36C77623R0108 0001.docx

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

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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 NUMBERE

D 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 amendmen t, 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) 08-25-2023 36C776 Department of Veterans Affairs Program Contracting Activity Central 6100 Oak Tree Blvd, Suite 490 Independence OH 44131

To all Offerors/Bidders

36C77623R0108 08-17 -2023

X X

The purpose of this amendment is to publish the answers to all questions received in response to this solicitation and the following:

1) Change the NAICS code from 541519 to 541611 at E.1 52.212-1(a) on page 60.

2) Change the naming convention from "Last 4 of SSN (XXX-XX-9999) to a contractor designated, four-digit (last four) employee identification number at 10.7. VHA Onboarding / Offboarding Process on page 17.

3) Change the verbiage from "List of subcontracted services and subcontractors used, along with estimated annual cost of each subcontracted service" to "List of subcontracted services and if subcontractors were used, as well as the percentage of the work and/or identification of the specific capabilities that were subcontracted" at Volume 4 on page 66.

Andrew J. Schoenecker Contracting Officer Solicitation No. 36C77623R0108 Acquisition Support Services Questions/Answers

1. Is there an incumbent contract for this work? If so can you please provide the contract number. Yes. Contract No. VA240C-17-A-0001

2. Will the government clarify the actual proposal due date? Refer to solicitation page 1, Block 8; the due date is September 1, 2023, at 1:00 PM central time.

3. Given the proposal requirements, submission instructions and questions due 8/24 will the government consider a 7-day proposal due date extension? No, VA cannot extend the due date.

4. Can the government confirm that no resumes are required with the initial submission? The government confirms that no resumes are required for initial submission.

5. Will a subcontractor’s past performance be permitted and evaluated? No.

6. Are past performance questionnaires required for contract references if current CPARS are available? See page 66, subfactor 2B of the solicitation.

7. Is the government requesting the offeror to submit Attachment D.7 along with the writeup as part of Volume 4? See page 66, subfactor 2B of the solicitation.

8. Would the government consider increasing the page limit for Volume 2 and 3 above the current 10-page limit? No.

9. I understand the government is requesting five separate volumes, are these included as a single file or five separate files? Five separate files.

10. Are we able to add Cover pages to Volume 1, 4 and 5? If so, do they count against the total 10-page limit? No. See page 67, under proposal summary.

11. Is it permissible to add Table of Contents to all Volume for ease of reference? If so do these pages count against the total 10 Page limit? A Table of Contents is at the discretion of the offeror. Yes, these pages count against the total 10-page limit. Reference Proposal Format on page 65, as well as page 67, under Proposal Summary, for items that count against the page limits.

12. Would the Government consider removing the requirement of the page numbers being sequential across volumes? No. See page 65 of the solicitation.

13. Regarding subfactor 2B, can the vendor submit CPARS in lieu of Attachment D.6? No, refer to page 66 of the solicitation.

14. Can the government clarify what is expected in Volume 2 of the vendor submission? On page 65 of 92, the RFQ specifies only 8 informational items to be included in the Cover Letter. However, the page count for Volume 2 is 10 pages. What else should be included? Refer to page 65 of the solicitation.

15. Will Volume 2 be evaluated? The evaluation criteria in section E.12 52.212-2 makes no mention of Volume 2. No, refer to provision E.12 for evaluation factors and subfactors.

16. Are the cover page & table of contents counted against the page limits? No. See page 67, under Proposal Summary.

17. Is there any possibility of increasing the number of pages for the technical capabilities volume so that vendors can adequately explain their technical and management approach to staffing? Normally, the technical volume has had a 10- or 30-page limit depending on the whether resumes were included. See answer to question 4.

18. Will the response date for RFP_ 36C77623R0108be extended from 1 September to allow addition time for the KO to publish responses to questions? No, VA will not extend the proposal due date to allow additional time to publish responses to questions; posting of responses will not affect the closing date.

19. Please clarify what the KO means by the following.

"(e) Multiple offers. Offerors are encouraged to submit multiple offers presenting alternative terms and conditions, including alternative line items (provided that the alternative line items are consistent with FAR subpart 4.10), or alternative commercial products or commercial services for satisfying the requirements of this solicitation. Each offer submitted will be evaluated separately." This is standard FAR language in the solicitation provisions and contract clauses for FAR 52.212-1; it cannot be tailored. The provision provides an offeror the opportunity to propose multiple offers, which each will be evaluated separately.

20. Considering the page count limit, can vendors omit the cover sheet for volume 2 or 3 if the requisite information is included in the volume or is a cover sheet required? No. See page 65, under proposal summary.

21. Is there any anticipated government directed travel associated with this requirement? No.

22. Will the Government please consider an extension of one week to the proposal due date to allow for adequate time for the VA to provide answers to the Q&A and industry to incorporate these clarifications and potential changes into their proposal? No.

23. In Section 4.1.1 & 4.2.1 (Page 8), will the government accept a bachelor’s degree in lieu of up to 2 years of experience? No, see section 4.1.1 in the solicitation.

24. In Section 4.1.2 (Page 8), will the government accept a FAC-C Level I or FAC-Professional or DAWIA Level I certification in lieu of 1 year of experience? This will enhance industry’s ability to recruit and retain prior Federal employees and Military Veteran to support this effort. No.

25. In Section 4.2.2 (Page 8), will the government accept a FAC-C Level II or FAC-Professional or DAWIA Level II certification in lieu of 2 years of experience? This will enhance industry’s ability to recruit and retain prior Federal employees and Military Veteran to support this effort. No.

26. Attachment D.1. Pricing Schedule, will the Government permit a pricing narrative in PDF or Word format to adjoin the Attachment D.1 Pricing Schedule? This would provide the Government with the methodology and additional evaluation details associated the offered price. The government requires only what is listed in the solicitation, however, an offeror may provide additional information if it does not exceed the 10-page limit.

27. In Section 4.1.1 (Page 8), will the Government please define “comprehensive support services” for the Acquisition Specialist – Junior labor category? Refer to page 6 section 3, Description of Services.

28. In Section 3.4 (Page 6), under this section 3.4, the Government references senior-level requirements, such as “advice”. Under the defined labor categories, Intermediate and Junior Acquisition Specialist, generally do not provide advice to with stakeholders as defined. Will the Government please clarify their expectation of “advice” under this engagement? Refer to page 6 of the solicitation.

29. In Section 3.10 (Page 7), under this section the Government references senior-level requirements, such as “analyzing and evaluating pricing data…”, and “…drafting price reasonableness recommendations.” Under the defined labor categories, Intermediate and Junior Acquisition Specialists, generally do not provide these services. Will the Government please clarify their expectation of these services under this engagement? The expectations are as stated in the solicitation.

30. In Section 3.22 (Page 7), the Government references senior-level requirements, such as “analyzing difficult contracting issues” and “identifying alternative courses of action to satisfy specialized requirements”. Under the defined labor categories, Intermediate and Junior Acquisition Specialists, generally do not provide these services. Will the Government please clarify their expectation of these services under this engagement? The expectations are as stated in the solicitation.

31. Under Section 3.24 (Page 7), the Government references senior-level requirements for an Intermediate-level CS, such as "understanding of cost elements" and "conducting gap analyses." Under the defined labor categories, Intermediate and Junior Acquisition Specialists, generally do not provide these services. Will the Government please clarify their expectation of these services under this engagement? The expectations are as stated in the solicitation.

32. Under Section 4.1 (Page 7), Will the Government accept a signed commitment letter, specifically referencing the contract number and description including the signature from candidate and a company executive included, along with the candidate's current resume for each proposed candidate in lieu of a signed resume? No.

33. Under Section 4.2 (Page 8) Will the Government accept a signed commitment letter, specifically referencing the contract number and description including the signature from candidate and a company executive included, along with the candidate's current resume for each proposed candidate in lieu of a signed resume? No.

34. Under Section 4.1.1 & 4.2.1 (Page 8), Will the Government, after award, agree to case by case exemptions on the requirement for the minimum experience to be 8 years for highly qualified candidates, as this limits a potential candidate pool of seasoned acquisition professionals that would provide an extreme benefit to the VA? No.

35. Under section 4.2.3 (Page 8) the government references that the Intermediate Acquisition Specialists shall clearly possess the knowledge and skills: "Ability to conduct comprehensive research and analysis of technical cost data". Although cost research and analysis is conducted at all levels of acquisition specialist, the PWS wording "comprehensive" aligns more with a Senior Acquisition Specialist. Will the government consider adding a Senior Acquisition Specialist labor category to this requirement or updating the wording to better align with a specialist with 6 years of experience. No.

36. Under section 4.2.3 (Page 8) the government references that the Intermediate Acquisition Specialists shall clearly possess the knowledge and skills: "Ability to read and interpret acquisition policy, regulations, and directives". Although reading and interpreting acquisition policy, policy, and directives" is performed at all levels of acquisition specialist, the comprehension and understanding will vary based on experience garnered through training and working knowledge. What level of comprehension and understanding is the government requiring the Intermediate Acquisition Specialist to have for this "knowledge and skills" based on the 6 years of required experience? Refer to page 8 of the solicitation.

37. Under section 4.2.3 (Page 8) the government references that the Intermediate Acquisition Specialists shall clearly possess the knowledge and skills: "Ability to conduct comprehensive research and analysis of technical price data". Although price research and analysis is conducted at all levels of acquisition specialist, the PWS wording "comprehensive" aligns more with a Senior Acquisition Specialist. Would the government consider adding a senior acquisition specialist to this requirement or updating the wording to better align with a specialist with 6 years of experience? No.

38. Under section 4.2.3 (Page 8) the government references that the Intermediate Acquisition Specialists shall clearly possess the knowledge and skills: "Ability to provide clear leadership, technical direction, and guidance to all lower-level acquisition personnel". With this being a non-personal contract who is the government requesting that the Intermediate Acquisition Specialist Lead? If this knowledge and skills is for leading other contractor personnel on this 50 FTE LOE, this is better associated for a Senior Acquisition Specialist. Will the government consider adding Senior Acquisition Specialist labor category to this requirement or updating the wording better align with a specialist with 6 years of experience? The solicitation states that “the Intermediate Acquisition Specialist shall clearly possess the following knowledge and skills:…ability to provide clear leadership, technical direction, and guidance to all lower-level acquisition personnel.” The government will not consider adding a labor category for Senior Acquisition Specialist.

39. Under Section 5.3.5, In regard to the concurrent out of office requirements (i.e. no more than 1 FTE out of the office simultaneously), based upon the size of the teams, will the Government allow this requirement to be at the COR's discretion? No.

40. In Section 5.3.3 (Page 10), Will the Government allow alternate, flex, and/or compressed work schedules, not to exceed 80 hours in a two week pay period, with the COR's approval? This greatly aids industry in recruitment and retention of highly qualified talent. See section 5.3.3 line 14 – 16.

41. In Section 5.3.6 (Page 11), Will the Government consider defining Surge Support as any time worked in excess of 80 hours in a two week period, in lieu of 40 hours per week? Section 5.3.6 is stated correctly.

42. In Section 9.2.1 (Page 14), Will the Government please clarify what it means by vacancy within the context of 14 calendar day maximum? In other words, does this mean the offeror has submitted a qualified candidate for approval within 14 calendar days? Yes.

43. In Proposal Format 1 (Page 65), Will the Government confirm the Offeror's may include a statement certifying it's SAM.gov Representations and Certifications are current within SAM.gov in lieu of including a copy within Volume I? No.

44. In Attachments D.6 and D.7, Should the Survey be included in the PPQ request to the client or does that get inserted into the proposal by the bidder along with the past performance references? Attachment D.7 can be part of the proposal, or it can be submitted with the PPQ.

45. In Attachments D.6 and D.7, In addition, should each of the client-completed/signed PPQs get inserted into the bidder's proposal? Reference page 66, subfactor 2B.

46. Will there be any travel required (i.e. site surveys for construction projects)? No.

47. In the RFP (Page 10) section PWS 5.3.1, Hours. “The government has defined one (1) full-time equivalent (FTE) employee as 1992 hours annually.” – is this correct or is it meant to be 1912 (to include Juneteenth)? 1,992 is correct, 52 weeks in the year at 40 hours a week equals out to 2,080 hours. There is 11 Federal Holidays (listed under section 5.3.4) which equals out to 88 hours. 2,080 – 88 = 1,992.

48. In the RFP (Page 64) section E.2 Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instruction to Offerors, Incumbent. “the incumbent contractor is The Arcanum Group (TAG).” – Can the Government please provide the incumbent contract number? Contract No. VA240C-17-A-0001

49. In Attachment D.1 section B.2 Price Schedule, Task Orders. Please clarify that the LOE for each pricing period is accurate IAW B.2, and that vendors can anticipate 5 separate Task Orders or “pricing periods.” Yes, the government anticipates five separate task orders based on the availability of funds.

50. Would the Government accept each Volume (1 through 5) to be a separate file or can any of the Volumes be consolidated into one file? Yes, each Volume should be a separate file. No, Volumes cannot be consolidated.

51. On Page 7, Section 4. Requirement Qualifications and Categories. Section 4. lists LCAT requirements as ‘Acquisition Specialist – Junior’ and ‘Acquisition Specialist – Intermediate’ but no Program Management or Supervisory Staff are included. Subfactor 1C (pg 65) requires a response for Management Oversight and supervisory roles. Will LCATs that include supervisory functions or program management be paid under this contract? No.

52. On Page 65, Section Proposal Format. Paragraph 2. states "Proposals shall be no more than 10 pages total for Volumes 2 and 3". Please clarify whether the Government is expecting Vol 2 and Vol 3 to be combined (at a maximum of 10 pages) into 1 file or whether the expectation is that Vol 2 is 10 pages and Vol 3 is 10 pages. Volume 2 and Volume 3 are not combined. Each Volume has a 10-page limit; a 10-page limit for Volume 2 and a 10-page limit for Volume 3.

53. On Page 66, Section Vol 4-Factor 2 Past Performance. Can the Government clarify whether they are expecting an additional write-up for Vol 4 (if so, please confirm the page limit) or is the Government only expecting Attachments D.6 and D.7 to be completed for this volume (per the Volume/Documents Table on page 67-68)? See page 67, Table.

54. On Page 65, Section Vol 4-Factor 2 Past Performance. Can an offeror use a subcontractor's previous/ongoing contracts (references) which are recent and relevant (similar in nature) for a past performance example? See answer to question 5.

55. In Section 2, page 6, RFP States: Contractor personnel will work off-site (virtually /remotely) for one of six (6) VA Network Contracting Offices (NCOs): 9, 10, 12, 15, 16, or 23 (identified in Attachment D.2), the Regional Procurement Office Central (RPOC) office, or for the Program Contracting Activity Central (PCAC) office. Question: Is off-site work only allowed for one location or all six (6) VA Network Contracting Offices, the RPOC office, or for the PCAC office? All work for all sites will be done off-site (virtually/remotely).

56. In Section E.2, Volume 4: Factor 2, Subfactor 2B, Page 66. RFP States: Offerors shall prepare and forward to prior client(s) for submission to the Contracting Office Attachment D.6 – Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) for the projects identified above in the PDF. Question: This time of the fiscal year, Cos and CORs are extremely busy. There is Insufficient time for client to complete and submit a PPQ by proposal due date. Will VHA allow PPQ submittals up to a week after the proposal due date? Yes, PPQs will be accepted up until September 6, 2023, at 3:00 PM central time.

57. In Section E.2, Volume 4: Factor 2, Subfactor 2B. RFP States: It is preferred that these are the same projects for ease of evaluation and comparison. ***PPQs must have been completed be no later than one (1) year prior to the effective date of this action***. Question: If CPARS are available are PPQs required? Yes.

58. In Section E.2, Volume 5: Factor 3, page 67; and B.2 Price Schedule. RFP States: Different hourly rates for each location (the sub-lins (NCO/RPOC/PCAC)) will not be accepted and will make an offer ineligible for award. Question: If hourly rates are to be the same for each location, why does B.2 request hourly rates for each location. Please clarify. Locations designate a Network Contracting Office (NCO), the procurement office where the contractor employee will provide support. The contract line item numbers are structured for each NCO to identify and record the total number of hours for each NCO. Hourly rates are to be the same for all locations (NCOs).

59. In Section E.2, Proposal Summary, page 67. RFP States: Volume Four (4): Past Performance (Attachments D.6 and D.7) Question: Does the government want the offer to include the Attachment D.6 in Volume Four (4) Section 2.B without RESPONDENT INFORMATION [completed by Reference Contact] and non-completed PERFORMANCE INFORMATION – Table 1? Offerors shall prepare and forward to prior client(s) for submission to the Contracting Office Attachment D.6 – Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) for the projects identified above in the PDF.

60. In Section E.2, Content, Volume 1, page 65. RFP States: Completed and signed page 1 of the Solicitation – Standard Form (SF) 1449, all Amendments (SF 30), and Attachment D.3, the completed VAAR Clause 852.219-75. (These documents/pages do not count towards the page limit.) Question: What is the page limit for Volume 1? Reference the Table on page 67 of the solicitation.

61. In Section E.2, Proposal Summary, table, Volume 5: Price Schedule, page 68. RFP States: Attachment D.1: One Excel spreadsheet. Does not count towards the total page limit. Question: What is the page limit for Volume 5? Reference the Table on page 67 of the solicitation.

62. Can you confirm that services may be virtual at all service locations listed in the RFP? See Section B.3 Scope of Work, contractor personnel will work off-site (virtually/remotely)

63. On pages 66-67, one piece of the instructions regarding Past Performance Questionnaires states that “PPQs must have been completed be no later than one (1) year prior to the effective date of this action.” Does this indicate that the government will accept questionnaires provided by offerors’ customers in response to previous RFPs? No.

64. On page 67, it is stated, “Each offeror shall submit their prices on Attachment D.1 – Excel Price Schedule, Tab 1 (LIN Summary).” Please confirm that offerors shall not input any information into the other two tabs of the spreadsheet – “B.2 Price Schedule” and “sublins.” See Section E.2 Volume 5, each offeror shall include their prices on Tab 1 (LIN Summary), as well as the tab titled “B.2 Price Schedule”.

65. Can the government clarify if offerors who are currently supporting the VA on other delivery contracts will be deemed as having an OCI based on a potential award of the Acquisition Support Services contract? The solicitation complies with the Competition in Contracting Act and is a total set-aside for SDVOSBs.

66. For Subfactor 2B on the Proposal Section, Can the contractor submit CPARS in lieu or PPQs (Attachment D-7)? No.

67. Reference: Standard Form 1449 box 10: NAICS 541611 and Section E. 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors (a) NAICS code is 541519. Question: Can the government please confirm what the NAICS code is for this requirement? 541611

68. Reference: Page 64 or 92 – “This is not a new requirement; the incumbent contractor is The Arcanum Group (TAG)” Question: Can the government confirm the incumbent contractor’s name and contract number? The Arcanum Group. VA240C-17-A-0001.

69. Reference: Subfactor 2B: “Offerors shall prepare and forward to prior client(s) for submission to the Contraction Office Attachment D.6 – Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) for the projects identified above…” Question: Are offerors allowed to also include current work for this requirement? Prior or current client(s) are allowed.

70. Reference: Page 9 of 92 – Place of Performance 5.2.2 “Travel to the nearest VA Medical Center is required for on-boarding” Question: Since the personnel will be working off-site/remote, can the government confirm that the specific candidate can visit the nearest facility that is closest to where they reside? See Section 5.2.2 Travel to the nearest VA Medical Center is required. Yes, candidate will go to the nearest VA Medical Center based upon their home of record.

71. Reference: Page 10 of 92 – Schedule Information and Tour of Duty 5.3.1 – “The government has defined one (1) full-time equivalent (FTE) employee as 1,992 hours annually.” Question: The number of hours appears to only reflect the “Holiday” allocated hours and no Paid time Off (PTO). Can the government please confirm if 1,992 is defined as productive hours? Reference question 47.

72. Reference: Page 10 of 92 – Schedule Information of Tour of Duty 5.3.1 – “The government has defined one (1) full-time equivalent (FTE) employee as 1,992 hours annually.” Question: if 1,992 is not formally defined as productive hours can the government please update the definition of one (1) FTE to be 1,912 to minimally account for 80 hours of PTO? No, 1,992 hours is considered to be one (1) full-time equivalent (FTE) employee.

73. Reference: 10.7 VHA Onboarding/Offboarding Process – “All forms and supporting documents shall be in .pdf format and use the naming convention shown in the example below for each file.” Question: The file naming convention reflects that an individual’s last four (4) of their Social Security Number (SSN) be requested. The last four (4) of an individual’s SSN is Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and requires protection and thus, cannot be provided as part of the file naming convention. Can the government please update the naming convention? Yes, a designated employee identification number (last four).

74. Reference: Page 66 of 92 – Volume 3 – Factor 1 Subfactor 1A – Experience and Ability “Provide any experience working with VA systems, IFCAP/VisTA, Electronic Contract management Systems (eCMS), and VA policies.” Question: Will the government consider our experience providing similar systems utilized at other federal government agencies as comparable to these specified VA specific systems? No, these systems are unique to VA; reference E.12 of the solicitation.

75. Reference: Page 66 of 92 – Volume 4: Factor – Past Performance – Subfactor 2A “List of subcontracted services and subcontractors used, along with estimated annual cost of each subcontracted service.” Question: The identification of the name of subcontractors utilized is not relevant to this present solicitation requirement. Can the government please update this requirement to reflect if subcontractors were utilized and just the percentage of the work and/or identification of the specific capabilities that were subcontracted? Yes, the solicitation will be amended to reflect if subcontractors were utilized, as well as the percentage of the work and/or identification of the specific capabilities that were subcontracted.

76. Reference: Page 67 of 92 – Volume 4: Factor – Past Performance – Subfactor 2B “If applicable, include a certification as to whether or not you have ever had a contract terminated for default (cause) and an explanation of the circumstances behind the termination. Question: We have never had a contract terminated and therefor do not have a formal certification declaring this. Is a self-certification and acknowledgement sufficient? Self-certification and acknowledgment are sufficient.

77. Question: Would the government increase the page limit for Volume 3 to ensure offerors have the ability to explain all requested items in the subfactors? No.

78. Question: would the government please allow cover pages and the table of contents for volumes to not be included in the page limit? Cover pages and a Table of Contents is solely at the discretion of the offeror. Reference pages 65 and 67, under Proposal Format and Proposal Summary, for items that count against the page limits.

79. Question: can the government please ensure that all questions provided to the government are responded to? We understand that some may appear to be duplicates between vendors, however this helps ensure all question are accounted for.

Yes, all question and answers, submitted by interested parties, will be published and accessible on https://beta.sam.gov/.

80. Question: Can the government please provide all updated in red or highlighted font within the amended solicitation to clearly demonstrate the exact changes made? Yes.

81. Question: In order to effectively respond to the solicitation, can the government please provide a one-week extension once the Q/As are posted? No.

82. Reference: Page 64 of 92 – Submission of Proposals “Offers/Proposals shall be submitted electronically via email and received no later that 1:00 p.m., Central Time (CT), Friday, September 1, 2023. Offers received after this time will not be considered for award. All proposals shall be submitted via email directly to Lenny.Flagg@va.gov and Andrew.Schoenecker@va.gov. Proposals received via Facsimile (fax), U.S. Mail, FedEx or UPS will not be accepted.” Question: Can the deadline be extended for the Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQs)? Many Contracting Officers are out of the office due to the end of the summer holidays. Yes, PPQs will be accepted until September 6, 2023, at 3:00 PM central time.

83. Question: Per the formal recommendation through the “Guidance for CPARS” manual, in addition to lessen the burden on Offerors’ clients, will the Government consider “not requiring” Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQs) for those contracts that have a recent Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS)? In essence, will the Government accept a CPARs in lieu of a PPQ? No.

84. Will the VA CO be providing Word templates for the following Attachments: Attachment D3 – 852.219-75 VA Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting – Certificate of Compliance for Services and Construction. Attachment D4-NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT AND STATEMETN OF FINANCIAL INTEREST Description: NCO/PCAC Acquisition Support Services, Attachment D5 – Contractor Rules of Behavior? Attachments (Word templates) D.3, D.4, and D.5 can be found on www.SAM.gov, where the solicitation is posted.

85. With the amount of information to be submitted to the VA associated with this proposal, we respectfully request an extension of two weeks to the due date (September 15, 2023). No, VA cannot extend the due date.

86. Offeror shall submit no more than three (3) previous/ongoing contracts (references) which are recent and relevant (similar in nature). Recent is defined as contracts/projects within the last for (4) years. If a team member of an Offeror has relevant experience/Past Performance to submit, is this experience in addition to the three projects submitted by the Offeror or are they to be counted with the Offeror’s experience? Offerors shall submit no more than three (3) previous/ongoing contracts (references) which are recent and relevant (similar in nature). It is counted with the offeror’s experience.

87. E.2 Instructions, Subfactor 2B states that Attachment D.7 is optional and should be completed and submitted by Offerors. Is Attachment D.7 in addition to the past performance requirement in Subfactor 2A? If so, is Attachment D.7 excluded from the 10 page limit Factors 2 and 3? No, Attachment D.7 is not in addition to the past performance requirement in Subfactor 2A; the contracts can be the same. Attachment D.7 is excluded from the 10-page limit.

88. E.12 Evaluation Criteria states that Attachment D.7 will be used for evaluation, and that D.7 is to be completed by the Offeror’s references. Are we required to send both D.6 and D.7 to references? This appears to conflict with the instructions provided in E.2. Attachment D.7 – Past Performance Relevancy Survey can be completed and submitted by the offeror or by a prior client(s).

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