Houston Zone Questions and Answers.pdf

Houston Zone Questions and Answers

Question 1: Do we have to submit both Hypothetical Projects A & B?

Answer 1: For the Large Pool contracts, only A must be submitted. For the Small Pool both A and B must be submitted.

Question 2: Are we all supposed to have subs badged or escort them?

Answer 2: Contractor Approval List must be completed by the prime vendor POC.

Regarding Escort-Only Contractors,

1. The contractors needed to mitigate emergency situations--broken pipes; failure of HVAC units; elevator repairs; etc. must be escorted at all times, however they are not required to have prior approval from Zonal Help Desk. Property/building management staff may authorize access for these individuals in these types of situations.

2. Non-emergency contractors may be approved for escorted access up to 15 days within a 6-month period. If they need to work for more than 15 days in GSA facilities, they must submit documentation to receive a background investigation for unescorted access.

3. Applicants who have previously been found unfavorable cannot be considered for escort-only access. Also, individuals in the process of completing a GSA Fitness Determination are not allowed to be escorted.

4. Vendors should coordinate with their GSA Requesting Official (RO) to consider the type of project and proximity to escorted contractors when determining the number of personnel reasonably escorted by the same escort. It is suggested that 5-7 people per escort is typically manageable.

5. To receive approval for escort-only access on a GSA project, the prime vendor POC must submit a CIW as well as the full legal name of the individual doing the escorting; whether they are a government employee, a FPS Security contractor, or a GSA contractor with the appropriate credentials; and the dates of escort in the email containing their CIW. Individuals needing escort-only access must be listed on the RO Contractor Approval List. Allow at least 3 business days to process the CIW prior to applicant needing to start work.

6. Escorts are responsible for the whereabouts and activities of escorted personnel at all times, and must remain within line of sight of escorted individuals at all times while in non-public space. The person doing the escorting must be either a federal employee, FPS security contracts, or GSA contractor who is in possession of a GSA issued PIV credential.

Regarding Contractor Approvals

1. The prime vendor POC initiates a list of contractors needing to work on each contract for approval by the RO. This list authorizes the Zonal Help Desk to process the appropriate investigation on the listed contractors.

2. If a CIW is received for an applicant who does not appear on this list, the CIW will not be processed and the prime vendor POC will be notified that it cannot be processed until their name appears on the approval list.

3. Each time contractor(s) are added or removed from a contract, the list must be updated, sent through the RO for approval, and forwarded to the Zonal Help Desk with a copy to the prime vendor POC.

4. The items on the RO Contractor Approval List that must be completed by the prime vendor POC are listed below:

a. Last Name, First Name, Middle Name and Suffix: this information should be their full legal name as it appears on their photo ID.

b. Position Title: this should reflect the duties they are completing for the GSA contract.

c. Vendor Name, if subcontractor: if contractor works for a sub of the prime vendor the name of the subcontract company goes here.

d. If the contractor is to be escorted only, include name of escort and dates to be escorted.

e. Date Removed from Project/Contract: when appropriate, enter dates individuals are terminated, have completed their portion of the contract, leave the employ of the vendor prime or subcontractor, etc. Effectively, this is the date that person will no longer need access to the facility for this project/contract.

Question 3: Can we use PPQs that were submitted for previous zones on this solicitation? What if those PPQs have a finalized CPARS?

Answer 3: PPQs that were submitted for previously solicited zones may be reused.

However, in accordance with Solicitation II.D.(1)(a), “if a Questionnaire is received by the Government, it will be considered only for the zone(s) noted at the top of the Questionnaire itself. The Government will not unilaterally apply a Questionnaire to any zone that is not indicated at the top of the Questionnaire.” Also in accordance with Solicitation II.D.(1)(a), “A project submitted on a Questionnaire cannot already have a completed final Contractor Performance Assessment Report, as described in section 1.b.”

Question 4: Please confirm which amendments we need to acknowledge for the Houston zone.

Answer 4: In accordance with Solicitation II.E.(5), a “completed and signed SF1442 form, with all solicitation amendments beginning with Amendment 38 acknowledged in block 19” must be submitted with Volume 3: Other Documents to be Submitted with Proposal.