On-Ramp Questions.pdf

Questions:

General:

1. Solicitation docs (ie, PDF 36C10X20R0011) should have been renamed and posted to beta.sam to avoid confusion for bidders.

Please review all amendments. The file name was updated with a previous amendment.

2. Will the government allow graphics to be in color?

Graphics may be in color provided they are 508 compliant and the proposal follows the proposal format instructions identified in Section E.3 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS.

3. Will the government provide an updated proposal booklet (attachment G) with the correct RFP number?

The RFP number has been updated in Attachment G.

4. Please explain the Government’s rationale for the cancellation of the previously issued VECTOR On-Ramp Solicitation, and the issuance of this Solicitation, since “COVID-19” would appear to be equally applicable in both instances.

The solicitation was cancelled due to COVID-19.

5. On the Standard Form 1449 (block 20), please correct the submission date for questions.

Questions were due February 17, 2021.

6. Please explain why offerors are only being afforded 21 days to respond to this Solicitation particularly since there was no previous indication of the Government’s intention to either cancel the previously issued Solicitation or to issue a new Solicitation.

It was determined there would be 21 days for proposal submission.

7. Can a SDVOSB JV with a Non-Small, Non SDVOSB company for this program? VA answers contained within the "Attachment H- Responses to Past Questions" document seems to suggest we can, however this conflicts with language within the solicitation.

Per the solicitation, SDVOSBs who “team/subcontract with Large Businesses, Joint Ventures that include Large Businesses” will be considered Tier 3.

8. If chosen for the VECTOR program, can a SDVOSB, at any point, Sub-Contract any work from the VECTOR program to a business that is not small and/or SDVOSB?

If subcontracting with a vendor who is a small business but not an SDVOSB/VOSB, the vendor will be considered Tier 2. If subcontracting with a vendor who is a large business, the vendor will be considered Tier 3.

9. The Proposal Booklet requires the Amendments (Signed).

Amendment 0002 was released on February 16, 2021: we will sign and include the SF 30.

Previously, on February 9, 2021, an Amendment 0002 was issued stating that Solicitation Number 36C10X20R0011 is cancelled and will be replaced by Solicitation 3610X20R0022. Do we need to sign and include the SF 30 for this February 9, 2021 Amendment?

All amendments must be signed, including the SF 30 for Amendment 1 (in attachment 36C10X20R0011 0002), indicating the previous solicitation was cancelled.

10. What is the estimated award date?

Awards will be made after all proposal have been evaluated, but estimated later this year.

11. Do we need to add a statement verifying that our prices are firm for 120 days, and if so, where?

Please review all Attachments. Attachment H states “By submitting a proposal, the contractor is agreeing to these terms.”

12. Please confirm that this section’s POCs are updated to Todd Synder (CO) and Jennifer Swift (CS).

Please review all amendments. This information has been updated.

13. Is color permitted on graphic schematics within the proposal?

Graphics may be in color provided they are 508 compliant and the proposal follows the proposal format instructions identified in Section E.3 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS.

14. As a subcontractor on a team that was awarded a contract for Group 3 but have not seen any Task Orders nor had the opportunity to bid on work through this VECTOR Group 3, can the Government confirm this subcontractor is permitted to submit a proposal as a Prime for Groups 2 and 4?

Please review all Attachments. This is addressed in Attachment H.

15. Does the Government have a pipeline on planned programs that it anticipates releasing under VECTOR Groups 2 and 4 that it can share with interested vendors?

No.

16. Can the Government explain how the VECTOR vehicle differs from the Veteran Health Administration’s Information Healthcare Transformation (VHA-IHT) vehicle?

This is not relevant to this solicitation.

17. Can the Government confirm that interested bidders should follow the language and instructions included in the original Solicitation #36C10X20R0011, page 52 of 67 “E.14 FAR

52.212-2 EVALUATION—COMMERCIAL ITEMS (JAN 1999)”

Please review the published solicitation and all amendments. Vendors should follow the solicitation and any amendments to the solicitation.

18. How have expectations shifted due to COVID-19? Is there a greater focus on virtual events due to the pandemic, at least for the base period?

Please review the solicitation to determine the need and focus.

19. If a company on the team is awaiting CVE certification, would they be disqualified?

If the offeror is not certified by the time of award they will not be considered.

20. Would the Government please provide a two-week extension, need some reason here.

No extension will be granted at this time.

21. Since Years 1 and 2 of the VECTOR IDIQ have already been completed, should pricing be provided starting at Year 3?

Yes. Pricing should begin at year 3 in the pricing schedule.

22. Please confirm that there is no SF 30 associated with Amendment 0001 to Solicitation

36C10X21R0022 The SF30 for Amendment 1 is included in the attachment for that amendment.

23. Is the presumed start date of base period for new On ramp contracts August 27, 2021?

The start date for new on-ramp contracts will be determined at contract awarded.

24. Please confirm the contract will have a multi-year base but the rate table allows for escalated rates each year of the multi-year base.

Considering the instruction in Section 2.2 Contract Award Period, the number of TABS in the workbook does not sync up with the available term (Aug 2021 – August 2028. It seems that there should be only be 14 TABS (2 tabs per year for 7 years) in the workbook. Please confirm the calendar dates for the individual TABS in the Attachment 1 pricing workbook so that we can price accordingly:

(Example: TAB Year 2: 8/27/2020 – 08/26/2021, TAB Year 3: 8/27/2021 – 08/26/2022 TAB Year 4: 8/27/2022 – 08/26/2023, TAB Year 5: 8/27/2023 – 08/26/2024, TAB Year 6: 8/27/2024 – 08/26/2025, TAB Year 7: 8/27/2025 – 08/26/2026, TAB Year 8: 8/27/2026 – 08/26/2027, TAB Year 9: 8/27/2027 – 08/26/2028, Tab Year 10?????)

Per the solicitation, the ordering period for the base IDIQ contract will align with the current VECTOR base contracts. Therefore, the Base POP will be from date of award to August 26, 2023, with one 5- year Option Period of August 27, 2023 to August 26, 2028.

Each year identified in the price schedule must align with the IDIQ contract dates, beginning with year 3.

25. As the original award date for VECTOR was September 2017, we assume the IDIQ is in Performance Year 4. The Pricing Template provided in the solicitation package starts with Year 2 and ends with Year 10. Request the Government clarify the contract year of the current IDIQ contract and verify that we should complete the Pricing Template for Years 2 through 10 versus Years 4 through 10.

On-Ramp will occur at time of award and will be for the remaining portion of the current VECTOR award at time of award. VECTOR is currently in year 3, however, on-ramp awards can be in year 3 or 4 depending on date of award.

26. When we submit our proposal, do we have to submit on every labor category or do we pick?

Vendors must propose pricing for the labor categories identified in the price schedule.

27. The solicitation pricing work sheet still has us pricing year 2-10, but the solicitation states that we will be onboarded into approx. year 5 of the current contract. Can you either change the pricing sheets to reflect the correct onboarding timeline to align with pricing or clarify?

VECTOR is currently in year 3. Awards made off this solicitation will occur in year 3 or 4 depending on date of award.

Proposal Format/Submission Instructions:

28. Can the government update submission instructions to include the new/current contracting officials for this solicitation?

Please review all amendments. This information has been updated.

29. RFP Page 47 of 68 – SUBCONTRACTING STRUCTURE TEMPLATE – it states “if this form is omitted or incomplete, the offeror’s proposal will not be considered for award.” Is the Government discouraging solo responses from SDVOSBs? If we are planning on submitting a solo response (without using any proposed subcontractors), how should we treat the Proposed Subcontracting Structure Template (should we fill in with “N/A”)?

Please review all documentation in the solicitation. The Subcontracting Structure Template provides instructions for how to complete the form.

30. Based our review of the new solicitation it appears that the 3 page Management section was removed from the requirement. Is this a correct understanding of the requirements for this solicitation?

The solicitation remains as is. Service Group 1 – Management and Improvement remains part of the solicitation.

Section B:

31. Solicitation Section B.1, Contract Administration Data, paragraph A, Contract Administration (RFP page 4), and the Standard Form 1449 (block 20), indicate that the Contracting Officer and Contract Specialist for this acquisition are Todd Synder and Jennifer Swift, respectively;

however, Solicitation Section E.3, Instructions to Offerors, paragraph A, Proposal Submission, subparagraphs 1 and 5 (RFP page 44), state that “[a]ll Proposal Intentions, Questions, and Proposals shall be submitted via email to the Contracting Officer and the Contracting Specialist to Terrie.Bloom@va.gov and Joshua.Dean@va.gov”, and “[p]roposals shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer and the Contracting Specialist via email to Terrie.Bloom@va.gov and Joshua.Dean@va.gov”, respectively. Please resolve these discrepancies.

Please review all amendments. This information has been updated

32. Solicitation Section B.1, Contract Administration Data, paragraph G, On-Ramping/Off-Ramping (RFP page 5), states that “[i]f a contractor recertifies as a large business during this annual re-certification, and is not immediately off-ramped, the contractor will be evaluated in Tier 3 for the remainder of its contract ordering period”, however, Solicitation Section E.14, FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation - Commercial Items, paragraph 3, Evaluation Approach (RFP page 53), identifies Tier 3 as “SDVOSBs that team/subcontract with Large Businesses, Joint Ventures that include Large Businesses”. Please explain how a Large Business prime contractor would be able to compete in Tier 3. Would they be deemed to be equivalent to a Tier 3 SDVOSB prime contractor?

As stated in the solicitation, if a contractor recertifies as a large business and is not off-ramped, they will be considered tier 3 and all proposals submitted by that vendor will be considered in tier 3.

33. Solicitation Section B.1, Contract Administration Data, paragraph G, On-Ramping/Off-Ramping (RFP page 6), states that “[t]he Government reserves the right to “on-ramp” additional contractors throughout the ordering period to ensure adequate competition in each service mailto:Joshua.Dean@va.gov mailto:Joshua.Dean@va.gov group. Should the Government exercise this right, a new solicitation with identical requirements, terms, and conditions will be issued to the FBO.” Please indicate whether any revisions to the terms of the Solicitation, Performance Work Statement (PWS), or Attachments have been made since the issuance of the original VECTOR Solicitation. If any such revisions have been made, please identify them and explain why those revisions were made. It is assumed that the reference to “FBO” should be “beta.sam”.

It is recommended the vendor review the solicitation. FBO has been replaced with beta.sam.gov since the original VECTOR solicitation.

34. Solicitation Section B.2, Performance Work Statement, paragraph 2.1, Type of Contract (RFP page 7), states that “[f]or each TO, the contractor shall provide the contractors requested, comprehensive management, and supervision of contractor resources, and any required deliverables” (emphasis added). Please explain what is intended by the italicized phrase.

For emphasis.

35. What is meant by “ALL” subtask areas listed within “each” service group? Is it only subtask areas for each Service Group that we submit a proposal for, or all Service groups regardless of the submission? (I have copied the quote below for reference)

“Offerors are not required to propose on all Service Groups but must be prepared to provide services in ALL subtask areas listed within each Service Group.”

SubTask areas are defined in each task order.

Section C

36. Solicitation Section C.1, VECTOR Task Order Terms and Conditions (RFP page 14), states that “[t]he terms and conditions of the Contractor’s Veteran Enterprise Contracting for Transformation and Operational Readiness (VECTOR) base contract (including [any] contract modifications) apply to any order resultant from this solicitation.” Please clarify the reference to “any order resultant from this solicitation”.

Any clauses in the IDIQ will apply to any task order issued under the awarded IDIQ.

37. Solicitation Section C.11, FAR 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract, paragraph

(a) (RFP page 29), states that “[t]he Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor within 30 days...” Please clarify within 30 days of what date/event.

The government may extend the term of the contract within 30 days of the end of the current awarded period.

38. In Solicitation Section C.16, Electronic Submission of Payment Requests (RFP page 31), the reference appears to be to a VAAR rather than FAR provision.

Yes, this is a VAAR reference.

39. Solicitation Section C.20, FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Items (RFP page 34), includes number 19, FAR 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting. Should not “52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting (JUN 2020) (DEVIATION 2019-1 SUPPLEMENT)” also be included in the Solicitation?

Solicitation provisions and contract clauses are those that were identified in the original solicitation and will remain for this solicitation.

40. Solicitation Section C.20, FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Items (RFP pages 34 and 37), contains references which state “[p]er Court Injunction dated 24 Oct 2016 and OMB memo dated 25 Oct 2016 do not implement the following until further direction”. Please verify the continued applicability of this restriction.

Solicitation provisions and contract clauses are those that were identified in the original solicitation and will remain for this solicitation.

Section E:

41. Please verify the applicability of Solicitation Section E.1, 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items (RFP page 41) to this acquisition, particularly paragraph (b)(4) which indicates that the offeror’s proposal “may include product literature, or other documents...” Solicitation Section E.3, Instructions to Offerors, paragraph A, Proposal Submission, subparagraph 6 (RFP page 45), states that “[t]he templates provided are required and any additional information provided will not be evaluated”.

All solicitation provisions and instructions will be followed.

42. Solicitation Section E.1, 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items, paragraph (g), Contract award (RFP page 42), states that “[t]he Government intends to evaluate offers and award a contract without discussions with offerors”, however, Solicitation Section E.14, FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation - Commercial Items, paragraph 1, Basis for Award (RFP page 52), states that “[t]he Government reserves the right to award with or without discussions based upon the initial evaluation of proposals”. Please resolve this apparent inconsistency.

Please read all solicitation clauses and prescriptions. Section E.1 FAR 52.212-1 also states “[h]owever, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if later determined by the Contracting Officer to be necessary.”

43. Solicitation Section E.1, 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items, paragraph (l), Debriefing (RFP page 43) states that “[i]f a post-award debriefing is given to requesting offerors...” Are there any circumstances under which a requested debriefing would not be provided to an unsuccessful offeror?

All FAR clauses will be followed

44. Solicitation Section E.10, VAAR 852.209-70, Organizational Conflicts of Interest, paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) (RFP page 50), state as follows:

(b) The offeror shall provide a statement with its offer which describes, in a concise manner, all relevant facts concerning any past, present, or currently planned interest (financial, contractual, organizational, or otherwise) or actual or potential organizational conflicts of interest relating to the services to be provided under this solicitation. The offeror shall also provide statements with its offer containing the same information for any consultants and subcontractors identified in its proposal and which will provide services under the solicitation. The offeror may also provide relevant facts that show how its organizational and/or management system or other actions would avoid or mitigate any actual or potential organizational conflicts of interest.

(c) Based on this information and any other information solicited or obtained by the contracting officer, the contracting officer may determine that an organizational conflict of interest exists which would warrant disqualifying the contractor for award of the contract unless the organizational conflict of interest can be mitigated to the contracting officer's satisfaction by negotiating terms and conditions of the contract to that effect. If the conflict of interest cannot be mitigated and if the contracting officer finds that it is in the best interest of the United States to award the contract, the contracting officer shall request a waiver in accordance with FAR 9.503 and 48 CFR 809.503.

(d) Nondisclosure or misrepresentation of actual or potential organizational conflicts of interest at the time of the offer, or arising as a result of a modification to the contract, may result in the termination of the contract at no expense to the Government.

The section of Attachment G, Proposal Booklet, that refers to the SF 1449, Amendments, and Other Documents, states as follows: “Instructions: Use this cover page and attach a signed copy of the SF1449, all amendments and OCI Mitigation Plans” (emphasis added).

In Attachment H, Responses to Past Questions, however, Q&A #22 states as follows:

Q) Would the Government please confirm that no statement or documentation is required from offerors for which no Organizational Conflict of Interest exists?

A) No statement is needed at the time of offer as long as NO OCI EXISTS at time of award. OCI’s will be handled at the Task Order level.

Conflicts of interest will be addressed with each task order. If a know conflict of interest is present at time of on-ramp, an OCI mitigation plan must be completed. Otherwise, all OCI mitigation plans will be completed and address with each task order.

Attachments:

45. Reference: Submit up to 10 active web URLs that demonstrate sample products to include print products; web outreach/marketing services; video production; and communication strategies, including associated metrics to measure success.

Question: In some cases, would it be acceptable to embed pdf documents that demonstrate print products, etc. rather than an active web URL?

No. embedded documents will not be accepted.

46. Will the government provide an updated proposal booklet (attachment G) with the correct RFP number?

Please see revised documents.

47. In Attachment H, Responses to Past Questions, the answer to Q&A # 5 states that “[t]o be considered for Tier 1 all JV partners need to be VetBiz verified. A JV that contains one or more small businesses would be considered in Tier 2 and a JV that contains one [or] more large businesses would be considered in Tier 3”. Please verify whether this means that an SBA-approved, CVE verified, SDVOSB Mentor-Protégé Joint Venture would not be considered in Tier 1 and would only be considered in Tier 3.

Yes, a SDVOSB Mentor-Protégé Joint Venture would be considered Tier 3.

48. Please correct the Solicitation Number in Attachment G, Proposal Booklet.

49. In Attachment G, Proposal Booklet, should the offerors also be required to indicate their size and socio-economic status in SAM in addition to indicating that they are verified in VetBiz, in accordance with Solicitation Section E.14, FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation - Commercial Items, paragraph 3, Evaluation Approach, subparagraphs 1 and 2 (RFP page 53), which state that “[a]ll offerors must be verified in VetBiz at the time of proposal submission”, and “[a]ll offerors must be certified in SAM.gov as a SB under NAICS code 541611”, respectively?

Yes, all SDVOSB/VOSB offerors must be verified in VetBiz and certified as a small business in SAM.gov under NAICS 541611. All small businesses must be certified as a small business in SAM.gov under NAICS 541611.

50. Attachment G – Proposal Booklet currently has the cancelled solicitation number 36C10X20R0011 on the cover page and page headers. Should this be 36C10X21R0022 and if yes, should we update the booklet directly?

51. Attachment H “Responses to Past Questions” includes the answer to Question 17 (a) stating “The evaluation approach is outlined in Section E.14 of the solicitation.”

Does the Government have a scale or grading tool it will be using to evaluate the RFP?

How will the Government evaluate the proposals it receives from vendors, and what criteria are they going to examine?

Please review the solicitation for the evaluation criteria.

52. Attachment I, J, and K provide the pricing / rate tables that appear to be similar to the files used for Solicitation #: 36C10X20R0011 that has been since cancelled.

Can the government confirm that they are seeking rates for Year 2 or should Offerors provide rates starting with Year 3?

Offerors should provide rates starting in year 3.

53. Can the government clarify if the pricing files are still applicable to this updated solicitation?

The pricing files attached to the solicitation are still applicable.

54. In Attachment G, under Service Group 4 question number 2, is the Government looking for a description of the capabilities of the vendor to run multiple (two or more) national campaigns simultaneously, or a narrative description of two or more past performances demonstrating success? In other words, is this question about capacity or experience?

Description of capabilities for simultaneous campaigns is the required in the proposal submission.

55. Would the Government provide clarification if the hours depicted in Attachment I, J, and K represent actual hours to be consumed during the program or just being used to establish an evaluated price?

This is on-ramp for an IDIQ type contract. Actual hours will be determined with each task order.

56. In Service Group 2 in Attachment G, the questions being asked do not reflect the PWS items in Section B.2, paragraphs 3.3.2 through 3.3.2.5. There appear to be overlapping requirements in several subgroups based upon the questions. Please clarify.

Please review the solicitation, all attachments, and all amendments. Questions identified in Attachment H are accurate.

57. The on-ramp pricing spreadsheet templates include tabs for vendors to indicate pricing for both government and contractor site for year two (2). However, as of the date of the on-ramp solicitation release, year two of the VECTOR base contract has already been completed. Since this pricing information will not be applicable to new VECTOR Prime contract awardees, should bidders delete the extra tabs for year two, leave them blank, or will the government provide another alternative (such as a revised pricing templates)?

Offerors should provide rates starting in year 3.

58. The original 2017 VECTOR solicitation booklet and instructions required all vendors to provide a response to the following question: (VA119A-16-R-0349-A00002 Attachment G - Proposal Booklet, dated March 3, 2017, P.10 ALL SERVICE GROUPS - MANAGEMENT) “Address how you, as a prime contractor, will manage an IDIQ contract of this size, including your plan for managing subcontractors.” Total page limit for this question was three pages. Additional instructions for completing this question were included on page 3 of the original booklet.

(a) Can the government please confirm whether offerors in the on-ramp will be required to provide an approach for managing an IDIQ, as was required of all bidders in the original VECTOR solicitation?

Offerors are to provide what is requested in the solicitation and attachments.

(b) If the original requirement is being changed or eliminated for offerors in the on-ramp, on what basis will the government evaluate and determine an “offeror’s capability to manage a contract of this size and scope” (Evaluation Approach; 1. Technical Capability), since there are no other questions or past performance requirements that directly address a vendor’s capability to successfully manage a contract of this size and scope?

The solicitation is specific as to what is requested. Offerors are to propose a response based on the solicitation, attachments, and all amendments.

59. Attachment G still lists the prior solicitation number on its cover page. Can we change any of the templates to reflect the new solicitation number, including the prefilled header.

The Solicitation number in Attachment G has been updated.