Answers to Questions for Solicitaion No. 19CA7025Q0003.pdf
PDF 127 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- 19CA7025Q0003
- Issued by
-
Department of State
About this file
This document contains Questions and Answers for a Request for Quotations (RFQ No. 19CA7025Q0003) for Call Answering Services for the U.S. Consulate General in Toronto. The solicitation seeks a 24-hour telephone answering service provider to handle non-emergency and emergency calls, with an estimated 2,000-3,000 minutes (500-800 calls) per month. The current incumbent is Answer Plus Inc., who has been providing services for 4 months, with monthly fees ranging from CAD $1,200 to $1,500.
Key procurement details include a solicitation release date of April 14, 2025, a pre-quotation conference on April 23, 2025, and quotation submissions due by May 14, 2025 at 4:00 pm EST. The anticipated contract award is planned for late June or early July 2025, with a contract start date in July or early August 2025. Bidders must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) and follow specific requirements, including providing twice-daily call logs, transferring emergency calls appropriately, and submitting detailed monthly invoices. The U.S. Government intends to award to the responsible company offering the lowest technically acceptable price.
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| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| RFQ No. 19CA7025Q0003 - Answering Services at COB Toronto.pdf |
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QUESTIONS FROM PROSPECTIVE VENDORS (RFQ: 19CA7025Q0003)
Pre-proposal Conference Call: April 23, 2025
Project: Call Answering Services for the U.S. Consulate General Toronto
Date: May 09, 2025
1. Has the current contract gone full term?
Answer: Post Toronto has a monthly-renewable Purchase Order (PO) for answering services at this moment. The PO is on track to complete the full term.
2. Have all options to extend the current contract been exercised?
Answer: Not Applicable.
3. Who is the incumbent, and how long has the incumbent been providing the requested services?
Answer: The incumbent for the current PO is Answer Plus Inc. Theyhave been providing the services for the past 4 months.
4. How are fees currently being billed by any incumbent(s), by category, and at what rates?
Answer: The fees are being billed monthly by the similar price terms as mentioned in the RFQ.
5. What estimated or actual dollars were paid last year, last month, or last quarter to any incumbent(s)?
Answer: Approximate CAD $1,200.00 - $1,500.00 per month.
6. Is previous experience with any specific customer information systems, phone systems, or software required?
Answer: This is not a requirement, but thehe current incumbent has prior experience.
7. What is the minimum required total call capacity?
Answer: 1500 minutes minimum capacity per month.
8. What is the minimum simultaneous inbound call capacity?
Answer: Please check the statement of work for details.
9. What is the maximum wait time?
Answer: This is an emergency contact line. The Consulate expects the minimum wait time possible in call center operation.
10. What is the maximum hold time?
Answer: This is an emergency contact line. The Consulate expects the minimum possible hold time in call center operation.
11. What percentage of calls must be resolved without a transfer, second call, or a return call?
Answer: None
12. What is the maximum percentage of calls that can be terminated by the caller without resolution?
Answer: The calls will follow a script which will be provided to the contractor. If the script is followed, the calls should end in resolution.
13. Is there a minimum or maximum number of operators and supervisors?
Answer: No specific requirement from the Consulate.
14. What is the required degree of dedication for the call center? (Can the call center work on other contracts at the same time as this one)?
Answer: No specific requirement from the Consulate..
15. What is the required degree of dedication for the operators? (Can the operators assigned to this contract work on others at the same time as this one)?
16. What are the recording requirements for inbound and outbound phone calls and how long must recordings be maintained?
Answer: Contractor will require to maintain a Call Log as specified in the RFQ package.
17. What are the recording and storage requirements for non-phone communications?
Answer: The standard recording process at the contractor’s call center will be discussed with the winning bidder.
18. What is the current number of seats for operators and supervisors at your existing call center?
19. What is the current average wait time for phone calls?
Answer: The current average wait time is a minute or less.
20. What is the current average handle time for phone calls and other types of communications?
Answer: This is a technical term for answering services, the answer is unknown to the
Consulate.
21. What is the current average after-call work time for operators?
Answer: This is a technical term for answering services, the answer is unknown to the
Consulate.
22. What time of day, days of the week, or times of the year do calls typically peak?
Answer: No fixed pattern of calls available. Sometimes the call volume may be higher during the evenings.
23. Please reconfirm the due date for this procurement by providing it in response to answers to questions.
Answer: The deadline to submit quotations is Wednesday, May 14, 2025 by 04:00 pm EST. This date will not change in response to answers to questions.
24. What is the date by which you will answer these questions?
Answer: A pre-solicitation meeting was held on April 23, 2025 to explain the solicitation to vendors who showed interests. Answers to questions are being posted on May 9, 2025.
25. Why has this bid been released at this time?
Answer: The bid is released when the Consulate decided to solicit for this services.
26. Are bidders permitted to deviate in any way from any manner of quoting fees you may be expecting? For example, if there is a pricing page in the RFP, can bidders submit an alternate fee structure? If there is no pricing page in the RFP, do you have any preference for how bidders should quote fees or can bidders create their own pricing categories?
Answer: The contractor has to submit the pricing data as per the RFQ package requirements.
27. If there was a previous solicitation for these services, what was its title, number, release date, and due date?
Answer: The current purchase order did not follow a formal bid.
28. When is the anticipated award date?
Answer: The anticipated award date would be late June, 2025 or early July, 2025.
29. When is the anticipated contract start date?
Answer: The anticipated award date would be July, 2025 or early August, 2025.
30. Please describe your level of satisfaction with your current or recent vendor(s) for the same purchasing activity, if applicable.
Answer: The Consulate is satisfied with the current answering services.
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