QA N2 - 19FR6324Q0036- French teaching services.pdf

Questions and Answers N2 19FR6324Q0036- French teaching services

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED

Question 1) Can you please provide more information on the amount of work the program coordinator (PC) is expected to perform. This shall enable to properly estimate the monthly fee for this.

Answer 1) The PC shall provide most of the work at the beginning of the program and at the beginning of each trimester to organize classes and allocate students per instructor, communicate with students. The beginning of each trimester can require significant work with a lot of communication with students and the COR. The US Embassy Paris has approximately 120 students each year. In 2023/2024, there were 23 group classes and about 30 individual classes.

For everyday operations this concerns communications with students, between instructors and involves the allocation of rooms among instructors, adjustments of classes, discussions with the COR and guidance to instructors.

Question 2) Are there mandatory schedule the program coordinator has to be on site?

Answer 2) There is no mandatory schedule for the PC to be on site. He/She shall be on site at least 3 days a week and shall be easily reachable and responsive both by phone and by email.

Question 3) Is the Program coordinator a new role or will they be taking over from an incumbent?

Answer 3) The program coordinator is not a new role.

Question 4) Does the Embassy understand that the nature of the requirement does not fit the LPTA evaluation model?

Answer 4) No, a technical evaluation shall be conducted based on the requirements mentioned in section 3. The lowest price technically acceptable shall then be selected. In case of self-employed instructors being the lowest price technically acceptable, a second lowest price technically acceptable shall also be awarded and so on, as part of a multiple award, to enable performance of the entirety of the class sessions.

Question 5) If I understand correctly, the program coordinator will need to manage relationships with students, instructors and also the supplier management for multiple suppliers. Is this the current model? How does/ would it work in terms of ensuring consistency if instructors are contracted by various suppliers but not managed by them?

Answer 5) The program coordinator will be the main point of contact for students, other instructors, and the Embassy COR. This is the current model implemented at POST. In case of a multiple award, the program coordinator shall not replace the authority of the contractor(s) that hired the other instructors. Contractors shall still have the main responsibility over their instructors working at the Embassy. The program coordinator shall only be responsible for the everyday operations in the premises (classrooms allocation, specific concerns about a student, communication between the COR and the instructors and students). The Embassy COR shall always be informed about specific issues or discussion and the other instructors’ main contractor shall be kept informed of any changes or issues too.

2 | P a g e 7

Question 6) In the event of multiple awards, if the PC also works for one of the appointed language schools, how will the allocation of courses to instructors/suppliers be managed to ensure parity and fairness?

Answer 6) Teaching sessions shall be equitably distributed between the instructors according to instructor availability. The program coordinator role shall be a supplementary task to his/her teaching sessions and shall be priced in CLIN0002.

Question 7) How will the PC ensure value for money and fair competition when allocating courses if there is a multiple supplier model with differing rates? How will the model ensure that the best value rates prevail? We assume the PC cannot be given access to these rates to facilitate this as it is commercially sensitive information, and the PC will potentially be working for a competitor of the other suppliers.

Answer 7) The Program coordinator does not have to allocate classes in accordance with the other vendors rates. If a multiple award is made, the selected providers will have been already evaluated on the lowest price technically acceptable offer criteria. Therefore, the program coordinator shall dispatch the classes in terms of availability of the selected instructors and with a view to fair division of the number of sessions. The program coordinator shall not have knowledge of other providers rates.

Question 8) The RFQ states that the PC will be responsible for the performance management of all instructors and this includes conducting lesson observations. How frequently are observations required to take place e.g.

once per year/every six months?

Answer 8) Observations shall be conducted when there is a new instructor or in case of specific complaints from students.

Question 9) The RFQ states that the PC will give French Classes as an instructor herself/ himself as required.

Does this mean on an ad hoc basis to cover absences or to have a regular schedule of classes or both? If the PC is required to teach a significant number of hours per week, this will need to be balanced against their availability to facilitate urgent requirements from the US Embassy COR and for performance management/organization of the wider teaching pool.

Answer 9) The program coordinator shall have regular teaching classes according to planning and shall not cover absences for other instructors. The program coordinator is not required to work a minimum number of hours on this role per week. When assigning classes, the program coordinator can take both roles into considerations when planning or assigning to him/herself as well as other instructors.

Question 10) If the PC is also expected to teach, how will their performance be quality assured?

Answer 10) The program coordinator performance shall be assessed by survey sent to students.

Question 11) How does this model allow for changes to instructor availability? For example, to manage scenarios such as the following - mid semester Instructor A from Supplier 1 becomes unavailable for the remainder due to sickness, supplier 1 has no other instructors available. Supplier 2 agrees to take over but will have to hire. This will have an impact on hours allocated to Supplier 2, also may impact the 2-year requirement, also will impact budget allocated for this course if the rates are different.

Answer 11) The selected instructors’ availability shall not vary during the year or the contract period. The US Embassy expect an instructor to remain in place for the duration of the contract. In case of temporary sickness, the instructor shall catch up later the classes he/she could not perform. A class not performed shall not be paid. If an instructor is on long term sick leave, a replacement instructor shall be provided by the main contractor at no extra cost. Students allocated to instructor 1 shall not be temporarily allocated to instructor 2.

3 | P a g e 7

Question 12) Will the PC be provided with a desk/dedicated space to work from in the embassy?

Answer 12) Instructors shall have a classroom available in the Embassy premises, some of the classroom shall be dedicated to language teaching, other shall not be dedicated. For locations other than the Chancery or the Raphael building, a classroom shall be provided on a case-by-case basis.

Question 13) In the event of a multiple award, how will instructor absences of different suppliers be managed?

Will the Program Coordinator be expected to cover these sessions and/or liaise with the affected supplier to address this? Is there provision to address consistent absences from instructors as this may impact the administrative capacity of the PC.

Answer 13) No, the Program Coordinator shall not cover classes of an instructor that is absent. As mentioned in answer 11, the absent instructor shall catch up the missing classes when back on duties. Instructors shall only cancel a session for a valid reason like illness or other serious reasons. Each instructor (in case of a multiple award or a single award) is responsible for the allocated classes and students. In case of repetitive absence from an instructor without justification, the US Embassy may revoke the instructor and request another one.

Question 14) It was mentioned in the RFQ that there are multiple sites where classes can take place. Is the location of class dictated by the students or room availability?

Answer 14) Yes, the location is dictated by the students.

Question 15) Course materials – it was mentioned that these need to be physical books as opposed to digital copies. Could you clarify if this should include a course book and workbook or is the supplier at liberty to determine this?

Answer 15) There are books from FSI available at the Embassy as well as magazines. The instructors can also add any other materials as long as they are not digital. The US Embassy Paris has IT restrictions which is why paper material shall be the main support for classes.

Question 16) There are risks to the multi-award model which can be reduced via a single supplier model. Would you consider a model whereby incumbent sole traders are hired by a sole supplier to enable a single supplier model? Or would you be open to receiving pricing on the basis of a multiple award and as a sole supplier so these risks can be factored into the financial offer?

Answer 16) Yes, we left the solicitation open to a sole supplier providing employees or freelances instructors as well as the possibility of individual freelancers providing their own services. Please provide only one model in your proposal.

Question 17) We have extensive experience of managing security clearance for other government agencies and requirements tend to vary from agency to agency. We would therefore like to clarify the administrative requirements and how this may differ for a instructor who is not a French national but is a native speaker and has right to work in France. Our questions are as follows:

o What biographic data is required?

o Are there residency requirements over and above right to work?

o Are instructors/PC required to provide any documents required to support applications? If so, are hard or soft copies required? Some documents may incur an issuing fee which would need to be costed into our fixed price.

Answer 17) Security clearance shall be required of the awardee instructors. Biographic data shall not be required for this contract. Since classes shall be provided face to face, the only residency requirements are that the instructors shall be legally allowed to live and work in France.

4 | P a g e 7

The Embassy Security Office requires forms to be filled out, a photo and an extract of the teacher’s “casier judificiaire”. Other documents may be required by the Regional Security Office as appropriate.

Question 18) If an instructor is working for a supplier as a self-employed freelance instructor, do you class this as a subcontractor? If so:

Answer 18) Yes, a self-employed freelance instructor working for a prime contractor is considered as a sub-contractor.

18a ) The RFQ states that subcontractors will have worked with the supplier for two years. How is this process managed in the case of replacing freelance instructors or adding to the pool i.e. if the optional years extensions are invoked.

18a answer) The prime contractor shall provide the same instructor(s) for the duration of the contract (base year + two option years). In case of a specific issue with one instructor that could not provide anymore the service, then the prime contractor shall have sufficient self-employed freelance partners to cover the possibility of replacing one. However, this shall be on an exceptional basis.

18b ) Is it possible to submit subcontractors who do not have 2 years’ experience with the bidding supplier but for whom the supplier can demonstrate a valid work history (e.g.

references, back ground checks etc) or who has experience of working on the contract currently as an incumbent? There is a risk that instructors working on the contract will be tied to a particular supplier in order to continue working on the contract, even if they may wish to move.

It also restricts the ability of suppliers to propose instructors on the basis of quality rather than longevity.

18b answer) No, it is important to demonstrate that the prime contractor has good business relationships with the selected self-employed freelancers to ensure integrity of the relationship between parties. Also, a minimum of 2 years business relationship between the prime contractor and the freelance instructor shall also demonstrate the freelance instructor(s) has been assessed by the prime contractor and proven to perform well.

Question 19) Is this opportunity open to EU companies who have the right to provide services as part of the EU free trade agreement in France (and who are currently engaged delivering internationally, including in France for a number of years) and/or UK registered companies? If so, is a permanent French address and telephone number still required?

Answer 19) The bid is open to any company worldwide. However, the instructors that will be selected and working in the Embassy Premises shall be legally declared, insured, and authorized to live and work in France.

Therefore, if the main contractor is not physically in France, then the instructors shall have a legal address in France.

Question 20) What is the dress code for instructors/PC? The RFQ mentions uniforms in 4.2- standard of conduct, what exactly is meant by this?

Answer 20) Uniforms are not required and there is no specific dress code. The selected instructor shall be dressed appropriately for the workplace.

Question 21) Can U.S. companies submit their proposals in USD?

Answer 21) Yes

Question 22) Are freelance instructors/independent contractors considered subcontractors?

Answer 22) Yes, any entity that is not a direct hire of the prime contractor is considered to be a subcontractor regardless of their own business status.

5 | P a g e 7

Question 23) Can you please clarify what is required to demonstrate the relationship between the company and the instructor?

Answer 23) As stated in section 3 A (8).2, a written agreement between the prime contractor and the subcontractor(s) shall demonstrate the relationship.

Question 24) If the instructor worked for the contractor on the same program before, does that waive the need for the 2-year relationship with the company?

Answer 24) No

Question 25) What is the reasoning behind the required 2-year relationship between companies and instructors?

Answer 25) This request is made to ensure the integrity of the relationship between the prime and the sub-contractor.

Question 26) Can this condition be waived if the instructors meet all other qualifications and a partnership letter with the company is provided?

Answer 26) No

Question 27) Does the coordinator have to be a instructor in the program or could it be someone else at the company?

Answer 27) If an award is made to a language school, then certain administrative tasks may be handled by others in the company; but a lead instructor to coordinate with the other instructors and students and be the main POC for other instructors and students on site as stated in III- French language Program Coordinator is required.

Question 28) The instructors have to work on different sites. Can you confirm if this is for half a day or a whole day?

Answer 28) During this current year, teaching sessions are occurring in Raphael building (75016) and Neuilly (92000) for an entire day, 2 days per week in the Raphael building and 1 day per week in Neuilly. However, this can vary depending on the number of student applications the HR department will receive. The sessions shall be regrouped as much as possible to avoid the instructor(s) travelling unnecessarily back and forth between sites in a day.

Question 29) Do the group classes occur on different sites or only at the Chancery, main site?

Answer 29) The Chancery is the main site for group classes for all agencies. For USOECD, the group classes, shall be held at the Raphael building in the 16th.

Question 30) Is the trimestral planning limited to group classes?

Answer 30) No, group sessions are established at the beginning of the first trimester for the entire year.

Individual sessions shall be established at the beginning of every trimester.

Question 31) How are determined the individual classes schedules?

Answer 31) Applicants for individual classes state their availability and preferences in the enrollment application. The program coordinator then prepares the schedule taking into consideration the student’s preferences.

6 | P a g e 7

Question 32) Shall the program coordinator be available to all instructors and students, considering the number of sites. Can the Program coordinator be accessible virtually?

Answer 32) The Program coordinator can be reachable by phone or email. The Program coordinator shall be primarily based at the Chancery.

Question 33) Does the French language program coordinator have to be on one of the sites or can they coordinate from a distance?

Answer 33) For the Program coordinator role, it is not mandatory that the person be permanently on site to fulfill those tasks. She/he can be reachable by email or phone. However, since the PC shall also be a working instructor, he/she shall be on the site a minimum of two days per week. However, it is not necessary for the PC to be there every day if He/She has no classes.

Question 34) You are mentioning 24hours prior the class cancellation shall be free of charge. This is against French regulations, which set the delay to 48 hours prior the class. Would you accept changing this point?

Answer 34) Please provide reference of this French regulation. Our requirement remains 24 hours’ notice.

Question 35) Considering the security check at the entrance of the premise, how much time shall the instructor anticipate before the class is happening?

Answer 35) The selected instructor shall provide the necessary information to get a security clearance and a badge to access site. Once the instructor has her/his badge, there is no security check at the entrance and no delay in accessing the site.

Question 36) You are requesting availability of the Program coordinator from 8:00 to 18 :00. According to French law, this implies an overtime compensation. Would you accept to revise this time range?

Answer 36) The Program Coordinator shall be available on the phone or by email during regular working hours from 9:00 to 17:00 Monday through Friday. This is being modified in the Scope of work as shown in SF30 attached.

Question 37) Could you please provide the estimated number of students for this solicitation?

Answer 37) We do not have yet the number of students for this contract. Also, it can change every year and every trimester. However, we estimate that there will be approximately 120 students.

Question 38) How many instructors do you currently have?

Answer 38) The US Embassy currently has 5 instructors in place under the current contract.

Question 39) Could you please provide the total number of class sessions per individual and the distribution between group and individual classes?

Answer 39) Number vary from one year to another as it depends on the number of applications received by the HR section. In 2023/2024, there were 23 group classes and about 30 individual classes. These figures may vary next year and in the following years.

Question 40) Can we proposed digital media or e-learning platform?

Answer 40) No, this question was already addressed in answer 15.

Question 41) The document mentions: Embassy premises located in various parts of Paris (75008, 75016 or 75009) and Neuilly Office. Is it just 4 sites?

Answer 41) Currently there are just the 4 sites listed. This can change during the life of the contract and a new site may be added but there will not be multiple sites across Paris. The number shall remain limited.

7 | P a g e 7

Question 42) The document mentions: At the end of the month, the instructor shall provide this signed attendance log along with his/her invoice that shall match the attendance log. The COR shall ensure the instructors comply with this process in order to verify that students attended their sessions. Do they intend to work with schools or Auto entrepreneurs/Independents?

Answer 42) The COR will work with schools or Auto entrepreneurs as appropriate.

Question 43) Can the coordinator role be divided between two people?

Answer 43) No for the role of “lead instructor”. There shall only be one POC for the students and other instructors to avoid any communication issues for example. However, in case of a language school, the role to establish classes among instructors can be held by someone else internally.