19GE5024Q0036 0001 QA.pdf

Design, Supply, Delivery, and Solicitation No. 19GE5024Q0036

Installation of New Modular Office Furniture Amendment 0001 dated 08/06/2024

U.S. Embassy Tokyo, Japan

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (Q&A)

1)

(Q) Volume 1, ⅱ Completed Attachment 1 Representation and certifications

FAR52.212-3, what kind of documentation to be required? Shall we submit copy of SAM registered entity information?

(A) Completed and signed Attachment 1 (Pages 13-41) of the solicitation shall be submitted as part of Pricing, Volume 1.

2)

(Q) Volume1, ⅲ Completed Attachment 2 Form W14.

If an entity located in Japan needs to submit W14 to receive tax exemption?

(A) Foreign entities must submit a completed IRS Form W-14, claiming an exemption (in whole or in part) from the tax imposed by section 5000C, and complete paragraph (d) (1) &

(2) of the solicitation provision 52.229-11 Tax on certain Foreign Procurements – Notice and Representation (Page 39 of the solicitation – part of Attachment 1). Please see Attachment 3 of the solicitation for instructions of the W-14, and the new IRS “Qualified Income Tax Treaty Countries Notice 2015-35” attachment attached to the Amendment 001.

3)

(Q) Volume1, ⅳ Japanese VAT registration certificate. Entity located in Japan, offeror located in Japan exempt from VAT?

(A) Please see “Value Added Taxes” paragraph 7 of the Scope of Work/Specifications, Attachment 4 of the solicitation.

4)

(Q) The tender guidelines state that “All items (consolidated shipment) shall be delivered to the location set forth in Delivery Place above no later than hundred eighty (180) calendar days after Government’s approval of the design/shop drawings and selection of color and other finishes and in accordance with the instructions you receive from the Point of

Contacts (POCs) set forth in Coordination below. “

Is that means that the installation work will start 180 days after the delivery date and the completion schedule expected to be end of July 2025, is that correct?

(A) Installation work will commence upon Government’s inspection and acceptance of All items delivered (no later than 180 calendar days), and coordination with the Embassy’s Point of Contacts (POCs) set forth in Coordination paragraph of the solicitation.

5)

(Q) It is stated that All manuals and literature shall be in English.

Does the above mean that all pages of the proposed product catalogue must be in English?

Or is it sufficient to translate into English only the product(s) we are proposing? (with indication of specification and mechanical function)

(A) Translation into English only for the products proposed will suffice.

6)

(Q) The tender guidelines state that the product catalogue must be presented in English. If all the products to be supplied cannot be manufactured using off-the-shelf products, we will carry out custom-made production.

If so, do the specifications meet the requirements if they are described in the drawings or proposal?

(A) Custom made furniture are acceptable as long as they meet the minimum requirements of the solicitation. Details shall be clearly indicated in the design proposed.

7)

(Q) Is it possible to deliver to the delivery address with a 10-ton truck? Is it possible to deliver the product in a container truck?

Is it possible to request a forklift truck for unloading?

(A) It is required to deliver furniture on every Saturdays for the volume of furniture installed in the weekend. Contractor is allowed to deliver furniture with a 10-ton truck, but the container must get out from the Chancery lot before the normal business starts on Monday.

8)

(Q) Is it possible to provide an estimate of the product proposal in USD and a combined estimate of the transport, installation and removal costs in Japanese yen? Or do they have to be in either Japanese yen or USD?

(A) Offerors shall select the currency, in which the offer is made. This currency shall be fixed and cannot be changed by a modification to contract after award.

9)

(Q) Are the materials used in the furniture material equivalent to Carb P2?

(A) We don’t know about Carb P2 so we can’t answer this question.

10)

(Q) When installing the furniture, is it necessary to use dust protection or screen curing to prevent dust from being blown into other areas? Is blue sheeting sufficient for floor protection?

(A) Dust protection in the work area is mandatory. Protecting floors by covering with blue sheet on the hallway from the loading dock to the work area is also required.

11)

(Q) Regarding the grade of chairs, can you provide reference type or names of manufacturer’s chair products?

(A) Expect to furnish such as Aeron chair by Herman Miller or Carman chair by STEELCASE

12)

(Q) In #21, #22, is W1000mm two story base cabinet under counter highlighted in blue, is the location of cabinet, correct? It indicates TWO story bases, it means 2 drawers cabinet?

(A) Correct. Two drawers cabinet under a counter.

13)

(Q) On the drawing showing 3 drawers as you see below, please let us confirm which is correct number.

(A) Drawer #1: W400mm 3 story drawer (fixed)

Drawer #2: W400mm 3 story drawer (rollers at bottom)

Drawer #3: W1000mm 2 story drawer

All three drawers fit under the U-shaped counter

14)

(Q) The finish material to be laminated same as desktop or metal cabinet (with 2/3 drawer) to be acceptable?

(A) Laminate surface must be matched with desk top surfaces.

15)

(Q) 【Mail size】- How much MGB is acceptable for you to receive the submissions, 15 MGB or 50 MGB?

(A) Individual emails shall be limited to 50MB. Zipped files (.zip or .rar) are not permitted.

Also, USE OF ELECTRONIC DEPOSITORIES IS NOT PERMITTED.

16)

(Q) 【Certificate of attendance at the mandatory Site Visit】 - We have not received

“Certificate of attendance at the mandatory site visit”, but is the sheet that we wrote our name down at site regarded as the certificate of the site visit attendance?

(A) There was a misunderstanding with regards to the mandatory certificate of attendance.

A Certificate of attendance will be issued by the Government and provided shortly to all Offerors/Offerors Representatives attended and signed the attendance list at the site visit.

17)

(Q) 【Quotation】- Could we submit the quotation by following designated quotation sheet that is “Attachment 9”?

(A) Completed Attachment 9 – Price Offer (Microsoft Excel spreadsheet format) is required to be submitted as part of offeror’s proposal, Volume 1.

18)

(Q) 【Submission】 - Is only PDF acceptable for you to receive all the submission as you mentioned when we visited the site? If so, could we separate and send several emails to you when we submit all the requirements? For example, submitting only VolumeⅡ-(B) but the (B) exceeds more than the acceptable MGB and separate the (B) into 2 files.

(A) Electronic submission of proposals documents is acceptable in a format readable by Microsoft (MS) Word or the Adobe pdf. The one exception is Attachment 9, Price Offer, which shall be submitted as completed Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

Individual emails are acceptable and shall be named/numbered to appear in the e-mail(s) in the correct sequence (see also answer under Question#15).

19)

(Q) 【2 Sub Chairs for Room 40 and Room 86A】 - Do you have any specific preference for the sub chairs, same grade as the main chair, smaller size but with casters or not, nesting chair, foldable chair, or something else?

(A) Sub chair shall be the same grade as the main chair.

20)

(Q) Sample we saw at US Embassy had 50cm height partition from desktop. Is it acceptable if we propose 45cm height partition from desktop instead of 50cm?

(A) 45cm height of partition is acceptable.

21)

(Q) Please confirm 2-drawers under counter cabinet is optional either movable or fixed per the site visit instruction.

(A) Two movable roller cabinets are acceptable.

22)

(Q) Please confirm 3-drawers under desk cabinet is movable per the site visit instruction.

(A) Acceptable.

23)

(Q) Please confirm the QTY of the task chairs for ACS area are 29 per the floor plan.

(A) 29 chairs plus one chair in Room 9. A total of 30 chairs.

24)

(Q) Please confirm the QTY of the task chairs for Visa area are 46 per the floor plan.

(A) 46 chairs are correct number.

25)

(Q) Should we quote the yellow highlighted below as 2 QTY of W900 D450mm 3 story metal cabinet per the floorplan? (QTY 0 in SOW)

(A) Yes. Please add to quote the cabinet in 86A and 86B.

26)

(Q) Tag (a): Please confirm the QTY of (a) is 19 sets per the floor plan.

(A) 19 sets are correct.

27)

(Q) Tag (d): Please confirm the QTY of the power extension strip is 1 (0 QTY in SOW)

(A) 2 sets of 6 outlets power strips are required per one workstation.

28)

(Q) Tag (d): Please confirm the QTY of 1 desk chair per desk per the floor plan. (2 desk chairs per desk in SOW)

(A) One main chair per one workstation, plus two sub-chairs are required for Workstation #19 and #73.

29)

(Q) Tag (e): Is a 2D pedestal needed under the counter cabinet?

(A) Yes

30)

(Q) Tag (e): Please confirm that NO front screen is needed for the workstations per the site visit instruction.

(A) Front screen (partition) on desk edge is needed for #28. #29 may be required depending on the design of reception counter.

31)

(Q) Tag (e): Please confirm that NO side screen is needed for the workstations per the site visit instruction.

(A) Correction: Add one side partition per workstation for pin board purpose.

32)

(Q) Tag (f): Please confirm the QTY of (f) is 29 sets per the floor plan. (28 sets in SOW)

(A) Please quote for 30sets. 29 sets plus one chair in Room 9.

33)

(Q) Tag (h): Please confirm the QTY of (h) is 5 sets per the floor plan. (4 sets in SOW)

(A) Quote for 5 sets.

34)

(Q) Tag (o): Please confirm if workstation #47 on the floor plan is included in (o).

(A) Correct.

35)

(Q) Tag (o): Please confirm if workstation #47 on the floor plan is included in (o).

36)

(Q) Tag (p): Please confirm the QTY of (p) is 14 sets per the floor plan. (15 sets in SOW)

(A) 14 sets are correct quantity.

37)

(Q) Tag (r): Please confirm the QTY of a 3-seater sofa is 0 per the floorplan. (1 QTY of 3-seater sofa in SOW).

(A) One set of 3-seater sofa is required in each workstation.

38)

(Q) Tag (r): Please confirm the QTY of the coffee table is 0 per the floorplan. (1 QTY of coffee table in SOW)

(A) One set of center table is required in each workstation.

39)

(Q) Tag (r): Please confirm the configuration of the screen, is it A or B?

A

B

(A) B is correct.

40)

(Q) Tag (s): Please confirm the QTY of (s) is 11 sets per the floor plan. (12 sets in SOW).

(A) 12 sets are correct. Count for #74.

41)

(Q) Tag (s): Please confirm the QTY of the 2D pedestal is 1 for workstations #69 & #70.

(0 QTY of 2D pedestal in SOW).

(A) 2 sets of drawers are required in #69 and 70.

42)

(Q) Tag (s): Please confirm the QTY of the 2D pedestal is 1 for workstations #69 & #70.

(0 QTY of 2D pedestal in SOW).

(A) 2 sets of drawers are required in #69 and 70.

43)

(Q) Tag (t): Please confirm the QTY of (t) is 38 sets per the floor plan. (39 sets in SOW).

(A) Quote for 39 sets.

44)

(Q) Tag (w): Can workstation #72 be put under the tag (w) but with no freestanding side partition?

45)

(Q) Tag (w): Please confirm the QTY of the power extension strip is 1. (0 QTY in SOW).

(A) One strip is correct for I-shaped desk.

46)

(Q) Form W-14: Please confirm if Form W-14 is something that a company based/registered in Japan to do. (We thought this is for companies based in the United States doing a business outside of the United States.)

(A) Yes, foreign entities shall complete paragraph (d) (1) & (2) of the solicitation provision 52.229-11 Tax on certain Foreign Procurements – Notice and Representation (Page 39 of the solicitation – part of Attachment 1) and submit with its offer the completed IRS Form W-14 selecting its claiming of a full exception or partial or no exemption form the excise 2% tax.

Please see IRS “Qualified Income Tax Treaty Countries Notice 2015-35” for more information attached to the Amendment 0001.

47)

(Q) Product specifications for the desk products: We see the height adjustable products, which means the structure that raises the product is metal. However, we don’t know the materials for the rest of the desk units: Desk surfaces, overheads, and desk storage.

Please advise the materials for the desk units, metal, laminate, or wood. There is a big price difference between those materials.

(A) During the site visit, the Embassy’s Representative presented one modular furniture as a sample. All finishes including counter, partition, overhead cabinet, metal cabinet and chair shall be referred to that sample furniture.