Attachment_3_-_Tech_Questions.pdf

Attachment 3 – Technical questions and answers

1. Between the Synopsis, Attachment 1 – Performance Work Statement, and Attachment 2 –

Pricing Schedule, is there one document that is the highest in priority? Is there one attachment that should be used to guide the desired personnel to complete the Work statement described?

Contractors/Offerors should follow the Statement of Work (SOW).

2. Is it allowable to make changes to the pricing schedule to fully respond to the intent of the RFQ?

If the intent of this question to break down the types of Professional Engineers to clarify and make a distinction, then yes that would be allowable, e.g. civil, electrical, fire, mechanical, structural, etc.. Otherwise, no, do not make changes to the Pricing Schedule.

3. In the solicitation package for VISN 21 – Palo Alto Health Care System, the Price/Cost Schedule

(attachment 2) only lists “Professional Engineer” in its description of service (and travel).

However, in attachment 1 it specifically states, “Therefore, at all times during the execution of the contract unless otherwise directed by the DVA, the Contractor shall provide a full-time

Project Manager for each specific project with the authority to commit resources of the

Contractor’s firm to monitor, manage and administer all phases of the project activities and to help achieve the completion of all pre-solicitation, pre-construction services, and construction activities on all assigned projects subject to this contract. The Contractor shall provide all necessary qualified personnel to perform CM/PM services under this contract.”

a. Is the intent for these to be two different positions?

i. If yes, is the same true at the SNHCS – Reno? No, this can be a dual position on all solicitations as per the SOW (c.f. Section 3.1 – staffing).

ii. If yes, is the expectation of a PM, Cost Manager, Construction Inspector required on all 8 sites in addition to the positions stated in Attachment 2? N/A

See above

1. If No to both are the technical evaluation factors contained in the synopsis, specifically the requirement of a construction inspector, unnecessary? Or is the expectation that the individual(s) listed/submitted are capable of performing all the tasks in both the

Synopsis and Attachment 1? Yes, depending on the expertise, experience, and education in those disciplines.

iii. Stated differently: If not two different positions, should we ignore the requirement in attachment 1 that calls for a “full-time Project Manager”?

(Should we assume that the “full-time Project Manager” is different than the one called out in NCHCS-Sacramento’s Price/Cost Schedule as “Project

Manager/Inspector”? The QTY that was called out in that Price/Cost Schedule is

312 HRs, however the Professional Engineer is listed as 2080 HRs. This seems to conflict with the stated “full-time Project Manager” requirement unless there is a PM position in-addition to each.) See above. All quantities are estimates only and may be subject to change depending on the requirements of the respective

VA facilities.

4. In the Evaluation of Offers section, it articulates “Team must consist of a team member whose expertise is in Building Control System (BAS).” Is this an additional team member to what is called out in the various Price/Cost Schedules – Attachment 2?

It is not anticipated that the VISN 21 facilities requires the services of a team member whose expertise is in Building Control System. If one is required, then a change order process will be initiated.

5. Can we propose the same personnel for different sites? Yes as long as schedules and requirements are met. In the case of professional engineers, they must be licensed in the state in which they work. If a proposer is chosen for two sites that use similar candidates, would a proposer be able to either provide alternate personnel or choose which site to contract with?

Yes

6. Are the positions at each site full-time and continuous? For example, SNHCS – Nevada has an

Energy Analyst and Energy Auditor working 40 HRs each. Does this mean 40 consecutive hours or is this on an as-needed basis? This is an “as-needed basis” depending on the VA and COR requirements. If it is on an as-needed basis, should mobilizations costs be included? Yes, but total travel costs should not exceed the travel costs limit in the solicitation.

7. In Attachment 2 and the amendment to Attachment 2 there are different types of travel allowances. Is there a clear distinction/difference in the UNITs stated? EA, JB, and LT are acronyms that are included as the UNIT, what are the definitions for each? EA = Each, JB = Job, LT = Lot. EA = Each can be item or service in singles times the quantity. Job is a multiple of service (clean all windows – 1 JOB, clean all windows in 5 buildings, 5 JOBs) Lot is a multiple of deliverable items (1 Lot of cleaning supplies – bleach, window cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, etc.)

8. Will onsite personnel have construction trailer accommodations and/or site offices within the building sites? If neither are available, is the contractor expected to provide as a reimbursable expense? Yes, but need to coordinate with local facility COR.

9. Can current/ongoing projects be submitted as documentation of past performance? Yes.

10. Are commissioning services required on each project or only sites where a commissioning position is listed? Correct as per the schedule of values (Price/Cost schedule) for each facility. If one is required later then the change order process will be initiated.

11. Background info:

In the synopsis and under Basis of Past Performance Evaluation, it states: “Offerors shall provide documentation to show that offeror has no more than three serious, or one repeat, or one willful OSHA or EPA violation(s) in the past 3 years and has an Experience Modification Rate (EMR) of equal to or less than 1.0.”

Requiring an EMR of 1.0 for General Contractors is standard in the industry. For

Professional Services (Project Management and Construction Management), however, this an uncommon practice in the state of California, unless an agency, authority, or contracting officer wants to limit small business ability to respond as a prime. This is largely due to the various ways state agencies grant an EMR. An EMR is determined based on workers compensation. Workers'

Compensation insurance is regulated on a State-by-State basis, and so there can be important differences in the way employers handle their Workers' Compensation exposures in various states, and also the minimum thresholds used to grant an EMR. Some states follow the National

Council on Compensation Insurance, or NCCI. NCCI is not a regulatory agency. It is an independent not-for-profit corporation created by the insurance industry to consolidate and standardize the fine details of Workers Compensation insurance premium computation.

Other states, like California, have their own internal system. “California, which is the largest single state market for Workers Compensation insurance, has its own separate rating bureau, the Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California, or WCIRB. This means that all the rules and regulations that govern Workers Compensation insurance classifications, premium computation, and experience rating (or EMR) are set out in manuals from WCIRB, not NCCI. And thus the details about what kinds of work are assigned to which particular classification codes can be different in California. And some of the fine details regarding how experience modification factors are calculated are different also.”

In essence, the threshold to qualify for an EMR is much higher in the state of California than most other states. There are many California small businesses, specifically SDVOSBs, which would qualify for an EMR base rating of 1.0 in another state, that cannot do so in California.

Question:

Due to the VA and PCAC stated desire to increase SDVOSB participation in California, in lieu of an EMR rating, will PCAC and the VA accept a letter from the Workers Compensation

Insurance provider stating that “there has been no claims for the duration of your time” with said provider? In addition, a company could provide documentation demonstrating zero OSHA infractions or violations. Yes. A letter from the Workers Compensation Insurance provider stating that there have been no claims for the duration of your time will be acceptable.