary state, "The executive summary shall be written so that a layperson can easily grasp the essence of the technical approach and plans being proposed." Furthermore, Section M.12.1 states, "Technical Evaluation Factor 1, including subfactors 1.1-1.3, Management Approach and Staffing Plan, Technical Approach, and Transition Approach, will apply the following adjectival technical merit ratings: Superior, Acceptable, Marginal, and Unacceptable." However, RFP instructions in Section L do not provide a subfactor within Factor 1 that requires offerors to propose a technical approach.
| Request for Clarification: L.3 Volume I: Factor 1 requires Technical Capability vice Technical Approach. Can the Government confirm that the use of the term "approach" applies to Management Approach under Subfactor 1.1 and Transition Approach under Subfactor 1.3 but that the term Technical Approach should be substituted with "Technical Capability"? | The Technical Evaluation will assess each Offeror's logical approach to all requested tasks, functions, and service areas. For purposes of this RFP, "technical approach" and "technical capability" are interchangeable. | ||
| 9 | L.3.3, C.8.3.14, and C.10: RFP C.10, Transition-Out states, "The transition period shall not exceed ninety (90) calendar days." However, L.3.3 indicates that the period for both phase-in and phase-out is thirty (30) days. | ||
| Question: Which is correct? | The transition period, per C.10, shall not exceed 90 days. However, L.3.3.3 does not indicate phase out is thirty days. It requires that the proposal response for Subfactor 1.3, Transition Approach, contain a list of routine phase-in activities, priorities, and milestones to accomplished in the first 30 days of the contract as well as a list of routine phase-out activities, priorities, and milestones to be accomplished in the last 30 days of the contract. | ||
| 10 | C.10 and H.4: The RFP presents SOW (Section C) requirements for Transition-Out (C.10), but not for Transition-In. Section H.4 does address transition as critical to Continuity of Services. | ||
| Question: Will the Government provide additional Transition-In requirements in SOW Section C? In addition, does addressing requirements in H.4 and L.3.3 suffice for an offeror's response to Transition-In and or Phase-In Activities? | Section C.8.3.14 - Task 3 does mention that a transition plan (phase in) is due as a deliverable within 30 days of the award of the contract. The government expects that the offeror's transition-in plan adequately captures cooperation and coordination with the government and incumbent's transition out plan (to be provided). Addressing requirements in H.4 and L.3.3 will suffice. | ||
| 11 | L.3.3 and M.8.3: Section M.8.3 states that, "The Government will evaluate the extent to which the Offeror provides a comprehensive approach that explains how they will assume responsibility of all BPF functions from the incumbent vendor during the transition period." | ||
| Request: Please provide a copy of the current contractor's Transition-Out Plan. This will enable offerors to provide greater and more accurate detail on Transition-In activities and milestones, which will reduce risk during transition-in. | DOS will request a formal transition plan from the incumbent and it will be provided to the successor contractor after award. | ||
| 12 | L.4, Volume I: Factor 2 Past Performance: RFP Section L.4, Factor 2 – Past Performance requires a "Contractor Narrative" and "Past Performance Questionnaire". Requirements for presenting "Contractor Narrative" are duplicative of requirements in the “Past Performance Questionnaire” form which requires multiple lines addressing relevancy of size, scope, and complexity. | ||
| Request for Clarification: Will the government allow the offeror to provide the explanation for Size, Scope, and Complexity solely within the Contractor Narrative rather than the PPQ form to prevent duplication of narrative and for ease of evaluation for the Government? | The Contractor Narrative will suffice. When completing the Past Performance Questionnaire, the Offeror may refer to the appropriate section of the narrative. | ||
| 13 | L.2, Proposal Preparation Instructions, and H.15, Organizational Conflict of Interest: RFP Section H.15 provides requirements for Organizational Conflict of Interest. However RFP Section L.2 does not include an instruction for including an OCI response in the proposal. | ||
| Question: Does the Government require offerors to include an OCI response or information in its proposal? If so, where in the proposal should this content be provided? | If an Offeror is aware of a potential OCI, it should disclose this to the Contracting Officer as soon as possible. | ||
| 14 | L.3.2 Factor 1, Subfactor 1.2 – Experience, Task 3.1, and C.8.3.14: Section L does not require offerors to submit the Operations Management Plan, the Quality Control Plan, or the Staffing Human Resources Plan. However, Section C.8.3.14 requires that these plans be delivered with proposal submission. | ||
| Question: Will the Government confirm that these plans are to be addressed in the proposal but the actual plans are not required to be submitted with the proposal and shall instead be submitted following contract award? | Confirmed. These plans should be addressed in the proposal but the full draft plans are not required until after award. The Government will amend Section C.8.3.14 to reflect this change. | ||
| 15 | L.3.1.3 Factor 1, Subfactor 1.1 – Management Approach and Staffing Plan: L.3.1.3. states, "The Offeror shall include a full Subcontracting Plan (C.8.3.10.4 and C.8.3.14) that, at a minimum, describes how it will organize, maintain, and manage its relationship with any subcontractor to ensure seamless service." | ||
| Question: Due to page constraints, can the Government either eliminate the full Subcontracting Plan requirement with submission and require the minimum description as stated, or, make the full Subcontracting Plan an attachment that is excluded from page count? | The Government acknowledges these section contain conflicting language. An amendment will provide clarification. The RFP will require a Small Business Subcontracting Plan in accordance with FAR 52.219-9 which will be outside of the page limitations. The proposal should discuss how the contractor will organize, maintain, and manage its relationship with any subcontractor to ensure seamless service. | ||
| 16 | L.3.1.3 Factor 1, Subfactor 1.1 – Management Approach and Staffing Plan; and L.6.5 Employment Agreements: RFP Sections L.3.1.3 and L.6.5 require offerors to provide employment agreement containing specific salary quotations. Requestion for Clarification: Please clarify the rationale for requiring Offerors to provide salary data as part of the proposal particularly under a Firm Fixed Price environment? | These sections will be revised to remove the requirement for specific salary quotations. | |
| 17 | L.3.1.3 Factor 1, Subfactor 1.1 – Management Approach and Staffing Plan: Request for Clarification: There is a requirement for Subcontracting Plan referenced in L.3.1.3 and a separate reference to a Small Business Subcontracting Plan in L.1.5. | ||
| Question: Is the Subcontracting Plan as referenced in L.3.1.3 a different plan than the Small Business Subcontracting Plan in L.1.5 or is this intended to be a single plan? Is the Small Business Subcontracting Plan to be submitted with the proposal, and if so, where? | Please see the response to question #15. The Government will revise this language in an amendment. | ||
| 18 | L.2.1.1, Content Requirements; L.2.1.2, General Requirements; L.3.1, Factor 1, Subfactor 1.1 – Management Approach and Staffing Plan; and L.3.2 Factor 1, Subfactor 1.2 – Experience: RFP Section L.2.1.1 states, "The Offeror's proposal must include all data and information required by Section L…" This section also states, "The proposal should demonstrate the Offeror’s clear understanding of the entire scope of work to be performed under this contract. All approaches (transition, risk management, quality control, etc.) presented in the proposal should comprise a logical breakdown that adequately reflects the effort involved with the task, function, or service area." However, RFP Sections L.3.1 and L.3.2 specifically identify RFP SOW requirements that Offerors must address. | ||
| Request for Clarification: It is not clear whether Offerors are required to address ALL SOW requirements or only those SOW requirements specifically identified in RFP Sections L.3.1 and L.3.2. Can the Government please confirm that due to the limited page count, offerors should address only the SOW requirements specified. | Offerors MAY address additional requirements beyond the "minimum" defined as long as the proposal is within page limitations. Per L.3.1, the proposal must describe the Offeror’s operations management approach, tools and procedures. | ||
| 19 | Request: Can the Government please provide the corresponding WD Schedules applicable to the APC and TPC area? | The appropriate WDs are attached and will be added to the RFP by amendment. | |
| 20 | L.6.3: Section L.6.3 states that the Offeror shall include all necessary supporting documentation in its price proposal. | ||
| Question: Please provide specific information on the type of cost documentation Offerors need to provide. In addition, full cost and pricing data is not typically necessary for a FFP contract so please confirm that Offerors are not required to submit all cost and pricing data with the proposal. | According to Section L.6.3 the support detail of the cost/price proposal shall consist of the complete breakdown of price for each contract line item (CLIN) in Attachment A, Section B.4. This information is required so that meaningful price analysis can be performed. The support documentation must be completely segregated into applicable price elements including, but not limited to, direct labor, direct labor escalation rates per year, labor overhead, indirect labor, other direct and indirect costs, G&A, and profit. It shall also provide a detailed breakdown of the personnel resources and the level of effort proposed for each CLIN to include whether or not each labor category is covered by a wage determination. Section M.11: Volume II Cost/Price will be amended to state “A Price Realism Analysis will be applied in order to measure the offeror’s understanding of the requirements and/or to assess the risk inherent in an offeror’s proposal. | ||
| 21 | L.6.3.4 Other Documentation - "The Offeror shall include their signed agreements with any subcontractors or service partners, if applicable.": Question: Can the Government please clarify what types of signed agreements should be provided with the proposal? Subcontract agreements and agreements with service partners are typically not signed until after contract award. | This section will be revised to read " Include signed agreements between the prime Contractor and any subcontractors or partners, if applicable. These agreements may take the form of Operating Level Agreements (OLAs), or Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs). If a Contractor Teaming Arrangement (CTA) will be in effect, a signed copy of the CTA is required as part of the proposed submission. Cost data should be redacted. The Agreement Tab is not subject to the page limitation of Volume I. | |
| 22 | PWS C.9.2 Other Personnel - "The Contractor shall ensure that all non-key personnel obtain a Moderate Risk Public Trust Determination.": Request for Clarification: Can the Government please clarify if personnel employed by a vendor to perform facility maintenance (i.e., housekeeping, building maintenance services) are required to obtain a Moderate Risk Public Trust Determination? | Yes. Personnel employed by a vendor to perform facility maintenance (i.e., housekeeping, building maintenance services) are required to obtain a Moderate Risk Public Trust Determination. | |
| 23 | C.8.1.1 Facility Acquisition "The Contractor shall be responsible for taking over the current lease from the current lessor for each BPF. The Contractor must provide copies of all relevant documentation demonstrating the legality and other aspects of the lease, including the required insurance, where applicable." |
C.8.1.3 C.8.1.3 Security Requirements -- "As stated in Section C.8.1.1, the Contractor shall be responsible for negotiating and securing a lease with the current lessor for each of the current BPFs. The Contractor will ensure that each BPF complies with all Diplomatic Security (DS) related security requirements for the facility to protect sensitive information and Department automated information systems. Security of DOS information, all travel documents, and other secure materials is critical. Prior to contract performance, the contracting company must possess or obtain a Facility Security Clearance (FCL) to the SECRET level.": Offerors are not able to respond to facility requirements in RFP C.8.1.1 and C.8.1.3 without additional information. Specifically this is due to the fact that there is a requirement for the Contractor to be responsible for taking over the current lease from the current lessor for each BPF.
Request: Please provide a copy of the current, existing leases or at least the facility lease terms, conditions, and clauses yielding information related, a a minimum, to the following:
| • | Landlord and Tenant entities | ||
| • | Square Footage of Premises | ||
| • | Assignment/ Sublease Language | ||
| • | Termination Agreement | ||
| • | Rent structure (NNN, Modified Gross, Full Service) | ||
| • | Floor Plan | ||
| • | Commencement and Expiration | ||
| • | Renewal Clauses | The Contracting Officer provided floor plans and redacted copies of the lease documents directly to Offerors. | |
| 24 | Attachment G, Attachment M: Attachment G identifies Overseas Photo Digitized Passports (OPDP) as a production metric; however, Attachment M does not specify where the level of effort required to perform this function is to be priced. | ||
| Question: Can the government provide additional detail on the effort pertaining to the ODOP task and confirm where this effort should be priced? | CRBA, Mailroom, WPC Local Print and OPDP are all currently priced into Bookprint CLIN under personalization associates. | ||
| 25 | Attachment G: The Government's Attachment G- Historical BPF Production Totals include quantities for Overseas Photo Digitized Passports (OPDP). | ||
| Question: Can the Government please clarify which CLIN this LOE should be priced in? | CRBA, Mailroom, WPC Local Print and OPDP are all currently priced into Bookprint CLIN under personalization associates. | ||
| 26 | Question: For pricing purposes will the Government provide an estimated start date for this effort? | The estimated start date is January 2, 2024 however this date is subject to change due to numerous factors, including some that are outside of the Government's control. | |
| 27 | C.5: RFP Section C.5 states, "DOS reserves the right to provide additional GFE, as necessary." | ||
| Question: Will all existing furnishings in the current facilities remain in the facilities when the Offeror assumes the lease of the facilities? Please provide a list of all existing furnishings and any anticipated needs for additional furnishings. | All furnishings will remain and are the property of the government. Both facilities recently completed a furniture refresh, so the sites are not expected to need substantive additional furnishings for five years. | ||
| 28 | C.6.2: RFP Section C.6.2 states that activities for all three tasks include, "2. Receipt, protection, inventory control and accountability of all blank travel documents and controlled passport consumables." | ||
| Question: Will card counters currently in place remain during and after transition of the contract to a new Contractor? | Yes, the card counters will remain. | ||
| 29 | C.6.10: Question: How many inquiries does the Government receive each year/month/week from Passport Agencies, U.S. Embassies, and Consulates Overseas? | In the first three quarters of FY2023, TPC received and responded to 5716 inquiries from domestic passport agencies and 1545 inquiries from posts; in FY2022, TPC received and responded to 4493 inquiries from domestic passport agencies and 1275 inquiries from posts. In the first three quarters of FY2023, APC received and responded to 9385 inquiries from domestic passport agencies and 779 inquiries from posts; in FY2022, APC received and responded to 9385 inquiries from domestic passport agencies and 659 inquiries from post. | |
| 30 | C.6.10: Question: How many applicants does the Government serve each year/month/week at APC? | 2021: 3641 applicants served; 2022 10,262 applicants served; 2023 to date: 6845 applicants served | |
| 31 | C.8.1.2.2: Request: Please provide the average recurring costs related to utilities and how these costs are related to the current leases. This is necessary for Offerors to create an accurate FFP. | The utility costs are captured in the monthly Facility Maintenance CLIN. APC Average Utility Costs per Month: Phone $50,000/month; Water/Trash/Sewer $4000/month; Electric $13,000/month, TV $225/month; Lawn care $3000/month; fertilization $938/month. TPC Average Utility Costs per Month: Water/Trash/Sewer: $1600/month; Electric $20,000/month; TV $100/month. However, besides utilities, Offerors should be prepared to provide all facility maintenance requirements discussed in Section C.8.1.2. |
| 32 | C.8.1.2.3: Request: Please provide maintenance reports for the past 12 months that detail the work performed and the related costs, and whether or not these costs are related to the facility leases. This is necessary for Offerors to create an accurate FFP. | See attachment "BPF Maintenance Sheet" | |
| 33 | C.8.1.2, Item No. 13: Request: Please provide machine types related to disintegrator maintenance, along with the maintenance schedule for these machines. This is necessary for Offerors to create an accurate FFP. | See attachment "BPF Maintenance Sheet" | |
| 34 | C.8.2: RFP C.8.2 states, "The Contractor shall abide by all service level agreements (SLAs) with CA/CST to manage IT services during the contract period of performance." | ||
| Request: Please provide existing SLAs. This is necessary for Offerors to create an accurate FFP. | SLA(s) will be established by the Awardee in coordination with PPT and CST during the 90-day transition-in period. | ||
| 35 | C.8.2.2: RFP C.8.2.2 states that the Contractor shall be responsible for "4. All travel document personalization accessories such as contactless chip reader/writers." | ||
| Request: Please provide the current models for the contactless chip readers/writers. | The contactless chip reader/writers (3M and Rochford Thompson) are listed in Attachment E. IT Hardware Equipment. | ||
| 36 | C.8.3.5: RFP C.8.3.5 states, "The Contractor shall be responsible for obtaining all mailing supplies and performing all fulfillment functions, such as addressing, insertion, and posting." | ||
| Request for Clarification: Please verify that Contractors must order mailing supplies but do not incur the cost of supplies. If Contractors are to incur the cost of supplies, please specify the types of supplies and the historical data on the volume of supplies. This is necessary for Offerors to create an accurate FFP. | Confirmed. USPS Mailing supplies are ordered by the contractor through the Consular Affairs' Critical Supplies List. Other mailing supplies, such as UPS, FedEx and DHL, are supplied by the companies under the PPT contracts with them. | ||
| 37 | C.9.2.6: Request: Please provide information on the historical volume of requests yearly and monthly related to Contractor activities for CSA and International Liaison. | Refer to answer #29 for past two fiscal years. Historical records on these inquiries are not available, but the past 2 years reflect the typical number of inquiries. | |
| 38 | H.17: Request: Please provide information on the type and number of telecommunications equipment (including phones and other telecommunications devices) at each facility and any requirements for repairs, upgrades, and replacements. This is necessary for Offerors to create an accurate FFP. | TPC has 13 hard phone lines; all others now use TEAMS phone numbers on their computers. APC’s phone system has 88 Digital Ports and 16 Analog ports. Desk phones are not a trackable item in either facility’s inventory, so that information is not available. | |
| 39 | L.3.2: Request: Please provide information related to Contractor responsibilities and activities required for roads/parking lot and grounds maintenance/landscaping, as well as the annual costs and specifics of the square footage and/or area/acreage to be covered. This is necessary for Offerors to create an accurate FFP. | Landscaping is covered by lessor at TPC. APC expenses are Lawn care $3000/month; fertilization $938/month. For TPC, CGI covers the cost of cosmetic improvements/maintenance (e.g. re-striping the parking spots, repaving). Structural damage (e.g. pothole repair) is the responsibility of the landlord. For APC, CGI is responsible for all cosmetic and structural costs. | |
| 40 | L.3.2: Request: Please provide facility floorplans. Not providing this information to Offerors benefits the incumbent contractor during evaluation. | Please see the response to question #23. | |
| 41 | L.3.2: Request: Please provide information related to the current process for safeguarding passports in case of fire, water, etc. | All passport products are secured in the vault when not in active production. There are securable metal cages for storing in-use products in case of emergency requiring evacuation of either facility. In event of emergency, every effort would be made to secure products. However, health and safety of the employees takes precedent. | |
| 42 | M.8.1.2: RFP Section M.8.1, Item No.2 states, "Offerors proposing the incumbent will be considered to have met the qualification requirements if they will be performing the same role." This evaluation criteria heavily favors the incumbent Contractor. | ||
| Request: Please remove the criteria or clarify how Offerors will be evaluated if proposed key personnel are not incumbent personnel. | The RFP states in M.8.1.2 "The Government may consider a proposed candidate who does not meet the Labor Category’s minimum qualifications (Section C.9); however, the Contractor must submit an explanation of how other experience can fulfill the lacking qualifications outlined in the Labor Category." "If an adequate explanation is not provided for Key Personnel who do not meet the Labor Category qualifications, the proposed candidate will be found unacceptable. While being an incumbent in a given role is one explanation for meeting minimum qualifications, it is not the sole explanation and the Government will consider other reasonable explanations of acceptability. Nevertheless, the Government will amend M.8.1. paragraph 2 to remove the final sentence. | ||
| 43 | Request: Please provide the number of QA seats available. This information is necessary for Offerors to create an accurate FFP. | There currently are 71 QC seats at TPC and 68 QC seats at APC. | |
| 44 | C.8.3.12: Requests: Please confirm that the packing of envelopes/mail of books and cards are included in the QA production statistics provided in C.8.3.12 table. Also please confirm the process after QA packs the envelope and batches and is picked up and taken to mail out? This information is necessary for Offerors to create an accurate FFP. | Assuming the question refers to Quality Control production, the QC associates review the product and package the product for mailing. After packaging, it is picked up in batches by a team lead and taken to the Mail Room, where it is secured until a supervisor/manager oversees the loading onto the mail trucks by team leads. | |
| 45 | Attachment E "IT Hardware Equipment": Request: Please provide additional information related to computer/laptops (internal components, processor, memory and other pertinent system specifications) due to the price range. This information is necessary for Offerors to create an accurate FFP. | The Office of Consular Systems and Technology mandates and schedules IT system refreshes. Both BPFs completed system refreshes in 2021. The facilities tentatively expect another refresh no earlier than 2026. Specifications for required equipment will be provided by the government at that time. These refreshes are separate from the IT CLIN; costs are invoiced separately. This information is not necessary to prepare a proposal for the purposes of this RFP. | |
| 46 | C.8.1.1: RFP C.8.1.1 states, "The Contractor shall work with DOS to develop a sound implementation plan and shall perform all preparatory work, renovation work, IT implementation, and obtain all approvals for the protection of sensitive information and Department automated information systems." | ||
| Request: Please provide information related to the Government's anticipated needs for renovation work to the current facilities during the period of performance. This information is necessary for Offerors to create an accurate FFP. | Both BPFs recently completed extensive renovations to accommodate Next Generation Passport Printers. PPT does not anticipate any substantive renovations in the next five years at either facility. | ||
| 47 | C.8.1.1: RFP C.8.1.1 states, "The Contractor shall work with DOS to develop a sound implementation plan and shall perform all preparatory work, renovation work, IT implementation, and obtain all approvals for the protection of sensitive information and Department automated information systems." | ||
| Request: Please provide information related to the Government's anticipated needs for new/revised IT implementation requirements during the period of performance. This information is necessary for Offerors to create an accurate FFP. | The government schedules IT systems refreshes. Both BPFs completed systems refreshes in 2021. The facilities tentatively expect another refresh no earlier than 2026. Specifications for required equipment will be provided by the government at that time. These refreshes are not part of the IT CLIN; costs are invoiced separately. This information is not necessary to prepare proposal for the purposes of this RFP. | ||
| 48 | Attachment E "IT Hardware Equipment": Question: Are Offerors expected to price IT Hardware Equipment during execution of the contract when requested by DOS? | ||
| Request: If Offerors must price in the proposal items related to switches (# of ports, size, and any other pertinent switch specifications), please provide specific information for these items (the prices range). This information is necessary for Offerors to create an accurate FFP. | This question appears to be related to requests for additional IT hardware above and beyond routine IT systems funded through FFP CLINS. These special requests are separately funded as a subCLIN to Task 2 CLIN. Upon Government request, the vendor is expected to price the requested equipment, provide that pricing for government approval, and if approved, the government would fund the purchase. | ||
| 49 | Attachment E "IT Hardware Equipment": Question: Are Offerors expected to price IT Hardware Equipment during execution of the contract when requested by DOS? | ||
| Request: If Offerors must price in the proposal items related to servers (Gigabyte, Solid State Drive, Mega Transfers Per Second, # of Central Processing Units, Random Access Memory and any other pertinent server specifications), please provide specific information for these items (the prices range). This information is necessary for Offerors to create an accurate FFP. | When necessary, the government provides a list of approved IT equipment. The vendor must price and make a recommendation for selection from that list. The government schedules IT systems refreshes. Both BPFs completed systems refreshes in 2021. The facilities tentatively expect another refresh no earlier than 2026. Specifications for required equipment will be provided by the government at that time. These refreshes are not part of the IT CLIN; costs are invoiced separately. This information is not necessary to prepare proposal for the purposes of this RFP. | ||
| 50 | Request: Please provide the current order by facility, including books by site, travel cards by site, and BCC by site. This information is necessary for Offerors to create an accurate FFP. | Bookprint APC 8 million and TPC 9 million; Travel Card APC 1.25 million and TPC 1.75 million; and Border Crossing Cards APC 500,000 and TPC 500,000. These are numbers from the last twelve-month POP ending in November 2022, | |
| 51 | Question: Are there any differences in production between OPDP and Repatriation cases? Do they both print at 600 books per hour? | There are no production differences in OPDP and Repatriation at the Bookprint Facilities. Production rate is 600 books per shift on low-volume (BMPro) book printers. | |
| 52 | L.2.1.4: Please confirm that 50 pages double-side print equates to 100 single pages. | Confirmed. Also, please see the response for #1 above. | |
| 53 | L.2.1.4: As this is an electronic submission, please clarify if dividers and formatting for printing are required? | Offerors may use logical partitions, or dividers, between the proposal pages and supporting or expanding sections. In the evaluation process, the government must be able to quickly locate information and match that information with requirements. Dividers aid that task. Refer to question #2 above. | |
| 54 | Section M.11 Volume II: Factor 4 – Cost/Price: Section M.11 states “The Government will consider each proposal’s total cost, aggregating all ceiling prices provided in Section J, Attachment A for all CLINs for all contract periods of performance.” Can the government confirm for CLIN 3100-3600 the proposal’s price will be evaluated at the highest quantity in the Attachment A – Schedule of Costs and Prices? | Yes, for purposes of price evaluation, the Government will evaluate CLIN 3100-3600 at the highest quantity in Attachment A - Schedule of Costs and Prices. The Government will provide clarifying language in an amendment. | |
| 55 | C.10, bullet 3 Transition Out and H.4, bullet 3, Continuity of Services: Please clarify the period of transition services. In C.10 it indicates 3 months, whereas in H.4 it indicates 6 months. |
C.10: Furnish transition services (including administrative and management support) for up to three (3) months after contract expiration, contract termination, or contract discontinuance.
| H.4: Furnish transition services (including administrative and management support) for up to 6 months after contract expiration, contract termination, or contract discontinuance. | The Government recognizes that H.4 is somewhat duplicative with FAR 52.237-3 which is in Section I. Therefore, the language in H.4 will be removed. | |
| 56 | C.8.3.10.6 and C.9.1 Key Personnel: There is an inconsistency between the CLIN structure and the statements in C.8.3.10.6 and C.9.1. Given that all CLINs are firm fixed price, invoicing is not done at the key personnel level. Please remove this statement as it is incompatible with the CLIN structure. |
C.8.3.10.6 Staffing and HR Management, page 31 The Government shall not be invoiced for Key Personnel positions that are vacant greater than 14 days as identified and described in section C.9.
| C.9.1 | Key Personnel | ||
| The Government shall not be charged for any Key Personnel positions vacant for more than 14 days. | Key Personnel are critical to the successful execution of operations and are compensated accordingly. The government will not compensate the contractor when a Key Person is not in place. It puts the meeting of contractual standards at risk if these positions are not filled in a timely manner and it is in the Government's interest to maintain consistent, long-term working relationships with selected Key Personnel. | ||
| 57 | Section M.11 Volume II: Factor 4 – Cost/Price: Given that all offerors are bidding pricing to operate the existing facilities, we recommend that the government define an amount to be included for CLINs 1100-1204 for evaluation purposes on all bidders’ Attachment A, Section B.4, Schedule of Costs and Prices. | It is the Offeror's responsibility to define an amount to bid under Task 1 for CLINs 1100-1204. The government will not define an amount to be included in an Offeror's proposals. | |
| 58 | L.2.1.4: Request: Please reduce font size for narrative text from 14 point to 12 point. | The Secretary of State directed that all DOS domestic office and bureaus adopt Calibri as the standard font for all requested paper in support of creating a more accessible Department effective February 6, 2023. Calibri 14 point font is the required for paper submitted to the Executive Secretariat and is an accessibility best practice Department-wide. | |
| 59 | L.2.1.5: The Government's answers to questions will have a significant impact on how Offerors respond with a viable and realistic and reasonable solution that meets RFP requirements. | ||
| Request: Please extend the proposal due date to 3 weeks following Government release of answers to questions. | The final due date will be established upon release of the amendment that will incorporate the revisions discussed in this Q&A document. | ||
| 60 | L.6.3.4, M4., C.8.1.2, RFP Attachment A: RFP Section L.6.3.4 states, “The Offeror shall include their signed agreements with any subcontractors or service partners, if applicable.” RFP Section M.4 states, “The Government will make its determination of Offeror responsibility in accordance with FAR subpart 9.1 (Responsible Prospective Contractors) by using information provided in the Business Proposal to include but not limited to the list of contract(s) terminated (partial or complete, subcontractor and service partner agreements, and information available from other sources. RFP Section C.8.1.2 lists requirements for facility maintenance, and RFP Attachment A provides FFP CLINs for facility maintenance. | ||
| Question 1: The actual facility maintenance requirements, and the appropriate associated services partners and costs, cannot be identified at the time of proposal submission and will be dictated based on variable maintenance needs that arise during execution. Due to this, a FFP CLIN is inappropriate for this type of support. Based on the variable nature of the facility maintenance work to be performed under this task order, it is requested that the Government change CLIN 1100 and CLIN 1200 to CPFF, as this is a more appropriate contract type for this work? | Question 1 . C.8.1.2 reads: "The Contractor shall manage the facility maintenance activities as part of the overall BPF Operations Management services as described in Section C.8.3.10. The Contractor shall be responsible for the development and implementation of a facility maintenance program to ensure continual travel document personalization operations at the BPFs." A FFP CLIN structure has been in place since the inception of this BPF program. It operates on the expectation that the contractor will independently, and with no unusual measure of governmental management, determine costs associated with facility management and present those costs in a proposed FFP structure prior to contract award. It is incumbent on Offerors to determine how to calculate these costs and include them in the proposal. | ||
| 61 | Question 2: Can the Government please clarify how the subcontractor and/or service partner agreements shall be utilized in the evaluation process to evaluate whether the subcontractors or services partners are considered responsible in accordance with FAR 9.1? Alternatively, would the Government accept subcontract/service partner company information (company name, address, CAGE Code, UEID) in lieu of agreements as this information is anticipated to afford the Government with the appropriate information to determine company responsibility? | The Government will revise the 2nd paragraph of M.2 to read: The Government may reject any proposal whose Offeror is determined not responsible. The determination of Offeror responsibility will be made by the Contracting Officer and will be assessed on a pass/fail basis. The Government will make its determination of Offeror responsibility in accordance with FAR subpart 9.1 (Responsible Prospective Contractors) by using information provided in the Business Proposal and information available from other sources. | |
| 62 | Question 3: If an Offeror names a service partner in its proposal and thus includes a service partner agreement as part of the submission documentation will the Government please identify what specific information is expected to be included in its service partner agreements to satisfy RFP Section C.8.1.2 requirements for facility maintenance? | Question 3: Section C.8.1.2 reads: "The Contractor shall manage the facility maintenance activities as part of the overall BPF Operations Management services as described in Section C.8.3.10. The Contractor shall be responsible for the development and implementation of a facility maintenance program to ensure continual travel document personalization operations at the BPFs." The Contractor is directly responsible for providing a Facility Maintenance Management plan detailing how the Contractor will perform maintenance at the BPFs. Given that an offer includes subcontracted labor or services, the Contractor is responsible for that labor or those services. Any subcontracting is done under the Contractor's auspices and is seamless with contract performance and is not part of direct government oversight. To the extent that a planned subcontractor is relevant to the proposal or relevant to satisfactory completion of requirements, that information should be included in the Offeror's proposal | |
| 63 | |||
| Question 4: What factors will the Government use to determine if a service partner agreement is “applicable”? | See the response to question #61 above. | ||
| 64 | C.8.1.3 Security Requirements: As stated in Section C.8.1.1, the "Contractor shall be responsible for negotiating and securing a lease with the current lessor for each of the current BPFs. The Contractor will ensure that each BPF complies with all Diplomatic Security (DS) related security requirements for the facility to protect sensitive information and Department automated information systems. Security of DOS information, all travel documents, and other secure materials is critical. Prior to contract performance, the contracting company must possess or obtain a Facility Security Clearance (FCL) to the SECRET level." | ||
| Question: Is it the Government's intent that the contractor leased facility (places of performance) have the Secret FCL or will a corporate FCL suffice? | A corporate Facility Security Clearance (FCL) at the SECRET level is sufficient. | ||
| 65 | C.8.1.3: Question: Can the Government please confirm that contract performance can begin with an interim Secret and interim MRPT? Also, will Government agree to transition any incumbent MRPTs to the new contractor? | For contractor personnel, interim Secret and interim MRPT will suffice for beginning of work. Diplomatic Security will determine transition from incumbent MRPTs to the new contractor. | |
| 66 | Question: Can the Government confirm that each BPF only utilizes electric rather than propane or gas for heating and cooling? | Both BPFs use only electric for heating/cooling. | |
| 67 | Attachment D: Request: Please provide a document mail-out rate per hour per person (individuals performing the mail-out activities). | All mail-out activity is included in the Quality Control rate at the BPFs. | |
| 68 | C.8.1.2: Question 1: Please provide names, models, and specifications for machines and equipment listed in RFP Section C.8.1.2 (e.g., interior systems, generators, compressed air systems, environmental systems, HVAC, etc.) | ||
| Question 2: Are any warranties currently in place for machines and equipment, including details on maintenance schedules and historical costs associated with the maintenance schedule? | See attachment "BPF Maintenance Sheet" | ||
| 69 | Attachment A: Question: Please confirm if the Book Personalization Manager, Card Personalization Manager, and Customer Counter Support Manager belong under CLINs 3000, 3010 or within the production CLINs. | These roles fall under Task 3, therefore under the 3000/3010 CLINS. | |
| 70 | Question: On average, how many persons are staffed on the BMPRO CRBA and Card Machines per BPF site? During the site visit, it was mentioned that usually for operations of a BMPRO machine, that there were 1.5 FTE to do the printing. Is this understanding correct? | On average the staffing is 1.5 FTE per BMPro per shift; 4 FTE for CRBA per day; 1 FTE per card printer per shift at both facilities. Not all personalization printers operating every day; operation is based on workload. The Offeror should use its own business judgement to staff and propose based on its technical approach. | |
| 71 | Attachment M and C.9.2.4: Question: Please confirm that Travel Document Personalization Book Print Operators listed in C.9.2.4 are part of the Travel Document Personalization Associates listed in Attachment M. | Book Print Operators are captured under Travel Document Personalization Associates, but not all Travel Document Personalization Associates are Book Print Operators. The majority of associates perform Quality Control. | |
| 72 | RFP Section L.6.5 states, '...employment agreements for those individuals not currently employed by the Offeror shall be provided with the cost proposal." | ||
| Question: Will the Government confirm that the requirement to submit employment agreements applies to individuals who are being proposed by both the Prime Offeror and the Prime Offeror’s Subcontractors? | Employment agreements are required for any individual proposed for a Key Personnel position if they are not currently employed by the Prime Offeror or one of its subcontractors. | ||
| 73 | RFP Section L.6.5 states, “Employment agreements must contain specific salary quotations (not salary ranges)...” | ||
| Question: Salary information is considered company proprietary. If subcontractors are also required to submit employment agreements for individuals not currently employed by the subcontractor, may subcontractors submit employment agreements under separate email directly to the Contracting Officer? | This section will be revised to remove the requirement for specific salary quotations. |
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Questions and Answers
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