RFP_2014-N-16453_Amendment_0001_28June2014.doc

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

PAGE OF PAGES

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO.

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

06/28/2014

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.

5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

FORMTEXT

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(PGO)

Procurement and Grants Office

2920 Brandywine Rd, RM 3000

Atlanta, GA 30341-5539

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PGO)

Procurement and Grants Office

2920 Brandywine Rd, RM 3000

Atlanta, GA 30341-5539

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., street, county, State and ZIP Code)

X

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

2014-N-16453 9B. DATED (See Item 11) 06/05/2014

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

10B. DATED (See Item 13)

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

X The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers X is extended, Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning 1 copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEGMENT

TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT

IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required)

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

A.

THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN

B.

THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

C.

THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not, is required to sign this document and return copies to the issuing office.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

See Page 2 for a Continuation of Block 14.

NOTE TO OFFERORS: Offerors are reminded to acknowledge receipt of this amendment pursuant to the instructions in Block 11 above.

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

16A. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

Vallerie M. Redd

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

15C. DATE SIGNED

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

BY ___________________________________________

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

16C. DATE SIGNED

NSN 7540-01-152-8070

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 10-83)

PREVIOUS EDITION UNUSABLE

30-105 Prescribed by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

Block 14 – Description of Amendment/Modification – Continued from Page 1

The purpose of Amendment 0001 is to:

1. Provide answers to offeror’s questions, which are included in this amendment on pages 3 through 14;

2. Due to the numerous changes required for this amendment, RFP 2014-N-16453 is reissued in its entirety. Offerors are advised to re-read the solicitation in its entirety. However, for ease of locating the affected change pages, the following information is provided.

a. As a result of the answers to the questions, amend solicitation pages 17, 18, 35, 57, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 71, 72, 80, 83, 89, 95, 98, and 103, as reflected in the redlined text on each affected page.

b. Revisions to pages 39, 40, 41, 50, 51, 69, 70, and 74 have been made to correct other errors;

3. Attachment 9, Labor Categories and Descriptions/Duties, is a new attachment that is hereto attached with this amendment. The purpose of Attachment 9 is for Offerors to provide a listing of the labor categories and the applicable description/qualification ONLY for each labor category proposed. Attachment 9 is to be included with the Basic Technical Proposal, Volume I – Subpart IA. For further clarification about Attachment 9 see answer to question #30 and additional instructions on the attachment itself; and

4. Extend the proposal submission due date and time from 2:00 pm EST, July 18, 2014 to 2:00 pm EST, July 25, 2014.

REMINDERS TO OFFERORS:

A. Pursuant to FAR 3.104.4 (c) Disclosure, Protection, and Marking of Contractor Bid or Proposal Information and Source Selection Information and as otherwise appropriate, offerors are reminded to mark your proposals on the cover page and all other applicable pages with the legend “Source Selection Information - See FAR 2.101 and 3.104.”

B. All task orders are subject to the availability of funds. The task orders attached to this solicitation will be awarded as soon as practicable after award of the basic contract.

C. This is a total small business set aside and as such offerors are reminded that FAR 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting applies.

Questions and Answers for

RFP 2014-N-16453

1. Will the government consider an extension for the procurement to account for the Q&A period?

Answer: Yes. See revisions to page 60.

2. Is the work on the sample Task Orders currently being performed? If so, could the Government state the incumbents and their respective contract numbers?

Answer: No the work is not currently being performed. Additionally, the task orders are not sample task orders. Subject to the availability of funds, the task orders will be awarded as soon as practicable after award of the basic contract.

3. Can you please provide LOE and cost estimates for the sample task orders?

Answer: No, the Government will not provide LOE and cost estimates for the task orders.

4. Task Orders 1 and 4 do not have performance dates specified. When would these 12-month tasks begin?

Answer: See revisions to pages 89 and 95. Subject to the availability of funds, the task orders will be awarded as soon as practicable after award of the basic contract.

5. For each task order, please identify places of performance – government site or contractor site.

Answer: The place of performance for all four task orders will be at the contractor’s facility.

6. For pricing the Task Orders, does the government foresee the need for any contractor staff to be located onsite at government facilities?

Answer: See answer to question #5.

7. Does the government plan to award the task orders outlined in attachments 5, 6, 7, and 8 upon IDIQ contract award?

Answer: Yes. Subject to the availability of funds, the task orders will be awarded as soon as practicable after award of the basic contract.

8. Considering this is a small-business set-aside solicitation, is the contractor required to register with eSRS and submit Individual Subcontract Report (SF 294) and the Annual Summary Reports (SF 295)?

Answer: No. Clause G.9 is hereby deleted with this amendment. See revision to page 17.

9. Can the bidder’s response to the task order requirements in subpart sections (I-B, I-C, I-D and I-E) reference any of the bidder’s technical approach in the main IDIQ response (SUBPART I-A - BASIC Contract)? For example, if a graphic is part of the IDIQ technical response, can that graphic be referenced from a subsequent task order response section?

Answer: No, see yellow highlighted text on page 64. The offeror’s responses to the task order requirements in subpart sections (I-B, I-C, I-D and I-E) must provide all of the information required to technically evaluate each task order proposal on its own individual merits. The Government will not refer back to the offeror’s technical approach provided in response to Volume I, Subpart I-A Basic Contract, in evaluating the task order awards.

10. Section H.29, pg. 35 - "Offeror shall provide a table for both on site and off site rates for fixed price rates." The table column easing asks for Overhead rate. Please confirm whether the rate provided should only include OH and not the total loaded multiplier with G&A, fringe, OH, fee). Or whether the rate should be the fully loaded rate. I did not question this one because of our cost structure. If it calls for OVH, for us, it includes Fringe.

Answer: The rate provided in this section should ONLY include the offeror’s overhead rate; no fringe. See revision to page 35.

11. In reference to H.29 Facilities, the upper left cell of the table says: “Overhead rate”. Please confirm that the government wants included in the Business Volume the bidder’s onsite and off-site overhead rates for each of the contract years (i.e., base year and option years.)

Answer: No. The chart outlined in clause H.29 is a fill-in clause and should be a part of the offeror’s responsibility to submit a fully executed copy of the RFP. This chart should not be a part of the Business Volume.

12. As the solicitation indicates that the sample and future task orders will be firm fixed price, we request that the requirements in Section H.29 “Facilities” (On-Site/Off-Site Overhead Rates) and Attachment 4 “Schedule B Pricing Schedules” (Fully burdened hourly labor rates) be stricken to reflect the FFP contract type. In addition, per FAR Subpart 15.403-1, cost and pricing data is not required to determine a fair and reasonable price when there is adequate price competition. We request that the references to FAR 52.215-20 and 52.215-21 in Section L.1, as well as the cost and pricing data requested in Section L.14, Subsection B. be removed to reflect the FFP contract type.

Answer: The request to stricken H.29 “Facilities” (On-Site/Off-Site Overhead Rates) and Attachment 4 “Schedule B Pricing Schedules” (Fully burdened hourly labor rates) is denied. Cost and pricing data is not required. The purpose of clause H.29 is to solely reflect the difference in overhead rate for work being performed onsite verses offsite for a fixed price contract as they should be different.

References to FAR 52.215-20 and 52.215-21 in Section L.1, as well as the cost and pricing data requested in Section L.14, Subsection B, and any other references to these clauses in the solicitation are removed in their entireties with this amendment. See revisions to pages 40, 57, 65, 66, 67 and 68.

13. Sections H.35, page 38 - Can the government provide further explanation on the anticipated organizational conflict of interest for this contract and its tasking?

Answer: No.

14. Reference: Section L.2, page 57. Question: How many IDIQ contracts does the government anticipate will be awarded?

Answer: The Government “anticipates” making multiple awards. However, we are unable to determine exactly how many awards will be made.

15. Section L.2 FAR 52.216-1 Type of Contract, page 57. The Government contemplates awarding a multiple award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract resulting from this solicitation. Task orders will be performance-based and issued on a Firm-Fixed-Price basis. How many awards does the government anticipate issuing?

Answer: See answer to question #14.

16. How many awards does the government contemplate making for this IDIQ?

Answer: See answer to question #14.

17. How many IDIQ awards are anticipated?

Answer: See answer to question #14.

18. Reference Section L.8(a), page 59. Question: Can past performance information from major subcontractors be used to gather past performance survey responses or must all three responses come from the prime contractor’s clients?

Answer: Yes. Past performance survey responses for subcontractors are acceptable.

19. Per Section L.8(a)1. (p. 59) is the offeror to provide 3 past performance references for each subcontractor in addition to 3 provided by the offeror? Or are we limited to 3 references for the full team, including subcontractors?

Answer: No. Offeror is limited to the three (3) past performance references for the full team.

20. Reference: Standard Form 33, page 1 item 9 refers to hand carried offers, while Section L.10(f), page 60 indicated that hard copies and CD's must be mailed. Question: Will hand carried offers be permitted?

Answer: Hand carried offers are permitted. See revision to page 60.

21. The solicitation requests that the hard copies be mailed. Alternatively, can the hard copies be hand-delivered?

Answer: See answer to question #20.

22. Do the hard copies of the proposal need to be MAILED to the address or can they be hand delivered by the deadline?

Answer: See answer to question #20.

23. Reference Section L.10.(f).iv p. 60 and Section L.12 p. 61 (last paragraph on page): the proposal Word files to be submitted may grow to significant size, caused by the graphics in the document addressing the bidder’s approach to the RFP requirements. What is the maximum per file size and per message size that the CDC E-Mail system can accept? Will CDC accept multi-part submissions of the Word files to accommodate the CDC E-Mail system limitations (e.g., multiple messages to submit the required Word files, segmentation of a large Word file into multiple parts)?

Answer: The Government cannot provide an answer to maximum per file size and per message size that the CDC E-Mail system can accept because the size depends upon the contractor’s formatting. The Government will accept multi-part electronic submissions. Offeror should CLEARLY identify in the email’s Subject Line after the solicitation number, the Part # and Number of Parts (i.e., Solicitation #2014-N-16453 - Part 1 of 3, etc.).

24. Reference: Section L.12, page 61. Question: Will the government modify the limit on tables and graphics to 30 words each to account for exceptions to this requirement in cases when the use of a table or chart exceeding that limit would present a more meaningful, clear, and easily evaluated response than text in paragraphs? For instance, a person-loading-chart that clearly displays the relationships among a proposed staff member, relevant KSA's, proposed role, hours, and such is much more easily evaluated than the same information in paragraph form. A possible alternative would be to raise the minimum allowable font size to 10 pt, to indicate that the government will ignore tables or graphics used to merely fit more text within page limits, and then leave it to the discretion of the government to make that determination.

Answer: The 30 word limitation is removed for text-based tables. However, the font size for the impacted illustrations, charts, graphics, tables or diagrams must be 10pt. font size or larger and the page limitation is still applicable. All other text must be 12pt. font size or larger. See revision to page 61.

25. Reference Section L.12 (p. 61) – “Text included in any illustrations, charts, graphics, tables, or diagrams may be no less than 8 pt pitch and shall not exceed thirty (30) words.” Two questions:

i. Question: Would the government consider removing “tables” from the 30 word limit since tables are by design text-based?

Answer: See answer to question #24.

ii. Question: Would the government consider removing the word limit included in illustrations, charts, graphics, or diagrams if the font size was at least a 10 point font?

Answer: See answer to question #24.

26. Section L.12 (p. 61 - 2nd paragraph) states the following – “Text included in any illustrations, charts, graphics, tables, or diagrams may be no less than 8 pt pitch and shall not exceed thirty (30) words.” Would CDC consider increasing the number of words allowed?

Answer: See answer to question #24.

27. Section L.13.A, Volume I ? Subpart 1-A ? Basic Contract, page 62. Will the government consider removing the cover page and table of contents from the 50 page limit?

Answer: No.

28. Section L.13.A, Volume I ? Subpart 1-A ? Basic Contract, Subfactor 2 ? Technical Approach and Program Management Plan, page 63. Requirement bullets ?d? and ?e? are duplicate of each other. Is this correct? [SIC - punctuation signs were included in the offeror’s original question.] Answer: Yes, bullets (d) and (e) of Section L.13.A, Volume I - Subpart I-A, Basic Contract, Subfactor 2 - Technical Approach and Program Management Plan are duplicative. See revisions to pages 63 and 71.

29. Reference Section L.13.A Subfactor 2 p. 63: paragraphs (d) and (e) are identical. Is this a typo, or is it the Government’s intent that (e) should contain different text (and if so, what is that text)?

Answer: See answer to question #28.

30. Reference Section L.13.A, Subfactor 3, page 62. Regarding Attachment 4 and appropriate labor categories.

i. Question: Attachment 4 calls for Position Titles. A single Labor Category may provide for multiple positions. Should a column be added to Attachment 4 for proposers to indicate both the Labor Category and the position title of each proposed employee? Should proposers provide just those positions or labor categories that are clearly required to perform the 13 Task Areas as described, or all positions or labor categories which could fit under the scope of work?

Answer: Attachment 4 has been revised in its entirety. See revised Attachment 4. Attachment 4 shall be included with the Offeror’s Business Proposal for the Basic Contract, Volume II – Subpart IIA. Revised Attachment 4 only requires the Offeror to provide the labor categories and fully burdened hourly labor rates the Offeror proposes to use for the life of the contract. No description of the labor categories shall be provided with Attachment 4. Additionally, there is no page limit restriction for Attachment 4.

Attachment 9 is hereto added with this amendment and shall be included with the Offeror’s Technical Proposal for the Basic Contract, Volume I – Subpart IA. See Attachment 9. For Attachment 9, the Offeror shall provide a listing of all direct labor categories with the applicable description/duties for the proposed labor categories. It is expected that the Offeror will determine and propose the labor categories needed to meet the requirements described in Section C of the solicitation based on the offeror’s own understanding of the work. No labor rates shall be provided with Attachment 9. Additionally, there is no page limit restriction for Attachment 9.

ii. Attachment 4 is being used in the evaluation of the Technical response, yet it contains pricing information which is not allowed in the Technical proposal? Will evaluators of the Technical Proposal have access to Attachment 4? Does that require a change in instructions to proposers on how to report the pricing, and or resourcing data?

Answer: See answer to question #30(i).

31. Reference Section L.13.A p. 62 (last paragraph on page) and p. 64 (third paragraph on page), M.2.A p. 70 (second to last paragraph) and pp. 70-71 (paragraph that straddles pages): in each of these citations the RFP states “Clearly demonstrate your understanding of the work by fully completing Attachment 4 hereto in which you identify the appropriate labor categories needed to successfully complete all of the work identified in the PWS for the basic contract.” Fully completing Attachment 4 means including price data in the tables; however “The technical proposal must not contain reference to cost; …” per section L.13 General Instructions paragraph b) on p. 62. We request the Government clarify its instructions to eliminate the contradiction (e.g., inclusion of the portion of the Attachment 4 tables in the Technical Proposal that excludes cost data).

Answer: See answer to question #30.

32. Reference Section L.13.A, Subfactor 3, page 63. (and corresponding Subfactor in Section M.) External Reference: HHSAR 352.242-70 Key personnel refers to personnel who are "... essential to work performance..." and stipulates an advance notice of " ...at least 30 days prior to diverting... to other programs or contracts... "

(a) Question: Will the government provide definitions for “key personnel” and “key subcontractor/consulting personnel in the context of this procurement?”

Answer: The definition for key personnel is as defined by HHSAR clause 352.242-70 for this procurement.

(b) Question: If personnel who are not deemed to be "key personnel" are none-the-less required to successfully execute the IDIQ, should those personnel also be identified in response to Subfactor 3(a)?

Answer: See answer to question #32(a).

(c) Question: Should non-billable management personnel be identified in response to Subfactor 3(a)?

Answer: See answer to question #32(a).

(d) Question: Regarding Subfactor 3(c), will the government amend this clause to also include commitment letters from proposed employees?

Answer: No. Also see answer to question #40 for additional clarification.

(e) Question: Does the government intend to identify specific positions for which key personnel should be presented in the Basic Contract response?

Answer: No. See answer to question #32(a).

33. Reference Section L.13.B, Subfactor 1, page 64.

(a) Question: Should Attachment 4 have a column added to identify the Task Order or orders to which it applies, in addition to the column for basic contract task areas? Alternatively, should separate versions of Attachment 4 be submitted for the Basic response and each of the four Task Order responses?

Answer: No. Also see answer to question #30 for additional clarification.

(b) Question: While the Business proposal calls for estimated labor hours, there appears to not be such a requirement for the Task Order responses. Is this correct?

Answer: No, the business proposal for the basic contract DOES NOT call for estimated labor hours. The business proposal for the task orders will require the Offeror to proposed the labor hours you deem appropriate to perform the work. See revisions to page 67.

34. Reference Section L.13.B, Subfactor 3, page 64. Question: Does the government intend to identify specific positions for which key personnel should be presented in the Task Order responses?

Answer: See answer to question #32(a).

35. Reference Section L-13-Subfactor 2; page 63. Question: Sections (d) and (e) have the same text: what is the correction here? (Note: There is a similar duplication in the corresponding topic in Section M.)

Answer: See answer to question #28.

36. Reference Section L.14 A. VOLUME II - SUBPART II-A - Business Proposal General (page 65) instructions – “Offerors should provide the information requested below in the general business proposal labeled ‘Volume II - Subpart II-A Business Proposal General.’ Your Business Proposal shall also include the content described in the following four (4) subparagraphs and shall be divided, ordered and tabbed according to the subparagraphs below.” In relation to the above instructions, is it acceptable to place the coversheet first instead of second order as is described in the solicitation.

Answer: No.

37. Reference Section L.14 A. VOLUME II - SUBPART II-A 2) d-f: Is it acceptable to place the information relative to our cognizant officials and proposed costs on pages separate from the coversheet?

Answer: No.

38. Reference Section L.14 A. 1) 1) Contract Form, Section B, and Representations and Certifications. (page 65) – “The contract form found on Page 1 (Offer Section), a completed copy of Section B (Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs), and the completed clauses and provisions required in Section K of this Solicitation. The contract form and the Representations and Certifications must be executed in the indicated places by an official authorized to bind the offeror.” The section B table (on page 2) indicates it is Not Separately Priced (NSP). Please clarify how to properly “complete” Section B, and/or confirm the table in Section B is not to be completed.

Answer: The table in Section B is not to be completed.

39. In Section L.14 A. 2) (pages 65, 66), the Offeror is to provide the name, address, and telephone number of the Cognizant Contract Administration Officer and Cognizant Audit Officer. If the Offeror has not been audited by DCAA, can other proof of DCAA compliance be provided to satisfy this requirement?

Answer: The requested information is not based on whether your company has been audited or not. All contractors are assigned a cognizant DCMA and DCAA office. This information is required for all Offerors.

40. Section L, pg. 64 of 104 - (f) - please confirm that requested commitment letters should be in an appendix and not in page count.

Answer: Commitment letters are not required. See revisions to page 63, 64, 71 and 72.

41. Section L, pg. 64 of 104 - (f) - Also, please clarify if commitment letters are required for all proposed staff, but resumes are only requested for key personnel.

Answer: See answer to question #40 regarding commitment letters. Resumes are requested for all key personnel.

42. Reference Section L.14.B p.67: the solicitation states “Offeror’s should prepare a separate Business Proposal for all four (4) task orders which have PWS in Attachments 5 through 8 (which will be labeled Volume II - Subpart II-C Business Proposal Task Order No. 0002; Volume II - Subpart II-D Business Proposal Task Order No. 0003; and Volume II - Subpart II-E Business Proposal Task Order No. 0004).” By stating “a separate Business Proposal”, does the Government mean that these 4 task order Business Proposals are to be separated by tabs within the same overall Business Proposal binder, or are they to be in 4 separate binders?

Answer: Yes. The four task orders are to be separated by tabs and contained in the same overall business proposal binder. See revisions to page 67.

43. Reference Section L-14-B: page 67; Question: Paragraph 1 of Section B - Proposal Task Order No. 0001 is missing from this list - is this an error?

Answer: Yes it is an error. See revisions to page 67.

44. Question: Section B.1).(e) and (f) - To facilitate evaluation will the government provide uniform estimates for the proposers to use for these ODCs?

Answer: See revision to page 67.

45. Reference Section M.2, A, VOLUME II.: page 71; Question: Should this be VOLUME I?

Answer: Yes. See revisions to page 71.

46. Reference Section M.2, A, VOLUME II, Subfactor 2 (b): page 72; Question: Should this be the proposers explanation of their process for identifying which labor categories and roles are appropriate for the task, , (i.e. requirements analysis), or the process for identifying candidates to fill the roles, (i.e. recruiting and in-processing)?

Answer: No.

47. Reference: Section M.2, B, Past/Performance, M.3 (d): page 73; Question: Should collaborated be corroborated ?

Answer: No. The clause is as written.

48. Attachment 3: page 80 second paragraph; there is a reference in the narrative to “Attachment 4” that does not make sense. Is this a typo and, if so, what should be the correct reference?

Answer: Yes, this is a typo. See revision to page 80.

49. Reference: Attachment 3: page 80; Question: Should Attachment 4 be Attachment 3?

Answer: Yes. See answer to question #47.

50. Attachment 4 p. 83: does the Government want bidders to solely propose labor categories addressing task orders 0001 through 0004, or are the bidders to propose additional labor categories that may be needed to address the SOW requirements beyond what is required to address the 4 task orders?

Answer: See asterisk on Attachment 4 for this answer.

51. In reference to Attachment 3 (page 80) – “Submit a copy of the customer’s cover letter with your business proposal to ensure receipt of questionnaires’ responses.” Which section of the business proposal should include these letters?

Answer: The copy of the offeror’s cover letter referenced in Attachment 3 (page 80) should be included in Volume II - Subpart II-A Business Proposal General and appropriately tab.

52. Reference Attachment 4 p. 83: the solicitation presently requires bidders to propose their own labor categories to address the RFP and its 4 task orders. We have significant concerns on how a fair evaluation can be conducted without the bidders providing pricing on a common set of labor categories. To allow a consistent basis of bidder comparison, evaluation and fair competition, we request the Government provide a set of the labor categories and associated descriptions for which all bidders can provide proposed pricing.

Answer: No. Each offeror must propose labor categories based on your own understanding of the acquisition requirements and the offeror’s plan for meeting the requirements.

53. Reference Attachment 6, Section C.4 (page 90) Task 3 – “Implement 1.5 day in-person training”

i. In what city or cities are the trainings to be held?

ii. Is the training to be held at a contractor-provided or government-provided site?

iii. Is the contractor required to manage and pay for travel arrangements for trainees?

Answer: The training referenced as “1.5 day in-person training” will occur in Atlanta, Georgia at a government-provided site. The contractor will not be required to manage or pay for travel arrangements for trainees.

54. For Task Orders 2, 3, and 4, there is an identical table entitled “SERVICES TO SUPPORT THE ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED BY DEHHE”, repeated on pages 93, 98, and 103 of the solicitation. The contents of the table appear to be most relevant to Task Order 2. Can the government please confirm, clarify, and/or correct the tables in Task Orders 2, 3, and 4.

Answer: The contents to the table have been revised. See revisions to pages 98 and 103. No change to page 93.

55. Reference Attachment 8 C.2 B – 3 (page 100). “Collect simulated information provided by exercise planners electronically into a SQL server located onsite or remotely from volunteers acting as ‘victims’”. Is the government requiring the “remote” SQL server instance to be in a contractor-hosted data center or CDC data center?

Answer: The “remote” SQL server will be a CDC-provided laptop. CDC will provide all computers in the LAN.

56. Task Order 1 - Please confirm the place of performance is contractor-site not government site. Also, how many "in person" meetings, if any, are required?

Answer: The place of performance is at the contractor’s site. No in-person meetings are required.

57. Task Order 2 - please clarify if the contractor is responsible for reserving facilities for NACP meeting/training and if so, will CDC provide the training venue through the conference center or should the contractor include a venue estimate in the price submitted. Also, will the contractor be responsible for inviting the attendees and communicating travel arrangements such as hotels, meals, transportation to the training venue.

Answer: The contractor is not responsible for reserving facilities for NACP meeting/training, for inviting the attendees or for communicating travel arrangements such as hotels, meals, transportation to the training venue.

ATTACHMENT 9

labor categories and descriptionS/Duties to be included as part of

Volume I - Subpart IA technical Proposal Basic Contract (Do NOT include Attachment 9 with your business proposal response.)

The following direct labor categories shall be used for all firm-fixed price (FFP) task orders issued under this contract:

**Enter the proposed labor categories and the pertinent descriptions and duties for each labor category. If more convenient, Offeror may provide a separate attachment for the descriptions and insert “See Attachment” in the “Description/Duties” column. No page limit.

***Offeror shall include ALL labor categories that it identifies as necessary to perform the full range of tasks included in the Basic contract, Section C, Performance Work Statement, and identify which specific task area(s) that applies to the labor category.

ITEM 10A.