Minutes_of_meeting_-_Pre-proposal_conference_04_June_2018.docx

United States Department of State

Minutes from Pre-Proposal Conference of June 04, 2018

Ref: Solicitation No. 19VM3018Q0027 Vietnam Mission-wide Travel Management Service.

Introduction

The Acting Contracting Officer Sylvia Stankova-Loomis welcomed all attendees, introduced the Embassy Contracting Unit:

Mr Quan Nguyen, Travel Supervisor Ms Hoa Nguyen, Procurement Supervisor Ms Trang Bui, Procurement Agent (Contract)

Discussion of the Solicitation Package

The following sections of the solicitation were highlighted:

· Cover letter:

No electronic offers will be accepted.

Quotation are due by 15h00PM local time July 31, 2018 according to solicitation amendment No. 19VM3018Q0027-0002 posted on FedBizOpps.

· SF1449 format, blocks to be filled in Offeror to complete block 12, 17, 23, 24 & 30. If more line items are needed for option periods offeror should use continuation of block 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 & 24 in page 2.

· Section 1 – The Schedule 2.3.B. Transaction description

12.0. Place of performance

17.0. Transaction fee procedures

· Section 3 – Solicitation Provision SAM registration: The U.S. Government requires that prior to entering into a contractual arrangement that all business entities register with DUNS (Dun & Bradstreet) and SAM (System for Award Management).

A DUNS number must be obtained prior to the application for a registration in SAM, the following links provide assistance in the process of obtaining the DUNS number and SAM registration.

DUNS Number - First step towards a government contract at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKsINotv7Sw How to Get a DUNS / D&B Number at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Balk4jJhy9M System for Award Management (SAM): https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/##11

Questions and Answers:

No questions were submitted before the conference. The following questions were asked during the conference and the answers referenced below shall supersede all the answers provided during the conference:

1. Q: What currency is used for the offer and contract?

A: As per Section 1 – The Schedule - 2.3.C. (page 6) US firms are eligible to be paid in US dollars. Foreign firms, which are not U.S firms, shall submit its prices and receive payment in local currency.

2. Q: How does VAT apply for the payment?

A: Please see Amendment 0003 which contains changes to Section 1 – The Schedule 2.3.B. to include the payment of VAT which is 10%.

3. Q: Is the transaction fee charged per booking or per ticket?

A: Please refer Section 1 – The Schedule – 17.2. (page 29) for details.

17.2.1. When requested by the Government, the Contractor is required to arrange for transportation of one or more individuals. The Contractor may charge only one transaction fee per itinerary when the ticket is issued. When multiple people travel on the same order, each individual traveler would have an itinerary. The (individual) itinerary could have multiple tickets, but only one transaction fee per is charged. (fee is not based on the number of tickets needed to complete the (individual) itinerary). One transaction fee is charged per itinerary regardless of number of travelers listed on the order. If a group of people traveling on the same order has the same itinerary and traveling dates, only one transaction fee is charged. However, if a group of people traveling on the same order has the same itinerary with different traveling dates or has completely different itineraries, the transaction fees are charged per each individual itinerary.

4. Q: Should the Quarterly Sales Activity Report describes detailed counts of tickets of all different sections belonging to the Embassy?

A: Please refer to Attachment 2 as revised in Amendment 0004. We require the total counts of tickets for the US Embassy in Hanoi (referred as USE) and the US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City (referred as USC).

5. Q: How to process DUNS & SAM registration?

A: The U.S. Government requires that prior to entering into a contractual arrangement that all business entities register with DUNS (Dun & Bradstreet) and SAM (System for Award Management).

A DUNS number must be obtained prior to the application for a registration in SAM, the following links provide assistance in the process of obtaining the DUNS number and SAM registration.

DUNS Number - First step towards a government contract at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKsINotv7Sw How to Get a DUNS / D&B Number at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Balk4jJhy9M System for Award Management (SAM): https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/##11

6. Q: Will the contract be awarded to the company with quotation at the lowest price?

A: As noted on the cover letter the US Government intends to award a contract/purchase order to the responsible company submitting an acceptable quotation at the lowest price, meaning the contract will be awarded to the company with lowest price technically acceptable quotation.

7. Q: The estimated monthly or yearly turnover? Or an estimation about the number of domestic, regional and international tickets per year?

A: As per Section 4 – Evaluation Factors – 3.0 the annual est. number of transactions is 3,000ea. According to our reports the monthly quantities of domestic & international tickets are more or less the same.

Conclusion

The conference concluded and attendees were thanked for their presence and expression of interest in serving the U.S. Government. The meeting was adjourned.

Note: reference to Section 2 - Contract Clause 52.222.-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (2015). As a U.S. Government contractor all suppliers must comply with Federal Acquisitions Regulations (FAR) Clause 52.222-50, "Combating Trafficking in Persons." 52.222-50 implements the U.S. Government's "zero tolerance policy on human trafficking" by prohibiting and contractor and its subcontractors at any tier from utilizing "forced labor" or engaging in "severe forms of trafficking in persons" during the performance of contracts and the subcontracts awarded thereunder. Contractor are reminded to include FAR clause 52.222-50 in all subcontracts placed in support of our Government business. Violations of FAR clause § 52.222-50 can result in substantial financial and other penalties to include contract and subcontract termination and debarment from U.S. Government work.

Sincerely, Michael Warfield Contracting Officer image1.wmf oleObject1.bin