2026.09.02_PR16136740_Q&A.pdf

SBU - CONTRACTING AND ACQUISITIONS

U.S. Embassy, Quito

Avigiras E12-170 y Eloy Alfaro

Quito, Ecuador

E-Mail: QuitoContracts@state.gov

September 02, 2026

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

RFQ Number: 19EC7526Q0011

1. Expected Depth of Independent Field Research

The SOW requires fieldwork, interviews, site visits, value-chain targeting, and identification of criminal networks, facilitators, supply-chain vulnerabilities, and financial enablers. Could the Government clarify the expected depth of independent field research? Specifically, does the Government anticipate that the contractor will independently develop field-based information concerning hydrocarbon diversion methods, trafficking routes, illicit actors, facilitators, and supply-chain vulnerabilities, or is the fieldwork expected primarily to consist of interviews and consultations with Government, law-enforcement, justice-sector, and industry stakeholders?

Answer:

Please refer to section 3.3 the SOW. The Contractor is not expected to conduct independent criminal investigations or intelligence-gathering activities. Consistent with the SOW, findings regarding trafficking routes, criminal networks, facilitators, and supply-chain vulnerabilities shall be developed through the analysis and validation of information obtained from relevant stakeholders, available data, field observations, and open-source information.

2. Investigative Techniques — Performance or Assessment

Where the SOW references informant handling, surveillance support, network-focused investigative techniques, financial investigations, and targeting organizers, financiers, logisticians, and facilitators, is the contractor expected to independently employ such investigative techniques during contract performance, or is the contractor expected to assess Ecuadorian law enforcement's existing capabilities and gaps in those areas?

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The contractor is not expected to independently employ these investigative techniques. The contractor is expected to assess Ecuadorian law enforcement’s existing capabilities, processes, and gaps related to informant handling, surveillance support, network-focused investigations, financial investigations, and the targeting of organizers, financiers, logisticians, and facilitators, and to recommend appropriate improvements.

3. Use of Ecuadorian Personnel

May the contractor utilize qualified Ecuadorian personnel and/or an Ecuadorian subcontractor to conduct field research, interviews, site visits, and other investigative activities under the supervision and quality-control procedures of the prime contractor and proposed key personnel?

Answer: Yes. The contractor may utilize qualified Ecuadorian personnel and/or subcontractors to support field research, interviews, site visits, and related assessment activities, provided they meet the applicable SOW requirements and operate under the supervision, quality control, data protection, and overall responsibility of the prime contractor.

4. Defense Base Act Insurance

For purposes of FAR 52.228-3 and the solicitation's DBA pricing requirement, please confirm whether Ecuadorian nationals employed in Ecuador by an

Ecuadorian subcontractor are covered by the Department's applicable DBA waiver for local-national employees. Additionally, for U.S. citizen/resident personnel who may travel intermittently to Ecuador for fewer than 90 days, may the successful contractor request the short-term DBA waiver contemplated by DOSAR 628.305(f), and should Offerors assume DBA coverage for such personnel in their proposed price pending approval of any waiver?

As most of the work will be performed in Ecuador's sensitive areas, such as the northern border, offerors shall include Defense Base Act (DBA) insurance costs for all personnel (local Ecuadorian citizens) in their proposals and shall not assume approval of any waiver that requires individual government approval.

5. Regarding Section 5.2, which requires demonstrating prior experience in Ecuador conducting technical diagnostic assessments of the institutional capacity of law enforcement agencies (border security, energy security, and criminal justice) and regarding organized crime: INQUIRY:

Instead of submitting at least three (3) contracts, purchase orders, or similar documents for comparable projects, may this requirement be satisfied by the experience of two retired District Generals with 35 years of professional service in the Ecuadorian National Police (specifically, the Director General of Investigations and the Director General of Citizen Security and Public Order)?

Answer: Two former senior ENP generals with 35 years of service and leadership experience in investigations and citizen security/public order could bring significant institutional and operational knowledge.

Yes. The Government will revise Section 5.2 to allow relevant experience to be demonstrated either through comparable prior projects or through the documented professional experience of proposed key personnel with substantial and directly relevant experience within Ecuadorian law enforcement institutions.

6. Regarding Section 5.3.2 (Technical Team): Must every member of the technical team demonstrate the requested experience, or may it be a multidisciplinary team that collectively meets the established requirements?

Answer: The technical team may be multidisciplinary and collectively meet the established experience requirements. Individual team members are not required to demonstrate experience in every area listed in Section 5.3.2; however, the proposed team as a whole must demonstrate sufficient experience and expertise across all required areas.

7. If personnel on the consulting team are professionals external to the company, are they considered subcontractors for the project? If they are subcontractors, what requirements must they meet?

The contractual relationship between an Offeror and its proposed personnel is determined by the Offeror’s employment or subcontracting arrangement.

Professionals who are not employees of the Offeror may be proposed as subcontractors

Regardless of the contractual arrangement, all personnel proposed as part of the technical team must meet the applicable qualification and experience requirements of Section 5.3 of the SOW. The prime Contractor remains responsible for the performance, supervision, and quality of work performed by its personnel, consultants, and subcontractors. Please also see response to

Question 22.

8. Will travel expenses and per diems for activities outside Quito—specifically for locations where validation workshops will be held—be covered by the contracting entity, or must they be included in the proposal budget?

Answer: As this requirement is Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP), all travel, transportation, lodging, per diem, and other related expenses necessary to fulfil the requirements of the SOW, including activities outside Quito and the validation workshop, must be included in the Offeror’s proposed price. The Government will not separately reimburse these costs.

As stated in Section 1 of the solicitation, this requirement is Firm-Fixed-Price

(FFP). In accordance with FAR 16.202-1, the Contractor assumes full responsibility for the costs of performance. Accordingly, all travel, transportation, lodging, per diem, and other related expenses necessary to fulfil the requirements of the SOW, including activities outside Quito and validation workshops, shall be included in the Offeror’s proposed price. The Government will not separately reimburse these costs.

9. The offeror must include costs for Defense Base Act (DBA) insurance premiums covering employees. If subcontractors or external consultants are hired, must this insurance cover them as well?

Defense Base Act (DBA) insurance shall be provided for employees and subcontractor personnel to whom the DBA applies. In accordance with FAR

52.228-3(c), the Contractor shall insert the substance of FAR 52.228-3 in all subcontracts to which the DBA applies.

Accordingly, Offerors shall include in their proposed price all applicable DBA insurance costs for covered personnel, including applicable subcontractor personnel.

10. The cover letter and Table of Contents reference RFQ 19EC7526Q0011, while the Schedule, Pricing table, and SOW continuation pages reference 19EC7526Q0010 throughout. Please confirm which number is correct, or whether these are linked/companion solicitations.

The correct solicitation number is RFQ No. 19EC7526Q0011. All references to

RFQ No. 19EC7526Q0010 in the Schedule, Pricing Schedule, SOW continuation pages, or elsewhere in the solicitation are administrative errors and shall be read as RFQ No. 19EC7526Q0011. There are no linked or companion solicitations associated with this requirement.

11. SOW §3.1 references "prior assessments" and "operational information made available by counterparts" as available inputs. Has INL or a prior contractor previously conducted a hydrocarbon theft/diversion/trafficking assessment in

Ecuador, and if so, will that prior work product be made available to the awardee as a starting baseline?

Answer: The SOW references prior assessments and other existing materials that may be relevant to the requirement; however, it does not indicate that INL or a prior contractor has completed a dedicated hydrocarbon theft, diversion, and trafficking assessment in Ecuador. Any relevant background materials available to

INL and appropriate for release will be made available to the awardee, as applicable, to support the baseline review.

12. Is there an incumbent contractor currently performing, or who has recently performed, related law enforcement institutional assessment, capacity-building, or project design work for INL in Ecuador that offerors should be aware of for scoping/deconfliction purposes?

Answer:

There is no incumbent contractor currently performing this requirement. Offerors shall base their quotations on the scope of work and requirements set forth in the solicitation. No additional incumbent-related information is required for proposal preparation or performance planning.

13. Will INL provide any existing threat assessments, prior GAO/OIG findings, or

Government of Ecuador reporting referenced in the "background documents" mentioned in SOW §3.1 prior to contract award, or only upon award to the successful offeror?

Answer: Offerors shall prepare their quotations based on the information provided in the solicitation. The Government does not anticipate providing additional background documents prior to award. Following award, the

Government and INL counterparts may provide the successful Contractor with relevant background information that is available and appropriate for release, as necessary to support performance of the SOW.

14. Section 5.2 (General Experience) requires the Vendor to demonstrate prior experience “specifically in Ecuador” developing technical diagnostic assessments for law enforcement (border security, energy security, and criminal justice) and organized crime institutional capacity, presenting at least three (3) contracts, purchase orders, or similar documents for comparable projects. Please confirm whether this experience must have been performed specifically within Ecuador, or whether comparable diagnostic assessments performed elsewhere in Latin America, addressing substantially similar subject matter, will be considered responsive to this requirement.

Answer: Comparable diagnostic assessment experience performed elsewhere in

Latin America may be considered responsive, provided the experience is substantially similar in scope and subject matter to the requirements of this SOW.

15. Please confirm whether an Offeror's inability to present three (3) qualifying contracts strictly meeting the criteria in Section 5.2 will result in an automatic determination of technical unacceptability, or whether the Government will evaluate the totality of an Offeror's relevant experience including comparable regional experience and the qualifications of proposed personnel in making its technical acceptability determination.

Answer: The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s relevant experience in accordance with the revised requirements of Section 5.2 (Please refer to question

5 of the current Q&A document). Comparable experience may include relevant projects performed in Ecuador or elsewhere in Latin America (Please refer to question 14 of the current Q&A document), as well as documented experience of proposed key personnel, as applicable. Offerors must demonstrate sufficient relevant experience to establish their capability to successfully meet the requirements of the SOW. Failure to meet this requirement may result in the quotation being determined technically unacceptable.

16. Please confirm whether the experience required under Section 5.2 may be satisfied through the past performance of a subcontractor, teaming partner, or affiliated entity included as part of the Offeror's proposed team, or whether it must be held directly by the prime Offeror.

Answer: prior experience may be demonstrated by the Offeror and/or proposed subcontractors or team partners that will have a substantive role in performing the requirement. The Government will evaluate the relevance of such experience based on its comparability to the scope and requirements of the SOW and the proposed entity’s role in contract performance. (Please refer to question 5 of the current Q&A document).

The experience required under Section 5.2 must be demonstrated by the Offeror.

Experience of a subcontractor, team partner, or affiliated entity may be considered as part of the overall proposed technical approach, as applicable, but does not substitute for the Offeror’s requirement to demonstrate compliance with Section

5.2. Please also see response to Question 22.

17. Given that award is anticipated to be made on a lowest-price, technically acceptable basis based on initial quotations and without discussions, please confirm whether Offerors will have any opportunity to clarify or supplement information related to Section 5.2 experience prior to a final technical acceptability determination.

Answer: Offerors should submit complete quotations containing all information necessary to demonstrate compliance with Section 5.2. The Government intends to evaluate quotations and make awards without discussions, in accordance with

FAR 52.212-1(g). Accordingly, Offerors should not assume that they will be provided an opportunity to clarify or supplement missing information after quotation submission. The Government reserves the right to conduct clarifications or discussions, if determined necessary by the Contracting Officer and permitted by the solicitation and applicable FAR provisions.

18. Section 3.3 and the fieldwork schedule at Section 5.6 identify site visits to fuel terminals, depots, border areas, and maritime coordination units in Sucumbíos, Orellana, and the broader Ecuadorian Amazon region. Please clarify what access, introductions, permissions, and security support the Government or Government of

Ecuador counterparts will provide to facilitate these site visits, and what security arrangements, if any, the Contractor is expected to arrange independently.

Answer: INL will coordinate, as appropriate, with relevant Government of

Ecuador counterparts to facilitate introductions and access required for approved stakeholder engagements and site visits. All stakeholder engagement, interviews, travel, and fieldwork shall be coordinated with and approved by INL prior to execution, in accordance with Section 5.6 of the SOW.

Access to specific facilities or operational locations will be subject to the approval, procedures, and security requirements of the applicable Government of

Ecuador authority. The Contractor shall be responsible for its own travel logistics and for appropriate security and risk-management measures for its personnel.

Offerors should not assume that the Government will provide transportation, security escorts, or protective services unless specifically coordinated and authorized by INL.

19. Please confirm whether the sixteen-week period of performance is intended to include time for Government review and comment on each deliverable, or whether

Government review periods are expected to run concurrently with, rather than extend, the sixteen-week schedule.

Answer: The sixteen (16)-week period of performance includes the INL review, comment, revision, and final acceptance process contemplated by the solicitation.

Offerors shall structure their work plan and deliverable schedule accordingly to complete all requirements within the sixteen-week period of performance. INL review periods do not automatically extend the period of performance. Any change to the contractual period of performance must be authorized in writing by the Contracting Officer.

20. Please clarify the Government's intended use of the Final Diagnostic Report, Action Plan, and Project Design Framework following contract completion, specifically, whether INL anticipates a follow-on implementation procurement, and whether the Contractor performing this assessment would be eligible to compete for or participate in any such follow-on effort.

Answer: The Final Diagnostic Report, Action Plan, and Project Design

Framework are intended to support INL's assessment and future programmatic decision-making. The Government has not committed to any follow-on procurement as part of this solicitation. Any future procurement, if undertaken, would be conducted separately in accordance with applicable acquisition requirements. Eligibility to participate in any such future procurement would be determined under the terms and conditions applicable to that procurement.

21. CLIN 4 (Validation Activities) in the Pricing Schedule lists a quantity of “16,” while all other CLINs list a quantity of “1.” Please confirm the intended quantity for

CLIN 4, and whether “16” is a reference to Week 16 of the period of performance rather than a unit quantity.

Answer: The intended quantity for CLIN 4 – Validation Activities is one (1), as reflected in the Pricing Schedule. Offerors shall use a quantity of one (1) for

CLIN 4 when preparing their quotation.

22. Please confirm whether the solicitation permits a prime/subcontractor or joint venture teaming arrangement, and if so, whether there are any restrictions on the number or nature of teaming partners for purposes of satisfying Sections 5.2 or 5.3.

Answer:

Prime contractor/subcontractor and joint venture teaming arrangements are permitted, subject to the applicable requirements of the solicitation. The prime contractor remains responsible for contract performance and for ensuring compliance with all applicable requirements related to its subcontractors. Offerors are specifically reminded of the requirements of FAR 52.209-6.

23. Please advise whether the funding supporting this requirement is subject to any fiscal-year-driven obligation deadline of which offerors should be aware in planning their proposed schedule and approach to contract performance.

Answer: Offerors should base their proposed schedule and technical approach on the period of performance and requirements established in the solicitation. No additional fiscal-year-driven obligation deadline is applicable to contractor performance beyond the requirements stated in the solicitation.