Attachment 7 - Questions and Answers.pdf

Reference Question Answer

Task length Is the Task Length number of calendar days or working days?

For example 15 days for task starting May 1 ends on May 15

(15 calendar days) or May 21 (3 weeks of training 5 days per week)?

Working days . 15 days is 3 weeks of training

Training days per week -trainees/soldiers

What days of the week are Uganda soldiers available to train? (example, many Islamic countries do not work on

Fridays and Saturdays).

Mon- Friday. If there is a holiday the Team Lead needs to work with the ZDF to determine how they will make up the training. See the answer to

Question 5.

Training Hours per day -trainees/soldiers

How many hours per day should the training last? Are there any required breaks during the day?

See the answer to Question 5.

Training hour restrictions

Are sessions only held part of the day to avoid training in the hottest parts of the day?

Team Lead will determine schedule with ZDF.

Working day -contractor

How many hours per day are the contractors expected to work? How many hours are trainees being trained? If trainers are training 8 hours per day, to set up and close out training days, they will be working 10 hours on site. If trainees are trained for 6 hour days, trainers will be working on site for 8 hours per day

Eight (8) hour training days is the overall expectation, but the government recognizes that some days may go later and some days may end earlier based on the partner requests, holidays, the optempo of training, and other environment factors that may be outside of the contractors control. The government also recognizes that in these circumstances, the contractor will coordinate directly with the ZDF to ensure all training is completed and that all performance objectives are achieved, even if that means scheduling make up days on the weekends or extended training days.

19AQMM24R0118 - Zambia Peace Operations Training & Assistance Q&A's

Work week -contractors

How many days per week are the contractors expected to work?

5 days per week

Holidays What are Zambia holidays/ training holidays expected to fall within the contract period?

Offerors can search the internet for this answer and coordinate directly with the ZDF after contract award. See answer 5

Office space Will there be office space available for the trainers? Likely, but the contractor should also prepare for a modular/field training approach for their training teams each day at the POTC. While the ZDF will likely provide the space, the contractor should plan for a more temporary/transient arrangement -- not the kind of place where the TL will hang out all day behind his or her labtop or start hanging artwork.

Secure storage facility

Is there secure storage areas/ containers for sensitive items or will contractor have to provide their own secure storage facility?

There is limited storage; equipment is stored in containers.

Classroom

Equipment

Standards

Do current ZDF lecture halls accommodate US/UN military training A/V resource requirements: overhead projectors, computers, printers, air conditioning?

Some. The Contractor shall be prepared to provide all the trainining support equipment required to perform the task.

Student Supplies Does the ZDF provide learning resources for students, e.g.

writing instruments, notetaking pads, etc. or are contractors expected to provide these items?

Sometimes.

Student CLII

Rations

Will students have access to a dining facility for lunch, if not, who is responsible for providing?

Will contractors have access to dining facility for lunch?

The Contractor is not responsible to feed the ZDF and should not assume contractors will use dining facility for lunch.

Student

Coffee/Tea/Water

Does the ZDF provide coffee/tea/water training support on a daily basis?

No

Planning hours Can planning hours be performed CONUS? Yes

General

Miscellaneous -

Team Lead as STT

If the Team Lead has the requisite qualifications, can he/she also serve as an STT for some tasks - either scheduled and/or in an emergency situation?

If yes, where should the hours be mapped - to TL or to STT?

The Team Leader shall not be used for any other personnel positions on this contract, including as a substitute for an STT; only a qualified SST can replace that position. However, the Team Lead may choose to assist his or her SSTs to in the conduct of their training, particularly as the team Leader is responsbile for achieving all performance objectives for tasks conducted at the place of performance in

Zambia.

SOW 2.2 Required

Tasks (SOW p. 2)

Can any of the Tasks be performed concurrently or should it be assumed they will all be sequential? It is highlighted in

Task D (4.4.3, page 12) that sub tasks may be concurrent, but it isn't specified for Tasks A-D and G)

The training schedule will be coordinated with the

ZDF during the TPPE.

However, the offers should plan on breaks between

Tasks A, B, C, D, and G.

As far as Task D Subtasks, it is very possible that subtasks may be performed concurrently with other

Subtasks. Again the schedule will be coordinated with the ZDF during the TPPE.

SOW 2.2 Required

Tasks (SOW p. 2)

Will there be any breaks between Tasks? If yes, how long can we anticipate that break to be?

This will impact travel costs as Trainers will return home if there are breaks.

See the answer to Question 16.

SOW 2.3 Training /

Lesson Plans/ POI

(SOW p. 3)

Will contractor have access to existing training materials and

"recent lessons learned" prior to execution of the contract?

Prior to the start of TPPE?

Or is the contractor expected to create all new training materials from APAN and UN Peacekeeping Hub?

Yes.

SOW 2.5.2 "The contractor shall price all fuel and oil necessary for the actual conduct of training…" (p. 4)

Fuel and oil are not listed in Appendix 1 or 2. Should we be factoring fuel and oil to our pricing? If yes, can we get an estimate of how much/ what type of fuel would be needed

(e.g., type/ number of vehicle, travel distances, etc.)

Yes.

It is safe to plan for a couple of HILUX pickups and 2-

3 cargo size trucks for daily use.

Diesel type fuel.

Daily distance should be approximately 100 kms for all vehicles combined.

SOW 4.1.1 "TPPE

may be conducted in one or more trips (up to three) to ensure…" (p. 8)

SOW 6.2 "…

Contractor shall not invoice more than four authorized travel days per person for the duration of each task, even if the person travels to and from the

We are allotted 15 days for Task A which may be used over a series of trips.

Will the customer pay for multiple trips for Contractors participating in TPPE? For example, the Team Leader makes

3 trips during the course of Task A TPPE, will the Team

Leader's 2nd or 3rd trip be covered? SOW 6.2 suggests it would not.

1. Yes.

2. Yes.

SOW 4.1.2 Table, Item 2, "Coordinate and conduct bilateral

On what equipment will the bilateral equipment inventory be done? (Procured equipment or other exisiting equiptment at POTC?)

The contractor will only coordinate and conduct bilateral equipment inventories on any equipment that will be provided and signed over to the ZDF.

SOW 4.1.2, #6

"Ensure the partner coordinates … ammunition … for scheduled training." (p. 9)

Please confirm that Partner Nation will be providing both the ammunition and the vehicles & drivers to transport these items to the training area.

If Partner Nation is responsible for the above, how is it expected that the contractor will ensure delivery if Partner

Nation is responsible for the transportation? Contractor can observe loading of the ammunition/explosives into transport vehicle, but may not be able to ensure that they are ultimately delivered to the training site.

Yes.

The Contractor shall coordinate with partner nation to ensure ammunition/explosives are delivered to the training area in the correct quantities and on time to conduct training and are properly stored during non-training periods.

GPOI understands the actual delivery is out of the contractor's control.

SOW 4.2.5, 4.4.7,

4.9.8 Planning

Days (Tasks B, D, G) (p. 11, 13, 28)

The SOW says that the contractor "will conduct a minimum of X hours of planning prior to the start of the task ." Does that mean the contractor can spend and be compensated for more than 40, 40, and 20 hours?The required Registry of planning hours must be maintained and would identify these hours spent.

Yes. The contractor may choose to propose and price more than the minimum planning hours stated in the SOW.

SOW 4.3 Task C

(p.11)

(Typo?) Items under this task are labeled as 4.4.X instead of

4.3.X. Of note because there may be confusion in the references to these items.

Noted.

SOW was revised to correct the numbering. See

Amendment A001.

SOW 4.4.4

"Contractor shall provide … the workshop site..."

(p.11)

Is the contractor expected to conduct the Lessons Learned

Workshop at POTC in Nanking? POTC in in Nanking is in the middle of the forrest with no infrastructure or town. Can a room at PMTC be used? If not, Can LLW be conducted in

Lusaka?

The place of performance remains as per the SOW.

However, during the TPPE the winning contractor will discuss the LLW with the ZDF and revise the location if the ZDF desires to do so.

SOW 4.5.10 Sub

Task D.3 (pp. 15-

18)

Can the sequence of those Sub-Sub-Tasks be determined by the Contractor or most they follow the ordering in the SOW?

The sequence does not have to follow the SOW but will be coordinated and approved by the ZDF during the TPPE.

SOW 4.5.11 Sub

Task D4 (pp.18-19)

Can the sequence of those Sub-Sub-Tasks be determined by the Contractor or most they follow the ordering in the SOW?

See Question 26.

SOW 4.5.12 Sub

Task D.5 (pp. 20-

21)

Can the sequence of those Sub-Sub-Tasks be determined by the Contractor or most they follow the ordering in the SOW?

See Question 26.

SOW 4.5.13 Sub

Task D6 "… minimum of 15 days ..TCCC is then training days …

Conduct CLS training…" (p.21)

Please confirm CLS training is 5 days long. The Contractor shall mentor, advise, and assist ZDF trainers as they plan, design, and conduct tactical combat casualty care (TCCC) and combat lifesaver

(CLS) training for a minimum of fifteen (15) training days. TCCC is ten (10) training days.

That leaves five (5) training days for CLS training.

SOW 4.5.6 and

4.5.8 (pp (13-14)

There is no 4.5.6 or 4.5.8. Please confirm tasks/items are not missing.

No tasks/items are missing.

This is a numbering mistake that will not be changed in this SOW.

SOW 4.5.6.1 Task

D Required

Personnel (p. 13)

Please confirm the "Total Minimum Required Days" does not include Planning Hours/Day.

Planning hours should be charged against the task for which they are planning. Planning hours are in addition to the task hours.

SOW 4.9.9 "not exceed 840 hours

(p. 28)

Is the Team Leader's time included in the 840 hour allocated for this task?

Yes.

SOW 5. Place of

Performance (p.5) -vehicle

Is lodging for contractors available at Nanking PMTC? If so, what is the payment arrangement?

No. The Offerors must provide their own lodging.

SOW 6.2

Authorized Direct

Costs, "Contractor should include two (2) full days of labor and

M&IE before and after…" (p. 28)

Should airfare and transport associated with mobilization, demobilization, and rotating in/out (if there is a break between tasks) be charged to XLIN X007 Airfare & Transit

Costs?

Yes, CLINs X007 would be the appropriate CLINs to price these items.

SOW 6.2

Authorized Direct

Costs, "Contractor should include two (2) full days of labor and

M&IE before and after…" (p. 28)

Should M&IE with mobilization and demobilization be charged to XLIN X007 Airfare & Transit Costs?

No, CLINs X010 cover Lodging, MIE and incountry transportation.

SOW 6.3. Travel

Outside Place of

Performance (p.

28)

"The Contractor may be required to travel outside of

Zambia to perform work in support of contract objectives. Such requirements shall be considered

Travel Outside

Place of

Performance. This type of travel is defined as

Contractor air and ground transportation

(including fuel/miles reimbursement), lodging, and meals and incidental

Will locations outside of the Place of Performance require armored vehicle transportation, as described in Section L-

016, Item 8?

Should this be included in pricing?

No, armored vehicle transportation will not be required.

No.

SOW 7.4.8

"Security, including vehicles for the security detail with associated drivers and fuel, for the

Contractor at the training site, and during Transits from Contractor accommodations to the place of performance, as necessary." (p.30)

What does "security detail" refer to? Are these armored vehicles?

Will transportation be provided from contractors lodging to locations Nanking PMTC?

Contractor is responsible for making own vehicle and lodging arrangements

SOW 7.5.1

Planning hours, "Planning hours are intended for the personnel…prepar e for each task."

Please confirm planning hours are not included in the task days and are they in addition to task hours.

SOW 7.5.3 "The contractor shall coordinate arrangements

…The contractor is authorized to pay travel, lodging, and per diem expenses for the

MLHUD staff." (p.

30)

How do we incorporate this into our pricing? Do we assume

5 people for the full task duration?

Where do we capture the costs - travel in Airfare X007, per diem in Other ODC X010?

MLHUD is not referenced in the Zambia SOW.

Believe this is a confusion with Uganda.

SOW 7.5.6

Underage Trainees

“ensure individuals receiving … assistance are 18 years of age or older.,,” (p. 31)

What type of information will we use to verify? Will trainees be carrying some sort of ID?

It is not expected that the contractor will audit and check the identification documents of all soldiers.

However, if an individual is observed that obviously looks underage, ask the ZDF to confirm the individual's age.

SOW Appendix 3

Senior Specialty

Trainer.

CMD/IEDD Tasks

"Minimum certification as

International Mine

Action Service

(IMAS) EOD Level

3 or other internationally recognized equivalent. [EOD certification and competency standards are spelled out in

IMAS 9.30.]"

The IMAS certification is a civilian certification and in many cases civilian/ humanitarian workers are taught these skills by military master trainers in US IED / Ordinance schools. It is not a certification retiring US military EOD experts hold

(While they may have taught civilians to receive the certification) Would the customer consider including

"Master EOD Technician/ Specialist" in the US military in lieu of IMAS certification?

Yes.

SOW Appendix 3.

5 Senior Technical

Trainer (COR

Approved

Personnel)

Engagement/

CIMIC Staff.

CIMIC STT is listed in Appendix 3 as a COR approved personnel. However, none of the tasks lists CIMIC/ engagment platoon training course. Is this an accidental ommision of CIMIC/ engagement platoon training within task D? If not, what task should CIMIC Senior Technical

Trainer be applied to?

No, provide Sr. Technical Trainers as per the SOW.

However, there is the requirement for the staff to

"Understand and integrate Civil-Military Cooperation and Public Information Operations into multi-echelon planning."

SOW Appendix 5, Proposed

Schedule &

Staffing Footprint

(p, 48)

Should the Team Leader be included in the Total Personnel count? Should the hours associated for the included in overall contractor hours?

SOW Appendix 1: "

Equipment List for

CAR PDT" (p.34)

What is CAR PDT? This refers to the ZDF Pre Deployment Training and

Mentorship - CAR Battalion

SOW General Task breaks

Will there be any breaks between Tasks? If yes, how long can we anticipate that break to be?

This will impact travel costs as Trainers will return home if there are breaks.

The training schedule will be coordinated with the

ZDF during the TPPE.

However, the offers should plan on breaks between

Tasks A, B, C, D, and G.

RFP Pricing Table

(p. 2-5)

Does a table similar to that on pages 2-5 of RFP need to be provided or is this replaced by the Pricing Proposal excel workbook?

If a table similar to that on pages 2-5 is required is the Total

Cost for each CLIN for all the Tasks? Should quantity remain as 1?

Offerors should follow Section L-018 Price Proposal

Instructions/Format using the Attachment 3 -

Zambia Bid Chart A001. The Section B pricing schedule will be populated once the contract value is determined.

RFP B-006, C-002,

D-001-003, E-001, E-003 and others are missing

Please confirm that these missing items are intentional and that we are not missing some requirement.

Yes.

RFP B-007,

General (p. 7)

What CLIN would emergency medical services and evacuation insurance for our employees this be listed under?

Pricing structure is the decision of the offeror.

RFP B-007.4

Training and

Support

Equipment (p. 7)

Can equipment and supplies not associated/listed in

Appendix 1 & 2 be included in this CLIN?

RFP B-007.5,

ODCs - "lodging, meals, incidentals"

(p. 7)

Please confirm that we should use the DOS per diem rates for Lusaka, Zambia.

Yes, however, The Federal Acquisition Regulation

(FAR) states that travel costs for contracts can be based on per diem, actual expenses, or a combination of both. However, the allowable daily costs are usually limited to the maximum per diem rates set in the Government travel regulations, unless there are special or unusual circumstances.

RFP L-016 10

"insert a delivery date in the table below for each item." (p. 38)

What table is this in reference to? Since we don't know when the contract will start, it is difficult to provide a date.

Given this, what should we use as a date?

The contract award is expected before midnight on

30 Sep.

After contract award, it is expected that the winning contractor will immediately start coordinating with the GPOI Program Office to conduct the TPPE.

The contractor will coordinate the training schedule with the ZDF during the TPPE.

RFP B-017

Advanced

Understanding (p.

7)

Is the number order a typo? B-017 is in the middle of B-007. Yes.

RFP, B-018.g.vi

DSSR (p. 41)

Please confirm that we should use the DOS Hardship rates for Lusaka, Zambia.

Pricing structure is the decision of the offeror. Pay rates must comply with applicable US and/or host nation regulations.

RFP Sections L is missing some areas or have been misnumbered

L-11 missing, L-1 is in the middle of L-17, L-13 and L-14 is in the middle of L 18

L-011 - Discussions with the Offeror is included on page 37 and" L" sections are correctly numbered and ordered.

RFP Section L-018, 4 h, CLIN X007

Airfare and Transit

Costs (p. 41)

What items are included in Airfare and Transit Costs? Does transit include travel to and from airports? Does this include

M&IE associated with travel?

CLIN X007 covers items associated with airfare and transportation (getting from CONUS location to overseas airport); it does not cover MIE as that is covered in CLIN X010.

RFP Section L-018, 4 i iii, Other direct costs (p. 41)

Please confirm that rates for other direct costs could be loaded - i.e., M&IE and lodging could be higher than the DOS published rates.

Other Direct Costs are a firm-fixed-price structure. It is the offeror's decision as to how this pricing is developed.

RFP Section L-018, 4f; "Quantity Days the offeror shall input the proposed number of training days…"

(p. 40)

Should planning hours/days be included in this section? If not, where should planning hours/days be captured?

Are travel hours be included here? If not, where should they be captured?

Yes.

Yes.

RFP Section L-018, 4 i i, CLIN X008 mobilization costs

(p. 40)

Please confirm that mobilization airfare is not included in mobilization, but instead in airfare.

Correct.

RFP, L-019.3

Responsibility

Determination

"The Offeror shall submit one copy of audited financial statement … for the past fiscal year…" (p.42)

As an audit for 2023 has not yet been completed will the customer accept copies of audited statements from previous years and unaudited statements from 2023?

Yes.

Attachment 3

Zambia Bid Chart, Rate Build Up tab

What is meant by "Offeror's Internal Labor Category" in

Column C? It is formatted as a dollar amount.

The column titled "Offeror's Internal Labor Category" was erroneous and has been removed. See the amended Attachment 3 - Bid Chart A001.

Attachment 3 –

Zambia Bid Chart –

Equipment List

Should we add our own tab for the equipment list detail? See the amended Attachment 3 Bid Chart - A001.

RFP - B-007.1 DBA Insurance within this contract is listed as type CNF, in addition to reimbursement of direct policy cost how will administration costs (overhead) be reimbursed under this

CLIN?

DBA costs will be paid for on a cost-reimbursement basis upon proof of insurance. No other costs (fee, overhead, profit, etc.) will be paid for under this

CLIN, and offerors shall not include any such costs under this CLIN.

RFP - B-007.2 Airfare and Transit Costs within this contract is listed as type

CNF, in addition to reimbursement of direct policy cost how will administration costs (overhead) be reimbursed under this CLIN?

See the answer to Question 34.

RFP - G-009 Is there an option to scheudle progress or partial payments within the programs payment scheudle?

52.232-16 Progress Payments is included in the

CONTRACT CLAUSES - CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY

REFERENCE FAR 52.252-02 (FEB 1998) on page 32 of the solicitation.

Attachment 1

SOW - 4.8.5

Confirm that exoneration letter will provide exemption from all Malawi importation tariffs/taxes?

The winning contractor may request an exoneration from the U.S. Embassy after award. However, there is no guarantee that the letter from the Embassy will be accepted by the Zambians, though it is likely.

Taxes and fees are the responsibility of the contractor.

Attachment 1

SOW - 7.4.8

Confirm secuirty will also be proivded for warehousing space?

Contractors are responsible for the security of its materials.

However, security in the ZDF warehouse space has never been an issue.

SOW, Page 5, Table 2.6, #2

The SOW Note States: In some cases, POI for UN training courses or for standardized training modules may be provided to the Contractor by the Program Office. What

POI/Training modules will be provided for Tasks A through

G?

Some existing material in PowerPoint will be provided after contract award, including an updated list of publicly available UN training materials.

SOW, Page 5, Table 2.6, #11

Will contractor use the Nanking Peace Mission Training

Center (PMTC) Lusaka, Zambia as a shipping and receiving point or will another distribution facility be used?

Per the SOW.

SOW, Page 5, Table 2.6, #11

Can the PMTC receive equipment from third party carriers? Yes, after notification and coordination with the ZDF.

SOW, Page 29, Section 7, 7.3.1

7.3.1. States: Providing the Contractor with updated UN

training guidance, peacekeeping policies, specialized training materials, and other reference materials related to contract performance. For planning purposes, what will the Program

Office be providing upon award?

See the answer to Question 67.

SOW, Page 30, Section 7, 7.4.8

7.4.8. States: Security, including vehicles for the security

detail with associated drivers and fuel, for the Contractor at the training site, and during transits from Contractor accommodations to the place of performance, as necessary.

Will USG be providing transport for country arrival/departure of contractor personnel or only to/from training site during training (do we need to acquire our own vehicle)?

No.

Contractors must provide their own transportation.

SOW, Page 30, Section 7, 7.5.3

7.5.3. Support to Other Trainees and Visitors: Does

government have historical numbers of visits for other entities with respect to lodging, transport, logistics requirements?

Normally, there are 1 or 2 "approved visitors and other affiliated training entities" (i.e. USIP, UNITAR, Partner Nation trainers (British, Dutch, French)) that may need support.

SOW, Page 31, Section 7, 7.5.4

7.5.4. Visitor Use of On-Site Resources: How many extra

computers and materials are required to keep in-stock for visitor use?

Normally, these entities bring their own computers.

Most support provided is for printing support. The contractor is not required to keep in-stock any additional computers and materials for visitor use.

SOW, Page 31, Section 7, 7.5.9

Contingency Surge Support: Are there historical numbers and types of support for past contingency requirements?

No.

SOW, Page 34, Appendix 1:

Equipment List for

CAR PDT

Are items in Appendix 1 being provide BASE YEAR ONLY?

Appendix 2 states BASE YEAR ONLY but Appendix 1 does not. Please advise for pricing and planning purposes.

No, Appendix 1 is the Base Year and option years.

SOW, Page 2, 2.

REQUIREMENTS

Are Tasks A - G being provided to ZDF once per year or multiple rotations of Tasks A-G?

Once per year.

SOW Appendix 3 section 3.2, p40.

Is min 5 years of experience conducting foreign security force capacity building at the tactical and operations level and 10 years of PM experience in the field of security force capacity building the standard across all GPOI SOWs for

Contract Project Manager?

Yes, in most cases.

SOW Appendix 3 section 3.3, p41.

Will grade O3 and higher be considered as qualified for In-

Country Team Lead as it was on GPOI Togo?

No, remains per the SOW.

SOW Appendix 3 section 3.5, p42.

Is min of 7 years of experience U.S. or foreign military experience, including service after September 11 2001 the standard across all GPOI Engagement /CIMIC Sr Technical

Trainer? In Togo, this position was under Sr Specialty

Trainer.

Yes. It is just listed as a Sr Technical Trainer in this

SOW.

SOW Appendix 3 section 3.5, p44.

Can the USG client confirm Unit Tactics falls under Sr

Technical Trainer and not Sr Specialty Trainer as it was on

GPOI Togo?

Yes, per the SOW.

SOW Appendix 3 section 3.5, p44.

Can the USG client confirm strong understanding of UN mission support demonstrated by UN assignment, DoS assignment or civilian positions with assigned duties reviewing UN missions or reports is the standard for all GPOI

UN Logistics Tactics?

Yes, per the SOW.

SOW Appendix 3 section 3.5, p43.

Will grade O3 and higher will be considered as qualified for

Staff Trainer-Operations Sr Technical Trainer as it was on

GPOI Togo? Under Togo, this position was under Sr Specialty

Trainer

Yes, per the SOW.

Section L-016-10 Section states, "For each line item inserted under the

“Equipment” column in Attachment 3 - ZambiaBid Chart, Tabs A through E, offerors shall insert the applicable delivery date in the table below for each item. " However, upopn reviewing Attachment 3, there are no tabs identified as "Tab

A, B, C...". Is the offeror correct in assuming that the

Government meant Tabs "FFP - Task A" through "FFP Task -

G"? Additionally there is no "table below" provided for offerors to provide delivery times/dates. Would the government please provide a format for this table and confirm we are to provide it in Volume I?

Offerors shall fill out the "Equipment" tab in the amended bid chart - Attachment 3 - Zambia Bid

Chart A001.

Section L-016-10

Section F-004

L-016-10 States, "Offers that propose delivery that will not clearly fall within the applicable required delivery period will be considered nonresponsive and rejected. The Government reserves the right to award under either the required delivery schedule or the proposed delivery schedule, when an offeror offers an earlier delivery schedule than required.

The proposed delivery schedule will be evaluated under

Factor 1 (Technical Approach)"

F-0004 states "The Government requires delivery to be made according to the following schedule:

REQUIRED DELIVERY SCHEDULE [To Be Inserted Upon

Award]".

Will the Government please provide the required delivery schedule with the solicitation so that offerors can confirm all delivery dates fall within the applicable required delivery period?

The Offerors shall propose a delivery schedule.

However, a reminder that the SOW states, "The

Contractor shall deliver all equipment prior to the start of TASK D…"

SOW Appendix 3, Section 3.2, Contract Project

Manager -

Minimum

Qualifications

Section States "Minimum of five (5) years of demonstrated experience conducting foreign security force (military or police) capacity building at the tactical and/or operational level and below."

Will the Government please provide its definition of

"Tactical" and "Operational" Levels?

Additionally, is the offeror correct in assuming that if a person was previously a program and or project manager repsonsible to manage and provide security force capacity building services for GPOI that their time would count towards satisfying this requirement?

Yes.

SOW, Appendix 3, Section 3.4, Senior

Specialty Trainer

Minimum

Qualifications

The last bullet states," Recent experience (EOD unit) while deployed to a combat, peacekeeping, or other contingency operation."

Question(s), would the government please clarify what the definition of "recent" is in this statement?

If the candidate proposed served as a senior trainer to a foreign security partner in a peacekeeping operation, would this experience count towards this preferred requirement?

Recent has not been defined but in approximately the last 5 years.

Not necessarily. It will depend on the other qualifications and experience.

Section L-16-8 States: The contractor shall provide ballistic and blast certifications from a certified and reputable U.S. source for all armored equipment(e.g. personal protective equipment) and vehicles (e.g. mine resistant armored personnel carriers), if applicable. What minimum level of armored protection does the government require for vehicles and personal protective equipment used in support of the execution of this work?

Please specify certification standards and any minimally acceptable criteria.

For this submission, this should not be applicable.

Amendment A-001 of the solicitation updates L-016 to remove text.

SOW, Para 7.5.5 The specified standard for a minimum of 60 days notice for

Leahy Vetting and the contractor to coordinate with both the Embassy and the partner implies that the first possible training date for this contract would be a minimum of 60 days from the initiation of Task A. If Leahy vetting is handled without contractor involvement the training calendar could be compressed. Please confirm required contractor involvement in vetting as well as the impact of Leahy vetting lead times.

Please check the SOW. Leahy vetting is not a

Contractor responsibility. Leahy vetting is a requirement (by the Embassy and Department) already memorialized in a legally binding agreement between the US and Zambia. The ZDF Training

Center Commandant and all members of the ZDF trainer cadre must be vetted. The ZDF will provide a list of all personnel to be vetted. The government will formally advise the contractor when this Leahy vetting is completed.

SOW - Appendix 1 -

Equipment List for

CAR PDT

(Navigation

Training Materials)

States a requirement for a "Global Positioning System".

Please identify any specific requirements or capabilties and what, if any maps that are required for upload to the system.

Offerors are free to propose a make and/or model of equipment that is readily available.

However, it should be a Multi-Band GPS Handheld with Sensors and Topo Maps.

SOW - Appendix 3 -

Key personnel requirements

Does prior work as a GPOI Project manager qualify the PM for work under this task order? Under the minimum qualifications they would not have "Relevant military operations or foreign security force (police or military) capacity building experience or program management experience in the last five (5) years" without it if thery were dedicated to this program.

Not necessarily. It will depend on the other qualifications and experience.

SOW, 2.3, Page 3;

SOW, 4.2 Task B, page 10; SOW, 4.4.2, page 11;

SOW, 4.5.7, page

14; SOW, 4.5.10,

page 15; SOW, 4.5.16.3, page 24;

SOW, 4.9.3, page

What type of unit(s) will be trained? The personnel and types of units are already well described in the SOW.

SOW, 2.4.3, Page 4 Please confirm number of Women and where (Engagement team/platoon and staff)?

The winning contractor will have this information with the ZDF during the TPPE.

SOW, 4.5.16.3,

"As required, Partner supports UN pre-rotation visits (PRV)/ military skills validation (MSV)" Is this a first rotation and how often do they rotate?

No, this is not a first rotation.

Normally, rotations are annually.

SOW, page 22 Since Army and Marine Corp Medical standards are directed, is there a requirement to also meet UN Medical requirements?

This question is unanswerable without a SOW paragrpah or section. SOW page numbers may flucuate. However, more broadly, offerors should ensure they are fully aware of individual "UN medical requirements" before they suggest that these requirements might exceed the CLS and TCCC standards and peformance objectives specifed in the

SOW.

SOW, Appendix 1, If this is not the first rotation, what TCC and UN owned equipment is in MINUSCA for this unit now?

The winning contractor will have this information with the ZDF during the TPPE.

SOW, 3.3, page 40 Could non-US personnel with UN/NATO experience be used? See Appendix 3. Offerors should not propose "non-

US personnel" for a position that requires U.S.

citizenship.

SOW,

Marksmanship

Training Materials, page 38, Target

Stand &

Miscellaneous

Training Materials

What does Zambia currently have for marksmanship training materials? Will it meet UN Marksmanship Training

Standards?

The Offerors need to provide what is required in the

SOW.

However, the ZDF has materials that were provided for previous training iterations, very similar to that in the SOW.

RFP Section L-016 -

Technical Proposal

Instructions.

Please clarify the page limitations for the Volume I Technical

Proposal. Given the requirements for this volume, we recommend the addition of 5-10 pages for Factor 3

Management Approach and 5-10 pages for Factor 4

Schedule and Work Plan respectively.

Per the solicitation.

However, the Schedule and Work Plan detail can be an attachment or appendix.

RFP Section L-017 -

Technical Proposal

Format, Factor 2:

Qualifications of

Proposed Key

Personnel

RFP Factor 2: Qualifications of Proposed Key Personnel states that "The Offeror shall detail all qualifications of proposed key personnel including the following itemized components." Then in (2) Resume the instructions state

"Submit a complete resume using the key personnel resume template detailed in Appendix 4.2 of the SOW for all proposed key personnel and COR-approved personnel..."

Will the Government please confirm that the cross walk is required for Contract Project Manager and In-Country Team

Lead only?

No, cross walks are required for key and COR

Approved personnel.

RFP Section L-017 -

Technical Proposal

Format, Factor 2:

Qualifications of

Proposed Key

Personnel

RFP Factor 2: Qualifications of Proposed Key Personnel states that "The Offeror shall detail all qualifications of proposed key personnel including the following itemized components." Then in (2) Resume the instructions state

"Submit a complete resume using the key personnel resume template detailed in Appendix 4.2 of the SOW for all proposed key personnel and COR-approved personnel..."

Will the Government please confirm that resumes are required for Contract Program Manager, In-Country Team

Lead, Senior Technical Trainer, and Senior Speciality Trainer?

Yes, they are required for all Key and COR Approved personnel.

RFP Section L-017 -

Technical Proposal

Format, Factor 2:

Qualifications of

Proposed Key

Personnel

Release or Discharge from Active Duty for each key personnel candidate. Please confirm this information is only required for the Contract Project Manager and In-Country

Team Lead.

Required for all Key and COR Approved personnel.

SOW 2.5.2 SOW states that the contractor is responsible for all fuel for training- which tasks require this and how many/types of vehicles require this support and what is the estimated mileage required with these vehicles?

SOW ChangePer the SOW.

Section 2.5.2. of the SOW has been revised to:

"2.5.2. The Contractor shall not provide fuel and oil necessary for the actual conduct of training.

However, the government may reconsider the provision of fuel at a later date."

L-005 - Proposal

Submission

Instructions / page

The section states "All pages of each part shall be appropriately numbered, and identified with the name of the Offeror, the date, the solicitation number, and the competition pool (i.e., SDVOSB / WOSB, or Full and Open) being proposed." Please confirm this procurement is 100% small business set aside.

This requirement was synopsized on 8/12/2024 via

SAM.gov (19AQMM24N0034) with intent to issue this soliciation to a U.S. Small Business and is classified as a Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR

19.5). FAR 52.219-6 added to the CONTRACT

CLAUSES - CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

FAR 52.252-02 (FEB 1998) on pg. 31.

L-016 - Technical

Proposal

Instructions / page

The solicitation states "Offerors shall include a Resume, Resume Crosswalk, and Relevant Proof of Military Duty and for all proposed personnel candidates who are key and COR-approved personnel in the

Technical Proposal." What are the COR-approved personnel required in the proposal in addition to the defined key personnel?

The Key and COR Approved personnel are per the

SOW, Section 3.2 Required Personnel.

SOW 11 Security Clearance requirements. The solicitation does not require firms to have active Facility Clearance and does not indicate that this is a cleared contract. Can the Government please clarify the requirement for the Project Manager to possess active secret clearance in this case?

Required in case any classified situations/information must be communicated to/from the Project Manager. The requirement for an individual clearance does not require a corresponding faclities clearnace.

RFP - page 38 (#5) Are we correct in assuming that the government does not require proof of degrees and certifications (copies of the documents) to be submitted with the proposal?

Yes.

SOW - page 42-43 -

(section 3.5)

Would the Government consider AUKUS experience (along with US and NATO).

Yes.

SOW - page 41

(section 3.4)

Would the Government consider AUKUS experience (along with US and NATO).

Yes.

SOW - page 41

(section 3.4)

Would the Government consider training with an EOD Level

3 certification and 7 years of experience?

No.

SOW; Task A pg. 9 How many people are on the TPPE Task? Is it TL plus 1? Yes, it is the TL plus as many personnel the offeror deems necessary.

SOW; Task B pg.

Is the Senior Technical Trainer on this Task from any specific specialty or is that our choice?

Yes, the offeror may propose a Sr. Technical Trainer that it believes best suited. The goal is to give contractors flexiblity to bring on high performaing personnel to accomplish performance objectives.

SOW; Task C pg.

The SOW states both 3 days for the Task and 5 days for the

Task, which is correct?

The LLW is three (3) working days (one day for preparation and two days for the workshop).

SOW; Sec. 3.5 pg.

The Engagement / CIMIC Trainer qualifications are listed but there is no requirement for a CIMIC / EP trainer anywhere in the rest of the SOW. Is this an oversight?

No.

SOW; Section 4.4.8

pg. 13

The Table shows that Task D3 has one COR-Approved

Trainer but two total trainers. Then on Page 18, 4.5.10.5.8 says this Task has to have both trainers as Senior Technical

Trainers, implying COR-Approval. How many of what kind of trainers are required on Task D3?

SOW Change.

Section 4.5.10.5.8 of the SOW has been revised to:

4.5.10.5.8. Required Personnel.

• Conduct training with a minimum of (2) mentors.

• At least one (1) mentor shall be a Senior

Technical

Trainer

SOW; 4.5.6.1 pg 13 The Table indicates that the TL has 50 hours on Task D. Is

Task D a 9 week cycle?

Not necessarily. The winning contractor will coordinate the Task D schedule during the TPPE.

SOW; 4.5.6.1 pg 13 Is there a tentatice Schedule or Table for the sequence of

Task D Sub Tasks? This impacts our ability to efficiently align staff to tasks.

No.

The offerors should propose a schedule that is best for completing the training.

The winning contractor will coordinate the Task D schedule during the TPPE.

117 SOW; 3.4 pg 42 pg 12

SOW; 3.5 pg 42 Two Senior Technical Trainers are required for Task G (IDC) but no specialties are listed. Can we use any of the existing

Senior Technical Trainers or are there special requirements for Task G staff? No requirements are listed in the SOW for an IDC trainer, although they are listed for a PTRM trainer.

Yes, the offeror may propose the Sr. Technical

Trainer specialties.

However, Section 4.9.2. says: "The training will be conducted in the following primary areas: UN

Military Decision-Making process and UN Logistics."

SOW; 3.2.1 Is the correct title Project Manager of Contract Project

Manager?

Contract Project Manager

SOW; 3.2.1 pg 7 Is Task C 3 days or 5 days? Both are stated in the SOW. The LLW is three (3) working days (one day for preparation and two days for the workshop).

SOW; 4.3 pg 11 To confirm, there is no EP/CIMIC requirement for Task D? Yes, but there is the requirement for the staff to

"Understand and integrate Civil-Military Cooperation and Public Information Operations into multi-echelon planning."

SOW; 4.4.3 pg 12 Is a tentative schedule for Task D available so we are able to accurately align our staff to the requirement?

See the answer to Question 116.

SOW; 4.4.6 pg 13 Are we required to provide a list of the items for each lot or just state a value in the pricing bid sheet?

Price as a lot but also provide a list of the primary items in the lot.

SOW; 4.5.6.1 pg 13 For D.1 is the COR-approved person te MPKI Senior Tech

Trainer from the prerequisite instructions?

Yes.

SOW; 4.5.6.1 pg 13 For D.3 is the COR-approved person te STAFF Senior Tech

Trainer from the prerequisite instructions?

Yes.

SOW; 4.5.10.5.7 pg

Is the staff trainer from this Task in country for the entire 9-week Task D in addition to the other trainers on Task D? The

SOW says he stays after the 5-weeks of D.3 through the end of Task D. Schedule dependent that is likely to be 4-weeks later.

Yes.

SOW; 4.5.13 pg 21 Confirming that CLS is only 5 days of the 3 weeks of medical training?

See the answer to Question 29.

SOW; 3.5 pg 42 The EP/CIMIC position prerequisites are stated. Is there an

EP/CIMIC position that is missing from the SOW?

See the answer to Question 121.

Would non-US Nationals be accepted onto the contract as an exemption. ? The SoW seems quite rigid in terms of US

Citizenship and previous US / NATO Military experience.

Yes - however - Proof of Foreign Military experience or equivalennt must be provided

Contractor Accommodation and Life Support Provisions. ?

Would this be provided by the Partner Nation (Zambian

Defence Force) at no cost to the contractor, or would the contractor be responsible for Accommodation and Life

Support Costs.

No, the contractor is responsible for accomodations and life support

US Government outlined they would not provide any government furnished equipment (GFE), however, Point No:

7 within the SoW outlines the Partner Nation (Zambia

Defence Force) would provide support to the contract in terms of personnel, equipment (inc vehicles, weapons, ammunition, training facilities, training venues, warehouse space for storage – at no cost to the contractor?

This is not US government furnished equipment, the

ZDF will support in terms of personnel, equipment

(inc. vehicles, weapons, ammunition, training facilities, training venues, warehouse space for storage) - Equipment not outlined in the SOW - ZDF furnished equipment and facilities are at no additioanl cost to the contractor.

When is the expected Contract Start Date ? The Government expects to award the contract before midnight on September 30. However, the winning contractor may not receive the Notice of

Contract Award from the CO until October.

The SoW highlights a requirement for the contractor to provide proof of shipping / importation license, however the

US Embassy address would be used, therefore no shipping / customs cost to the contractor. For ease, would the US

Embassy be open to Embassy Air being used, to prevent any shipping licensing requirements. ?. This would also assist with travel of personnel if they utilised Embassy Air travel as a supporting contractor.

No