Amendment_01_2018.02.10.pdf

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:

(a) By completing items 8 and 15, and returning 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 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.

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Previous edition unusable

Terrance Cowley. Contracting Officer

Solicitation 47PG0118R0007 for Administrative and Professional Support Services in Region 6 is amended as follows:

1. Attached are the questions and answers received by the deadline of 2:00 p.m. CST, February 5, 2018.

2. Page 23 of the solicitation, the Word Processor II position description, is hereby deleted from the solicitation.

3. Pages 99-100 of the solicitation, Factor 2: Work Experience, is replaced with the attached Factor 2: Work Experience.

4. An updated Section B - Contractor Bid Sheets is attached, and shall be used for submission of proposals.

5. A signed copy of Amendment 01 must be returned with the proposal.

6. All other terms, conditions, and requirements of the solicitation remain unchanged.

General Services Administration Services Acquisition Branch Two Pershing Square 2300 Main Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64108

See Block 6

47PG0118R0007

02/10/2018

02/10/2018

47PG0118R0007

Administrative and Professional Support

Questions and Answers

Q1: Please provide the specific U.S. General Services Administration | Public Buildings Service submission requirements for this solicitation as it was not clearly detailed in the documents received.

A1: Please see Section L and Section M of the solicitation.

Q2: Can this requirement be facilitated as an SBA 8 (A) Set-Aside?

A2: This solicitation is for a HUBZone set-aside and is not being entered into the SBA 8(a) program

Q3: Can this requirement be facilitated on the GSA PSS (MOBIS) 874-1 SIN Schedule as a Small Business 8(a) Set-Aside?

A3: This procurement is not being procured under any schedule or as a small business 8(a) set-aside

Q4:If so, will the Government add this contract vehicle to allow small businesses an adequate opportunity to compete and support this requirement?

A4: See A3

Q5: Does the U.S. General Services Administration | Public Buildings Service have the requisition in-house for this solicitation (47PG0118R0007)?

A5: The request for this procurement is coming from PBS Region 6 and it’s customers.

Q6: Is this the first issue of this solicitation - Is this a re-compete of an existing U.S. General Services Administration | Public Buildings Service requirement or a new requirement?

A6: This solicitation is for a “re-compete” of an existing Administrative and Professional Support contract.

Q7: Can you advise on if there were/are an incumbent provider(s) for these services? If Yes – Who is/are the incumbent(s) and can you provide previous contract number?

A7: Yes, One Federal Solution; Contract #GS-06P-12-GX-D-0017

Q8: If there is an incumbent, is there a reason the known incumbent may be precluded from bidding on this new or existing requirement?

A8: The Government is not aware nor will speculate on whether the incumbent contractor will compete for this solicitation.

Q9: Is this requirement part of a Multiple Award Schedule/Contract or is it a Single Award Schedule/Contract?

A9: Single Award (see Section C.1, Section L.4, and Section M.2 of the solicitation)

Q10: Has U.S. General Services Administration | Public Buildings Service held preliminary meetings with specific contractors interested in responding to this solicitation?

A10: No preliminary meetings have been held with any market participants.

Q11: Is it estimated that full funding exists for this solicitation? If so, is there an intended funding threshold and what is the minimum for this threshold?

A11: Funding is based on Government needs and appropriations each fiscal year. There is no guarantee of funding under this award and the Government reserves the right to order some, all, or none of the positions listed in the solicitation. As a labor hour contract the Government has established a ceiling price but there is no guaranteed minimum price to the successful awardee.

Q12: Is this requirement on schedule to execute a contract with the selected vendor doing the current fiscal period?

A12: It is expected a new award will be made during the 2018 Fiscal Year.

Q13: Is there a prescribed procedure for technical evaluation of this solicitation? If so, can you describe procedures?

A13: See Section M of the Solicitation.

Q14: We are on the GSA MOBIS Schedule - 00CORP with a SIN 874-1. Does this exclude our company from bidding, or are we eligible to submit a proposal?

A14: General Services Administration, Public Buildings Service - Region 6 is not specifically prohibiting companies currently on a schedule from submitting a proposal; however, there is not a requirement to be on a “schedule” to compete for this award.

Q15: Is the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA) Wage Determination in force with this RFQ? If so, can you advise a) What SCA/Wage numbers are applicable? and b) What City and State SCA Wage Determination takes precedence?

A15: The Service Contract Act is applicable and the Wage Determinations have been provided in the solicitation. See Section B, Section C, and Section J of the solicitation.

Q16: Does this requirement stipulate that the proposed bidder must hold an active Form DD254 Facility Clearance "PRIOR TO BEING AWARDED” this contract?

A16: No.

Q17: If an active Form DD254 Facility Clearance is required will arrangements be made to assist and provide adequate time to process the required paperwork or are bidders without DD254 Facility Clearance not advised to participate?

A17: No DD254 is required under this solicitation.

Q18: For areas where strict requirements exist related to this 47PG0118R0007 Region 6 - Administrative and Professional Support Solicitation that an active Secret Facility Clearance in the Industrial Security Facilities Database (ISFD) is needed to meet Secret Facility Clearance Requirements stated throughout the solicitation and Performance Work Statement (PWS); would the government accept a Contractor Teaming Agreements (CTA) under The GSA Construct that fulfills Past Performance requirements?

A18: No such strict requirement exists under this solicitation.

Q19: For areas where strict requirements exist for the number and types of past performance as a PRIME Vendor; would the government accept a Contractor Teaming Agreements (CTA) under The GSA Construct that fulfills Past Performance requirements?

A19: See solicitation Section M.3 - Technical Proposals, Factor 3

Q20: Can you assist us by sending a copy of the solicitation, as we have had difficulty downloading the documents?

A20: The solicitation and all required documents are available for download at https://www.fbo.gov/

Q21: Section M.4 states “a price preference of 0.5% will be applied by the Government to the total evaluated price for those entities which can identify as either a Woman Owned/Economically Disadvantaged Woman Owned Small Business or Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business. For those entities which can identify as both WOSB/EDWOSB and a SDVOSB a price preference of 1.0% will be applied by the Government to the total evaluated price.” The solicitation is a HUBZone set aside. Is the government seeking a HUBZone certified SB but will provide a price preference for those who are also WOSB/EDWOSB and/or SDVOSB?

A21: Yes, this solicitation is set-aside for HUBZone certified entities; however, if an offeror can qualify as a WOSB/EDWOSB and/or an SDVOSB then they will receive a price preference on their total evaluated price.

Q22: Section M.3 Subfactor 2: Work Experience indicates the contractor must submit at least one Prime contract with at least 10 concurrent administrative or professional type positions. We have multiple Prime IDIQ/GWAC contracts. Will the Government consider the total amount of all task orders under one of these contracts to meet this requirement? Alternatively, will the Government consider a Prime contract submittal that has less than 10 concurrent positions provided the offeror also submit at least one subcontract past performance that exceeds the required 10 positions?

A22: Offerors must submit work experience in accordance with Section M of the solicitation.

The government will accept the work experience if the submission comes from one (1) base contract and meets the minimum of 10 concurrent positions within a one (1) year period. If this is the case, the prior experience shall clearly specify the details of the work experience being submitted.

Q23: The Government has not requested a Phase-In plan in the solicitation. Should this be included as part of the proposal?

A23: A phase-in plan is not required by the Government and will not be evaluated if submitted with your proposal.

Q24: What is the current contract number and award amount?

A24: Contract #GS-06P-12-GX-D-0017; the approximate value is $13,000,000

Q25: Are there any incumbent employees currently performing?

A25: Yes, see Exhibit #2 of the solicitation

Q26: If yes, how many?

A26: See Exhibit #2 of the solicitation

Q27: Would incumbent employees have 1st right of refusal under this opportunity?

A27: Yes, the solicitation includes FAR 52.222-17.

Q28: What are the Labor Categories we are pricing for Topeka, KS?

A28: Topeka, KS has one position covered by the SCLS, the Administrative Assistant position, and one professional position, Project Manager/Construction. Please see Section C of the solicitation of appropriate SCLS position classifications. Please see Section B - Contractor Bid Sheets excel file for positions identified at each geographic location.

Q29: What is the project award date?

A29: We expect to make award on or before March 31, 2018.

Q30: How long will the transition period be: 30 or 45 days?

A30: We hope to provide at least a 30 day transition period.

Q31: During the transition period, will the services of the Project Manager be billable to GSA?

A31: No, the Project Manager will not be billable to GSA.

Q32: Parking in the St. Louis, Mo and Kansas City areas can be expensive. How is parking currently being paid, by employee or current contractor?

A32: In the event of parking costs, parking costs are the responsibility of the contract employee.

Q33: Please state the reason(s) for the protest of the previous award and the current status of the protest for solicitation 47PG0118R0002 which was awarded to TeleSolv Consulting, 1325 18 th Street NW, Suite 204 Washington DC 20036.

A33: The protest of solicitation 47PG0118R0002 has been dismissed by GAO. Please see GAO documents relating to the nature of the protest and final disposition.

Q34: Will TeleSolv Consulting, 1325 18 th Street NW, Suite 204 Washington DC 20036 still be allowed to bid on SOLICITATION NUMBER: 47PG0118R0007: Administrative Support Services?

A34: The Government is not excluding any qualifying entity from proposing on this solicitation.

Q35: Can you identify which positions currently offer 401K?

A35: Compensation packages are provided by One Federal Solution, please contact OFS. Note, they are under no obligation to disclose their compensation plan(s).

Q36: Can you identify which positions offer full medical and dental benefits, if not all?

A36: Compensation packages are provided by One Federal Solution, please contact OFS. Note, they are under no obligation to disclose their compensation plan(s).

Q37: Can SECTION K - Representations, Certifications and Other Statements of Offerors be provided as a Word document, or at least as an editable document?

A37: Yes, the Government can provide a Word document copy of Section K. It will be submitted with Amendment 01.

Q38: Will the Government accept the work experience of any member of the Joint Venture?

A38:Yes, for Joint Ventures the Government will accept work experience from either member of the joint venture, or the joint venture itself. This is in accordance with 13 CFR 126.616(f).

Q39: Will the Government accept the personal experience of the CEO/President of the Prime HUBZone company when the new HUBZone company does not have a relevant past performance meeting the requirement contract/project for at least 10 concurrent administrative or professional type positions and these positions were ordered for at least one (1) year. The Government often accepts the personal experience of the CEO/President of new Prime contractors, especially with small, “underprivileged” or “underutilized” businesses holding certifications like SDVOSB for instance, in order to mitigate performance risk of new contractors, particularly when the NAICS code requires a size standard so small, such as the $7.5 standard for this solicitation. Often only new companies, with minimal past performance for the new company, can meet this small of a size standard.

A39: No, the Government will not accept the past experience of the CEO/President to meet the past performance requirement of the solicitation.

Q40: Pricing Bid sheets. On the Tab “Read First” the cells in Column B are blocked and only display a rounded up number. This would indicate a higher than actual percentage for FICA, FUTA, and SUTA. For Example – a value of 7.65% is displayed as 8%. Would the Government unblock the column B cells to allow a number the real numbers to be inserted?

A40: Thank you for identifying this issue. Those cells are rounding improperly. An amended spreadsheet will be released with Amendment 01 rectifying this issue.

Q41: If Past Performance Questionnaires were submitted for the previous solicitation, do they need to be resubmitted? We would recommend, for a variety or reasons, that the government accept questionnaires it received for the prior solicitation if instructed to do so by bidders.

A41: Past performance questionnaires will need to be submitted for this solicitation. Past performance questionnaires submitted under the previous solicitation will not count as submitted past performance for this solicitation. The same past performance references used under the previous solicitation may be submitted for this solicitation. The past performance questionnaire has been updated for this solicitation and requests new information.

Q42: When pricing the base and option periods, SCLS Positions shall be priced without escalation and non- SCLS positions can be priced with escalation?

A42: Yes, SCLS shall be priced without escalation and non-SCLS (Professional) positions may be priced with escalation. See solicitation page 6.

Q43: States that “all of Section K” must be submitted with the proposal. If offerors have updated their SAM record, can they provide a statement that it is updated in SAM or must offerors provide a full download of their SAM record?

A43: Offerors may submit a statement that their SAM record has been updated.

Q44: States “In addition, a copy of the executed teaming arrangement agreement must be submitted prior to award”, does this mean that a copy of the teaming agreement must be included with the proposal submission? If yes, should it go in the technical or price volume?

A44: The one page document shall be submitted as part of the proposal with the price volume.

See Solicitation Section L.7.

Q45: States the government will rank proposals by lowest to highest price (which means price will be evaluated first) and then the technical proposals will be evaluated – is this the correct interpretation?

A45: Yes, this is the correct interpretation. See Solicitation Section M.2.

Q46: Since GSA is asking for similar past performance references and the labor categories are of a varied nature (most considered professional) and states “the government reserves the right to order classifications later, can offerors use the OPM position groups and families Series 300 as a guide for determining similar scope?

A46: Yes, use of the OPM position groups and families Series 300 would be an acceptable method for determining similar scope.

Q47: The Budget Analyst is not identified as a professional labor category. The government references that the equivalent SCLS position is an Accounting Clerk III. Can the government clarify if this position is subject to the SCA as it is also not listed on the included wage determinations or change the labor category description to Accounting Clerk rather than Budget Analyst?

A47: The solicitation identifies the Budget Analyst as an SCLS covered position and identifies the SCLS position classification for the position. It is not required that the position title match the position classification title.

Q48: This Section requests a Project Manager to manage the contract. Is this the same labor category identified in the Attached Price Worksheet entitled “Project Manager/Construction” or is this a separate labor category? Also, the 2 nd paragraph states this position will not be direct charged to the contract even though they will be onsite full-time. If the position is full-time on site, why is this not a direct billed position rather than the contractor included it in overhead and “priced into the proposed prices for each position? Can this be modified?

A48: The on-site Project Manager is not the same labor category identified in the attached price worksheet. This is a separate position required by the contract and with a position description identified in Section C.7 and requirements for a qualifying Project Manager identified in Section M.3. The Government will not modify the requirement that this position be included in overhead.

Q49: If the PM is required to carry a mobile device and be available after normal business hours, can this be added as an other direct cost to the contract? How should contractors add this into the price worksheet? Or will this be a GFE item to the PM as described in Section C.10?

A49: The Government will not furnish the PM a mobile device. All PM pricing shall be included in the offerors overhead.

Q50: If a contractor and subcontractor have different time keeping systems (i.e., ADP and Paychex) but they meet the requirements listed therein, is that sufficient to meet the statement “the contractor and subcontractor(s) must employ the same time keeping system proposed herein”?

A50: No, the contractor and subcontractor must employ the same timekeeping system under this contract. See Solicitation Section C.9.

Q51: Since the PM is not authorized to use a GOV, what other position(s) may be required to operate a GOV where it is necessary for the contractor to provide automobile liability insurance?

Can this requirement be removed from the solicitation?

A51: It may be necessary for contract employees to travel on Government related business (ex.

Training, in-person meetings, etc.). As such, the Offeror must provide insurance in accordance with the Solicitation Section C.10

Q52: What labor categories are considered “supervisory” besides the PM that must meet these experience qualifications?

A52: All currently orderable positions are identified in Section C of the solicitation. Each position description in Section C lists the required experience for that position. The Project Manager (Section C.7) is the only person(s) which must meet the supervisory experience requirement of Section C.16.

Q53: The Word Processor II labor category is not listed in the Price Worksheet. Can the government update the Attachment with this position?

A53: Thank you for identifying this discrepancy. The Government has removed the Word Processor II PD from the solicitation -- see updated page 23 of the solicitation.

Q54: Travel is mentioned that it may occur during the contract period, yet a Travel CLIN is not listed on the price worksheet. Will the government modify the worksheets to add travel as an

ODC?

A54: See Section C.11 of the solicitation for an explanation of how travel costs will be covered.

Q55: What is the guaranteed minimum IDIQ contract amount and what is the maximum IDIQ contract amount?

A55: There is no guaranteed minimum under this IDIQ. There is a contract ceiling price of $12,000,000.

Q56: If only one past performance reference requires a minimum of 10 employees, can the government change this form to remove this statement “number of employees under project (minimum of 10)”? Or is the government looking for 2 past performance references with a total of 10 employees each – for a total of 20 employees?

A56: Each contract/project submitted for Past Performance must have a minimum of 10 employees operating under that contract/project. See Section M.3, Factor 3 of the solicitation.

Q57: Would the government consider revising the Price Worksheet to add CLINS (designated only for incumbents) or add various levels for specific labor categories (Levels III, IV, V) to allow for incumbent capture with more years of experience (10+ years of experience)? This will allow offerors to vary their price proposals for more years of experience while also providing the government the best value pricing for non incumbent employees. As is offerors will have to increase their rates to potentially capture long-term incumbent employees since only one CLIN is available.

A57: The Government requests each position classification to be proposed at equal rates of pay regardless of the incumbent employee’s time-in-position. In the case of SCLS covered positions, these wages are tied to the applicable Wage Determination. For professional positions, the wages are to be identified by the offeror in their price proposal.

Q58: Would the government consider making this a multiple award procurement?

A58: The Government intends to make a single award for this solicitation.

Q59: Statement “Technical and past performance, when combined, are significantly less important than price”. Does this mean that all the technical factors (1-5) are less important than price since past performance falls in the technical factor? Are all the subfactors under Technical equal?

A59: As this is a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) procurement, price is identified as more important than technical factors. All technical factors are rated as GO/NO-GO, and are not rated by “points.” See Section M of the solicitation.

Q60: Does this mean that the government will only evaluate a portion of the price proposal first (i.e., bid sheets) without reviewing the other portions of the price volume? At what point will the other price volume contents be evaluated (besides the professional compensation plan (step 3) which is after the technical proposals (step 2)?

A60: The Government will evaluate the total evaluated price for all Options and all geographic locations to establish offerors prices from lowest to highest. The remaining portions of the price volume, excluding the professional compensation plan, will be reviewed for completeness before an award decision is reached, but will only be examined for the lowest price technically acceptable proposal identified by the SSEB.

Q61: Section M.4 states a price preference will be applied to WO/EDWOSB and/or SDVOSB of .5% and 1%. Does this mean that their prices will be reduced by those percentage points? If not, this will make their proposal prices higher than the other vendors.

A61: A price preference will be applied to offerors total evaluated price who qualify as a WO/EDWOSB and/or SDVOSB. This total evaluated price after price preference adjustment will then be used to establish the offerors rankings from lowest priced to highest priced. See Section M.2 and M.4 of the solicitation.

Q62: Is the professional compensation plan being rated on a different scale other than go/no go?

This Section states “…to ensure plan meets, or exceeds, the minimum requirements established in B.4…”.

A62: Failure to provide professional compensation in accordance with, at least, the minimum requirements established in Section B.4 will allow the Government to determine the proposal as non-responsive to the solicitation, and the proposal will received no further consideration.

Q63: Offeror requests that the PM’s resume be excluded from the 6-page count for this factor.

A63: This PM’s resume will count towards the 6-page count for this factor.

Q64: Section M.2 Evaluating Proposals (Factors 1-4). By having these factors as go/no go, it appears that the government has taken away the subjectivity therein losing the ability to differentiate between responses and meeting government requirements. Would the government be better served by making the evaluation criteria best value therefore offerors can be rated on the merit of their proposals rather than just providing the required information? Would the government consider making this a best value procurement (rather than LPTA)? This would decrease the likelihood of a protest wherein the offeror states the provided the information was included and the government has rated it as a “no go”.

A64: The Government intends to award this contract using an LPTA procurement process.

Q65: Section M.3 Technical Proposals Factor 2. Is the government asking for “10 concurrent administrative or professional type positions” on the same contract or on multiple contracts? If the offeror has a contract period of performance for one year does that satisfy the requirement of “ordered for at least one year”? Would the government consider lowering this requirement to 5 or 8 concurrent positions?

A65: For Work Experience and Past Performance to be considered a “similar service” each contract/project must have had 10 concurrent administrative or professional type positions ordered under that contract/project. These positions must have been ordered for at least one year under the contract/project. The Government will not lower this requirement. See Section M.3, Factor 2 and Factor 3 of the solicitation.

Q66: Section M.3 Technical Proposals Factor 2. Would the government consider revising this section to allow for subcontract work to be included rather than only allowing for prime work?

A66: No. However, if the offeror is a registered Joint Venture, the Government will accept work experience from either member of the joint venture, or the joint venture itself. This is in accordance with 13 CFR 126.616(f).

Q67: If an offeror can only meet the past performance requirement with one past performance reference and submits a letter stating they do not have relevant past performance, will their proposal still be considered a “Go”?

A67: Yes, so long as they offeror submits a letter in accordance with Section M.3, Factor 3.

Q68: Factor 1 is evaluating the PM’s experience and qualifications relative to employee recruitment, development of questions for interviews and experience with the interview process.

Factor 4 considers approach to recruiting for qualified personnel and evaluation of potential personnel working under the contract. How are these two different and what is the government looking for in each since it appears to be asking the same thing?

A68: Please see the description for each factor and the standard for evaluation under the solicitation Section M.

Q69: Can the government increase this page count to allow for images and samples in addition to text content describing technical suitability? The timesheet alone may take up one whole page.

A69: The sample timesheet will be excluded from the page count.

Q70: If offerors are not providing overtime rates, how will they be evaluated? Solicitation reads “Overtime rates will not be included in the total evaluated bid price; however, they will be evaluated for completeness and reasonableness.”

A70: An offeror who does not complete Section B - Contractor Bid Sheets in their entirety will have their proposal deemed non-responsive to the solicitation and their proposal will receive no further consideration. The Government seldomly utilizes these Overtime rates, however, they will be reviewed for reasonableness before being awarded. See Sections B.3 and L.2 of the solicitation.

Q71: If the government performs a price realism on one proposal will it perform it on all? Is a price realism analysis counterintuitive in a LPTA environment?

A71: At the Government’s discretion, a price realism analysis will only be conducted on the proposal the SSEB deems lowest price technically acceptable. The Government reserves the right to conduct a price realism analysis, but is not required to do so.

Q72: If offerors don’t meet the SCLA wage rates, then they are not responsive to the solicitation requirements and can be excluded from competition.

A72: That is correct. See Section B.3 of the solicitation.

Q73: Will the government consider removing the price breakout (taxes, G&A, overhead, profit, etc.) and revising the bid sheet on the non SCLA positions since they are professional and only require this level of detail for the SCLA positions to determine if they meet the SCLA requirements?

A73: The Government will not make this adjustment to the required bid sheet.

Q74: Section M.3 Technical Proposals Factor 2. Is the government asking for “10 concurrent administrative or professional type positions” on the same contract or on multiple contracts? If the offeror has a contract period of performance for one year does that satisfy the requirement of “ordered for at least one year”? Would the government consider lowering this requirement to 6 concurrent positions?

A74: See Answer 65 (above).

Q75: Section M.3 Technical Proposals Factor 2. Would the government consider revising this section to allow for subcontract work to be included rather than only allowing for prime work?

A75: See Answer 66 (above).

Q76: Section M.3 Factor 3 (last paragraph). If an offeror can only meet the past performance requirement with one past performance reference and submits a letter stating they do not have relevant past performance, will their proposal still be considered?

A76: Yes, so long as both the letter and the one past performance reference are submitted.

Q77: Section M.3 Factor 3 (last paragraph). Will an offeror with no relevant past performance receive a “go” rating since they “will not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance” since there is no “neutral” rating criteria if they submit a letter indicating so?

A77: An offeror with no relevant past performance who complies with the requirements of Section M.3, Factor 3 will receive a “go” rating.

Q78: Section M.3 Factor 3 (last paragraph). If a vendor indicates they have no relevant past performance, but inquiries into PPIRS indicates they have some past performance, will that past performance be used, or will the government only utilize the PPQ or vendor letter?

A78: The Government will review PPIRS as part of the overall responsibility determination of the apparent successful awardee. This is a standard practice for GSA and assists in determining an offeror to be responsible.

Q79: If offerors are not providing overtime rates, how will they be evaluated? Solicitation reads “Overtime rates will not be included in the total evaluated bid price; however, they will be evaluated for completeness and reasonableness.”

A79: See Answer 70 (above).

Q80: If the government performs a price realism on one proposal will it perform it on all? Is a price realism analysis counterintuitive in a LPTA environment?

A80: See Answer 71 (above)

Q81: If offerors don’t meet the SCLA wage rates, then they are not responsive to the solicitation requirements and can be excluded from competition.

A81: See Answer 72 (above)

Q82: B.5 – Pricing of Option Periods. When pricing the base and option periods, SCLS Positions shall be priced without escalation. Five years is a long time to perform without a increase to rates especially if there is a “Wage Change” published. Can this statement be modified?

A82: The statement “priced without escalation” refers to the base wage rate and health and welfare rate for SCLS covered positions. It is acceptable for an offeror to propose an increase in the other rates (ex. G&A/OH/Profit). However, a change in the wage rate or health and welfare rate due to a wage determination update does not allow a vendor to propose a change in the G&A/OH/Vacation/Sick.

Q83: B.7 – General & Administrative, Overhead, and Profit. While offerors are not prohibited from proposing an initial escalation in these fixed amounts (i.e. an increase from the Base Period to Option Period I to Option Period II, etc), the Government will not adjust these fixed dollar amounts upwards or downwards in the event of a price escalation in accordance with FAR 52.222-43(e). The proposed dollar amounts for these costs will remain fixed for the duration of the contract. Since pricing is controlled by the spreadsheets, and the award is LPTA, there may be difficulty in retention of employees if there are no price increases allowed for the full duration of the contract. Can this statement be modified.?

A83: This statement will not be modified.

Q84: C.7 – Project Manager Supervision. The Contractor shall provide full time on-site supervision to assure conformance with the contract requirements. Not less than one (1) person shall fulfill this role, and will be referred to as the Project Manager of the contract. The Project Manager shall be on site at the GSA Region 6 PBS Headquarters location at all times when the contract work is in progress. Which site is considered the GSA Region 6 PBS Headquarters?

Can the Project Manager sit at any one of the five sites?

A84: The Regional Office is located at 2300 Main Street, Kansas City, MO. The Project Manager shall be located at this address.

Q85: C.7 – Project Manager Supervision. Full time cost of 2080 for the PM should be spread across five sites and the cost of his/her travel – correct?

A85: Correct, offerors should spread the cost of the PM and their travel across all geographic locations.

Q86: C.9 - Timesheets and Timekeeping. Does the subcontractor have to share use of the “same” Prime Contractors timesheet or both use the same type?

A86: See Answer 50 (above)

Q87: F.2 Term of Contract. With an expected contract start date of May 1, 2018, when do you anticipate notification of award?

A87: We anticipate notification of award to be issued no later than April 1, 2018.

Q88: G.4.2 - Regional Office Visits. The contractor’s home office shall coordinate visits/conferences to the GSA Regional Office to meet with the Contracting team on an as needed basis. There will be no additional compensation and the Government will not pay for these as needed trip(s). This will ensure open communication and dialogue between the parties throughout the life of the contract. Historically how many such trips have been needed during the year and which GSA Regional Office?

A88: The GSA Regional Office is located at 2300 Main Street, Kansas City, MO and trips may average 2-3 times per year.

Q89: H.13 - Phase In/Phase Out. Are all incumbent personnel considered employable by new contractor? Are there any current vacancies?

A89: All incumbent personnel are considered employable by new contractor. For current vacancies see Exhibit 2 of the solicitation.

Q90: L.2 Submission of Proposals. Can a updated SAM Record be utilized instead?

A90: No, an updated SAM Record cannot be utilized instead.

Q91: M.4 – Price Proposal. A price preference of 0.5% will be applied by the Government to the total evaluated price for those entities which can identify as either a Woman Owned/Economically Disadvantaged Woman Owned Small Business or Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business. For those entities which can identify as both a WOSB/EDWOSB and a SDVOSB a price preference of 1.0% will be applied by the Government to the total evaluated price. The Prime Contractor must be registered in SAM as each of the above Socio-Economic statuses at time of proposal submission to receive the price evaluation preference. Does this mean, for example, a company who identifies as WO/EDWOSB pricing can be up to .5% higher than the non-WO/EDWOSB and be considered as the LPTA?

A91: It is possible for a proposed price to be deemed lower than other prices based on the application of the price preference.

Q92: M.4 – Price Proposal. Shouldn’t the “reasonableness” of OT be based on 1.5 X the non-OT rates?

A92: Offerors should propose overtime rates in accordance with their pricing strategy; however, overtime rates must comply with all federal wage rules and regulations (ex. Department of Labor overtime regulations). Any proposal that does not comply with federal rules and regulations regarding overtime by under-proposing these rates will be deemed unreasonable.

Q93: Factor 5: Automated Web-Based Timekeeping System (GO/NO-GO). Does this timekeeping currently exist with a non-government furnished system with web-based access?

How can an offeror receive a “Go” when they do not currently have such system onsite?

A93: An offeror must propose and use a timekeeping system in accordance with the solicitation to receive a “GO” rating. The timekeeping system does not currently exist with a non-government furnished system with web-based access.

Q94: Can the government extend the due date for proposal submission.

A94: No, the Government will not extend the due date at this time.

Q95: Factor 3: Past Performance (GO/NO-GO). Can the Prime Contractor and Subcontractor submit two Past Performance together totaling 10 concurrent work type?.

A95: Each past performance submitted must have at least 10 concurrent positions ordered. So, the minimum total concurrent positions ordered identified for past performance review is 20 (10 per Past Performance submission).

Q96: B.5 - Pricing of Option Periods. When pricing the base and option periods, SCLS Positions shall be priced without escalation. SCLS Positions shall be priced in accordance with the prevailing wage rates in the respective wage determination for each location. Offerors shall base their prices for the Base Year and all four (4) Option years off the wage rate provided with the solicitation and any applicable solicitation amendments, and then include applicable payroll taxes, profit, overhead, G&A, and any other expenses.

In the event the option(s) is exercised by the Government, the contract price(s) can be adjusted upward or downward at the time the option is exercised in accordance with the clause entitled "52.222-43 Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Labor Standards Act - Price Adjustment (Multiple Year and Option Contracts)".

If rates go downward rather than updaward when options are exercised employee retention may be impacted. Can this paragraph be restated?

A96: This paragraph will not be modified at this time.

Q97: L.2 Submission of Proposals. Price consists of 7 components, how can anyone be evaluated as “Go-No Go”?

A97: The Technical Factors identified in Section M.1 and M.3 are evaluated on a Go/NO-GO basis. The price proposal is not evaluated as GO/NO-GO.

Q98: Where can the compensation plan as it relates to pricing take into consideration employees who have performed 10+ years to reasonably accommodate them for continued service?

A98: The structure and submission of the professional compensation plan is the discretion of the Offeror. The Government has identified the minimum requirements for fringe/compensation benefits in Section B.4 of the solicitation.

Q99: Would GSA consider an extension to the RFP Due Date?

A99: No, an extension to the RFP due date will not be granted at this time.

Q100: Past Performance. Can an offeror receive a “Neutral” rating for Past Performance if they have no relevant experience and submit a letter stating such with the proposal submission?

A100: An offeror can receive a “neutral”, in this case a “GO” rating if they comply with the requirements identified in Section M.3, Factor 3 of the solicitation.

Q101: Past Performance. What type rating will an offeror receive if they submit a letter stating they have relevant experience but it is not the requested 10?

A101: If past performance does not meet the requirements of Section M.3, Factor 3 then it is not qualifying past performance. Offerors must comply with the requirements identified in Section M.3, Factor 3 of the solicitation to receive a GO rating.

Q102: C.7 - Project Manager(s)/Supervision. Can this individual labor category be changed from Project Manager to Program Manager throughout so as not to be confused with onsite construction Project Managers?

A102: The solicitation will not be changed at this time.

Q103: Factor 5: Automated Web-Based Timekeeping System (GO/NO-GO). Since this is a non-personal services type contract, why utilize excessive time keeping to direct and maintain activity of personnel?

A103: See Section C.9 of the solicitation.

Q104: M.1 - FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation. Factors for evaluation – are these listed in order of importance?.

A104: Each factor is rated on a GO/NO-GO scale therefore each factor is weighted equally.

Q105: Price Sheet. Information on the spreadsheet on Column P says to enter information if an amount is included on Column J for other – this should say Column K which is Other.

A105: Thank you for identifying this error. An updated Price Sheet will be submitted with Amendment 01.

Q106: Please provide more clarity for Column “C” in the Read First Tab of the Excel Spreadsheet. Is this an alpha or numeric response?

A106: Column C is an alpha response. See Section B - Instructions for Completion of Bid Sheets in the solicitation.

Q107: Can vendors resubmitting responses based on the previous RFP refer to the previously submitted PPQs to eliminate the redundancy in requiring references to complete this Past Performance Questionnaire again.

A107: See Answer 41.

Q108: Will travel for the Construction Project be reimbursable or is this considered an overhead cost?

A108: Question is unclear. Any necessary travel for employees under the contract will be reimbursed based upon JFTR. The contract Project Manager travel is to be factored into the contractor’s overhead and is not reimbursable.

Q109: Are any of the employee positions designated as union or currently union positions?

A109: None of the incumbent contractors are designated or currently union positions.

Q110: What automated web-based system is currently being utilized by the incumbent contractor and does GSA rate the system as acceptable?

A110: The incumbent is not currently utilizing a web-based timekeeping system as a requirement of their contract. This is a new requirement.

Q111: Will the awardee be responsible for any of the costs associated with obtaining security clearance and badges for new and/or retained employees? If yes, can you provide explanation of expected cost?

A111: The Government pays the costs associated with obtaining necessary security clearances and badges for new and/or retained employees.

Q112: Given the contract start date is May 1, 2018, what are the anticipated parameters for the Phase in/Phase out period; such as expected dates to start/end, working conditions and compensation schedule if prior to May 1st? Is the Phase in/Phase out period a contract requirement for the Incumbent Contractor?

A112: The new award will be made no later than April 1, 2018. The new contractor will not take over duties until May 1, 2018. We anticipate approximately 30 days for the Phase-In/Phase-Out process.

Q113: Section B File – There’s no reference to holiday leave in the file. Should bidders include holidays as part of the vacation leave calculation or will the Government provide an updated file to include holiday leave?

A113: As this is a Labor Hour contract, and all contract employees shall be paid for holidays in accordance with Section C.13, the Government will order hours to cover those holidays. Offerors shall not include any costs for holiday leave in their proposals.

Q114: B.5 – Pricing of Option Periods. When pricing the base and option periods, SCLS Positions shall be priced without escalation. SCLS Positions shall be priced in accordance with the prevailing wage rates in the respective wage determination for each location.

Offerors shall base their prices for the Base Year and all four (4) Option years off the wage rate provided with the solicitation and any applicable solicitation amendments, and then include applicable payroll taxes, profit, overhead, G&A, and any other expenses.

Five years is a long time to perform without a increase to rates especially if there is a “Wage Change” published. Can this statement be modified?

A114: See Answer 82

Q115: Section C.7 Project Manager/ Supervision. This Section requests a Project Manager to manage the contract. Is this the same labor category identified in the Attached Price Worksheet entitled “Project Manager/Construction” or is this a separate labor category? Can the non billable Project Manager title be changed to Program Manager and include this person on the price sheet as “billable”.

A115: The Project Manager is not the same labor category identified in the Attached Price Worksheet titled “Project Manager/Construction”. The non billable Project Manager title will not be changed at this time. This Project Manager will not be included on the price sheet as billable.

Q116: Travel is mentioned that it may occur during the contract period, yet a Travel CLIN is not listed on the price worksheet. Will the government modify the worksheets to add travel as an ODC and include as a CLIN?

A116: See Answer 54.

Q117: Section H.14 Key Personnel. Which position(s) are considered key personnel?

A117: See Section H.14(A) of the solicitation.

Q118: What is the contract number for the prior incumbent contractor and what was the contract value?

A118: One Federal Solution; Contract #GS-06P-12-GX-D-0017, approximately $13,000,000.

Q119: If only one past performance reference requires a minimum of 10 employees, can the government change this form to remove this statement “number of employees under project (minimum of 10)”? Can this be changed to 4 in order to make meeting the PP more feasible for small HubZone businesses?

A119: Each contract/project submitted for Past Performance must have a minimum of 10 employees operating under that contract/project. See Section M.3, Factor 3 of the solicitation.

The requirement for 10 concurrent employees will not be reduced at this time as this solicitation is requiring approximately 35 positions; therefore we believe that 10 is a fair number.

Q120: Is the professional compensation plan being rated on a different scale other than go/no go?

A120: Failure to provide professional compensation in accordance with, at least, the minimum requirements established in Section B.4 will allow the Government to determine the proposal as non-responsive to the solicitation, and the proposal will received no further consideration.

Q121: Offeror requests that the PM’s resume be excluded from the 6-page count for this factor.

A121: See Answer 63 (above).

Q122: Is the government asking for “10 concurrent administrative or professional type positions” on the same contract or on multiple contracts? If the offeror has a contract period of performance for one year does that satisfy the requirement of “ordered for at least one year”?

Would the government consider lowering this requirement to 5 concurrent positions?

A122: For Work Experience and Past Performance to be considered a “similar service” each contract/project must have had 10 concurrent administrative or professional type positions ordered under that contract/project. These positions must have been ordered for at least one year under the contract/project. The Government will not lower this requirement.