CONTINUATION PAGE.pdf

5. PROJECT NUMBER (if applicable)

CODE 7. ADMINISTERED BY

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER

CODE

6. ISSUED BY

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NUMBER 3. EFFECTIVE DATE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

9B. DATED

PAGE OF PAGES

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER

10B. DATED

BPA NO. 1. CONTRACT ID CODE

FACILITY CODE CODE

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

E. IMPORTANT:

is extended,

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning __________ copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY is not extended.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

(REV. 11/2016)

is required to sign this document and return ___________ copies to the issuing office. is not, A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

15C. DATE SIGNED

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

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

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER

Contractor

16C. DATE SIGNED

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

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

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER 16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

STANDARD FORM 30 PREVIOUS EDITION NOT USABLE

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

(Type or print) (Type or print)

(Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

(Number, street, county, State and ZIP Code)

(If other than Item 6)

(Specify type of modification and authority)

(such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.)

(If required)

(SEE ITEM 11)

(SEE ITEM 13)

(X)

CHECK

ONE

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

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

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

1 6

0001 09-02-2020

None

00776

Department of Veterans Affairs Program Contracting Activity Central 6150 Oak Tree Blvd, Suite 300 Independence OH 44131

00776

6150 Oak Tree Blvd, Suite 300 Independence OH 44131

To all Offerors/Bidders

36C77620Q0174

08-28-2020

X

The purpose of this amendment is to add questions for clarification and the corresponding answers.

Adeitra Jimmison Contracting Officer

CONTINUATION PAGE

Questions and answers

Performance Work Statement

Section 1.0 – Background

Q: Is the Combined Synopsis/Solicitation posted as solicitation number 36C77620Q0174 a follow-on requirement to any work performed currently or in the past, or will this be a new requirement?

A: It is a new requirement.

Q: The VA notes that there have been “several internal and external assessments” of the VA’s manpower management function. Are they publicly available, and can you share them? The assessments are of VHA and not specifically the manpower function. OMB 17-22 directed federal agencies to “use agency data to determine appropriate FTE baselines.”

A: The Streamline VHA Central Office (VHACO) Lane of Effort, one of ten (10) lanes of effort, identified the need to streamline VHACO organizational structure and eliminate duplicate functions.

Section 4.1.1 - Perform Manpower Studies

Q: Will the government please provide a description of the “process developed by VA and VHA” for manpower studies and/or templates or examples of previously completed manpower studies that have followed this process.

A: The Manpower Studies will consist of but not be limited to interview templates, process improvement activities, and an internally developed data capture tool in excel format that documents workload. The contractor will be trained on all tools and processes.

Q: This section indicates the number of studies will not exceed 52; if 52 is the maximum number of studies to be completed, is there a minimum number of studies that are expected to be completed?

A: Studies will be completed following an initial assessment of size and complexity. Not to exceed 52 refers to a weekly update on the work and not holistic completion of studies.

Q: Does the Government anticipate a singular manpower study be performed each week (52 studies total), or can multiple studies be presented at a given date (e.g., 8 studies presented after 8 weeks of work)?

A: Multiple studies can be presented.

Q: Who will be responsible for updating the system of record, HR Smart?

A: VA employees. Specifically, Position Managers.

Q: Will the first manpower study deliverable be due 7 days after contract award? If so, will the government ensure that the contractor receives necessary GFE, training and VA systems access on day 1 of the contract?

A: No, it will not be due 7 days after award. The government will manage time to receive GFE and network access.

Q: Does the government expect that all manpower studies will be of equal complexity and scope such that a new study can be delivered each week? Does the government expect any manpower studies for more complex functions to span multiple weeks?

A: No, the studies will be of varying complexity and scope. Yes, some studies may span multiple weeks.

Section 4.1.2 -- Key Personnel Training on VA Assessment Tools

Q: How long will it take for contractor personnel be trained by VA staff? Will this training be complete prior to the start date of the contract so that the contractor will be able to meet the weekly deliverable requirement in 4.1.1?

A: Training timeline will be finalized upon contract award and will not impact deliverables.

Training will be completed post contract award and will not impact deliverables.

Section 4.2.1 Updates to the VA Functional Organization Manual

Q: When was the VA FOM last updated?

A: FOM 6 is complete and in concurrence. Next update will likely be Q4FY21.

Section 4.4.1 Special Projects needed to support the manpower studies

Q: Similar to our question on Manpower Studies, does the government expect that all special study requests will be of equal complexity and will be able to be completed within a 1-week timeframe?

A: No.

Q: Can the government specify if the special study request are aligned with the current manpower studies being performed by the contractor, or will the special studies not be connected to the manpower studies?

A: Yes, they will be aligned with the Manpower Studies and fall within the areas of expertise identified for our key personnel.

Section 4.5.1 Monthly Program Progress Reports

Q: This section indicates that total hours utilized and available must be reported for key personnel, however the Price Volume in the instructions to offerors indicate that this is a firm fixed price contract where “the task price shall be for the whole task regardless of the actual time to complete the task”. Please clarify if hours reporting by FTE is required as part of a firm fixed price contract.

A: Yes, hour reporting by FTE is required monthly.

Section 4.7.1 Transition Support

Q: Please explain what is meant by “the end of Product Warranty” in the first sentence.

A: “end of the contract period of performance”.

Section 6.2 Key Personnel

Q: Is the government asking for a total of 8 individuals to be identified as key personnel as part of the proposal, or is there only one individual in each labor category that will be designated as key personnel? Are there any positions on this contract that will not be designated as key personnel?

A: All personnel are designated key for the purposes of this contract.

Section 8.2 Contractor Personnel Security Requirements

Q: In Section 8.2.a.(4)(b), the PWS states that the amount stated are current for “fiscal year 2014.” Should this read “fiscal year 2020?”

A: Yes.

Q: With the COVID-19 pandemic underway, will most of the initial work, to include interviews and presentations, be performed through virtual meetings or is the expectation that most work should occur on-site?

A: Most initial work will be virtual based on the current conditions in Washington, DC. This could change at any time.

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Notice Pricing Table

Q: The PWS suggests that the Manpower SMEs and Management Consultant FTEs will be responsible for completing the tasks and deliverables described in the PWS, however the pricing tables in the combined synopsis/solicitation notice includes separate line items for the PWS tasks (line items 00)1 - 0007) and the FTEs (line items 0008-0009). Please clarify if the government expects line items 0001 - 0007 to be inclusive of labor costs for the 8 FTEs, or if all labor costs for personnel should only be included in line items 0008 and 0009.

A: All labor costs to be included in 0008 and 0009 only.

Q: Line items 0008 and 0009 define one FTE as 2,080 hours per year, which is equivalent to 40 hours per week for 52 weeks. Please clarify if the expected number of hours each FTE is expected to work on this contract is 2,080, or if the 2,080 includes federal holiday time, personal time off, etc.

A: 2080 includes federal holiday and personal time.

Q: Please clarify what “minimum” refers to in the following the sentence: “The Government reserves the right to select a response that provides benefit to the Government that exceeds the minimum.” Is this minimum price?

A: No, this includes all evaluation criteria, not just price.

Q: Please clarify if the 20 page count limit applies only to the technical volume, or if the 20 page limit is inclusive of all sections of the proposal, including key personnel resumes and the 5-page total evaluated price table from the combined synopsis/solicitation notice that is required to be included in the pricing section.

A: The limit is 30- pages and includes proposal and key personnel resumes.