47PH0119R0001Questions_and_Answers__2_20190717.pdf

Solicitation Q&A #2 July 15, 2019 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY SPD F&O Design-Build/Construction MA IDIQ Solicitation 47PH0119R0001

1. We have submitted 3 PPQs to be included in our submittal. Due to the July 4th Holiday week our customers have been unavailable, because the solicitation response time includes this time of sporadic customer availability would GSA consider a one week extension for the submittal of PPQs associated with this solicitation.

a) Amendment 0003 extended the proposal due date to July 31, 2019 at 1:00 PM central time.

2. It was inadvertently discovered the .pdf Attachments C, D, E, and F to the hypothetical project contain cost information that can be discovered by editing and/or deleting hidden boxes in these documents. Was this information included for vendors to utilize in preparing their proposals?

a) The cost information in Hypothetical Project Attachments C, D, E, and F was not meant to be visible to vendors and has been released inadvertently. However, since some of the vendors have discovered the information by deleting/edition, the Attachments C, D, E and F will be re-released with the cost information via amendment 0003 so that all vendors can see the information. However, the vendors know that this cost information inadvertently disclosed in Attachments C, D, E was NOT utilized when developing the government estimate for the hypothetical project. The CO reviewed the cost information and determined that the released information is outdated and NOT comprehensive.

Therefore, the price competition is not harmed by this inadvertent release of the cost information. The cost information provided will not be helpful and it should not be utilized when developing your price proposals for the hypothetical project. Any vendor who chooses to use or rely on the inadvertently disclosed cost information from these attachments shall do so at their own risk.

3. Will the presentation be made available?

a) Yes. It was included in amendment 0002.

4. Will a separate solicitation be issued for small business and small business zones (AZ, NM, TX)?

a) Yes. It will be issued under Solicitation number 47PH0119R0002 in the next couple of months.

5. Since this is a National IDIQ, where is the majority of the work anticipated?

a) SPD receives a lot of work located on both the northern and southern borders; however, work can be located anywhere within CONUS. Project locations under the previous IDIQ took place in 30 different states. Firms are expected to be capable to perform anywhere within CONUS.

6. Is the anticipated amount per awardee or per contract?

a) There will be 6 contracts awarded with a maximum ordering limitation (MOL) of $125M per contract. The MOL is not an anticipated amount to be awarded under each contract.

Solicitation Q&A #2 July 15, 2019 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

7. Do we anticipate competing awardees?

a) Yes, it is anticipated that each task order will be competed between of the awardees.

There is a possibility for an exception to fair opportunity at the task order level, but historically SPD has not utilized the exceptions.

8. Will task orders be evaluated as best value or lowest priced technically acceptable?

a) This will be decided at the task order level depending on the complexity of the work.

Either will be a possibility.

9. Are liquidated damages on a sliding scale or a range based on project?

a) Liquidated damages will be calculated at the task order level. They will be based on the project complexity, technical issues, and personnel required.

10. Will the small business solicitation have preference in the small business zone?

a) The small business IDIQ awardees will have preference for any task orders under $5M in the states of AZ, NM, and TX. Any task order over $5M the Contracting Officer will have the option to solicit the full and open IDIQ or the small business IDIQ. The small business IDIQ awardees will not be required to submit a proposal on anything over $5M.

They will not be solicited at the same time or together on the same project.

11. Will there be any other small business zones throughout the country.

a) Not at this time.

12. How do projects come to the Special Programs Division?

a) SPD receives programs that are rolled out across the nation in order to provide a seamless delivery to the customer. SPD also receives overflow projects from GSA regions that have reached workload capacity.

13. Do you consider geography when considering who to award to?

a) No because every firm is required to perform in all 48 states.

14. Proposals are to be submitted electronically. Is there a file limitation size?

a) Proposals may be submitted via email or through fedbizzopps (see question 17) GSA email file size is limited to 25MB. It is recommended to zip files to compress them. The fedbizzopps file limitation is 100MB.

15. Can a vendor be on both the full and open IDIQ and the small business IDIQ?

a) Yes, we encourage everyone that is eligible to submit under both solicitations to do so.

16. Will there be a pre-proposal conference for the Small Business IDIQ?

a) Yes, the time and date should be included in the synopsis and/or solicitation when it is posted.

Solicitation Q&A #2 July 15, 2019 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

17. A vendor submitted a proposal to Region 7 and it went into the junk email. The vendor had to show proof they had submitted it. How will this be prevented?

a) Proposals may be submitted through email or fedbizzopps. Please send a separate email to lindsey.mccampbell@gsa.gov to notify the government a proposal has been submitted and include which method: email or fedbizzopps. Ms. McCampbell will acknowledge receipt of the proposal. The fedbizzopps user guide can help vendors with submitting a proposal through their website if assistance is needed.

18. What is the anticipated award date?

a) The contracts are anticipated to be awarded in early October.

19. The hypothetical project drawings suggest an alternate. Will they be reflected in price?

a) Alternates should not be included. Price should only reflect the base concept design.

20. Is the 15th day cut off for questions calendar or business?

a) It is calendar. The date was extended to July 9.

21. What is the ratio of design-build vs straight construction?

a) There is no estimate for which method will be used. SPD tends to utilize design-build and design-build with bridging over design-bid-build.

22. Is the government looking for a subcontract plan containing the names of subs?

a) It is up to the contractor, but the government will not penalize a contractor for not having names.

23. Will GSA consider utilizing AMRDEC to receive proposals?

a) AMRDEC is a military site that does not belong to GSA. Proposals can be submitted via fedbizopps thorugh the solicitation notice or through email to lindsey.mccampbell@gsa.gov. Please refer to question 14 and 17.

24. How many people attended online?

a) The amended attendee list includes all parties who attended in person and online who submitted their information via email. There were several unidentifiable numbers listed online, but no information was received from them.

25. Is $125M the total amount estimated for the program?

a) No. That is the maximum amount that can be awarded from each contract over the base year plus four one-year options if exercised.

26. Does the government have contracts ready to be released once award is made?

a) There is not a list of projects waiting for this IDIQ. Once the contract is awarded they will be available for Contracting Officers to utilize.

mailto:lindsey.mccampbell@gsa.gov mailto:lindsey.mccampbell@gsa.gov

Solicitation Q&A #2 July 15, 2019 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

27. Does the current IDIQ expire in October?

a) Yes, the current Multiple Award IDIQ expires on October 1, 2019.

28. Can you provide the current contract numbers for the previous IDIQs?

a) GS-07P-13-HH-D-0020- Abide International, Inc.

b) GS-07P-13-HH-D-0021- Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions, Inc.

c) GS-07P-13-HH-D-0022- Brasfield & Gorrie, L.L.C.

d) GS-07P-13-HH-D-0023- NorthStar Federal Services, Inc.

e) GS-07P-13-HH-D-0024- LEIDOS, INC.

29. Is the $20M-$30M per year identified in the pre-proposal presentation for the current IDIQ?

a) This is the forecasted amount for SPD construction projects as a whole.

30. A contractor participated in a contract similar to this in the past and while they qualified for the base contract the criteria for each task order was more stringent than the overall contract.

Can you tell us what the evaluation criteria will be for individual task orders?

a) The task order evaluation is project specific, so it is unclear why the firm would not qualify for the TO. A debrief can always be requested following a task order request for proposal.

31. Will the contractor be required to obtain all local and state permits and local inspector review and sign off?

a) This would be addressed at the task order level because it will vary by project. Typically the lessor and/or the specific region where the lease is located would be the one to coordinate.

32. From the response in question 8.b. from amendment 0001 are we to assume that the drawings and photographs are also excluded from the 50-page limitation?

a) Drawings and photographs related to factor 4 are not included in the 50-page limitation.

33. Item 4 requires the submitted projects to all be over $1,000,000. We have several applicable design/build projects that are just under $1,000,000 that are relevant to this proposal. Will the government consider dropping the size value to $750,000?

a) The size value will not be changed. To meet the requirement it must be at least

$1,000,000.

34. Hypothetical project- Will the signage vendor be responsible for permitting with the AHJ in these various jurisdictions with respect to any sign ordinances?

a) The contractor shall not be responsible for any permitting or obtaining any approvals for the project outside of GSA.

Solicitation Q&A #2 July 15, 2019 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

35. Hypothetical project- Does the cost of the sign include shipping from point of manufacture to point of installation?

a) Yes, the signage cost is for everything the signage vendor would be responsible for including shipping and installation of the signs.

36. Hypothetical project- Will the signage vendor be responsible for any foundations associated with the sign?

a) No, the contractor is responsible for the gantry and foundation or whatever condition is required for the signs to be mounted to.

37. Hypothetical project- Please confirm that the signage vendor sign price of $38,500 is inclusive of all costs associated with shop drawings, LED signage, shipping, installation, software, initial programming, startup, training and maintenance/warranty Requirements.

a) That is correct; the $38,500 per sign includes all services and equipment listed in this question.

38. Please provide as-builts for the CBP sites covered under this solicitation.

a) No as-builts are available for the hypothetical project. As-builts or accurate as-builts may or may not be available for projects solicited on this contract. All contractors shall have the same information and make the most logical assumptions with what exists.

39. Provide current geotechnical report the CBP sites covered under this solicitation.

a) When reliable geotechnical information is available we will typically provide it with the solicitation. For the purpose of the hypothetical project, the contractor shall assume there are no unsuitable soils issues and that typical foundation designs will suffice based on a soils bearing capacity of 2,500 lbs. psf for all sites that require new foundations to support the signage.

40. Please confirm that the Government will allow proposers a minimum of seven (7) days to respond to the RFP starting from the date that the Government responds to 100% of the RFIs received.

a) The due date has been extended, and the time between the amendment releasing the Q&A and the due date exceeds 7 days. All questions submitted prior to July 17, 2019 should be answered. The Government cannot guarantee a 7 day response time for any questions submitted after July 17.

41. The revised solicitation dated June 26, 2019, section I.G. lists the due date and time as July

22, 2019 @1:00pm CST. The SF 1442 issued in the original solicitation package states that the bids are due @ 1:00pm MST. Please confirm correct the bid due date and time.

a) The due date has been changed. Please refer to question 1.

Solicitation Q&A #2 July 15, 2019 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

42. The scope of work dated May 2019 page 4 states 'The design builder shall utilize sustainable design and construction techniques specified in CBP’s Guiding Principles where appropriate.

Please provide the CBP's Guiding Principles document.

a) This is a typical requirement for our CBP projects but in hindsight it should not have been included in the solicitation for the hypothetical project. Please disregard the sustainability requirement in the SOW.

43. The Contractor shall require that the licensed design professionals it retains for the Project acquire and maintain professional liability insurance in the amount of $5,000,000 per claim and shall provide proof to the Contracting Officer. Given the relatively small size of the anticipated construction, a $1M per claim would be more reasonable. Would you be able to revise the $5M per claim requirement down to a $1M or $2M level.

a) The Agreement will be revised to reduce the professional liability insurance to $1M per claim. The revised Agreement will be issued with this Amendment.

44. Please advise within which electronic folder/document the SF 1442 should be placed (Price

Proposal, Tech Proposal or Other Documents are Required).

a) The 1442 and SF30s should go in the Price Proposal folder. All amendments must be acknowledged on the SF1442, and all SF30s shall be signed by the contractor.

45. The Hypothetical Project Drawings provide quantities and cost estimates for each site. Is it the intention of GSA to have the prime contractor prepare their Price Proposal Worksheet based on the quantities provided on the drawings or is the Prime Contractor to prepare their Price Proposal Worksheet based on their determination of the work and quantities required?

a) Please see the response to question #2. This information was not comprehensive at the time and we would not recommend using it. GSA did not use it in preparation of their estimates.

46. The drawings indicate some alternate bid items but are not part of the price proposal, will alternates be required to be addressed in our proposal?

a) The alternates shall not be included. Please refer to question 19.

47. For FACTOR 4 – QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES OF

DESIGNER, do the projects the designer submits need to be built?

a) This question was answered in amendment 0001. It stated: Projects that have been designed and constructed are preferred. An incomplete project may be considered only if the firm has completed the design and the construction is more than 50% complete.

48. Do the designers need to submit their projects on the project data sheet as well?

a) No. Only the requirements described in Factor 4 are required.

49. Due to the recent holiday and quick turnaround of the proposal, will you please consider an extension of the proposal due date?

a) Please refer to question 1.

Solicitation Q&A #2 July 15, 2019 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

50. What is the likelihood of the hypothetical project becoming a real project? Are we held to the pricing we submit?

a) It is not likely the hypothetical project as it is in this solicitation will become a real project; however, there is a possibility one or more of the individual sites could be procured in the future individually or in another grouping of sites. The contractors would not be required to commit to the pricing submitted in this proposal because the project would not be the same.

51. During the Pre-proposal conference, it was mentioned that assumptions might have to be made in reference to the hypothetical project. Will there be a format to include qualifications for the hypothetical project price proposal?

a) At the pre-proposal conference it was stated that no assumptions should be issued with the price proposal. If there are assumptions, it is suggested to ask the government for clarification.

52. 3_47PH0119R0001__Form_1442.pdf” Block 8 instructs the offeror to address offers to the

Denver Federal Center in Denver, CO; this contradicts the instructions to email our responses, per the RFP. Block 13 lists “TBD” as the due date, by “1:00 p.m. MT”, which also contradicts Solicitation’s instructions of 1 p.m. Central Time [I.G., (1), page 6 of 59]. Will a corrected Standard Form 1442 be issued to submit with our proposal?

i) If the SF 1442 and SF 30 Amendments are to be placed in folder (a.) Price Proposal, shall they excluded from the overall 50-page limit? It is our interpretation that if they are placed in (c.) Other Required Documents, this automatically excludes them from the overall page limit.

a) A revised 1442 will be issued in this amendment. Please see question 1 for the revised due date. The 1442 and SF30 amendments should be included in the price proposal folder and are not included in the over 50-page limit.

53. Paragraph II.B. Proposal Format, (1): “Offeror’s proposals shall be no longer than fifty (50) pages inclusive of the table of contents, charts, exhibits, and any other materials the offeror includes for each technical factor identified In Section II.D.”

i) Does the GSA desire three individual Table of Contents (for each folder/document a., b., and c.), following the Cover Letter, for clarity and ease of navigating the three separate folders/documents? If so, we request that these three individualized Table of Contents be excluded from the overall 50-page limit.

a) One (1) table of contents is required. It should be included with the technical proposal.

54. Paragraph II.B. Proposal Format, (1): “All proposal materials shall be in typeface Times New Roman no less than 11 point for text and 10 point for graphics/charts/tables etc., single-spaced on 8-1/2” x 11” paper with one-inch margins all around.”

i) Is the one-inch margin inclusive of header and footer? Footer information would include, at a minimum, the “Restriction on Disclosure of Data” statement required in section V. Instructions to Offerors and Clauses (e) (2), page 31 of 59. This will

Solicitation Q&A #2 July 15, 2019 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY significantly impact valuable space, given the page limitations. We request that header/footer margins be 0.5” inches from the top and bottom of the page.

a) Headers and Footers are not included in the one-inch margins of the document.

55. Paragraph II.D (4) Factor 4 (b) (page 12 of 59) - The Questions and Answers included in Amendment 0001 clarify that “The two page limitation is for the written portion. The design docs and pictures are in addition to the two pages. Drawings do not have to meet the font and size requirements.” However, will the GSA please explicitly clarify that the supplementary drawings, plans, and photographs are excluded from the overall 50 page limitation?

a) Please refer to question 30.

56. The instructions state not to change the price proposal sheet; however, the sub-total formula does not include cells G5 and G6. Is changing the formula considered changing the price proposal sheet?

a) Contractors should not change any of the headings, titles, or categories included in the price proposal sheet, but the formula may be edited. Contractors are responsible for ensuring their pricing is correctly reflected in each cell of the sheet.

57. Please confirm that “Program Manager” in 3.a.1 is the same as “Contract Manager” in 3.a.3?

a) This is correct. The solicitation has been revised to replace Contract Manager with

Program Manager.

58. The SOW, item 18, requires the Designer-of-Record to be licensed in the state in which the project is located. Are we to assume that means the company or corporate entity of the AE firm itself must hold that license or that any design discipline personnel must be registered in the state the project is located within?

a) The designer of record, meaning whoever stamps and signs the drawings for each discipline must be licensed to do design work in that state. Just like if you were applying for a building permit for non-federal work, the designer of record would be required to be licensed in that state. We recognize that most firms do not hold licenses in all 50 states.

In some instances firms will contract for a designer of record on a project if they do not have a licensed designer for that state.

59. Are PPQs required for the Factor 4 Design Team Experience?

a) No.

60. Instructions to Offerors and Clauses- Item (d) indicates: Offer expriation date. Prosposals in response to this solicitation will be valid for the number of days specified on the solication cover sheet (unless a different period is proposed by the offeror). The solicitation cover sheet (SF1442 does not specify the number of days a proposal shall be valid. Does the government require a minimum validity period?

a) Offers shall be guaranteed for 180 days. A revised 1442 will be issued with this amendment.

Solicitation Q&A #2 July 15, 2019 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

61. Our government customers refer to the CPARS as their official communication for assessment of contractor performance. In several cases our customers issue a CPAR for an IDIQ Contract referencing several task orders (TOs) and do not complete the CPARS on an individual TO. These CPARS are issued as interim because some tasks related to the IDIQ are still ongoing. We feel it is in the best interest of GSA to allow interim IDIQ Cpars, where our highlighted task orders are 100% complete. Are we correct to assume that the government will allow interim IDIQ CPARS under this scenario?

a) A completed (not in draft) interim CPARS evaluation may be utilized as long as it is evaluating only one project. A CPARS evaluation referring to more than one project is not an acceptable performance evaluation. If there is no CPARS evaluation covering only the specific project, then a Past Performance Questionnaire should be utilized.

62. The last sentence in the first paragraph required the use of Attachment 8 the Project Data Sheet. This pdf form is password protected and prevents offerors to combine the completed forms into a single pdf document for submittal of Factor 1. Please revise the form so it is not password protected, provide the password, or allow users to create their own forms as long as they are identical in format and content to Attachment 8.

a) A project data sheet with no password required has been uploaded.