Questions and Answers .docx

Vendor Question: 36C26122Q0247 Ancillary FF&E support services 2/24/2022

1. How much government property must be moved from the existing warehouse to the contractor's own warehouse? We are currently occupying 18,000 s.f. of floor space with 3 shelves high and the permitted aisle spaces in between to be compliant. Hard to say how much actual sq. footage overall.

2. Is there an inventory sheet of the property? Yes, there is.

3. Will the bridge award winner but awarded the BPA if they perform well within the 1-year period of performance? The requirement will be competed and awarded to the vendor that offerors the best value to the Government.

4. Which Steelcase (and any other) brands/lines are you presently using (and/or are you planning to introduce any particular new brands/lines to the VA in the near future)? Steelcase is the standard for all workstations and systems furniture. It is critical that the vendor’s installation team are all Steelcase certified. We may also use Herman Miller, Knoll, and various seating/ancillary furniture items.

5. We are hoping to find out if there is (was) an incumbent contractor performing these services, or if this is a brand-new contract. If there is an incumbent, could you please provide the current / previous contract number? Current Vendor is B&M Construction. Contract Number-GS-29F-0005U- 36C26121F0206

6. Is it part of the current vendor’s contract to hand over existing shelving to the new contractor? Yes

7. What is the VA’s expectation as to timeframe allowed to move product from the existing warehouse to the new warehouse, inventory, and shelve? Contractor is expected to assume full responsibility NLT 4/1/2022

8. Will the VA pause issuance of new work orders while existing inventory is being moved from the old to new location? Plan to curtail work orders starting from Monday, 3/21/22.

9. Is inventory controlled by skid or individual item? SKID (all comprised of like items but in different quantities).

10. Does the current warehouse have a barcode or RFID system in place? . Currently no barcode or RFID system is in place. The software package is very basic and limited currently, there are more advanced modules/packages which can incorporate barcode technology if desired, but the vendor did not proceed with it. If so, can it be downloaded so the new vendor can transfer the data to their system? You will not be able to transfer the data from that system, we will have to start from scratch. Basically, the vendor gathers the information from the furniture items using the label, essentially the item or model # and manually enters WASP and create a description for it. See attachment above for some examples of the product and its related label/tag where the information is drawn from.

11. Which asset management software is in use by the current vendor? WASP Created by WASP Barcode technologies.

12. Will the Government extend the time due from 8am to 7pm PST? The Government will continue with the current due date/time.

13. Section 2.2, page 18 of the solicitation states "All staff shall be proficient in basic to advanced computer/software skills and digital project management based on position requirement." All positions are listed as requiring familiarity with Microsoft Office Suit. For trade workers such as painter, installers, electricians, plumber, carpenters, etc., can this requirement be removed? MS Office Suite is typically a skillset required for computer processing work, rather than in the field trade work. We can limit this requirement to the Key Personnel (KP). This is more applicable to an administrative and/or managerial role.

14. The RFQ, @ 7.3.3, refers to Steelcase installer training certificates. Steelcase, its dealers and dealer installer affiliates is/are a bit of a closed or protected shop, meaning Steelcase and its dealers are only interested in training (and certifying) their own employees, due to conflict of interest and their own self-interest. Therefore, otherwise skilled, experienced, talented, licensed, insured and bonded support services providers, such as our firm, do not have the opportunity to obtain such training certificates, per se. Will you consider an alternate standard in lieu of the "Steelcase" certification? Steelcase offers installation certification for non-employees, such as movers and installers. Our current contractor sent all their installers to the Steelcase headquarters to receive their training and certifications. Historically this training took 4-6 hours.

15. With this contract, how do you define/recognize "overtime" (time and a half and/or double time) and do you have a formula for each such overtime rate(s)? Since this will be a firm fixed priced contract, the potential vendors will have to determine how to utilize their labor pool based on the 70/30 proposal we made, 70% of the tasks will be done during normal business hours according to the PWS, M-F and 30% of the tasks will be done before or after normal business hours, M-F and also weekends. The potential vendor will have to factor in their quoted Firm-Fixed-Price any potential overtime cost. For example, if we need a crew of 4 persons, starting at 4:00pm on a Monday and end at 10:00pm the same day, the awarded vendor will schedule that crew accordingly, and even though it is after our normal business hours, this will not be classified as overtime.

16. At 7.10.30 the clause reads: "Contractor shall install FF&E and IT items in accordance with all local, state and federal requirements and regulations including, but not limited to, seismic standards in accordance with California Administrative Code Title 24, Part 2, Section 2-2312." Since the State of California requires a contractor’s license for FF&E (modular furniture installation) work, will the VA require same for this contract (please see the attachment)? This doesn’t apply to federal work.

17. Is the offeror required to hold a GSA contract? Not a requirement.

18. The wage determination included in the solicitation package, does not include movers or furniture installers. Is there a separate wage determination? It is my understanding that moving/furniture installation is classified as non-standard services, (moving and storage occupations). Should wage determination 1992-0334 be used instead? Will include the WD 1992-0334 as well.

2.2- Please provide clarification of man hours for the carpenter, painter, plumber and electrician are projections for the 1st year of the awarded contract in order for the potential bidder to include in their proposal bid package. As it relates to kick-off meeting in Section 2.1, this relates to after the award of the contract for one year, a kick-off meeting is expected to take place within 7 calendar days after the award date.

PWS Section 6.0 has been removed

19. 5.1- Please provide information regarding how overtime is addressed. See answer to question 15.

20. 7.4- Clarification, will this access be granted to the COR and DTEs only? What level of access is needed for the unlimited users. The VA will make a decision through the COR how many individuals will gain access to the inventory system, whether VA personnel and Contractor personnel. The VA will determine what level of access will be granted each assigned individual once the contract is awarded.

21. 7.4.2- How does the VA plan to prioritize hold tag items vs. items that are needed for immediate projects? The VA will be issuing different color tags for each individual Interior Designer/Equipment Planner whereby all the necessary information will be placed on each tag and affixed to the items required for eventual use for a future date. The Contractor will be notified via email which is immediate vs. later down the line install. The onus is on the Contractor to determine where to place, locate these reserved or tagged items and must be declared as ‘reserved’ vs. being in ‘open’ stock.

22. 7.5.10- Please provide clarification on the communication between VA and contractor when it pertains to tracking shipments so that the contractor can be aware of receiving expectations. The Contractor will be notified from the Interior Designer/Equipment Planner/COR of forthcoming shipments. The Contractor will be given a copy of the purchase order # which outlines in detail all expected items to be shipped from the vendor (not the Contractor) and the expected time of arrival (ETA). Once it has been received, inspected and signed for, the Contractor will submit a copy of the signed documents to the designated purchaser (Interior Designer/Equipment Planner).

23. 7.7- Please provide sample IT equipment and artwork storage requirements other than climate-controlled space? Do these climate-controlled spaces also need racking, so the items are off the floor? Refer to Section 7.7.1. The climate-controlled spaces will require racking.

24. 7.7.1- Please clarify the chain of communication that the contractor’s IT Field staff member will need to coordinate with. Do they coordinate with the VA or directly with the?

COR regarding IT work needing to be performed. The contractor’s IT field staff will take directives/instructions from the Lead person on any given day. Any concerns or questions, the Lead will make direct contact with the COR/DTE from the VA.

25. 7.9.7- Is there an estimate for potential abatement projects? Will abatement be handled by the VA or a subcontractor of the Contractor? There is no estimate for potential abatement projects, and if any asbestos is discovered, this will be handled by the VA Engineering team.

26. 7.11.3- Please confirm the hours needed for a one-year estimate for an IT field technician to include the time to install and de-install components/equipment. Using historical data in the last 3 years, we anticipate the need for an IT field technician to provide appx. 700-man hours for the first year of the contract.

27. 11.3- Clarification needed does the contractors subcontractor have to wear the contractor’s logo, or their own company specific logo? The contractor’s subcontractor must wear the contractor’s logo while on VA property.

28. 13.4- Is weekly certified payroll reporting required? Monthly payroll reporting is fine.

29. COVID19 Policy- Will the VA require N95 or KN95 masks to be worn on site? Will the contractor’s team be exposed to an COVID Units? Are there any additional COVID PPE requirements? N95 or KN95 masks may be required to be worn while on VAPAHCS job sites as required by local Government, State Government, or Federal/VA laws and/or directives. The contractor’s team will not be exposed to a COVID unit , unless this is deemed an ‘Emergency’ and therefore will need to wear the proper attire, such as gloves, N95/KN95 masks, face shields and protective gowns. All items are to be provided by the awarded vendor except the protective gowns (provided by the VA). Going into a COVID ward will be very minimal and we will avoid all attempts to do so.

30. Pricing- please provide detailed outline of how the pricing breakout would like to be received? Refer to quote submission instructions on pages 69-74 of the RFQ.

31. Will the VA require separate pricing for patching, paint, drywall, plumbing, electrical, IT on an as needed project basis? The contractor shall provide a description of each proposed labor category. This description should include the duties each labor category will perform (ex. patching, paint, drywall, plumbing, electrical, IT, warehousing, driving) Each labor category should be separately priced. If any of these so-called ancillary services are required on a particular daily task order (project), the vendor will quantify the hours worked for each skill x the hourly rate when doing their billing. See PWS section 7.2 regarding planning of tasks.