36C25723R0013 RFI Responses Through Amendment A0005.docx

36C25723R0013 RFI Questions and Answers Please note that questions determined to be repeat questions are answered only once. Further, questions are rewritten to allow for pointed answers within the solicitation.

1.Q. Will the Government change project size minimum requirement of $2M down to $1M?

1.A. No. Projects of at least $2M in size remains unchanged. Inflation was considered in arriving at the $2M minimum specified.

2.Q. Will the Government consider changing recent experience from three (3) years to five (5) or ten (10) years?

2.A. No. Three years from date of solicitation is determined to be the recent project experience required.

3.Q. Is FAR provision 52.222-33 Notice of Requirement for Project Labor Agreements required?

3.A. The FAR provision 52.222-33 is required to be inserted when FAR clause 52.222-34, Project Labor Agreement is inserted into solicitation. The prescription at FAR 22.505(b)(1) applies for insertion of FAR Clause 52.222-34. After further review, FAR Provision 52.222-33 and FAR Clause 52.222-34 is hereby removed from the solicitation in its entirety.

4.Q. Can CPARS be submitted in lieu of the Attachment 2 PPQ’s?

4.A. No. The contractor is to provide a complete response to all factors, including Factor 2, Past Performance, which includes the ATTACHMENT 2 PAST PERFORMANCE QUESTIONNAIRE. An updated ATTACHMENT 2 PAST PERFORMANCE QUESTIONNAIRE is uploaded as part of this request for information (RFI) amendment. The attachment is updated with a single point of contact for email submission. A.6. Proposal Preparation Instructions (MATOC) FAR 2.1 Sub-Factor 1 is updated by adding “Finally, “ATTACHMENT 2 PAST PERFORMANCE QUESTIONNAIRE” shall be provided for each of the three (3) projects submitted for evaluation.”

5.Q. What is required to obtain a badge?

5.A. As badge requirements change, badge requirements will be specified to the awardee of the initial task order, and to the specific awardee of all subsequent task orders.

6.Q. How long does it take to obtain the badge?

6.A. As badge requirements change, badge requirements will be specified to the awardee of the initial task order, and to the specific awardee of all subsequent task orders. Six weeks is an estimated time frame.

7.Q. Can offerors specify their intentions to be considered for award into the MATOC but NOT for award of the Seed Project?

7.A. Not responding to Factor 3 (providing Volume III), will render an offeror’s proposal non-responsive and therefore an offeror ineligible for further evaluation. If an offeror wants to be considered for award for the Central Texas MATOC, they must submit a complete proposal as detailed in the solicitation.

8.Q. If one/multiple examples have an existing PPQ, can that be sent instead of the one provided in this solicitation?

8.A. No. The Government will rely on independent PPQ submittal receipt, to ensure validity of a PPQ.

9.Q. What is meant by “internal/external” for work on a healthcare installation?

9.A. In this context internal means ‘inside’ of a healthcare facility, and external means ‘outside’ of a health care facility. One example of an internal project would be renovating a patient healthcare floor. One example of an external project would be replacing boilers within a healthcare facility ‘campus’.

10.Q. Who is the POC for ATTACHMENT 2 PAST PERFORMANCE QUESTIONNAIRE email submittal?

10.A. Jennifer.parker6@va.gov is the email point of contact. A corrected ATTACHMENT 2 PAST PERFORMANCE QUESTIONNAIRE is provided.

11.Q. Is a bid bond and payment and performance (P&P) bonds required?

11.A. Both a bid bond and P&P bonds are required.

12.Q. Will the Government pay for stored materials?

12.A. No, the Government will not pay for stored materials. It is the contractor’s responsibility to properly secure all materials. There are VA security/police personnel that monitor healthcare facility grounds.

13.Q. What are the ICRA and PCRA requirements?

13.A. The seed project has ICRA and PCRA requirements attached. ICRA and PCRA requirements for each task order will be provided at time of task order request for proposal.

14.Q. What are the Quality Control requirements?

14.A. See project specifications section 01 45 00. The quality control manager must have prior satisfactory experience in healthcare construction of similar scope.

15.Q. Is this project sales tax exempt? If the project is sales tax exempt can the government provide a sales tax exemption certificate?

15.A. See A.7 V.T.C.A. Tax Code §151.311. The applicable tax exemptions is detailed here.

16.Q. Can the required SSHO and Quality Management positions be fulfilled by the qualified superintendent?

16.A. See SOW Number 12. for information on a superintendent fulfilling SSHO and Quality Management.

17.Q. For bonding, can a subcontractor be used?

17.A. All bonding requirements must be held at the offeror/prime contractor level.

18.Q. Can an offeror use the qualifications and past performance of the Teaming Arrangement or is it solely on the offeror/prime contractor?

18.A. A properly established teaming arrangement or joint venture allows for the use of any direct qualifications and past performance of the Contractor team arrangement. See Factor 2: Past Performance.

19.Q. Can the relevant and recent projects proposed be a combination of design-build and design-bid-build?

19.A. Yes. See A.6. Proposal Preparation Instructions (MATOC) 2.1 Sub-Factor 1.

20.Q. Do all three projects need to be healthcare projects, or can they be other federal agency renovation projects?

20.A. Yes. However, see the A.6. Proposal Preparation Instructions (MATOC) Past Performance Relevancy Rating Key that details levels of relevancy.

21.Q. What are the narrative requirements for the three (3) projects listed under Sub-Factor 1?

21.A. See the narrative requirements under Sub-Factor 1 for each of the three (3) projects.

22.Q. Can the Offeror use a proposed major subcontractor's past performance as part of the three (3) projects that need to be submitted? If yes, do we need to include a teaming agreement or letter of commitment in the proposal?

22.A. Yes, a major subcontractor may be used as part of the three (3) projects so long as it meets the 25% minimum of the total proposed price on the seed project.

23.Q. Why is the bonding capacity set at $20M per individual task order and an annual bonding aggregate minimum of $30M?

23.A. Individual task orders are anticipated to be awarded up to $20M in value. Therefore, a $20M bonding minimum per task order and a $30M bonding minimum as an annual aggregate is appropriate and required to ensure all contractors on the MATOC can potentially manage and perform multiple requirements annually.

24.Q. Is EO 14026 in effect for this MATOC?

24.A. FAR Clause 52.222-55 is in the solicitation, and therefore EO 14026 is applicable.

25.Q. Is line-item completion within the SF 1442 required?

25.A. No, an offeror is not required to complete the line items on the SF 1442. An offeror shall complete and submit Attachment 4 as instructed in the solicitation.

26.Q. Will the same wage determination be used for the duration of the MATOC?

26.A. No, the wage determination pertinent to the project will be determined for each task order request for proposal (TORFP).

27.Q. What are the representations and certifications requirements for this proposal?

27.A. See FAR Provision 52.204-7 System for Award Management, and FAR Clause 52.204-8 Annual Representations and Certifications for information that is required to be submitted within an offer.

28.Q. What is the maximum task order limit?

28.A. $20M is the maximum task order limit.

29.Q. Is there government furnished-equipment (GFE) or government furnished-property (GFP) provided?

29.A. There is no GFE or GFP provided, and beyond utility connections, no GFE or GFP will likely result during the duration of this MATOC.

30.Q. When are construction kick-off meetings and construction notice to proceed (NTP) issued?

30.A. Generally, the kick-off meeting is held on the day P&P bonds are due, which is 10 days after award. Generally, NTPs are issued 10 days after the kick-off meeting is held.

31.Q. Due to current potentially significant tariffs being placed on the importation of building materials such as wood or steel by the current Presidential Executive Branch, if a tariff is placed after bid time and before award will the government consider a price escalation on a contract value for products such as steel or wood should the executive branch levee tariffs effecting such materials? Most of these materials would still have been Buy American compliant as the tariffs would increase pricing on all steel or wood materials, regardless of origin.

31.A. No. The hyperlink below clearly states what the rate of tariffs are for construction-related materials, assuming Buy-American requirements are maintained. As can be seen, mostly aluminum and steel is increased by 25% in 2024. It is still incumbent on an offeror to account for any expenses, taxes, fees, etcetera in submitting a bid on the seed project. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/05/14/fact-sheet-president-biden-takes-action-to-protect-american-workers-and-businesses-from-chinas-unfair-trade-practices/

32.Q. Will pay applications for materials secured on site or in a bonded warehouse be approved for payment?

32.A. Only an approved material submittal, with materials verified to be on-site of the specific VA medical facility will warrant approval for invoicing within Tungsten.

33.Q. Will the Government consider changing the days for Government acceptance of bid offers?

33.A. No, per 13.d. of the solicitation “Offers providing less than 180 calendar days for Government acceptance after the date offers are due will not be considered and will be rejected.”

34.Q. Will the Government consider use of economic price adjustment?

34.A. No.

35.Q. Does the solicitation comply with the Executive order 14005?

35.A. FAR clause 52.225-9 and 52.225-10 applies in regards to “Buy American” requirements.

36.Q. Are mailed in physical proposals required?

36.A. No. Proposals shall be provided via email to horacio.fernandez@va.gov. See block 10 of the conformed solicitation. See also A.6. Proposal Preparation Instructions (MATOC) D. Proposal Submission, which states “The offeror’s proposal shall be submitted electronically.”

37.Q. Are the security requirements for the seed project the same for all task orders?

37.A. No, the security requirements are specific to each task order under this MATOC. Specific security details will be provided for each TORFP.

38.Q. In addition to the P&P bonds for the seed project, is an approved bonding capacity letter required?

38.A. Yes, A.6. Proposal Preparation Instructions (MATOC) Factor 1: Technical Acceptability Bonding Capacity – Minimum $20M requires that an offeror provides verifiable proof of the minimum bonding capacity required.

39.Q. What is the range of task orders for this MATOC?

39.A. See SF 1442 Page 1 Block 10.

40.Q. Will the Government consider a second RFI period?

40.A. Yes, by nature of a new seed project being utilized, a second RFI period for this solicitation will be provided.

41.Q. What is the bid bond amount required?

41.A. 20% or $3,000,000.00 of the offeror’s bid amount, whichever is lower.

42.Q. Will the Government clarify who needs to submit performance and payment bonds?

42.A. Factor 1 is updated to provide clarity.

43.Q. Will the Government disclose results of market research?

43.Q. No. While market research sought information and responses from industry, the market research report is an internal Government document.

44.Q. Would the Government confirm the calendar days for the period of performance for the seed project?

44.A. See the Statement of Work – 180 days.

45.Q. For the previous MATOC, what was the range of task orders?

45.A. The same as this current solicitation, $2,000.00 to $20,000,000.00.

46.Q. Does the period of performance start on day of award of a task order?

46.A. The period of performance generally starts 10 days after the notice to proceed is provided, which is generally 10 days after initial task order award.

47.Q. Would you clarify “A major subcontractor is defined as one whose subcontract is for more than 25% of the total proposed price. In either case, the prime contractor and proposed major subcontractor(s) will be assessed individually and the results will then be assessed in their totality to derive the Offeror’s Past Performance rating”?

47.A. Factor 2: Past Performance is clear on its definition of a major subcontractor. If a proposed major subcontractor will perform more than 25% of the seed project, then that major subcontractor’s past performance may and will be used to assess a total Offeror’s Past Performance rating. Please note that the requirements of VAAR 852.219-73 VA Notice of Total Set-Aside for Certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses still applies.

48.Q. Are design-bid-build and/or two-phase design-build projects allowed to be submitted for past performance?

48.A. Any combination of the traditional construction (design-bid-build) or two-phase design-build projects is acceptable, so long as three (3) projects are provided as required by the solicitation.

49.Q. Are a table of contents required for each volume?

49.A. No, note that the solicitation states under A.6. Proposal Preparation Instructions (MATOC) 2. Proposal Files. c. “A Table of Contents and/or a glossary of abbreviations or acronyms will not be included in the page count of the technical Volume. However, be advised that all information contained within any Table of Contents and/or glossary of abbreviations or acronyms submitted with an Offeror’s proposal will not be evaluated by the Government.”

50.Q. Are there any specifically required subcontractors?

50.A. No.

51.Q. Will the Government consider partially completed projects for past performance?

51.A. No.

52.Q. What are the work hours?

52.A. Each task order will have its own work hours, stated in the statement of work.

53.Q. What is the minimum and maximum number of awardees?

53.A. See SF 1442, Page 1, Block 10 of the conformed solicitation.