ATTACHMENT G - CONTRACTOR QUESTIONS_GOVERNMENT RESPONSES.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 58 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- 36C10X25R0032
About this file
This document is a comprehensive Q&A (Questions and Answers) file for the Veterans Experience Office (VEO) Contact Center solicitation (36C10X25R0032), detailing government responses to 262 contractor inquiries about a federal contact center support contract. The solicitation seeks a contractor to provide contact center staffing support, with a baseline of 312 call agents handling approximately 1.57 million calls annually, including service recovery functions. Key contract details include a base period with option years, firm-fixed-price and surge support pricing structure, and a performance start date of February 6, 2026, with the incumbent being Bowen Consulting Group (current contract value $31,134,666.52).
The contract requires contractors to manage a contact center with specific performance metrics, including an 80% annual passing rate for agents, supervisors, and program managers, and a 99% service recovery compliance rate. Staffing will be primarily remote with hard-wired internet requirements, and contractors will use government-furnished equipment and systems like Salesforce, Calabrio, Cisco Finesse, and PowerBI. The solicitation allows for surge support through additional CLINs, mandates quarterly in-person training in Frederick, MD, and requires Tier 1 background investigations for personnel. The proposal submission deadline is September 15, 2025, at 12:00 pm EDT, with the government anticipating award before the end of calendar year 2025.
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| 36C10X25R0032 0004.docx | DOCX document | |
| 36C10X25R0032 0003.docx | DOCX document | |
| ATTACHMENT G - CONTRACTOR QUESTIONS_GOVERNMENT RESPONSES v2.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| ATTACHMENT B - PAST PERFORMANCE REFERENCES UPDATED.pdf | ||
| 36C10X25R0032 0002.docx | DOCX document | |
| 36C10X25R0032 0001.docx | DOCX document | |
| ATTACHMENT D - PRICE SCHEDULE.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| ATTACHMENT G - CONTRACTOR QUESTIONS.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| ATTACHMENT A - CONTRACTOR RULES OF BEHAVIOR.docx | DOCX document | |
| 36C10X25R0032.docx | DOCX document | |
| ATTACHMENT F - WAGE DETERMINATION 2015-4281.pdf | ||
| ATTACHMENT E - CONFIDENTIALITY OF SENSITIVE INFORMATION.pdf | ||
| ATTACHMENT B - PAST PERFORMANCE REFERENCES.pdf | ||
| ATTACHMENT C - PAST PERFORMANCE QUESTIONNAIRE.docx | DOCX document |
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Sheet1
| # | Section Header/Page | Contractor Questions | Government Response |
| 1 | Section E.1 A: a. Volume I – Experience | Is the identification of Key Personnel required for this solicitation? The solicitation indicates that Key Personnel may be utilized in the evaluation of Past Performance criteria. | No |
| 2 | Section E.1 A: a. Volume I – Experience | Are Letters of Intent (LOIs) required from proposed Key Personnel? | No |
| 3 | PWS 7.0 Task Statement | 7.0 requires 24 Supervisors for 312 Call Agents (approx. 1:13 ratio). Would the Government consider alternative staffing models (e.g., modified ratios) if service levels and QASP metrics are still met or exceeded? | The Government will require these staffing ratios since they have worked well for our service levels historically. |
| 4 | PWS 7.1 Operations Management Support (Onboarding Risks) | Several onboarding steps (fingerprinting, PIV issuance, eAPP completion) are noted as common causes of delay. Will the VA exclude delays outside Contractor control from performance assessments and allow phased onboarding to mitigate risk? | The Government will consider any factors outside Contractor control on a case by case basis. |
| 5 | PWS 7.0 Task Statement & 7.2 Operational and Quality Reporting | Will Contractors have full access (read/write) to the VA’s Workforce Management (WFM) system to manage schedules, or only read-only access? If limited, may Contractors integrate their own scheduling software? | The Government will provide access to the VA's WFM system. Contractors may not integrate their own scheduling software. |
| 6 | PWS 7.5 - Surge Support; Price Schedule CLINS 0002-0005 | What is the minimum notice period before the Government may exercise surge CLINs, and how much lead time will Contractors be provided to recruit and onboard surge staff? | The Government may exercise surge CLINs incrementally based on business needs. The time provided to recruit and onboard surge staff will be dependent upon the urgency surge. |
| 7 | PWS 111.3 Acceptable Performance Levels | Will VA provide baseline FY24 data for QASP metrics such as abandonment rate, average speed of answer, and service recovery volumes, so Contractors can benchmark performance expectations? | Abandonment rate: 3.8% |
ASA: 34 seconds Service Recovery (as a % of total calls): 9.8%
| 8 | PWS 7.0 Task Statement (Service Delivery) & 11.3 Performance Standard 4 | For service recovery cases, is the Contractor responsible for directly contacting Veterans to resolve issues, or will coordination occur through VA staff? | The Contractor will be assigned SR cases which they will be responsible to follow up. |
| 9 | PWS 12.1 Position/Task Risk Designation Levels & 12.2 Contractor Personnel Security Requirements | Will the VA sponsor and cover the cost of all required Tier 1-4 background investigations, and what are the expected adjudication timelines for each tier? | Only Tier 1 background investigations is applicable to this contract. The cost will be covered by the VA. The adjudication timeline is highly dependent on the candidate |
| 10 | PWS 3.0 Contract Types; Price Schedule CLINS | Since the contract is structured as hybrid (FFP baseline + LH surge CLINs), how will VA determine when additional coverage should be absorbed within the FFP baseline versus when surge CLINs will be activated? | Currently the FFP is for all current contact center work. Should a surge event occur, then there is the possibility of exercising of the surge CLINs |
| 11 | SF1449, Block 20/Page 1 | With Monday, 1 September being a national holiday (Labor Day), and questions to Solicitation 36C10X25R0032 due September 2, 2025, by 10:00am EST, would the Government consider extending the question due date to Friday, September 5, by 10:00 am EDT? | No. |
| 12 | SF1449, Block 8 and 20/Page 1 | The due date time is stated in EST. Did the Government intend to state the time due as EDT? | Yes, EDT. |
| 13 | Will the Government consider extending the deadline for questions? Given the Labor Day holiday, many staff are on leave, making reviewing this RFP a challenge on the current deadline. | Asked and answered. | |
| 14 | Attachment B - Past Performance References | The font-size and word/character count settings in "Attachment B - Past Performance References" only allow for 232 words in the 'Description of Requirement' and 'Performance' response boxes. Please confirm if the Government expects short responses for these two written sections. Altneratively, please revise the Adobe PDF form so that it includes consistent font sizes of 11 or 12pt across all fillable fields, and allows for longer written responses that meet the allotted page count of 2 pages per Past Performance Reference. | A new Attachment B has been provided. |
| 15 | 36C10X25R0032 (RFP) - Section 7.0 Task Statement, Paragraph 1, Page 7 | Would the Government please release a copy of the last year's call volume by 15-minute, hourly, daily, and monthly increments to allow bidders an opportunity to properly determine staffing levels. Currently only the incumbent would be able to accurately predict call volume levels. | In FY24, the contact center received 1.57 million calls. The Government's Workforce Management team is responsible to provide required staffing numbers by shift to the Contractor. |
| 16 | Attachment F - Wage Determination | As referenced in 20 CFR 4.173, length of service includes all continuous service at the same Federal facility, including time worked under the current Contractor, any predecessor Contractors, and any successor Contractors, regardless of employer. Will the Government please provide a breakdown of the current incumbent workforce showing: |
• Each position/labor category
• The total continuous years of service for each employee at this federal facility (regardless of previous Contractors)
• The corresponding wage rates and benefits each employee currently receives based on their length of service, and their geographical location.
| This information is essential to ensure all bidders apply the correct wage rates and associated benefits in accordance with the Service Contract Act. | The Government has provided the applicable Department of Labor Wage Determination for the program office location Washington, D.C. with the solicitation. All other required Wage Determinations will be provided as attachments to the contract. The Government does not maintain or release detailed incumbent employee information such as individual years of service, pay, or benefits. Offerors are responsible for preparing their proposals in accordance with the applicable Wage Determinations based on their staffs work locations. | |||
| 17 | 36C10X25R0032 (RFP) - Section B.2, section 11.1 Methods of Surveillance, Entire section, Page 22 | In order to accurately estimate the required time to complete the COR's QASP file, would the Government please provide a copy of this file. | The QASP file referenced in Section 11.1 is a record maintained by the COR for Government use. It is not a document the Contractor is required to complete. Offerors are responsible for proposing in accordance with the requirements of the PWS; the Government conducts QASP activities independently to assess performance. | |
| 18 | Attachment D Price Schedule, Vendor Name Tab, CLINs 0002 - 0005 | The Unit of Measure for each CLIN is labeled as LOT. Does the Government wish for Contractors to bid the number of hours as a single lot? Or is the Government looking for an hourly rate quote here? | The Government has provided the ceiling hours and only require proposed hourly rates. | |
| 19 | Attachment D Price Schedule, Vendor Name Tab, CLINs 0002 - 0005 | The Unit of Measure for each CLIN is labeled as LOT. Could the Government please clarify the procedure for awarding these lines and the associated billing by the Contractor? | Surge CLINs will be exercised by the hours needed a the time of the exercise and shall not exceed the hourly ceiling. The hours needed at the time of exercise will be multiplied by the hourly rate to determine the LOT amount. | |
| 20 | Attachment D Price Schedule, Vendor Name Tab, CLINs 0002 - 0005 | Optional CLINs are currently billed as a single lot. Would the Government consider changing the pricing sheet so that the quantity is number of hours (e.g., 5,000 for CLIN 0002AA), and unit of measure is HR? The vendor would then propose an hourly rate for each optional CLIN. | Optional CLINs will be exercised and incrementally funded to the ceiling. The proposed CLIN structure does not allow for this. Offerors shall propose the hourly rate and the total CLIN value will be the hourly rate x ceiling hours | |
| 21 | Attachment D Price Schedule, Vendor Name Tab, CLINs 0002 - 0005 | Optional CLINs are currently billed as a single lot. Does the Government intend to award and pay for all hours (e.g., 229,640 for CLIN 00002AB) as one lot? | No. The 229,640 hours is only a ceiling. The Government may exercise the surge incrementally. | |
| 22 | 36C10X25R0032 (RFP) - Section 3 Volume III - Price, Paragraph 1, Page 80 | The first sentence reads "Offerors shall submit a completed Attachment D: Price Schedule and Labor Breakdown spreadsheet and a completed Section B.3 Price/Cost Schedule." This RFP references labor breakdown, but there does not appear to be one in the Attachment D file. Could the Government please confirm that Attachment D is complete with everything required for this RFP? | The Attachment is complete. | |
| 23 | 36C10X25R0032 (RFP) - Section 6 Travel, Paragraph 1, Page 7 | The line with "General and Administrative expenses will not be reimbursed is a deviation from our standard accounting practices." Please confirm the Government is requiring Contractors to deviate from standard accounting practices per the FAR, CAS and GAAP and to reference this line in their deviation from accounting practices when responding? | Yes. | |
| 24 | E.2.1 Basis for Award/p.85 | When does the Government anticipate it will issue an award for this contract? | Before the end of the calendar year 2025 | |
| 25 | Section 8.0 Key Personnel | Would the Government please provide a table of workforce numbers by location around the country? | The Government will not provide the incumbents workforce numbers. | |
| 26 | Section 8.0 Key Personnel | Would the Government please provide the staff attrition rate monthly and annualy for the current Contractor? | The Government will not provide incumbent attrition rates, as this information is proprietary to the incumbent. | |
| 27 | Section 8.0 Key Personnel | Would the Government please provide the staff attrtion rate by labor category for the current Contractors? (e.g. Agent, Senior Agent, Supervisor) | Asked and answered. | |
| 28 | 36C10X25R0032 (RFP) - Section B.2, section 11.3 "Acceptable Performance Levels (APLS)" | "The initial 30 calendar days in production will be non-evaluated time." Assuming this timeframe is acting as a "transition" period, is the bidder expected to be fully staffed during the initial 30 calendar days? | The offeror is expected to be staffed after the initial new hire training and nesting period, with the understanding that additional staff will continue to be hired, trained, nested, and placed into production until full staffing levels are met. | |
| 29 | Section B.2, 4.0 Period of Performance | Is there going to be any overlap between the incumbent's contract and the newly awarded contract to ensure a smooth transition of staff and operations? | Yes. | |
| 30 | 36C10X25R0032 (RFP) - Section 6 Travel, Paragraph 1, Page 7 | The Government requires that staff are located within a 50-mile radius and then requires that staff not charge travel if within the 50-mile radius for mandatory training. What other travel would be required that would need an 834K NTE Travel line, if the travel can't be used for the travel within the 50-mile radius? | The first training is expected to include every Contractor staff which will cost much more than subsequent trainings. | |
| 31 | Section 11.3, Table B #4 | Can the Government provide an explanation of how they are calculating 'Schedule Adherence' ? For example, if an agent takes a long call into their break or lunch time would they be considered out of adherence? | Schedule Adherence refers to the ability to follow the published schedule. Yes, if the call ran into a break or lunch they would be out of adherence. | |
| 32 | Section 11.3, Table B #4 | Will the Government provide the current Contractor's performance with regard to schedule adherence? | The Government does not release incumbent contractor performance information. | |
| 33 | Amendment 1, A.8 | The Government is requesting Volume I - Experience with contracts describing an offeror's experience. The Government is also asking in Volume II - Past Performance for additional contract references describing similiarities to the solicitation. May a Offeror use different contract reference in each of the volumes? Or, do they need to be the same contracts in both volumes? | Offerors may use different references in each volume. | |
| 34 | Amendment 1, A.8 | Can the Government explain the difference between the contract descriptions required in Volume I - Experience and the contract references required in Volume II - Past Performance? It appears to be the same information required? | Experience is the Contractor's general experience and background relevant to the work. Past Performance is how well the Contractor actually performed on prior contracts similar in size, scope, and complexity. | |
| 35 | Amendment 1, E.2.1 - Basis for Award (RFP pg 81) | How many offerors will be included in the competitive range (e.g., top 5 or all with High Confidence rating or percentage of bids, etc.)? | Information regarding the number of offerors inluded in the competitive range is source selection sensitive and will not be released. Offerors will be notified individually if they are excluded from the competitive range, a required by FAR 15.306(c)(2) | |
| 36 | E.1.A.10, pg. 78 | Volume I Experience has a filename of tech.doc/pdf? Is this a typo and should it be experience.doc/pdf? | experience.doc/pdf | |
| 37 | E.1.A.10, pg. 78 | Volume II - Past Performance states that Attachment B = 3 pages. It further states that 2 page per reference as shown on the form is allowed. If only 3 pages are allowed in total, how is each reference allowed 2 pages? Please clarify requirement on page limits and how many Attachment B Past Performance references are allowed in proposal response. | Corrected. 2 pages per reference. 6 pages total. | |
| 38 | E.1.A.10, pg. 78 | Volume II - Past Performance states that a maximum of 3 references may be submitted by clients if CPARS is not available. Is that 3 references or PPQs for each Past Performance contract or one PPQ per Past Performance contract submitted? | One PPQ per reference if CPARS is unavailable. | |
| 39 | E.1.A.10, pg. 78 | Volume II - Past Performance. Please clarify if each Attachment B should be submitted as a separate file? Or, should the Offeror combine all Attachment B submissions into one file? | Attachmment B shall be one file. | |
| 40 | E.1.A.10, pg. 78 | Volume II - Past Performance - if subContractor performance is being used, may the Offeror provide 3 prime offeror references and 3 references from each major subContractor? | No more than 3 references in total. | |
| 41 | E.1.A.10, pg. 78 | Volume III - Price required Attachment E-Form 0752. Is this form only required from the prime offeror if OCI exists? Or, is it required from all subContractors/partners if OCI exists as well? | Primes are required to complete and submit Attachment E. The mitigation plan is only required if there is a perceived OCI. | |
| 42 | E.1.A.10, pg. 78 | Would the Government consider adding a technical volume response so that offerors may demonstrate understanding and knowledge of the required services and staffing ability? | No. | |
| 43 | E.2.2.C-Subfactor 4, pg.83 | Would the Government consider extending the experience period to within the last 5 years since this contract and its predecessor were 6 years in length (5 years + 1 year bridge contract)? | No. | |
| 44 | PWS 7.1 General | Will a phased ramp-up of staffing levels be permitted during the transition-in period, and if so, what milestones or minimum staffing levels are expected by the official start date? | The offeror is expected to be staffed after the initial new hire training and nesting period, with the understanding that additional staff will continue to be hired, trained, nested, and placed into production until full staffing levels are met. | |
| 45 | PWS 7.1 General | Does the VA anticipate requiring an overlap period between outgoing and incoming Contractor teams to avoid service disruption during transition-out? | The Government may consider this as an option to minimize disruption. | |
| 46 | PWS 7.1 General | How will the Government manage access to systems and case management tools to ensure a smooth handoff of open cases during the transition-out period? | The Government will continue to provide and manage access to all relevant systems and tools. | |
| 47 | PWS 7.1 Operations Management Support Contact Center Program Management Plan (CCPMP) (p.10-11) | What has historically been the average onboarding timeline for agents and supervisors (fingerprinting, PIV card issuance, VPN setup)? | The process will take about four calendar weeks, depending on how fast applicants can meet onboarding requirements and the local VA IT team distributing the GFE. | |
| 48 | PWS 9.0 – Other Direct Costs Page 64 | Will the Government provide a standardized list of pre-approved expendable items (such as headsets, webcams, or privacy screens) to streamline the approval process for Other Direct Costs (ODCs)? | The approved ODC's are included in Section 9.0 of the PWS. | |
| 49 | PWS 10.0 – Government-Furnished Equipment Page 66 | Is there a preferred process for coordinating pickup of Government-furnished equipment (GFE) for remote staff located in rural areas or more than 50 miles from the nearest VA facility? | GFE will be provided in accordance with the PWS. The Government does not prescribe a process for how contractors manage pickup or distribution for remote staff. Offerors are responsible for proposing an approach that ensures personnel have the required equipment to perform their duties, consistent with the terms of the contract. | |
| 50 | PWS 10.0 – Government-Furnished Equipment Page 67 | Will the VA provide escalation procedures or points of contact for VPN or GFE-related technical issues that could disrupt production to ensure timely resolution and minimize downtime? | IT issues are handled by VA IT and there is no special escalation procedure | |
| 51 | PWS 10.0 – Government-Furnished Equipment Page 68 | Should offerors include estimated shipping costs for returning GFE at contract closeout in their price proposals to ensure accurate cost planning? | Contractors are required to return the GFE, the method is up to the Contractor. That cost is not covered by the Government | |
| 52 | PWS 11.0 – Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan Page 72 | Will the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) be finalized and shared with Contractors prior to award to allow offerors to align their quality management plans accordingly? | No, the standards are what is covered in the solicitation | |
| 53 | PWS 11.3 – Acceptable Performance Levels Page 85 | Can the VA clarify the calculation methodology for the '80% passing rate' referenced in performance metrics for agents, supervisors, and program managers, including how passing rates will be determined and reported? | There are many factors of evaluation that go into calculating this metric at each level. It's an overall score for the year with points per month based on how many of the factors the agents pass. |
| 54 | PWS 12.1 – Position/Task Risk Designation Page 98 | Can the Government clarify which positions require Tier 2 or Tier 4 background investigations and whether current clearances from other federal agencies will be accepted or reciprocated? | Only Tier 1 background investigations is required for this comtract |
| 55 | PWS 5.0 – Place of Performance Page 11 | Is there an approved list of compatible home networking equipment or service providers to meet the connectivity requirements specified in the solicitation? | No |
| 56 | PWS 6.0 Travel (p.7) | What are the instances in which travel would be requried? Which labor categories would be requried for travel? | Please see PWS Section 7.4 |
| 57 | PWS 7.0 – Task Statement Page 14 | Are there specific data retention timelines or destruction protocols for recorded calls and case data that Contractors will be required to follow? | The Government will maintain all required records in the various tools and applications it uses in accordance with federal regulations. |
| 58 | PWS 7.0 – Task Statement Page 25 | Does the VA anticipate adding new communication channels, such as SMS or AI-enabled chatbots, during the contract period, and if so, will additional training or technology integration support be provided to Contractors? | The VA does not currently anticipate adding new communication channels. |
| 59 | PWS 7.0 – Task Statement Page 7–8 | Can the Government clarify if any future expansion of Tier 2 services is anticipated during the base period or option years, and how those needs will be communicated? | This information is not known at this time. |
| 60 | PWS 7.0, pg. 8 | How long do recorded calls need to be kept? | The Government will maintain all required records in the various tools and applications it uses in accordance with federal regulations. |
| 61 | PWS 7.0, pg. 8 | What telephony system (e.g., ACD, IVR) is being used currently? And, will it be made availaible for use by the awardee? | Cisco Finesse. Yes. |
| 62 | PWS 7.0, pg. 8 | What CRM system is being used currently? And, will it be made availaible for use by the awardee? | Salesforce. Yes. |
| 63 | PWS 7.0, pg. 8 | What Workforce Management (WFM) software is being used currently? And, will it be made availaible for use by the awardee? | Calabrio. Yes. |
| 64 | PWS 7.0, pg. 8 | What Knowledge Management system is being used currently? And, will it be made availaible for use by the awardee? | Salesforce. Yes. |
| 65 | PWS 7.0, pg. 8 | What customer satisfaction system (e.g., ICE or other) is being used currently? And, will it be made availaible for use by the awardee? | Medallia. Yes. |
| 66 | PWS 7.0, pg. 8 | What data visualization system is currently being used? And, will it be made availaible for use by the awardee? | PowerBI. Yes. |
| 67 | PWS 7.0, pg. 8 | What Qulaity Management system is being used currently? And, will it be made availaible for use by the awardee? | Calabrio. Yes. |
| 68 | PWS 7.1 | Will there be a transition period? And, what length of time will be allowed the successful Contractor for transition (e.g., 30 days, 45 days, etc.)? | Asked and answered |
| 69 | PWS 7.1 – Operations Management Support Page 38–39 | What is the expected timeline for fingerprinting and PIV card issuance post-award, and can the VA provide site-specific standard operating procedures to help Contractors minimize onboarding delays? | The timeline is highly dependent on the applicant and how the applicant completes the onboarding requirement thoroughly and completely. There are no site specific standards. |
| 70 | PWS 7.1 General | Can the Government clarify if there will be a formal transition-in period prior to start date to allow for recruitment, onboarding, and system setup? | Asked and answered. |
| 71 | PWS 7.1 General | Will the outgoing Contractor be required to provide any support or information during the transition-in period to ensure continuity of operations? | The Government will work with the outgoing Contractor to ensure support during the transition period. |
| 72 | PWS 7.1 General | What are the Government’s expectations for transition-out support at the end of the contract, including knowledge transfer, staff offboarding, and return of Government-furnished equipment? | The Government will provide expectations and a timeline for these activities prior to the transition. |
| 73 | PWS 7.1 Operations Management Support Contact Center Program Management Plan (CCPMP) (p.10) | Will the Government facilitate knowledge transfer from the incumbent, including access to incumbent SOPs, process documentation, and lessons learned? What is the expected transition-in period and will there be overlap with the incumbent? | The Government will work with the outgoing Contractor to ensure support during the transition period. The expected transition-in period is to be determined. |
| 74 | PWS 7.2 – Operational and Quality Reporting Page 30 | Can the Government share sample dashboards or reporting templates referenced in the PWS to help offerors better understand expected data outputs and performance monitoring formats? | The Government will provide this post award. |
| 75 | PWS 7.2 Operational and Quality Reporting Requirements (p.11) | Can the Government provide historical call volume data by business line, broken out by month, day of week, and peak hours? | The Contact Center received 1.57 million calls in FY24. The Government is not able to provide additional data at this time. |
| 76 | PWS 7.2 Operational and Quality Reporting Requirements (p.11) | What access will the Contractor key personnel have access to the Contact Center Metrics? | The Program Manager will be granted view access. |
| 77 | PWS 7.3a – Program Management Tasks Page 43 | How will the Government validate and track service recovery cases to ensure compliance with the seven-day resolution requirement outlined in the PWS? | The Quality Management team will validate and track service recovery using various applications. |
| 78 | PWS 7.3d – Tier 1 Agent Tasks Page 60 | Will the Government provide more detailed guidance or a sample template for the competency certification referenced for post-training evaluations to ensure compliance with requirements? | Yes. |
| 79 | PWS 7.4 – Training Page 54 | For the quarterly in-person supervisor and senior agent training sessions in Frederick, MD, can the Government clarify the maximum number of participants per session and the process for reimbursing travel costs? | For travel costs, the Contractor will present an itiernary to the COR with the estimated cost. Upon approval, the Contractor will book travel requirements. After travel is complete, the Contractor will submit the actual costs to the COR for approval. |
| 80 | PWS 7.4 – Training Page 55 | Will the VA provide virtual alternatives for required in-person training in the event of travel restrictions or other barriers to travel? | Yes. |
| 81 | PWS 7.5 – Surge Support Page 55 | For surge support, how much advance notice will the Contractor receive to meet increased staffing requirements, and will there be defined timelines or thresholds for activating optional CLINs? | Advance notification and planning for surge support is dependent on factors external to the call center (e.g., expansion of Veterans benefits, data breach incidents requiring mass notification to Veterans). |
| 82 | PWS 7.5 Surge Support (p.17-18) | How frequently are surge CLINs expected to be exercised, and what advance notice will typically be provided prior to activation? | 5 Business Days. |
| 83 | PWS 7.8 Training (p.16-17) | Will the Government cover all costs associated with required in-person training (travel, lodging, per diem) for supervisors and senior agents? What is the process for scheduling and backfilling during these training periods? | All allowed costs of travel (airfare, lodging, per diem, rental car, etc.) will be covered by Government. The Contractor and Government will work together on scheduling so there is as little disruption to service as possible |
| 84 | PWS 8.0 Key Personnel (p.18) | Will the Government accept equivalent years of experience in lieu of degree for labor categories such as Supervisors and Program Management roles? | All minimum education is preferred and not required |
| 85 | PWS 9.0 Other Direct Costs (ODCs) (p.20) | Are internet stipends for home-based agents considered allowable as Other Direct Costs (ODCs), or should these be factored into overhead? | The Government is not paying for internet for remote agents |
| 86 | RFP general | Will the Government consider extending the proposal due date for one week due to the holiday weekend and availability of contracting officers and CORs to complete PPQs on the behalf of Offerors? | The proposal due date will be extended to September 15, 2025. |
| 87 | RFP general | Will the Government consider extending the proposal due date for 7-10 days after release of answers to questions to allow Contractors the ability to ingest and apply answers/changes to proposal responses and pricing volume? | Asked and answered. |
| 88 | E.2.4(a) - Volume III Price Evaluation (pg 83) | The Government requests Offerors submit "a narrative, not to exceed one page, which certifies that the Offeror will be compliant with the Wage Determination for any applicable labor categories." The govenrment has also provided Attachment F - Wage Determination. Also, the Government is allowing offeror to have staff anywhere within 50 miles of a VA location. May an offeror use any Wage Determination in the CONUS that a staff member may be located? How many WD's are allowed under the contract? | The number of WD's are generally not limited and will be provided on the Contract. |
| 89 | Would the Government consider an extension to Thursday September 4th 10am for questions to be submitted? If not, would you allow Wednesday 4pm September 3rd for questions? | Asked and answered. | |
| 90 | Section E-Solicitation Provisions/E.1 Instructions to Offerors/A. Proposal Submission Instructions 5. (Page 76) and Attachment F-Wage Determination | Section E.1 states that, prior to award, the successful Offeror will provide the Contracting Officer with the physical location(s) of contract performance so that the appropriate wage determinations can be incorporated. Attachment F identifies Wage Determination 2015-4281; however, the solicitation does not specify whether the incumbent workforce is currently located within this wage determination area. To ensure Offerors base pricing on the correct SCA standards for hire of any incumbents, would the Government please confirm the incumbent Contractor’s performance location(s) and the wage determination(s) applied under the incumbent contract? | The current WD's being used by the incumbent include: |
2015-5489 (Utah: Salt Lake, Tooele) 2015-4297 (West Virginia: Berkeley) 2015-4285 (West Virginia: Jefferson) 2015-4281 (D.C.: Statewide; Maryland: Calvert, Charles, Prince Georgoe's; and Virginia: Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fauquier, Loudoun, Manassas Park, Prince William, Stafford) 2015-4429 (Soutch Carolina: Calhoun, Frederick, Kershaw, Lexington, Richland, Saluda)
| 91 | Section E-Solicitation Provisions/E.1 Instructions to Offerors/A. Proposal Submission Instructions: Volume I Requirements (Page 78), Evaluation E.2 | Section E.1 of the proposal instructions states that each experience reference is limited to two (2) pages. Given the evaluation criteria in Section M ( Criteria A - D), two pages may not allow sufficient space to fully address each required subfactor. Would the Government consider increasing the page limit to four (4) pages per experience to allow Offerors to provide the necessary detail for a thorough evaluation? | No. | |
| 92 | Section B -Continuation of SF 1449 Blocks/ B.2 Performance Work Statement/ 5.0 Place of Performance ( Page 7) | If a Contractor’s Wi-Fi solution meets or exceeds the stated performance requirements, would Wi-Fi connections be acceptable in place of hard-wired connections? | Hard wired connections are required as part of the contract to ensure performance reliability and for security. | |
| 93 | Section B -Continuation of SF 1449 Blocks/B.2 Performance Work Statement/ 5.0 Place of Performance ( Page 7) | Is the hard-wired requirement specified primarily for performance reliability or for cybersecurity reasons? | They are required for both reasons. | |
| 94 | Section B -Continuation of SF 1449 Blocks/B.2 Performance Work Statement/ 7.0 Task Statement ( Page 8) | What telephony system is in use for this requirement? | Cisco Finesse. | |
| 95 | Section B -Continuation of SF 1449 Blocks/B.2 Performance Work Statement/ 7.0 Task Statement ( Page 9) | Are we able to make suggestions with IVR scripts and dynamic queue routing structures? | The Contractor may make suggestions but the Government Operations Team makes the decisions on these and other operational requirements. | |
| 96 | 5.0 Place of Performance/ Page 7 | Will the VA permit a solution that combines a physical office location with remote work-from-home employees, provided we meet the hard-wired high-speed internet requirements? | This may be addressed with the Government post award. | |
| 97 | 5.0 Place of Performance/ Page 7 | Will the VA permit a multiple-office approach to protect against weather and other issues that might impact employee availability? | This may be addressed with the Government post award. | |
| 98 | OCI-General | Does the VA have any potential downstream OCI concerns with this work? | ||
| If yes, request the VA provide a description of what may fall into an OCI for the contact center | No. | |||
| 99 | OCI-General | What are the systems the Contractor will be accessing/using when performing this work? (ie. Such as the VA TMS) | VA TMS, Salesforce, Calabrio, Cisco Finesse, Power BI. | |
| 100 | General | For planning purposes, does the Government anticipate any award delays beyond 2/6/26? | No. | |
| 101 | General | For planning purposes, does the Government anticipate awarding this contract well in advance of the 2/6/26 start date? | Asked and answered. | |
| 102 | PWS 10.0 GFE | Request the VA identify all the major GFE software applications by name and function that will be provided to support the call center operations and be used by the agents, superviors, PMs, etc. This will be critical to thoroughly reflect experience for confidence ratings. | Salesforce (CRM & KM), Calabrio (WFM, QM), Cisco Finesse (telephony), & Power BI (data visualization). | |
| 103 | Section A.5, Proposal Submission Instructions to Offerors p. 8 (Amendment 01) | Section states: "Font size shall be no smaller than 12-point. Times New Roman fonts are required. Characters shall be set at no less than normal spacing and 100% scale. Tables and illustrations may use a reduced font size not less than 8-point and may be landscape." However, Attachment B-3 as provided by the Government is set at 10-point font. Can the Government please confirm that 10-point font for past performance citations submitted on Attachment B-3 is acceptable? | The font size on Government templates is acceptable. | |
| 104 | Section 7.2, Operation Reporting Tasks, p. 12, 8.0 Key Personnel, p. 18 | The Table states that "Competency Certification" is due "3 business days prior to the start of Government new hire training class." Page 18 refers to a "pre-hire competency assessment." Is the Government referring to/allowing for a period of billable orientation time to complete all pre-Government new hire training requirements? | These certifications are required prior to training. | |
| 105 | Section 8.0 Key Personnel, p. 18 | The Government stipulates that Agents and Senior Agents are not defined as "Key Personnel"; however, the following paragraph states the "Contractor shall submit a complete resume for the proposed substitute and any other information requested by the COR needed to approve or disapprove the proposed substitution." Can the Government clarify that no resumes are required for Senior Agent substitutions? | Resumes are only required for Program Manager, Deputy Program Manager, and Supervisors. | |
| 106 | Section 12.2.1, Contractor Responsibilities, p. 29 | Solicitation states, "The Contractor shall prescreen all personnel requiring access to the computer systems to ensure they maintain the appropriate Background Investigation." Can the Government clarify what is meant by "prescreen"? Does the Government require a preliminary background investigation and/or soft credit check? | There is no requirement to the Contractor before the applicant starts the onboarding process. However, once the applicant passes the initial screening, they must maintain that status before getting their GFE | |
| 107 | Section E.1, p. 79, and E.2, p. 83 | The "Overall Experience Factor Rating" on page 83, the solicitation states, " The Government may place higher confidence on experience performed by the prime Contractor, especially when that experience demonstrates direct capability to perform the requirements of the solicitation." Request that the Government will include this "higher confidence" consideration for experience performed by the prime or other major subContractors of the team consistent with the past performance evaluation factor. This includes when a major subContractor reflects "direct experience" performing major or critical aspects of the requirement when such information is relevant to the acquisition. A major subcontract may be defined as 20% of the total contract effort. |
| How will this "higher confidence" for a prime's experience be applied for Joint Venture offerors where the experience was performed by other than the small business of the JV? | Experience from VetCert certified JV's will be treated as if they were primes. | |||
| 108 | Section E.2, p. 84 | Confidence Ratings states "Documentation of relative strengths, deficiencies, significant weaknesses, and risks is not required for this evaluation (although items typically categorized as such may increase or decrease Government confidence)”. It is understood that the Government will compile information to determine its confidence rating, however, having a better understanding of specific strengths, weaknesses and risks are critical information for offerors to present in their proposal. Will the Government consider documenting the specifics that are a part of its confidence rating? | The Government intends on evaluating against the Experience Subfactors outlined in Section E.2. | |
| 109 | Section E, Solicitation Provisions, p. 88 | The RFP includes the FAR clause 52.204-29 FEDERAL ACQUISITION SUPPLY CHAIN SECURITY ACT ORDERS—REPRESENTATION AND DISCLOSURES (DEC 2023). As this clause is related to supply chain procurements which is not consistent with the PWS, will the Government please explain the applicability of this clause to this solicitation? | This FAR Clause is required as prescribed in FAR 4.2306(b) | |
| 110 | Section 7.3d, p. 15 | As provided, will an agent's responsibility include responding to escalated and/or more complex inquiries and questions on several topics, or will the agent be expected to forward those types of calls to senior agents, supervisors or other referenced sources? | The agent may respond to complex inquiries or questions on several topics using KM. Calls are typically escalated to Senior Agents or Supervisors when the caller requests it. | |
| 111 | Section 7.3e, p. 16 | Does the Government expect Senior Agents to perform any supervisory functions? | No. They function as team leads but are not supervisors. | |
| 112 | Section B.3, PRICE/COST SCHEDULE, p. 38 | The Price/Cost Schedule contains OT CLINS for Agents, however no OT CLINs are provided for Senior Agents or PMAAs. Will the Government provide OT CLINs for both the Senior Agent LCAT and PMAA LCAT since both are non-exempt categories? | There are no OT CLINs for any other LCATs. Only agents are expected to need overtime | |
| 113 | Section 7.0/Section 7.3c, p. 8 | The PWS states that VA organizations will not provide supervision of Contractor personnel, however also according to the PWS, supervisors are responsible for entering all unscheduled leave requests into the WFM system for approval by a designated WFM section member. Please clarify, are WFM section members approving the leave of contracted personnel or are supervisors responsible for ensuring adequate coverage of scheduled shifts are appropriately staffed with qualified personnel? | This is referencing unscheduled leave (e.g. call outs). For scheduled leave, contract supervisors approve leave based on the staffing requirements provided by the WFM team. | |
| 114 | Section E.1, INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS, Para 10, p. 78 | Section states that, "If there is a perceived OCI please complete Attachment E FORM 0752, Confidentiality of Sensitive Information,"; however, Section 3., Volume III Price, p. 80 instructs offerors to complete and submit Attachment E VA Form 0752. Please clarify, is Attachment E needed if no perceived OCI issue exists? | All Prime Contractors shall complete and submit Attachment E with volume III. A mitigation plan only needs to be submitted if there is a perceived OCI. | |
| 115 | All | Will the Government please provide the name of the incumbent Contractor, the incumbent's contract number, and the associated contract value? | The Bowen Consulting Group | 36C10X25C0002 | $31,134,666.52 | |
| 116 | All | Is this bid a recompete of solicitation 36C10X19R0016? | Yes. | |
| 117 | All | Does this solicitation encompass multiple other contracts or just one incumbent contract? | One incumbent. | |
| 118 | Travel CLINs | The travel CLIN in the base year is almost 8 times higher than the Option periods. What is the reason for change? | The initial training has the potential to include all Contractor personnel involved in the Contractor. Subsequent trainings will be smaller and only a portion of the personnel | |
| 119 | Surge CLINs | Will the Surge CLINs be used in the evaluation process for total award value? | Yes. | |
| 120 | Surge CLINs | Each Surge CLIN has QTY 1; Unit LT; Unit Price - Blank; and Amount - Blank. Does the Government want an hourly rate plugged in for the Amount Field and at that times the ceiling hours? | Yes. Please show the proposed hourly rate and the total CLIN value (Proposed hourly rate x Ceiling Hours) | |
| 121 | Surge CLINs | Or does the Government want just the total hourly rate multiplied by the number of hours and that figure put in the Unit Price and Amount fields? | Asked and answered. | |
| 122 | All | What type of VPN is used for remote access and work? | Cisco | |
| 123 | Training, 7.4 | Section 7.4 Training states training is quarterly, and that it is expected one-fourth of the staff will attend. |
a. Will this training be offered remotely?
b. With such a large workforce, if not remote, will the Government pay for travel for 1/4 of staff to travel annually?
c. Is this quarterly training mandated annually? a. Asked and answered
b. Yes, there is a travel budget
c. Yes
| 124 | Attachment D - Pricing | How will Agent and Support Training hours be billed for both initial and ongoing training? | Government provided agent training is considered billable | |
| 125 | 7.0 Task Statement/Page 8 | Can the Government please provide additional details related to the processing of "mail" mentioned in section 7.0? | The Government does not anticipate mail processing but customers do email the contact center. | |
| 126 | Agent Staffing Levels/Page 8 | Is the Government expecting the Contractor to staff a team of 312 agents or is the Contractor expected to staff a staff of 312 full-time equivalents? Assuming a 15% shrink rate, the latter would require the Contractor to staff around 350 agents. | A team of 312. | |
| 127 | Agent Staffing Levels/Page 8 | Can the Government please provide the methodology used to determine the Agent headcount requirement of 312? | That is based on the current requirement and staffing usage to operate the contat center. | |
| 128 | 11.0 QUALITY ASSURANCE/Page 21 | Please confirm that the Government will be responsible to conducting all quality assurance assessments on the Contractor's Agents. | The Quality Team will identify and assign tasks such as Service Recovery based on their findings. Routinely, contract supervisors are expected to complete monthly call reviews on their team members and follow up on low survey scores, as examples of the quality assurance surveillance plan. | |
| 129 | Surge support/Page 17 | Can the Government clarify whether the optional surge support headcount is included within the 312 FTE requirement or is an additional staffing requirement? | Surge support is additional to the base requirement of 312 | |
| 130 | 7.1 Operations Management Support | |||
| Contact Center Program Management Plan (CCPMP)/Page 10 | How will the Government address onboarding delays outside of the Contractor’s control (e.g., fingerprint scheduling, VA facility backlogs, or eAPP processing times)? Will performance metrics be adjusted if onboarding delays are Government-driven? | Contractors will not be held responsible for Government caused delays | ||
| 131 | 11.3 Acceptable Performance Levels (APLS) (Table A: Contact Center Metrics Service Recovery)/Page 23 | The solicitation requires a 99% compliance rate for service recovery within 7 days across all business lines. Will the Government provide Contractors with access to all customer satisfaction survey data and complaints in real time to allow compliance with this requirement? | Yes. | |
| 132 | 11.3 Acceptable Performance Levels (APLS) (Table A: World Class Customer Service Metrics) | Contractors must maintain an 80% passing rate annually across agent, supervisor, and program manager KPIs. Will the Government provide baseline historical performance data to inform Contractors’ ability to meet these thresholds, or are Contractors expected to propose their own staffing/performance model assumptions? | The Government will provide all needed information for staffing requirements and quality assurance. | |
| 133 | 7.1 Operations Management Support | |||
| Contact Center Program Management Plan (CCPMP)/Page 10 | The first 30 calendar days of performance are designated as a “non-evaluated time.” Does this non-evaluated period apply to all metrics in the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP), and will penalties/liquidated damages be waived during this time? | Yes (for new agents). | ||
| 134 | Section C.1 – Notice of Hybrid Contract/Page 45 | Can the Government clarify which portions of the contract will be firm fixed price versus time & materials, and how that division will impact evaluation of proposals? | CLINS 0001, 1001, 2001, 3001, and 4001 are the only Firm Fixed Price CLINs. All pricing will be evaluated for price reasonableness in accordance with the solicitation. | |
| 135 | Section C.6 – VAAR 852.219-75 (Services - Limitations on Subcontracting)/Page 61 | Will subcontracted call center labor count toward the 50% self-performance requirement, and how will the Government calculate compliance when multiple subcontractors are involved? | No, subcontracted call center labor generally will not count toward the 50% self-performance requirement. The requirement is meant to ensure that the prime contractor performs a substantial portion of the work itself. Labor performed by subcontractors would typically be counted as subcontracted labor, not as part of the prime contractor's self-performance. The Government may conduct audits and inspections to verify the accuracy of the reported costs. These audits can be performed by agencies such as the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) or other designated Government auditors. They review financial records, cost reports, and supporting documentation to ensure compliance. | |
| 136 | 11.2 Frequency of Requirement (Privacy Violation) | The solicitation requires privacy violations to be reported within 30 minutes of identification. Will VA provide Contractors with access to the same internal reporting tools and escalation channels used by federal staff, or must Contractors build their own parallel reporting mechanisms? | The Government will provide access to the internal reporting tools and processes. | |
| 137 | Attachment A – Contractor Rules of Behavior | Should Contractors include signed Rules of Behavior (Attachment A) with the proposal submission, or will these be required only after award for staff who need access? | Post Award. | |
| 138 | Attachment A – Contractor Rules of Behavior | Can the Government clarify whether liquidated damages or specific remedies will be enforced if a Contractor employee violates the Rules of Behavior? | The Rules of Behavior is more of a behavioral standard than a penalty clause. Violations ar enforced through the contract clauses or law. | |
| 139 | Attachment B – Past Performance References | Will subContractor past performance be evaluated equally with prime past performance? | Yes. | |
| 140 | Attachment D – Price Schedule | Will optional surge support CLINs be evaluated as part of the total evaluated price, or only if exercised post-award? | Asked and answered | |
| 141 | Attachment D – Price Schedule | Will the Government allow ODCs (e.g., licenses, technology fees) and travel costs to be proposed, or should all costs be fully burdened into labor rates? | There is a CLIN for ODC and a separate CLIN for travel costs | |
| 142 | Attachment E – Confidentiality of Sensitive Information (NDA) | Should subContractors also submit signed NDAs with the proposal, or will these be executed post-award? | No subcontractors need to sign. | |
| 143 | Attachment E – Confidentiality of Sensitive Information (NDA) | How should Contractors handle data that originates from Contractor-owned systems but is later integrated into VA systems? | All data should be from VA systems | |
| 144 | Attachment F – Wage Determination | Can the Government confirm which proposed labor categories (e.g., Call Agents, Support Staff, Trainers) are considered SCA-covered positions? | The Government provides the applicable wage determinations, but it is the Contractor's responsibility to determine which of its propsoed labor categories are covered by the Service Contrat Act and ensure compliance. | |
| 145 | Attachment F – Wage Determination | Are key personnel positions (e.g., Project Manager, Deputy Project Manager) excluded from SCA requirements? | Asked and answered. | |
| 146 | General | We respectfully request a one-week extension to the proposal due date. | Asked and answered. | |
| 147 | General | Please confirm that the Government's answers to the draft solicitation questions apply to the final solicitation. | No, the draft solicitation was for informational purposes only. | |
| 148 | General | Will the incumbent's Contact Center phone numbers transfer to the awardee? | Yes. | |
| 149 | Pricing | Please confirm which labor categories are exempt or Non-Exempt/SCLS? | Asked and answered. | |
| 150 | Pricing | Which WD categories are the SCLS LCATS conformed to? | Asked and answered. | |
| 151 | Pricing | What is the net productive hours for Exempt positions? | It is the Contractors responsibility to determine if an exeption applies. | |
| 152 | B.2 – 7.1 Operations Management Support , pg. 9 | Under the current contract, is the incumbent required to provide a personnel list to the new Contractor upon award? | No. | |
| 153 | RFP, pg. 15 | What other KM systems, besides Salesforce, are being considered by the Government? | None at this time. |
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