19AQMR23R0007 Consolidated Government Responses.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 45 KB Posted
- Attached to
- INL WHA Advisory and Assistance (CARSI)
- Solicitation number
- 19AQMR23R0007
About this file
This document contains questions and answers related to solicitation 19AQMR23R0007 issued by the Department of State Office of Acquisition Management for advisory and assistance services in support of the Central America Regional Security Initiative program. The solicitation seeks advisory services across 13 countries, with key details including advisory positions in areas such as law enforcement, corrections, and monitoring and evaluation. Pricing is included for five initial countries with advisory staffing levels and rates. Responses address topics such as security clearance requirements, past performance evaluation, staffing plans, and mobilization timelines. Task order details and locations for in-country program management offices will be determined during follow-on requirements.
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| DD 254.pdf | ||
| Attachment 2 -Pricing Spreadsheet_0003.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| 19AQMR23R0007-0003.pdf | ||
| 19AQMR23R0007_Consolidated Govt Responses 2.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Attachment 1 - INL WHA Staffing Statement of Work_0003.docx | DOCX document | |
| 19AQMR23R0007-0002.pdf | ||
| Attachment 2 -Pricing Spreadsheet_0001.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| CTA Template.docx | DOCX document | |
| 19AQMR23R0007-0001.pdf | ||
| Attachment 1 - INL WHA Staffing Statement of Work_0001.docx | DOCX document | |
| Attachment 6 - Q and A Template.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| 19AQMR23R0007.pdf | ||
| Attachment 5 - Past Performance Rating Form.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Attachment 2 -Pricing Spreadsheet.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Attachment 1 - INL WHA Staffing Statement of Work.docx | DOCX document |
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Q&A
| Solicitation Reference (i.e., Attachment Number, Section, and Page Number) | Technical Question(s) | Price Question(s) | Government Responses | ||
| 1 | Who is the current incumbent? | ATSG | |||
| 2 | What is the current spend by country task order? | The current staff numbers indicated in the pricing file are an estimate of future task order requirements, which is what vendors must price in their offers. | |||
| 3 | How many positions are already on staff by Task Order? | The current staff numbers indicated in the pricing file are an estimate of future task order requirements, which is what vendors must price in their offers. | |||
| 4 | What is the LOE per Task Order? | Full time hours are dependent upon country of performance and nationality. These will be indicated at the task order level. For purposes of pricing the IDIQ, vendors should use the filler of 1880 hours. | |||
| 5 | SOW Section 1.2 - Program Management p. 2 | Will the Government please indicate whether it expects each Key Personnel billet (Program Manager and Contract Administrator) to be full or part time? | Both positions must be available to interface with the Government and manage all task orders awarded under the IDIQ. It will be up to offerors to allocate required working hours for these positions as CONUS PMO at the task order level. | ||
| 6 | SOW Section 1.2 - Program Management p. 3 | ||||
| The Government currently requires that the Program Manager hold a PMP. | Will the Government please consider making this a preferred qualification? | PMP requirement has been deleted. | |||
| 7 | SOW Section 1.4 - In Country Offices p. 3 | ||||
| The government requirement for an In-Country PMO to be established with each Task Order is clear for the five main countries. | Will the government please clarify whether it intends to bundle the remaining countries (Domincan Republic, Jamaica, Bahamas, Trinadad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, and eastern Caribbean) into one or two Task Orders, given the limited number of likely positions. | ||||
| Will the government clarify in which country/ies the Government prefers the In-Country PMO be established? | The intended plan is to award one task order per country. However, if the Government includes multiple countries in one task order, the location of the PMO will be specified in the Task Order Request for Proposal. | ||||
| 8 | SOW 1.5 - Deliverables p. 4-5 | ||||
| The Government indicates the contractor is responsible for the quality control plan (QCP). | Will the Government please explain if it plans to develop and apply a quality assurance surveillence plan (QASP)? | Yes. This will be developed post award to mirror the monitoring techniques and schedule proposed by the winning vendors for each awarded IDIQ. | |||
| 9 | SOW 1.5 - Deliverables p. 4-6 | ||||
| The SOW indicates that 4 plans are due with the IDIQ submission: Recruitment and Staffing, Quality Control, Risk Management, and Mobilization. In section L of the RFP, the Recruitment and Staffing Plan is separated out from the other 3 plans. | Will the Government consider the 3 plans other than the Recruitment and Staffing Plan, as draft plans to be submitted with the IDIQ, with the final mobilization plan dues at the time of Task Order submission and the Quality Control and Risk Mitigation plans due 15 business days after Task Order award? | QCP, RM, and MP must be submitted for Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador with the proposal. IDIQ holders will be free to update the Mobilization Plan with task order proposal submissions. | |||
| 10 | SOW 1.5 - Deliverables p. 6 | ||||
| The Government lists three reports related to GFE/P that the contractor must submit at the Task Order Level. | Will the government please indicate the amount and nature of GFE/P the contractor is expected to manage for each Task Order as this may affect staffing as well as the cost to lease facilities. | GFE is limited to computers and cell phones (typically one per TPC). Vendors will not be expected to store large items on behalf of the Government. Specific GFE will be listed at the task order level. | |||
| 11 | SOW 1.7 - Staffing Estimates p. 8 | ||||
| The Government notes that 20 M&E experts are likely necessary and that such assignments will be made at a Task Order level. | Will the Government please provide advance notice as to which countries will require such assistance, so that offerors can recruit in advance of Task Orders (given that the turn-around time for Task Order response is often quite short)? | M&E staffing projections have not been finalized. No advance country notification is available at this time. | |||
| 12 | SOW 1.7 - Staffing Estimates p. 7-12 | ||||
| There are references to U.S. inter-agency personnel in some of the staffing lists for the 5 main countries (DEA, ICE and FBI). Many of the lists also use a term consistent with USAID, Citizen Security. | Are some acitivities, especially those associted with entries denoting Citizen Security Funding, aligned with or undertaken jointly with USAID? | While INL works closely with USAID, it rarely undertakes projects jointly. INL meets frequently with USAID to deconflict projects so that there is no duplication of effort. | |||
| 13 | SOW 4.1 Leased Space p. 23 | ||||
| The Government writes: "Depending upon the facilities in country, the Contractor may be required to lease space to accommodate a designated number of staff." | Does the Government mean that the contractor may need to include space in a given in-country PMO for INL personnel? | No, this space will be used for TPCs if the embassy facilities cannot accommodate them. | |||
| 14 | SOW 4.4 - Security Measures p. 23-24 | ||||
| The Government writes: "Costs of any security-related measures, as mutually determined by the Embassy RSO, COR and INL Security Advisor, shall be cost reimbursable." | Will the government please confirm that any associated pricing will be done at a task order level and not in respect to the IDIQ technical and cost volumes? | Confirmed | |||
| 15 | RFP Section C-002.e - Serious Incident Reports p. 17 |
RFP Section F-004 - IDIQ Contract Deliverables p. 22 SOW 1.6 - Serious Incident Report p. 5
| The Government stipulates in Section C-002.e that reports must be made 4 hours within incident; however, Section F-004 (D-10), the requirement is within 24 hours of occurance. In the SOW the government indicates reports are to be made within 12 hours. | Will the government consider the following replacement in all referenced sections: Contractor will notify the CO and/or COR within 12 hours of becoming aware of a qualifying incident? | An initial SIR is required (call or email) within 4 hours of the SIR qualifying incident. All other sections of the solicitation have been updated to agree with initial notice of 4 hours and full SIR at 12 hours. | |
| 16 | RFP Section H-037 p. 44 |
The Government writes: "In the event that a teaming arrangement or joint venture is awarded an IDIQ contract, the Government reserves the right to deny the awardee the opportunity to be considered for future task order requirements if the Government becomes aware that one or more of the parties to the team or joint venture have changed."
| This becomes important, for example, if the Government decides to include an construction or renovation in a Task Order, per H-043. | Will the government please consider changing the requirement to: The Prime (including a Joint Venture as a prime) must inform the CO and COR of any changes in the composition of the team, and receive a written acknowledgement and approval of said change. This will include both the removal and addition of teammates. | |
| Updated language to "if the Government becomes aware that one or more of the parties to the team or joint venture have changed without CO approval." | ||
| 17 | RFP Section L-004.5.a. Section 1 p. 88 |
RFP Section L-004.5.a. Section 3 p. 88-89
| In Section 1 - Sub-Factor 1 the Government states that sample task order resumes should be no more than three pages long and will not be counted against the page limit. | Do the IDIQ Key Personnel resumes also have a three page limit? | Yes | |
| 18 | Attachment 2 -Pricing Spreadsheet |
Table 7
| The GS Equivalent salary ranges listed on the Costa Rica Direct Labor Tab do not align with the 2023 GS ranges for the Washington, DC area or for the "Rest of the US" area. | Please provide the current 2023 GS Salary ranges for the Costa Rica Direct Labor Table. | Salary range removed to match other country tabs. Current GS payscales are publicly available here: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/23Tables/html/GS.aspx | |
| 19 | Attachment 2 -Pricing Spreadsheet | ||
| Tables 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, and 17 | Are the LES pay scales provided for each country up-to-date with 2023 information and in line with the period of performance for this effort. | LES pay scales are current as of 2023. | |
| 20 | Attachment 2 -Pricing Spreadsheet | ||
| Tables 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, and 17 | If the LES pay scales provided on the referenced tables are not current, please confirm offeror's are permitted to use market analysis to establish wage rates. | GS and LES payscales are provided to maximize the retention of incumbent candidates in the positions indicated. The Government intends to evaluate total compensation IAW FAR 52.222-46. Therefore, while offerors are not required to use these salary ranges, it is encouraged for staff retention. | |
| 21 | RFP Section L-004.5.b p. 90 |
Price Proposal instructions
| The RFP Indicates the Price Proposal should include 3 parts, the Narrative, Pricing Tables, and Supporting Documentation; however, it goes on to state offerors shall prepare at least 2 files for the above sections. | Please confirm the Narrative and Supporting Documentation can be included in 1 proposal file? | Yes. Section L indicates that offerors must use the provided excel template for pricing tables. The narrative and supporting documentation may be included in one file together as their only format requirement is to be in either word or pdf. | |
| 22 | RFP Section L-004.5.b p. 92 |
Instruction Pricing Table 4-17 Buildup The RFP instructions indicate offerors shall enter their estimated indirect costs on Attachment 2 that reflect the applicable ceiling indirect cost rate proposed multiplied by the RFP-specified estimated direct costs. Attachment 2 does not include RFP-specified Direct Costs to which offerors should apply their indirect rates.
Note: It is noted there are formulas in the direct cost column; however, these formulas do not appear to calculate the cost correctly (i.e. in some cases, $0.00 is multiplied by a government provided rate resulting in $0.00 direct cost). Please provide the RFP Specified estimated direct costs for each county.
If the direct cost will be formula driven, please confirm the formulas on each country's tab are accurate.
| Instruction Pricing Table 4-17 Buildup language has been updated to refer to "contractor proposed" direct costs rather than "RFP specified." There will be no RFP specified direct costs at the IDIQ level. Offerors should refer to https://aoprals.state.gov/Web920/location.asp?menu_id=95 for current COLA and Post Differential Rates. | |
| 23 | Attachment 2 -Pricing Spreadsheet |
SOW Section 2.0 p. 12-13 The SOW indicates we shall provide the following labor categories: Subject Matter Expert; Police Advisor I, II, III, IV; Corrections Advisor I, II, III, IV; Specialist Advisor I, II, III, IV; IT Advisor I, II, III, IV; Administrative and Support I, II, III, IV; Systems Administrator; Logistics Manager; Logistics Specialist; Supply Technician; and Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist.
| Each contract on the Attachment 2 - Pricing Spreadsheet does not contain every labor category identified above. | Should the Attachment 2 - Pricing Spreadsheet be updated to include all labor categories identified in Section 2.0 of the SOW on each country's respective pricing tabs? | Attachment 2 and SOW now match | |
| 24 | Attachment 2 -Pricing Spreadsheet |
SOW Section 1.7 p. 7-12 The requirements of the SOW do not align to the number of FTEs identified in the Attachment 2 - Pricing Spreadsheet. For Example, in El Salvador, the SOW indicates 2 Subject Matter Experts are required; however, this labor category is not listed at all on Attachment 2.
Note: For reference, we have provided a tab title FTE comparison with this Q&A document that outlines the difference between the Attachment 2 and the SOW for all labor categories in all countries. Is it the Government's intent for the Attachment 2 - Pricing Spreadsheet to align with the requirements of the SOW?
If yes, please provide a revised Attachment 2 that matches the staffing requirements of the SOW.
| Attachment 2 and SOW now match | ||||
| 25 | RFP Section L-001.10 and L-001.11 p 86 | |||
| Sections L-001.10 and L-001.11 of the RFP indicate offerors must complete and return the required representations and certifications with their offor; however, it does not indicate which proposal volume should include these items. | Please indicate in which volume offerors should include their completed representations and certifications. | L-001.10 - Clause fill ins must be completed in the SF 33. L-001.11 Section K requirements not included in SAM may be submitted in the business volume. | ||
| 26 | RFP Section L-002.3 p 87 | |||
| There is a statement in this section of the RFP that indicates "All pages shall be numbered and single volumes shall not exceed a total of 50 pages;" however, previously the RFP indicated the Price and Business volumes do not have a page limit. | Please confirm there is no page limit on the Price and Business volumes. | Correct. | ||
| 27 | SOW 1.5 - Deliverables p. 6 | |||
| The Government lists five (5) countries to be included in each plan. (No Caribbean countries included). Attachement 2 - Pricing Spreadsheet has a tab for Caribbean. | Did the goverment include a tab for pricing all Caribbean countries in Attachment 2 Pricing Spreadsheet by mistake? | Plans are required for five countries to assess vendors' abilities to field personnel in multiple countries at once; namely, those countries with the highest personnel demands. Additional countries wil be required but plans will not be submitted until task order proposal. NTE rates will still be established for these countries in advance. | ||
| 28 | 19AQMR23R0007.pdf – Reference: Section L-002 Proposal Organization, item 4, page 87 of 101.. In the sample proposal header provided, there are two columns and the scond column has the number "1" in it. | Based on the solicitation instructions, before the section where the government provides the 'sample header,' all the required information for the header appears to be in the first column – Is the second column intended to be the page number? | Yes. Formatting updated to clarify this instead of just a number. | |
| 29 | 19AQMR23R0007.pdf – Reference: Instructions for Technical Approach, Sub-factor 2 Section 2 - Sub-Factor 2: Quality Control, Risk Mitigation, and Mobilization Plans, page 88 of 101. | Instructions for this sub-factor states: "Proposal deliverables should include a response to all categories included in SOW section 1.5 for the subject plans." The Recruitment and Staffing Plan is one of the plans described in SOW Section 1.5. Can the Government please confirm that the Recruitment and Staffing Plan , which is called for in Sub-factor 1, does not need to be addressed also in offeror Sub-factor 2 responses? | "for the subject plans" is meant to indicate the plans in the subject line of the subfactor: I.e. only Quality Control, Risk Mitigation, and Mobilization. All proposal info for Recruitment and Staffing Plans should be addressed under SubFactor 1. | |
| 30 | 19AQMR23R0007.pdf – Section 3 – Sub-Factor 3: IDIQ Key Personnel, pg. 89 of 101: |
"Secret Security Clearance."
-and- Section H-010 –Security Requirements pg. 34 of 101:
| "This is an unclassified contract. Access to classified information is not authorized. Personnel assigned to this contract are not authorized to view, process, store, transmit, receive, or handle classified information" | Does the Government plan to hold the Program Manager’s SECRET clearance or will it issue a DD254 for this Contract so Contractors can hold their clearances? | The DD254 is in work. The Government will issue one for each awarded IDIQ . Unclassified contract language has been removed from H-010. | ||
| 31 | 19AQMR23R0007.pdf – Section 3 – Sub-Factor 3: IDIQ Key Personnel, pg. 89 of 101: | |||
| "Secret Security Clearance." | If Secret Clearances are required for Key Personnel, can the Government please clarify that Facility Clearances (at minimum Secret level) are required by proposing offerors? | A facility clearance of SECRET is required. H-010-Security Requirements has been updated to specify this. Clause 52.204-2 has been added to the solcitation. | ||
| 32 | 19AQMR23R0007.pdf – L-001 - General Proposal Guidance states: "7. Proposals are due no later than 10 am CDT August 11, 2023" | Would the Government please extend the proposal due date to 2-weeks from the date that the Government answers questions? | The due date will be extended by the amount of time it takes the Government to respond to vendor questions. | |
| 33 | 19AQMR23R0007.pdf – L-004 - Content Requirements – Section 1 - Sub-Factor 1: Recruitment and Staffing Plan and Sample Task Order Resumes, pg. 88 of 101: | |||
| "c) Resumes for individuals proposed for this solicitation are limited to three (3) pages which are not included in the overall 50-page count limitation. Resumes must demonstrate the individual meets all position requirements for the labor position identified in Section 2 of the SOW, Position Descriptions." | The position requirements in Section 2 of the SOW include MRPT Clearances and/or RSO Vetting requirements. To prevent any potential unfair competitive advantage for the incumbent, will the Government accept MRPTs or RSO eligible candidates in lieu of having MRPTs or RSO vettings upfront? | Yes. MRPTs are actually tied to specific contracts. Therefore, individuals who already have MRPTs will seek reciprocity from DS in order to transfer those MRPTs onto a new contract number. In other words, it is impossible for any candidate to have an MRPT for a specific solicitation in advance. Offerors should put forward candidates who are MRPT/RSO Clearance eligible. | ||
| 34 | 19AQMR23R0007.pdf – L-004 - Content Requirements – Section 1 - Sub-Factor 1: Recruitment and Staffing Plan and Sample Task Order Resumes, pg. 88 of 101: | |||
| "d) The resume shall include name, education, professional certifications, current security clearance, technical skills, relevant training received in the past two (2) years, and relevant professional experience in their proposed field within the past ten (10) years." | If a proposed sample task order candidates do not possess an existing clearance (i.e. MRPT or RSO) and clearances will be evaluated, will INL negatively evaluate an offeror's proposed candidates without an active clearance or RSO vetting? | As long as the offeror ensures candidates' ability to obtain the required clearances prior to performance on contract, they will not be negatively evaluated for not already having them for a previous contract. | ||
| 35 | 19AQMR23R0007.pdf – L-004 - Content Requirements – Section 1 - Sub-Factor 1: Recruitment and Staffing Plan and Sample Task Order Resumes, pg. 88 of 101: | |||
| "d) The resume shall include name, education, professional certifications, current security clearance, technical skills, relevant training received in the past two (2) years, and relevant professional experience in their proposed field within the past ten (10) years." | Does the Government mean they do not want an offeror to list the sample task order candidate's experience beyond the past 10 years in their resumes? | Correct - only experience in for the past ten years. | ||
| 36 | 19AQMR23R0007.pdf – H-002 - Licenses and Permits, pg. 32 of 101, "The Contractor shall obtain all permits, licenses, and appointments required for the execution of work under this contract at no additional cost to the Government. The Contractor shall obtain these permits, licenses, and appointments in compliance with host country laws. Failure to be fully licensed within thirty (30) day of contract award may result in contract termination." | Can the Government please confirm that Offerors must be licensed for individual countries within 30 days of Task Order contract award only? | Correct. Offerors are not expected to obtain business licenses in countries for which they may never receive a task order award. Note: when evaluating task order proposals, the Government may consider offerors that already have business licenses in the country of performance to provide an added advantage due to reduction in schedule risk. | |
| 37 | N/A – General Question | Can the Government please provide additional information regarding a forecast of upcoming Task Orders (i.e. countries, expected dates of release, etc.) to be released under this IDIQ? | The Government is targeting award of the first task order in the second quarter of FY2024 (Guatemala). The likely order of TORP from there will be: El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, though this is dependent on -8 extensions and more urgent needs for other countries that may arise in that time. | |
| 38 | N/A – General Question | Can the Government please provide additional information on the current active incbument Task Orders and their dates of expiration? | There are current task orders for Guatemala/Belize, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, and El Salvador. Guatemala/Belize will end first. The Government is targetting TO award in the second quarter of FY2024. The likely order of TORP from there will be: El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, though this is dependent on -8 extensions and more urgent needs for other countries that may arise in that time. | |
| 39 | Attachment+1+-+INL+WHA+Staffing+Statement+of+Work – 1.4 ACTIVITY 3 – IN-COUNTRY OFFICES, pg. 3 of 25: | |||
| "The Deputy Program Manager (DPM) shall be located in the same PMO office in the same country of the proposed in country PMO office." | Can the Government please either remove reference to a DPM or provide the qualification requirements for a DPM and specify whether the DPM is considered key or not? | Language added to the SOW with DPM general qualifications. DPMs will be considered Key personnel at the task order level. No resume submissions are required for DPMs with IDIQ proposals. DPMs have been added to country tabs of the pricing file. | ||
| 40 | Attachment+1+-+INL+WHA+Staffing+Statement+of+Work – 1.4 ACTIVITY 3 – IN-COUNTRY OFFICES, pg. 3 of 25: | |||
| "The Deputy Program Manager (DPM) shall be located in the same PMO office in the same country of the proposed in country PMO office." | Can INL please confirm that the Government does not want and will not evaluate any resume(s) for a DPM(s) in all offeror's proposals? | DPM candidates will be submitted at the task order level. No DPMs will be evaluated at the IDIQ level. | ||
| 41 | Attachment+1+-+INL+WHA+Staffing+Statement+of+Work – 1.4 ACTIVITY 3 – IN-COUNTRY OFFICES, pg. 3 of 25: | |||
| "The offices established shall be located within a fifteen (15) minute walk from the respective INL office. " | Can INL provide the exact addresses of each INL office in each country to ensure contractors are able to meet this requirement? | Contractors should utilize the US Embassy physical location address in each country as the epicenter of the 15 minute walk radius. | ||
| 42 | Attachment+1+-+INL+WHA+Staffing+Statement+of+Work – Recruitment and Staffing Plan, pg. 4 of 25: | |||
| "The Contractor will fully document vacated billets, and within 45 business days of employee departure and send documentation on the replacement candidate to RSO/DS in order to start the security clearance process." | Can the Government please clarify what this means? | Contractor will provide an acceptable replacement candidate for Government approval within 45 business days of employee departure and submit RSO/DS security background investigation forms to commence the security vetting process. | ||
| 43 | Attachment+1+-+INL+WHA+Staffing+Statement+of+Work – Recruitment and Staffing Plan, pg. 4 of 25: | |||
| "The Contractor will fully document vacated billets, and within 45 business days of employee departure and send documentation on the replacement candidate to RSO/DS in order to start the security clearance process." | Does the Government mean that a vacancy needs to be reported within 45 days, or backfilled within 45 days, or both? | Reported immediately, backfilled within 45 days. | ||
| 44 | 19AQMR23R0007.pdf – L-004 - Content Requirements – Section 1 - Sub-Factor 1: Recruitment and Staffing Plan and Sample Task Order Resumes, pg. 88 of 101: | |||
| "a) A detailed staffing plan detailing how all personnel will be in place within 45 days from the date of contract award, details on pr oposed staffing reserve capacity (i.e., bench), including how the Offeror will maintain that capacity. The analysis must describe how the Offeror will ensure staffing requirements are continually met, taking into account training, planned, and unplanned absences/loss of personnel." | Can the Government please clarify what they mean by "all personnel" (i.e. Key personnel only, task order personnel – and if TO personnel – what countries, what labor categories and what number of total staff)? | All personnel means all personnel listed in the Attachment 2 country tab of the five countries required for staffing plan submission. These are broken out by position category and quantity. | ||
| 45 | 19AQMR23R0007.pdf – L-004 - Content Requirements – Section 1 - Sub-Factor 1: Recruitment and Staffing Plan and Sample Task Order Resumes, pg. 88 of 101: |
"b) A description of the proposed compensation plan for employees to retain talent while representing a realistic compensation sche
| me for contract performance." | Can the Government please confirm that they want to see: 1) one overarching compensation plan for the IDIQ, or; 2) five separate compensation plans for each of the 5 countries listed (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panaman)? | One overarching compensation plan for the IDIQ (to include key personnel) and a compensation plan for each of the five countries listed. | ||
| 46 | 19AQMR23R0007.pdf – M-003 - Evaluation Factors for Award, pg. 98 of 101 | The Government lists the evaluation criteria for each subfactor (i.e. subfactors 1-4), however, its not clear how each overall Factor (i.e. Factor 1 and 2) is weighted compared to one another. Question: Can the Government please explain the weighting or points system for the evaluation factors to determine which is the most heavily weighted Factors? | Please refer to the language in M-001, Basis for Award: "For this solicitation, all technical evaluation factors, when combined, are significantly more important than price. Award will not be |
automatically determined by numerical calculation or formula relationship between the non-price factors and price. As technical factors, when combined, become more equal, the evaluated price rises in importance and may become the determining factor"
| 47 | 19AQMR23R0007.pdf – M-003 - Evaluation Factors for Award, pg. 98 of 101 | The Government lists the evaluation criteria for each subfactor (i.e. subfactors 1-4), however, its not clear how each subfactor (within Factor 1 - Technical) is weighted compared to one another. Question: Can the Government please explain the weighting or points system for evaluating the subfactors (within Factor 1 - Technical), to determine which is the most heavily weighted subfactors? | Please refer to the language in M-003, Evaluation factors for Award, "The Technical Subfactors are listed in their order of importance, i.e., Subfactor 1 is of greatest importance, followed by 2, and so forth." |
| 48 | 19AQMR23R0007.pdf – M-003 - Evaluation Factors for Award, pg. 98 of 101 | Can the Government please confirm that Volume III Business is not part of the Government's evaluation Factors or criteria? | Confirmed. This information will be used for the responsibility determination. |
| 49 | 19AQMR23R0007.pdf – L-004 - Content Requirements – Section L Section 4 - Sub-Factor 4: Past Performance, pg. 89 of 101: |
"The Offerors shall identify the following information based on programs similar in scope and complexity for the past five (5) years, for which the offeror served as the prime contractor. The offeror is required to submit the following information for up to THREE contract efforts of similar size and scope:"
-and- 19AQMR23R0007.pdf – M-003 - Evaluation Factors for Award, pg. 98 of 101:
"Present/past performance effort involved comparable scope and
| magnitude of effort and complexities as this solicitation requires." | The Government is asking for Past Perforamnce Reference in similar size and scope in Section L, but is evaluating for similar magnitude and scope in Section M. Question: Can the Government please clarify the difference between size and magnitude to ensure offeror's properly address any distinction between the two terms? | The Government considered size and magnitude to be synonymous. However, the solicitation has been updated to make the wording the same in both sections to reduce confusion. | |||
| 50 | N/A – General Question | Will the Government provide a second round of Q&A in the event any of the answers from this intial round are unclear or require further clarification? | Yes | ||
| 51 | Attachment+2+-Pricing+Spreadsheet; | Can the Government please confirm that all offeror's are prohibited from changing the Government provided and esitmated hours for each position listed (i.e. 1880 per position)? | Yes. These are filler numbers only for consistent evaluation. Actual hours will be delineated at the task order level. | ||
| 52 | Attachment+2+-Pricing+Spreadsheet; | Can the Government please confirm that all offeror's are prohibited from changing the Government provided number of FTEs by each labor category | Yes. | ||
| 53 | Attachment+2+-Pricing+Spreadsheet; 4. Belize (cell E85:E92) | These cells reference other cells on the spreadsheet (G75:G82) but none of the other country cells are referencing the same cells. | |||
| Can the government confirm this is an error? | Yes, this has been corrected in the amendment. | ||||
| 54 | RFP Price Proposal Section; Instruction Pricing Table 4-17 Buildup (pg 92). | Instruction Pricing Table 4-17 Buildup: In Pricing Tables 4-17 for the full country buildup tabs (i.e. not direct labor), offerors shall enter, in whole numbers (i.e., no decimals), their estimated indirect costs in the “Ind $” columns. Such costs shall reflect the applicable ceiling indirect cost rate(s) proposed in Pricing Table 2 (as blended in columns C through H in Pricing Table 3) multiplied by the RFP -specified estimated direct costs. |
| The "RFP-specified estimated direct costs" appear to be missing from the solicitation. Could the governement please provide these estimates to more accurately estimate the applicable indirect costs? | Instruction Pricing Table 4-17 Buildup language has been updated to refer to "contractor proposed" direct costs rather than "RFP specified." There will be no RFP specified direct costs at the IDIQ level. Offerors should refer to https://aoprals.state.gov/Web920/location.asp?menu_id=95 for current COLA and Post Differential Rates. | ||
| 55 | Attachment+2+-Pricing+Spreadsheet; 16. Caribbean | ||
| Attachment+2+-Pricing+Spreadsheet; 17. Caribbean Direct Labor | Which country(ies) are included in this tab? | Currently Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas, and Jamaica | |
| 56 | Attachment+2+-Pricing+Spreadsheet; 16. Caribbean | ||
| Attachment+2+-Pricing+Spreadsheet; 17. Caribbean Direct Labor | Assuming this is for multiple countries with varying local labor laws, would the government consider waiting until task order RFQs to establish these FTE rates? This ensures more accurate pricing that applies to specific countries/task orders without commingling at the IDIQ level. | Proposed rates will be considered NTEs for the Caribbean as a whole. The Government suggests pricing to the most expensive country. TORPS will provide offerors with the opportunity to provide rates for specific countries within the Caribbean below the IDIQ NTE. | |
| 57 | In Pricing Tables 4-17, each proposed NTE fully-loaded hourly labor rate shall be in United States dollars. Pricing Table 4-17 shows, |
as part of the CLIN identifier, “US” for U.S. Citizen, “B” for Belize Citizen (or whichever letter the country in that tab begins with, or "T" for Third Country National.
Attachment+2+-Pricing+Spreadsheet; 16. Caribbean Attachment+2+-Pricing+Spreadsheet; 16. Caribbean (Cells A33:A53)
| These cells show "-X"...please explain what the "-X" references since there is no specific country for this tab. | All country tab subclins have been updated to end in US (for USN), L (for LN), or T (for TCN), delineating the different groupings of labor rates. | |||
| 58 | Attachment 1 SOW | |||
| Atachment 2 | COUNTRY | SOW | Pricing Spreadsheet | |
| EL SALVADOR | 26 | 25 | ||
| HONDURAS | 27 | 28 | ||
| GUATEMALA 44 | 45 | |||
| COSTA RICA | 24 | 25 | ||
| PANAMA | 27 | 28 |
| The staffing levels on the SOW slightly differ from the staffing/FTE levels on the pricing spreadsheet. Could INL please indicate which is correct as this could impact pricing? | SOW and attachment 2 have been updated to match | ||||
| 59 | Attachment+2+-Pricing+Spreadsheet; Local National and Third Country National Salary Ranges | Are the Local National/Third Country National Salary ranges provided in each tab dictated by Local labor law, or are they as a result of collective bargaining agreements? | These ranges capture the salaries of current incumbents that the Government would like to retain. | ||
| 60 | Who is the current incumbent? | ATSG | |||
| 61 | What is the current spend by country task order? | The current staff numbers indicated in the pricing file are an estimate of future task order requirements, which is what vendors must price in their offers. | |||
| 62 | How many positions are already on staff by Task Order? | The current staff numbers indicated in the pricing file are an estimate of future task order requirements, which is what vendors must price in their offers. | |||
| 63 | What is the level of effort per Task Order? | Full time hours are dependent upon country of performance and nationality. These will be indicated at the task order level. For purposes of pricing the IDIQ, vendors should use the filler of 1880 hours. | |||
| 64 | What are the USN, LN, and TCN LES rates for The Carribbean? | The Government has no suggested rates for these positions. Offerors may rely upon their own market assessments to propose rates. | |||
| 65 | Does the Government anticipate awarding a Task Order(s) with the IDIQ award? | No. This will be a multiple award IDIQ. IDIQ holders will compete for each awarded task order. | |||
| 66 | What is the current turnover rate by TO? | The Government is unable to provide this info. | |||
| 67 | p. 86, L-001, General Proposal Guidance, 10 and 11 require that "All Contract Clauses requiring fill-ins must be completed and returned with the proposal" and that "Section K requirements must be submitted with the proposal." | Please indicate which volume should include the signed SF 30, acknowledgement of Amendments, and remaining Section K and other fill-in requirements. | The Business Volume. | ||
| 68 | p. 87, L-002, Proposal Organization, 3. states that "[t]he cover letter…do[es] not count against page limitations. | Please confirm that the Cover Letter should be included in Volume I. | Confirmed. | ||
| 69 | 52.219-6 Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside (Nov 2020) | In light of GAO rulings, please confirm that the Government will permit the use of sister company experience and past performance if a meaningful relationship is documented in a commitment letter. | IAW GAO Decision in the Matter of Language Select LLP, dba United Language Group, "Before the agency can properly attribute the past performance of an affiliate to an offeror, it generally must have a factual basis showing the planned relationship between the companies on the contract at issue." If offerors demonstrate how the sister company will contribute to/use its resource for the performance of this effort, the Government may consider past performance from said sister company. | ||
| 70 | p. 87, L-002, Proposal Organization, 3. states that "All pages shall be numbered and single volumes shall not exceed a total of 50 pages." | The table in L-002, 3. indicates that only Volume I is limited to 50 pages while Volumes II and III do not have page limits. Please clarify the statement that "single volumes shall not exceed a total of 50 pages." Does it apply only to Volume I of the proposal? | Reference that implies that no volume may exceed 50 pages has been removed from the solicitation. | ||
| 71 | L-004, 5. a), Section 2 - Sub-Factor 2; M-003, Evaluation Factors for Award; b. Subfactor 2: and SOW 1.5, Risk Management Plan and Mobilization Plan | The contract deliverables table in F-004 does not mention the Risk Management Plan or Mobilization Plan. Should Data Deliverables Table be expanded to add the Risk Management Plan and Mobilization Plans(s) (in conformance with L-004,5 and SOW 1.5)? | Risk Management, Mobilization, and Recruitment and Staffing Plans added to F-004. | ||
| 72 | p. 88, L-004, 5., a), Section 3 - Sub-Factor 3: IDIQ Key Personnel | Please provide the DD-254 for this effort. | DD 254 Pending | ||
| 73 | p. 89, L-004, 5., a), Section 4 - Sub-Factor 4: Past Performance | For the requirement that Offerors provide a copy of CPARs ratings, will the Government allow those copies to be outside of page count since IDIQ contracts frequently involve more than one final CPAR? | Yes, see L-002,3, "The cover letter, title page, table of contents, table of figures, list of tables, glossary of abbreviations & acronyms, manpower charts, small business subcontracting plans (if applicable), resumes, commitment letters, and past performance assessments do not count |
against page count limitations."
| 74 | p. 89, L-004, 5., a), Section 4 - Sub-Factor 4: Past Performance | Offerors citing IDIQ contracts generally only receive CPARs for task orders with a value greater than $250,000. If the Government is requiring PPQs for each task order under $250,000 for which there is no CPAR, Offerors can face the necessity of requesting that the IDIQ CO or COR complete as many as 40 additional PPQs for a single contract. Will the Government confirm that it only requires interim or final CPARs ratings for those Task Orders under an IDIQ with a value of more than $250,000? | Offerors should only submit three contract efforts as examples. COs have the option of completing past performance evaluations at the IDIQ or task order level. It sounds like, in the example cited, the CO elected to perform evaluations at the task order level. Therefore, a single task order would count as one past performance example. Offerors should only claim an entire IDIQ as one past performance example if COs are performing evaluations at the IDIQ level. | |
| 75 | p. 89, L-004, 5., a), Section 4 - Sub-Factor 4: Past Performance | This requirement states that, "Only in the event CPARS information is not available will an Offeror be allowed to substitute a Past Performance Survey Attachment 5, similar to the CPARS format." Please confirm that an Offeror is to substitute a Past Performance Survey (Attachment 5) when they have not received a CPARs for an overall IDIQ contract. | Citing the response above, if COs are performing evaluations at the task order level, they will not perform evaluations at the IDIQ level. If the CO is intending to perform evaluations at the IDIQ level and has not yet done so then yes, using the Past Performance Survey would be appropriate. | |
| 76 | SOW p. 5, Mobilization Plan Requirements | Offerors are required to provide a 45-day mobilization plan that address at least the six identified topics in the SOW for each of each of the five countries listed (Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, and El Salvador). Can the Government clarify this requirement further? Is the expectation that the plan will address simultaneous mobilization in all five countries? Or does the Government envision a separate 45 day timeline for each location? | Separate timeline for each location. | |
| 77 | RFP page 92, 4th paragraph. Each proposed NTE fully-loaded hourly labor rate shall consist of a proposed unloaded hourly labor rate, any labor-related direct costs (e.g., any direct fringe benefits, any direct bonuses), all costs associated with satisfying any local labor laws. | With regards to LNs staff, are locally accepted consultancy agreements, whereby the individual is responsible for there own local fringe obligations, acceptable ? Or does the Government anticipate LN staff as being under fully indemnified, either indefinite or term localized labor contracts ? If the later, will the Government please correct the productive 1880 hours as universally applied in the Attachment+2+Pricing+Spreadsheet to reflect local labor law productive allocations, or will the Government allow bidders to make this adjustment ? | 1099 arrangements are not permitted under this IDIQ. LN and TCN TPCs must be hired with the full set of benefits required by local labor laws. 1880 is a filler number to provide for consistent pricing. Actual hours will be designated at the task order level. | |
| 78 | Attachment+2+Pricing+Spreadsheet (All Country Tabs, X009-0 line items) | For regions with fewer staff, will the government accept Regional or Hub Program Management Offices servicing these regions ? For example, could a El Salvador PMO service other central american regions as possible, and apply a shared cost accordingly ? | Actual PMO support required will be decided at the task order level. Offerors should price PMO support as indicated for the countries required, assuming that there will be a separate OCONUS PMO per country. | |
| 79 | SOW p. 12, 2. Position Descriptions | Please confirm that the MRPT and RSO Clearance requirements articulated in the SOW are only required for Task Order personnel hired post-award. | Correct | |
| 80 | RFP page 31, H-003 Contractors are prohibited from conducting business development during the performance of any task order (duty or non-duty hours). |
Personnel assigned to task orders are only permitted to perform the work authorized in the Statement of Work and those personnel
| are not permitted to perform work for any other contracts. | Is the intent of this to be only for the hours that are billed to this contract? Some positions will most likely not require a full time employee and would be more expensive to the government to charge them full time or financially harmful to a part time employee or contractor to restirct their ability to support other work. | No part time positions are requested. Contractors are prohibited from conducting business development during the performance of any task order during both duty and non duty hours. | |||
| 81 | RFP page 32, H-002 Failure to be fully licensed within thirty (30) day of contract award may result in contract termination. | Is it the governments requirement that the contractor have a business license in ever country in the RFP within 30 days after award of the contract or 30 days after the award of a task order? | After award of each task order. | ||
| 82 | RFP page 34, H-010 This is an unclassified contract. | ||||
| Is it an unclassified contract if it requires the Program Manager to maintain a SECRET clearance? | Unclassified language has been removed. | ||||
| 83 | RFP p. 88, L-004, 5. a) Section 1 - Sub-Factor 1 requires a "detailed staffing plan detailing how all personnel will be in place within 45 days of contract award." | The only personnel presently required for this IDIQ are the PM and CA. Does the Government want a staffing plan that addresses the mobilization of only those individuals and the IDIQ Program Management Office? | Staffing plans for the five countries indicated should include the number of personnel enumerated on each country tab. L-004 and SOW 1.5 have been updated to clarify this. | ||
| 84 | RFP p. 88, L-004, 5. a) Section 1 - Sub-Factor 1 requires a "detailed staffing plan detailing how all personnel will be in place within 45 days of contract award." | It seems unlikely that the Government is requiring the offeror’s staffing plan to detail how all 197 potential personnel (FTEs) listed in Attachment 2 (Pricing Spreadsheet) will be in place within 45 days of contract award since the Government intends to distribute those 197 positions among multiple IDIQ contract holders on separate and various CARSI Task Orders. Does the Government desire a staffing plan that only addresses key personnel or the Program Management Office (PMO) staff, or something else? Please define the desired scope of an offeror’s staffing plan. | Staffing plan should address key personnel on IDIQ and all personnel at the task order level for the five countries indicated. The SOW has been updated to specify this. | ||
| 85 | Pg. 4 SOW The compensation plan should address any country specific requirements for leave and benefits. | Does the government want to see the full breakout of country specific requirements for leave and fringe benefits broke out for all 13 countries in the technical volume or addressed in the details of the pricing volume and following task orders? If the Government expects it to appear in the technical volume, please allow additional page count to accommodate this. | The SOW has been updated to specify that all plans due with the IDIQ need only cover the five sample countries indicated. Offerors should describe the benefits included in the compensation plans for those five countries in the technical proposal, and indicate the applicable rates in the pricing proposal. | ||
| 86 | SOW 1.7 STAFFING ESTIMATES TOTAL AND BY COUNTRY | Does the government provide information of potential new staffing requirements on a regular basis or is that information only shared at the time a Task Order is issued? | The Government will most likely issue one TORP for each country required. Staffing requirements will be included in the RFP. | ||
| 87 | RFP p. 18, E-004, Contractor Quality Control; p. 22, F-004 - IDIQ Contract Deliverables | Requirement specifies that final QCP shall be submitted “no later than fourteen (20) days after award…” Should this be corrected to read "no later than twenty (20) days after award" (to agree with the Data Deliverables Table in F-004)? | E-004 has been updated to agree with F-004 | ||
| 88 | RFP p. 22, F-004 - IDIQ Contract Deliverables | This section states that, "The Contractor shall provide all data deliverables and notifications required per the applicable FAR and DOSAR clauses irrespective of whether these are not listed in the “Data Deliverable Tables”." Will the Government identify the applicable FAR and DOSAR clauses? | This refers to any FAR or DOSAR clause included on contract that requires a data deliverable. | ||
| 89 | SOW p. 3, 1.4 ACTIVITY 3 – IN-COUNTRY OFFICES, The Contractor shall establish an in-country program management office (PMO) with an appropriate proposed number and type of staff for each Task Order awarded. | Is this intended to be a regional PMO or is the requirement a PMO and DPM in every country? | Actual PMO support required will be decided at the task order level. Offerors should price PMO support as indicated for the countries required, assuming that there will be a separate OCONUS PMO per country. | ||
| 90 | SOW p. 3, 1.4 ACTIVITY 3 – IN-COUNTRY OFFICES, The Deputy Program Manager (DPM) shall be located in the same PMO office in the same country of the proposed in country PMO office. | Are there position requirements for the DPM? | Overall PD added to the SOW. Any further qualifications will be added at the task order level. | ||
| 91 | SOW p. 3, 1.4 ACTIVITY 3 – IN-COUNTRY OFFICES and SOW p. 7, 1.7 STAFFING ESTIMATES TOTAL AND BY COUNTRY | Does the Government want to see the offeror include an In Country office plan for every country listed in SOW 1.7 in the proposal? | Yes, for the 5 countries indicated. | ||
| 92 | The complexity of the RFP's requirements for a small business prime offeror makes responding to this RFP by Aug 11,2023 extremely challenging. Can the Government please extend the submission date to at least Aug 25, 2023? | The Government will extend the submission due date by the amount of time it takes to respond to vendor questions. | |||
| 93 | L-004 Content Requirements, c) Volume I: Technical Proposal | Are the resumes in Subfactor 1: Recruitment and Staffing Plan and Sample Task Order Resumes AND the resumes in Sub-Factor 3: IDIQ Key Personnel out of page count? | Correct, section L-002 states, "The cover letter, title page, table of contents, table of figures, list of tables, glossary of abbreviations & acronyms, manpower charts, small business subcontracting plans (if applicable), resumes, commitment letters, and past performance assessments do not count against page count limitations. This refers to all resumes | ||
| 94 | L-004 Content Requirements, a) Volume I: Factor 1 - Technical Proposal, Section 4 - Sub-Facotr 4: Past Performance | Will the Government confirm that they will accept past performance from all members of a team, including prime and major subcontractors, as long as the referenced past performance was performed as a prime contractor. For example, in a prime - sub teaming arrangment, would offerors be allowed to submit a past performance reference from a proposed subcontractor in order to demonstrate scope and complexity? | IAW Federal Register Part 125.2(g), the Government will consider first-tier small business subcontractor past performance only if the small business prime does not independently demonstrate capabilities and past performance necessary for award. | ||
| 95 | L-004, Content Requirements, Section 1 - Sub-Factor 1: Recruitment and Staffing Plan and Sample Task Order Resumes: | For Sample TO Key Personnel, the RFP reads, "While the contractor is not required to provide the exact proposed candidates for any awarded task order, the contractor agrees to provide candidates with an equal or better set of qualifications. Offerors should submit sample task order resumes for the following positions..." As these personnel are not required folllowing award, do we have to provide a name for each candidate? Or will their respective qualifications, experience, and background be sufficient? | Please provide the name. | ||
| 96 | B-03, c), (Page 11) | "…. Statement of Work, Appendix A." Question: Should Appendix A be Paragraph 2 - Position Descriptions? | Yes. B-003 has been corrected. |
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