Attach 1 - 19SG2023Q0021__Q and A.docx

American Embassy Dakar Solicitation no 19SG2023Q0021 –

TRAVEL MANAGEMENT SERVICES

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FROM THE PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE

1. Question: What is the ration between international travels versus regional travel?

Answer: the response is provided under section 1 of the solicitation - Page 6, minimum and maximum.

The annual estimated number of services is listed on page 67.

2. Question: What is expected from the contractor who will win the contract?

Answer: The expectations are outlined throughout the entire solicitation, but Section 1 – The Schedule, provides the description of service. The requirements are provided on pages 8 – 38, to include the Statement of Work, Deliverables, Service Standards, etc.

Overall the Contractor shall provide corporate travel services for official domestic and international travel of Government employees and their dependents.

The Contractor shall also provide travel related services such as Reservations of lodging accommodations - Commercial automobile rental services - Assistance to collect passports, visas – support during seminars, meetings, and workshops, etc. as outlined therein. The answer to this generic question does not limit the “expectations” from the contractor to only the pages or areas cited above. The vendor is expected to read, understand and fully comprehend the requirements of the solicitation and subsequent contract before submitting a proposal or execution of an award.

3. Question: is it possible to submit technical documentation in French?

Answer: NO. Section 3- Solicitations Provisions, at 1.0 provides a summary instruction for offeror submission and states: 1.0 “Summary of instructions: Each quotation must be in English and consist of the following:”.

4. Question: Can we submit DBA insurance evidence after the award, or do we need to furnish it in this proposal? Can we make payment for DBA insurance after getting the award?

Answer: As stipulated in Section 3- Solicitation Provisions “The Offeror shall include Defense Base Act (DBA) insurance premium costs covering employees”. The insurance will not take effect until award and evidence of coverage will be required at that time. However, the cost of the insurance shall be included in the pricing proposal. Failure to provide DBA insurance at time of award/execution of the work may result in contract termination.

5. Question: What evidence/documentation should we submit for SECTION 5? OR we only need to admit that we comply with the mentioned requirements by the US embassy under section 5.

Answer: Section 5 consists of Representations and Certifications the offeror must fill out and return as part of your proposal. This includes checking the boxes in each section as applicable. The vendor is to carefully read and review each section and mark the appropriate boxes or provide the required data from beginning to end. For example, you must check the applicable boxes in 52.204-24 paragraph d, and 52.204-26 paragraph c and d to represent that you are using or not using the covered telecommunications equipment or services. This section is required to update and provide current certification of these requirements as you are required to submit annually in SAM.gov.

6. Question: We haven't used our SAM account for a long time. If our SAM registration is inactive or expired, do we need to start from zero, and register again by filing all the details or we can just renew. Any faster process you can suggest here?

Answer:

1) If your company SAM registration has expired, you will need to follow the procedures and process shown on the SAM.gov website to to renew your registration Length of time for inactivity may or may not have an effect on the process and approval timeframe. Please refer to the SAM.gov website for details, templates and contact information at www.sam.gov. If you intend to submit a quote for these services, we recommend renewing your registration immediately. FAR 4.1102(a) requires active SAM registration at time of proposal submission. If not, your proposal will not receive further consideration. We are unaware of any “faster process” to obtain SAM registration than following the procedures outlined by GSA on the SAM.gov website.

2) If your SAM.gov Entity Administrator is no longer with the company, please create a user account and submit an Entity Administrator Appointment Letter to gain access to update the existing registration.

7. Question: PRICING: The “option period” here refers to years, right, that is, prices for year 1, 2, 3, 4. What “Base period refers to”?

Answer: Base year refers to the first year of the contract. Option 1 refers to the 2nd year and so on

Page | 2