19VM3026Q0014 Minutes of meeting - Pre-proposal conference Apr 17 2026.pdf

Minutes from Pre-Quotation Conference of April 17, 2026

Ref: Solicitation No. 19VM3026Q0014

Travel Management Services for the U.S. Mission in Vietnam.

Introduction

The Contracting Officer, Mr. Stephen J. Hurley, welcomed all attendees, introduced the Embassy Contracting Unit:

Ms. Thuy Tran, Travel Supervisor Ms. Ha Pham, Procurement Agent

Discussion of the Solicitation Package

The following sections of the solicitation were highlighted:

1. Introduction of RFQ #19VM3025Q0002 – Table of Contents & requirements

Introduction

What Services Are Needed?

What Bidders Need to Include in Their Bidding Package

• What Are the Requirements?

• Standard Form SF1449

• Pricing

• SAM Registration

• Telecommunications Equipment

Evaluation Factors

Submitting Questions

Quotation Deadline

Q&A

2. Guidance on bid submission:

Each quotation must consist of the following:

Volume Provisions

1 Executed Standard Form 1449 and Completed Pricing Table (block 23) in Section 1

2 Technical Proposal

Volume 1 shall contain complete pricing schedules as identified in Section 1, reflecting

Embassy of the United States of America

Hanoi, Vietnam – Contracting Unit

April 17, 2026 transaction fee rates for each base and option year to include professional hours, travel expenses, overhead, profit, reproduction costs and all other costs related to the services required to perform the work described in Section 1.

Volume 2 shall include information demonstrating the quoter’s ability to perform the required services (please refer to Section 3), completed Section 5 – Representations and Certifications, proof of SAM registration.

3. The following important FAR clauses were highlighted:

FAR 52.204-7 System for Award Management

The U.S. Government requires that all contractors have to be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) Database https://sam.gov/ prior to contract award pursuant to FAR provision 52.204-7. Therefore, prospective offerors are encouraged to register prior to the submittal of quotations/proposals.

The guidelines for registration in SAM are as per document included in the solicitation package, and available at: https://sam.gov/entity-registration

Or please contact the Contracting Unit of the U.S. Embassy Hanoi (email:

HanoiGSOProcurement@state.gov) for assistance.

FAR 52.204-25 Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment

FAR clause 52.204-25 prohibits the U.S. Government Agencies to procure any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system, and prohibits the U.S. Government Agencies to procure services and supplies from any entity that uses any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system.

Covered equipment are the ones that produced or provided by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities), Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, or Dahua Technology Company (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities), an entity that the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence or the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, reasonably believes to be an entity owned or controlled by, or otherwise connected to, the government of a covered foreign country, meaning The People’s Republic of China

To guarantee the compliance of FAR 52.204-25 Offerors are requested to complete FAR Provision 52.204-24 Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment – paragraph (d)(1)&(2), and FAR Provision 52.204-26 https://sam.gov/ https://sam.gov/entity-registration mailto:HanoiGSOProcurement@state.gov

Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services-Representation – paragraph (c) in Section 5 – Presentations & Certifications..

4. The award selection will go to the lowest priced, technically acceptable, responsible offeror.

Offerors must propose fixed prices for the types of services identified in Section 1 – THE SCHEDULE. Offers that do not include fixed prices cannot be evaluated for the total cost and will be rejected.

5. The deadline for the submission of the quotation for Travel Management Services is no later than 17:00 Vietnamese local time on May 27, 2026. The Offerors/Quoters are requested to send the quotation package by email to HanoiGSOProcurement@state.gov on or before bid submission due time. No quotation will be accepted after this time

Questions and Answers:

The questions and answers below were provided at the conference:

No. Question Answer 1 Should the quotation price be submitted in USD or VND? If both currencies are accepted, which Embassy exchange rate and effective date will be used for evaluation purposes?

Vendors registered in Vietnam must submit quotations in Vietnamese Dong (VND), while overseas vendors must submit quotations in U.S. Dollars (USD). The exchange rate applied will be the rate in effect on the date of award determination.

2 Which specific contract components are subject to VAT: (a) transaction fees only; (b) airfare; (c) hotel and car rental; or (d) all of the above? Does the Embassy/Consulate General benefit from any VAT exemption under international agreements for any portion?

For this contract, we require travel management services, and VAT will be applied to the transaction fee without VAT exemption.

3 Could you provide further details on key performance indicators (KPIs) or service level expectations (e.g., response time, ticketing turnaround, customer satisfaction benchmarks)

Please see Section 1/ 8.0 Contractor’s Quality Control Plan and Section 1/ 28.0 Quality Assurance And Surveillance Plan

(QASP)

The questions were submitted in writing by email to HanoiGSOProcurement@state.gov until 17h00 Vietnamese local time on April 20, 2026. The answers referenced in “19VM3026Q0014 - Travel Management Services - QA” shall be posted on SAM.gov and the Embassy website by April 28, 2026 for the subjected solicitation.

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.

Sincerely, Stephen J. Hurley Contracting Officer