Responses_to_Questions_as_of_12.27.2024.pdf

RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS

As of 12/27/2024

Request for Proposal (RFP) 47QFWA24R0017 Questions 1 - 34

Question 1: PWS Section L, para L.3.2 states "Previous Experience Information shall be submitted by completing Attachment 3 Previous Experience Information." However, Attachment 3 is not included in the documents provided, and is listed as “Reserved” in Section J, para J.1. Can you clarify if the USG will provide Attachment 3, or should Previous Experience Information be supplied in contractor format (with adherence to page count limitations)?

Answer 1: Attachment 3 has been provided via Amendment 1 to the RFP dated 12/19/2024.

Question 2: Sections A-J of the PWS are still watermarked as “Draft.” Is there a final version available for publication on SAM.gov?

Answer 2: The Draft watermark was removed via Amendment 1 to the RFP dated 12/19/2024.

Question 3: Due to the upcoming holidays, inclusive of Christmas and New Years, would the Government consider a 2-week extension to the proposal submission date?

Answer 3: The Government considered a 2-week extension to the proposal submission date;

however, at this time it is not in the best interests of the Government.

Question 4: PWS Section L.3.1 Volume 1: Technical Approach instructions state that offerors “…shall identify and describe the methodology and analytical techniques to be used in fulfilling the technical requirements identified in this solicitation including Sections C, F, H, and J.” The instructions further state that the Technical Approach shall also include several plans (quality, transition, staffing, etc.). Will the Government please confirm these plans are excluded from the 12-page limitation to the Technical Approach Volume?

Answer 4: PWS Section L.3.1 has been updated to note that: The Draft Quality Control Plan is excluded from the Technical Approach page limitation and has no limitation of its own. However, the Transition Plan, Proposed Project Management Structure and Staffing Plan are not excluded from the Technical Approach page limitation.

Question 5: Given the number of questions and answers anticipated through the Q&A response period that are critical to developing a proposal response, would the government provide a three-week extension from the time questions are answered?

Answer 5: An extension is not being considered at this time. The Responses to Question 1 – 34 are being posted on 12/27/2024 which is three weeks prior to the solicitation response date of 01/17/2024.

Question 6: M.1.5.2 Factor 2: Previous Experience (PE) – Regarding size, the solicitation says:

“The offeror must demonstrate experience managing three (3) projects, each with a summed dollar value of at least $5,000,000.00.” We believe there is a typo that causes confusion about the USG’s intent. The word “each” has been added as a value qualifier and seems to conflict with the meaning of the word “summed.” “Summed” denotes that the total would be derived by adding the values of three previous experience projects. We assume the solicitation was intended to read the same as previously stated for TD II, which specified the size requirement as 3 projects with a summed value of $5,000,000. Adding the word each limits the available pool of small business participants. Will the government remove the word “each” as a value qualifier?

Answer 6: To clarify, PWS M.1.5.2 has been updated to “The offeror must demonstrate experience managing three (3) projects, each with a total contract value of at least $5,000,000.00.”

Question 7: PWS Section B.4 describes a Base contract 5-year period of performance. The pricing spreadsheet defines a Base period and four Option periods. Please clarify Base and Option period durations and revise.

Answer 7: The Single Award IDIQ contract has a 5-year Period of Performance. The Sample Task Order represented on the pricing spreadsheet represents a Task Order under the IDIQ contract. Task Orders may have a base period and options (including the Option to Extend Services under 52.217-8) whereas the Single Award IDIQ does not have any options. PWS Section B.4 has been updated to clarify that Task Orders may have a base and option periods.

Question 8: PWS Section B.4, CLIN 0004 - Many companies’ standard accounting practices includes travel in how the G&A rate is calculated. A company can’t be expected to practice general accounting rules differently across different federal organizations. Can this statement be changed/updated to state that G&A can only be applied if it’s part of a company's standard to calculating their G&A?

Answer 8: As the vast majority (at least 75% or 75M) of this Single Award IDIQ contract is anticipated to be commercial, the Government does not want to impose the cost principles of FAR part 31 where they aren't needed and don’t want the burden of determining or allowing costs. Therefore, as is the practice of GSA, no G&A, profit, or other direct costs/fees may be applied to travel.

Question 9: PWS Section C.3 - Scope specifies "Acquisition of anything to include retired aircraft." Will retired aircraft be provided as GFE or would the contractor be responsible for obtaining/procuring?

Answer 9: Retired aircraft will either be purchased directly or identified by the Government for contractor purchase. The contractor will not be expected to scout out/locate possible aircraft for purchase.

Question 10: PWS Section L.3.1 - Do the Quality Control Plan draft, transition plan, proposed project management structure, and staffing plan all count toward the 12-page limit for the technical volume?

Answer 10: PWS Section L.3.1 has been updated to note that: The Draft Quality Control Plan is excluded from the Technical Approach page limitation and has no limitation of its own. However, the Transition Plan, Proposed Project Management Structure and Staffing Plan are not excluded from the Technical Approach page limitation.

Question 11: PWS Section L.3.1 item b, Is the Transition Plan referenced in L.3.1.b the same as that expressed in "H.16 Transition Plan (Phase Out of Task Order)?" What is the Government looking for in a transition plan? Is this referring to start of contract transition, end of contract transition, start or end of task orders, all of the above, or something else?

Answer 11: The Transition Plan is referring to an end of contract/order transition. The Government wants to know how the winning offeror will ensure a smooth transition to a new future provider. There are a variety of ways to achieve this goal such as through the minimization of disruptions or maintaining service quality. The specific plan is up to the offeror to propose. A note has been added to PWS Section L.3.1 to clarify the intent of the Transition Plan.

Question 12: PWS Section L.3.1 item c - Is "project management structure" referring to the organizational structure of project personnel or something else?

Answer 12: Project Management Structure refers to the hierarchy, authority, and responsibilities of the contractor personnel involved in a project. Mainly, who is in charge, who has decision making authority and who should the Government interact with if there are problems or concerns. A note has been added to PWS Section L.3.1 to clarify the intent of the Project Management Structure.

Question 13: PWS Section L.3.1 item d - What does the Government want the staffing plan to address?

Answer 13: The Staffing Plan should delineate your organization's approach to recruiting, selecting, and deploying personnel to meet the contract requirements. A note has been added to PWS Section L.3.1 to clarify the intent of the Staffing Plan.

Question 14: PWS Section L.3.1 item d - It does not appear that key personnel are listed anywhere in the solicitation. Are we to assume every labor category are key personnel?

Answer 14: Key Personnel were purposefully omitted as there are no Key Personnel designated for the TDIII IDIQ contract. Key Personnel has been removed from the label Attachment 5 Labor Category Positions and Key Personnel in PWS Section L.3.1.

Question 15: PWS Section L.3.4 - Paragraph 4 states, "…structure set forth in L.4, Paragraph b, entitled 'PRICE VOLUME SECTIONS'". L.4 appears to be incorrect, should this state L.3.4.2?

Answer 15: For clarity, PWS Section L.3.4 - Paragraph 4 has been updated to read: “The Offeror's Price Volume IV must be organized and contain the following information, included within the appropriate sections as detailed in L.3.4.1 and L.3.4.2. The Price Volume shall not contain any information pertaining to any other volumes.”

Question 16: L.3.5 items h-k, page 14 - Will the government provide form SF 1449?

Answer 16: The SF1449 will be provided via GSA ASSIST. To accommodate the submission of the RFP in GSA ASSIST, please ensure that you notify the GSA CO and PM associated with this solicitation of your intent to submit a proposal NLT January 13, 2025 via email. Once GSA receives the intent to submit a proposal, a link invitation will be sent from GSA ASSIST allowing you to submit the needed attachments by the deadline listed within this announcement.

Question 17: L.3.5 item e, page 14 - Is the Appendix B mentioned here supposed to instead reference Attachment 8? If not, can the Government provide Appendix B?

Answer 17: L.3.5 item e, page 14 should have referenced Attachment 8 as opposed to Appendix B. References to Appendix B have been removed from the PWS.

Question 18: M.1.5.1, page 21 - Second paragraphs states a technical rating will be assigned as "listed below," but there are no technical ratings listed. How will Factor 1 Technical Approach be rated? Is there an adjectival rating, or pass fail, or some other method?

Answer 18: PWS paragraph has been revised to remove "as listed below". It was included in error and has been removed.

Question 19: M.1.5.1, page 21 - How will Factor 1 Technical Approach Risk be evaluated and rated?

Answer 19: Per PWS Section M.1.5.1, page 21, the Government will determine the strengths, weaknesses and deficiencies for Technical Approach. PWS paragraph has been revised to remove "as listed below". It was included in error and has been removed.

Question 20: M.1.5.2, page 21 - The paragraph for "Scope" references PWS Section "C.5 Specific Tasks". In Section C, C.5 is called "C.5 Types of Services" and does not list specific tasks. Was the intent to reference section "C.4 Description of Work / Objectives" or "C.6 Requirements/ Specific Tasks"?

Answer 20: Solicitation Amendment 1 posted 12/19/2024 removed the reference to C.5 Specific Tasks under Scope and replaced it with “See Section C.3 and C.6 of the PWS”.

Question 21: M.1.5.2, page 22 - The paragraph for "Duration" states that "Projects…must…demonstrate at least three (3) years of total relevant corporate experience…" Does this mean that each citation must have three years of performance individually or that all three combined must show three years of combined performance?

Answer 21: Three (3) years of total relevant corporate experience is on a cumulative basis. In other words, the three (3) projects must show three (3) years of combined performance. A note has been added to PWS Section M.1.5.2, page 22 to clarify this.

Question 22: M.1.5.2, page 22 - What does the Government mean that "Previous Experience will be evaluated on a cumulative basis?"

Answer 22: The Government will not be evaluating or assigning ratings to the Previous Experience Projects individually, rather there will be one rating for Previous Experience as a whole.

Question 23: M.1.5.2, page 22 - Evaluation criteria specifies "an overall combined technical/risk rating as listed below." No overall rating table or description is provided. How will Factor 2 Past Experience be rated?

Answer 23: PWS paragraph has been revised to remove "as listed below". It was included in error and has been removed.

Question 24: M.1.5.2, page 22 - How will the Technical Approach rating and the Past Experience rating be combined into a single Technical/Risk rating? Or will they be evaluated separately?

Answer 24: Technical Approach and Previous Experience are separate Evaluation Factors and will receive separate ratings.

Question 25: M.1.5.4, page 24 - Under "Completeness" it states that the offerors price proposal "will be evaluated to ensure continuity and traceability of prices to the technical proposal." Can the government explain what exactly that means and what is expected to be in the technical volume to allow this comparison?

Answer 25: That reference means the prices proposed must be consistent with (traceable) to what was proposed in the Technical Approach. Example: An offeror includes pricing from Company XYZ to provide specific Labor Categories but makes no mention of a Teaming Plan or Arrangement with Company XYZ in the Technical Approach. The Price Proposal may be found to be incomplete as proposed pricing is not traceable back to the Technical Approach. A note has been added to PWS Section M.1.5.4, under "Completeness" to clarify.

Question 26: Will the Government be posting the solicitation to GSA ASSIST or only to SAM.gov? How do we respond through Assist when we cannot see the solicitation?

Answer 26: The following has been added to the solicitation details on SAM.gov:

“To accommodate the submission of the RFP in GSA ASSIST: Please ensure that you notify the GSA CO and PM associated with this solicitation of your intent to submit a proposal NLT January 13, 2025 via email. Once GSA receives the intent to submit a proposal, a link invitation will be sent from GSA ASSIST allowing you to submit the needed attachments by the deadline listed within this announcement.”

Question 27: Attachment 1 Pricing Spreadsheet - On Tab A - Labor Rates, Cell B48 under ODCs and cell B52 under Travel have multiple Xs in them. Please verify if this is correct and explain the purpose of these values.

Answer 27: Tab A on Attachment 1 Pricing Spreadsheet is supposed to be only for Labor Categories and associated rates. To assist in clarifying this, rows 46 through 52 have been removed from Attachment 1 Pricing Spreadsheet, Tab A.

Question 28: PWS Sections L.3.2 and M.1.5.2 - Is the 50% calculation [of Recency] based on the period of performance for the executed CLINS, the period of performance on the overall contract, or the amount obligated?

Answer 28: The 50% complete reference can be in terms of either the period of performance or actual work completion. PWS Sections L.3.2 and M.1.5.2 have been updated to reflect clarified verbiage.

Question 29: PWS Sections L.3.2 and M.1.5.2 - Would the government please clarify the definition of "Recency" for Previous Experience? L.3.2 states that the 3 projects must demonstrate 3 years of total relevant corporate experience on contracts awarded within the past 5 years of proposal submission or still active. In a later paragraph within L 3.2, recency is defined as current/former task orders/contracts/projects executed within the past 5 years of proposal submission or still active. These two statements can be interpreted differently. Section M.1.5.2 defines duration as contracts awarded in the past 5 years from the closing date of the solicitation or still active. Would the government consider re-wording the PE requirement to "completed within the past 5 years" rather than "awarded in the past 5 years"?

Answer 29: The phrase “awarded or completed within the past 5 years” is better suited for the intent of what the Government was attempting to achieve with this language. PWS Sections L.3.2 and M.1.5.2 have been updated with the revised language.

Question 30: PWS Sections L.3.2 and M.1.5.2 - Is the three years of experience required per project submission on previous experience or is it a total of three years of experience across three projects? If the requirement is three years per project, what is meant by the statement, "Previous experience will be evaluated on a cumulative basis?"

Answer 30: Three (3) years of total relevant corporate experience is on a cumulative basis. In other words, the three (3) projects must show three (3) years of combined performance.

Question 31: Attachment 1 Pricing Spreadsheet, Tab B - The sample task model is missing formulas in Column S. The rate in Column R pulls from the rate entered in Column O correctly for the Option to Extend, but it does not multiply out by the hours in Column Q to come up with the price for the 6-month Option to Extend Services. Is this intentional?

Answer 31: The formulas for Column S were mistakenly not entered. This has been corrected and a revised Attachment 1 – Pricing Spreadsheet has been updated and included in Amendment 2 to the RFP.

Question 32: PWS Section L.3.4.1.b.ii Paragraph 3, page 13 - The PWS states, "Profit or fees will not be paid on the cost of material or material handling." FAR 15.404-4(a)(3), FAR 15.404- 4(d) and FAR 15.404-4(d)(1)(i)(A) all recommend including profit on material to incentivize contractors whether it be for performance or potential to bid an opportunity. Much of the material we will likely purchase is not going to be simple, unmodified, unintegrated commercial off the shelf products; but may require design, manufacture, and integration into other products. Can the Government provide clarification as to why profit is not being applied to materials?

Answer 32: In accordance with FAR 16.601(b)(2) a T&M type contract only provides for actual cost for materials.

Question 33: PWS, L.3.1, page 9 - Transition Plan - Will any of the current ongoing task orders be transitioned to the new contract or will these be completed under the existing contract?

Please identify what is to be transitioned.

Answer 33: Current orders under the predecessor TDII IDIQ contract are not anticipated be transitioned to TDIII. They are expected to remain under TDII until the orders are complete.

However, follow-on orders for the same or similar requirements may be placed under the TDIII

IDIQ contract once the associated Acquisition Plans for such requirements are accomplished.

Question 34: PWS, M.1.5.1, page 21 - The evaluation criteria states, “Each offeror will be evaluated on their…and the overall qualifications and skill mix of the contractor workforce proposed to address these contract objectives.” Are key personnel resumes required as part of the offeror’s proposal and are they included in the 12-page limit?

Answer 34: Individual resumes are not required as part of the offeror’s proposal. Key Personnel were purposefully omitted as there are no Key Personnel designated for the TDIII IDIQ contract.