Questions and Answers Solicitation 19MJ1924Q0008.pdf

SBU - CONTRACTING AND ACQUISITIONS

Questions and Answers

Solicitation 19MJ1924Q0008

Lodging and conference services and other related services

1. Are third-party travel management companies permitted to respond to this request?

Yes, third party vendors can respond. However, they must meet the requirements described in the solicitation.

2. Is it permissible to submit more than one hotel to support this group?

Yes, vendors should submit more than one hotel for this solicitation. Vendors must submit one hotel in Podgorica, one in Kolasin and one in Budva. Multiple hotels in each location are encouraged.

3. Will a tax-exempt form be provided?

Yes, the embassy will provide tax exempt documentation.

4. Please clarify B. The contract will be for a one-year period from the date of the contract award.

All task orders under this contract will be completed in a one year period of performance, commencing from the date the IDIQ is signed.

5. Will this contract be for one event or multiple events? How many days are the scheduled events?

This will be for multiple events. Typical events run from 1-3 days, though occasionally there may be a longer event.

6. Will they need lodging, conference services and other related services daily for a one-year period?

No. This is an Idefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. The embassy will issue a separate task order for each event. We anticipate a minimum of one event per month, excluding August. Some months may have more than one event.

7. Are the estimated funds for one event?

No, the estimated funds are for all events which will occur under this contract. Individual events will usually last between 1-3 days, with a low-cost estimate of $8000 and a high-cost estimate of $30,000 per event.

8. Is this a new contract?

• If not new, who was the past incumbent, and what is the contract number?

This is a new contract.

9. Do you have a target date or date range for the final award decision?

We anticipate awarding this contract in May 2024.

10. Since the accommodation offers are separated for all three cities, we face a significant challenge in defining food and beverage services. There is a significant imbalance in the offers between Budva, Kolašin, and Podgorica. In Podgorica, all services are nearly twice as expensive. What happens if we have a price for the lowest offer, which in this case is in

Budva, while the event is held in Podgorica? How can we justify such a price difference?

We are asking for pricing per location. For example, you will submit one set of prices for

Podgorica, another for Budva and a third for Kolasin. As this is an IDIQ contract, we will issue a separate task order for each event and specify the location for that event. You will be expected to respect the prices you submitted for that location for the task order.

11. It is necessary to have a separate item for renting the conference room without food and beverage services. It is a fact that all hotels, in addition to accommodation and lunch services, will provide the conference room at a special price or for free. However, as there are cases where only the conference room or a room with coffee breaks is provided, I believe there should be an option for renting the venue without other services. Whoever wins the tender may encounter this situation, and there will be no justification for charging for the room rental if it was offered for free in the tender.

Please fill out the pricing chart in the solicitation document. The task order issued for the specific event will list the specific services requested for that event.

12. The photographer should be sent separately for all three cities because for Budva and

Kolašin, transportation is included in the price, and the differences in offers are obvious.

The same applies to interpreters.

We are not sure what the question is. You should submit different prices for the different services according to the cost in the three different locations.

13. All offers I have seen so far include 0.25L water bottles in the conference rooms. Is there a chance to change this in the tender?

Offers can change the 0.25L water bottle in the pricing section of their offer, however the selected vendor will be required to supply the listed water bottle size. 0.25L is the industry standard in Montenegro.

14. Regarding the "Other Equipment" section, I have some uncertainties: Does "Large Video

WALL" refer to an LED screen or a conventional screen, such as the one in the Crystal Hall with a projector? What do you mean by "Informational Video Banner in front of the conference"? Does it require a TV to be installed? We only have this in front of the halls at the Hilton, other hotels do not have it.

Large Video Wall could be an LED screen or a conventional screen with a projector.

Informational Video Banner refers to signage which indicates that a room is for a particular event. This does not need to be on a TV screen.

15. Regarding item 1.2.2, I kindly request clarification on how we can ensure staff and technical support, etc. Should we provide this in the form of a statement?

You can fulfill this either by showing evidence that you have qualified staff in your company or a written agreement with another company to provide qualified technical staff.

16. For item 1.2.8, for example, the hotel in Kolašin cannot provide us with an electronic version of the evacuation plan, while the hotel in Budva has a large link that can only be sent via WeTransfer. Is it sufficient to have information from the hotels that they have an evacuation plan, or how do you suggest we proceed?

It is sufficient to have information from the hotels that they have an evacuation plan. Please also list a contact at the hotel whom the Embassy can contact for follow up.

17. The list of interpreters is literally the list that the Embassy collaborates with, but they are not thrilled with the fact that we ask each one individually to send us their details. Is it okay if we only provide a list with their names?

The requirement is to provide a minimum of a short CV (one paragraph minimum) of at least ten interpreters who are certified by the Ministry of Justice. The list may include an interpreter with whom the Embassy has never worked.

18. Contracts with clients: I kindly request an explanation. Is it mandatory to include contract amounts since our confidentiality clause does not allow this? I would like to note that we inform each client individually whether we can include their details on our list of references.

It is not mandatory to include contract amounts. It is sufficient to list the names of clients and the type of events provided to them.

19. In case we encounter a situation where the proposed hotel is not available, what do we do in that scenario?

To combat this scenario, offers are encouraged to submit pricing for multiple hotels in each of the three cities.

20. Do you have the previous incumbent and how much they were awarded for?

There was no previous award or incumbent.

21. How would you like me to submit the proposal?

Please submit a PDF to PodgoricaSolicitations@state.gov

22. Please confirm the number of rooms required in each area.

Please see page 5 of the solicitation document.