47QMCA19R0011_Pre-Proposal_Conference_Questions_&_Answers_07_11_2019.pdf

47QMCA19R0011

Questions & Answers from Pre-Proposal Conference

Q1: Is there a possibility of getting an exemption from US-Flag vessel requirements under this program? Will there be opportunity to negotiate an equitable adjustment to account for US-Flag vessel pricing?

A1: GSA defers to MARAD for determinations of availability of US-Flag vessels. MARAD has indicated in the past that there should be plenty of availability along all applicable routes, and has offered to work with vendors individually to meet the US-Flag vessel requirements.

MARAD’s contact information is as follows:

Lalit Raina lalit.raina@dot.gov

(202) 366-2314

Laura Mahoney laura.mahoney@dot.gov

(202) 366-5526

James Doh james.doh@dot.gov

(202) 366-5071

(240) 778-3348

As this is a Firm Fixed Price contract, all pricing must be set in advance, and should take into consideration the expected costs of complying with the US-Flag vessel requirements. There will be no equitable adjustments after contract award for compliance with 52.247-64 - Preference for

Privately Owned U.S.-Flag Commercial Vessels.

Q2: Is the award method of Lowest Price Technically Acceptable at the contract level and

Trade-offs at the order level a change from previous years? Do customers have to justify selecting other than the lowest price vehicle at the order level?

A2: The award method is not a change from previous years. Some of the trade-offs customers may consider at the order level include vehicle emissions and fuel economy, availability of mission-critical options, shipment time, color availability, and others. Customers do have to provide a justification for selecting other than the lowest price vehicle at the order level.

Q3: With the changes made to the NMY requirements, will all information still need to be submitted by March 31?

A3: Yes, the March 31 deadline is still applicable. Full and complete submission of required information will need to be submitted by the deadline. “TBD” is not an acceptable response.

Q4: Can you elaborate on the requirement for providing PDI instructions to the Government?

Who will be performing the PDI for CNS deliveries?

A4: The Government is seeking PDI information so that Government personnel can follow OEM

PDIs upon delivery and properly prep vehicles for service. Government personnel or personnel at the CNS locations will perform the PDI for CNS deliveries.

Q5: Under the new DIT procedures, will the customer or other reporting personnel at the delivery location contact GSA to provide the claim details to the vendor?

mailto:lalit.raina@dot.gov mailto:laura.mahoney@dot.gov mailto:james.doh@dot.gov

A5: No, the customer/reporting personnel will provide the claim details directly to the vendor

POC for DIT matters as provided in the Vendor Response Document.

Q6: With the new fuel economy tab and entries, will the icon for alternate fuel vehicles still show up in AutoChoice?

A6: Yes, the icon will still apply. This is a dynamic feature that will take into account the base vehicle fuel type as well as optional equipment selected.

Q7: Does the fuel economy tab apply to law enforcement vehicles, even though those figures are not published by EPA?

A7: Yes, GSA requires this information for law enforcement vehicles that are under the GVWR threshold as well.

Q8: What should offerors do with roll-over fuel economy and emissions figures from last year if the upcoming year’s data is not available yet?

A8: As this is a recompete, no fuel economy data will carryover from previous contracts. If any current model year data is not available, please enter ‘0’. The AFV team will continue to review all AFV data as it is made available, including after contract award. No items will be opened for ordering until fuel economy data is confirmed.

Q9: Can you explain how to calculate the AS&E component for the statutory price limitation calculation?

A9: 41 CFR 101-26.501 governs the application of additional systems and equipment (AS&E) in the context of the statutory price limitations:

§ 101-26.501 Purchase of new motor vehicles.

(a) It shall be the policy to procure commercially available motor vehicles, unless other vehicles are specifically required.

(b) New sedans, station wagons, and light trucks (other than those to be used for law enforcement or where other than standard vehicles are required) shall be procured as follows:

Sedans, class IB-subcompact or II-compact; station wagons, class I-subcompact or class II compact vehicles, as described in Federal standard No. 122; and light trucks as defined in

Federal standard Nos. 292 and 307. (Federal standard Nos. 122, 292, and 307 as used in this section mean the latest editions.)

Requisitions submitted to GSA for motor vehicles shall be in conformance with the requirements of subpart 101-38.1.

(1) Standard passenger vehicles as defined in Federal standard No. 122 are considered to be completely equipped for ordinary operation and are subject to the maximum statutory price limitation.

(2) Items (vehicles) included in Federal standard No. 122 other than those listed as standard

(basic units) are considered to be equipped with additional systems and equipment for passenger vehicles.

(c) Requisitions submitted to GSA for the acquisition of new passenger vehicles and light trucks under 8500 GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) shall be in conformance with Pub. L. 94-163 and Executive Order 12375.

(d) New trucks and buses shall be requisitioned in accordance with the provisions of this § 101-

26.501 and the following:

(1) Light trucks shall be in accordance with Federal standard Nos. 292 and 307; and

(2) Medium and heavy trucks and buses, when not procured from standardized buying programs, shall be in accordance with the latest editions of Federal standard No. 794, Federal specification Nos. KKK-T-2107, 2108, 2109, 2110, 2111, and Federal specification

No. KKK-B-1579. Standardized buying programs shall be based on these specifications as appropriate.

(e) Selection of additional systems or equipment in new vehicles shall be made by the requiring agency and shall be based on the need to provide for overall safety, efficiency, economy, and suitability of the vehicle for the purposes intended pursuant to § 101-38.104-2.

(1) The essentiality of such systems or equipment shall be weighed against the economic factors involved, the potential benefits to be derived therefrom, and the impact on the fuel consumption characteristics of the vehicle.

(2) Additional systems or equipment requested to be purchased by GSA will be construed to have been determined essential for the effective operation of the vehicle involved by the agency head or a designee. When systems or equipment other than those listed in Federal standards are requested, these systems or equipment shall be considered and treated as deviations under § 101-26.501-4(b).

GSA has interpreted this language to mean any equipment on the base vehicle above what is

“completely equipped for ordinary operation” is considered to be additional systems and equipment (AS&E). Optional equipment and destination charges are not factored into this calculation. As an example, equipment necessary for ordinary operation would be the vehicle frame, body, wheels, engine, transmission, doors, electrical systems, etc. Additional systems and equipment (AS&E) could cover such things as power windows, radio equipment, backup camera, spare tire, etc. Such additional systems and equipment (AS&E) may be included in the

Government’s minimum requirements, but are not necessary for the “ordinary operation” of a passenger motor vehicle. As such, vendors may assign a dollar value to AS&E for the base vehicle in AutoBid for GSA to consider in determinations of statutory price limitations compliance.

In order to make this compliance determination, GSA uses the following formula:

Offered base vehicle price - (destination charges + AS&E figures) = SPL calculation

(The SPL calculation must be at/below the applicable statutory price limitation)

The following chart lists a few examples of fictional SPL calculations:

Line Offeror Model Unit Price Destination AS&E

SPL

Calculation SPL Within SPL?

10B.1 Offeror A Model A $25,000 $895 $4,500 $19,605 $19,947 Yes; with AS&E

17.1 Offeror A Model B $29,000 $895 $2,000 $26,105 $27,197 Yes; with AS&E https://www.congress.gov/public-laws/94th-congress#163

7.1 Offeror A Model C $17,000 $895 $1 $16,104 $19,947 Yes; without AS&E

9P.1 Offeror A Model D $25,000 $875 $1 $24,124 $19,947 N/A*

8C.1 Offeror A Model E $24,000 $975 $16,000 $7,025 $19,947 Yes; with AS&E**

9C.1 Offeror A Model F $25,000 $975 $3,000 $21,025 $19,947 No

Line Item 10B.1 would be considered compliant, factoring in destination charges and AS&E.

Line Item 17.1 would be considered compliant, factoring in destination charges, AS&E, and the higher police-type vehicle limitation.

Line Item 7.1 would be considered compliant without factoring destination and AS&E charges

(offered price already below the stated limitation).

Line Item 9P.1 would be considered compliant because SPL does not apply to any vehicle that is a commercial item and which operates on alternative fuel, including but not limited to electric, plug-in hybrid electric, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Line Item 8C.1 would be compliant on the surface, but the SPL calculation is so low as to require additional clarification from the offeror (it is unlikely that AS&E would be over twice as much as the SPL calculated price).

Line Item 9C.1 would not be compliant, even when factoring in destination charges and AS&E.

GSA does not require vendors to indicate what equipment is included in its AS&E pricing with offers, but offerors should maintain this information in the event of an audit. If the base vehicle offered price is already below the Statutory Price Limitations, offerors should simply insert “$1” in the AS&E fields. AS&E only applies to sedans and station wagons and is not applicable to vans, SUVs, and trucks.

Q10: For LU packages that can be applied to multiple different SINs, should offerors include the quotes and bill of materials for the different SINs in tabs within the same quote worksheet?

A10: No, please submit a separate Excel document for each SIN being offered. Please include the SIN in the document title along with the LU package number. For example:

“LU Factor 1, Tab B – LU50 SIN 100L Worksheet – insert Offeror”

“LU Factor 1, Tab B – LU50 SIN 105A Worksheet – insert Offeror”

In addition, please provide a separate Word version of the purchase description with tracked changes for each SIN for the same LU option. For example:

“LU Factor 1, Tab C – LU50 SIN 100L Purchase Description – insert Offeror”

“LU Factor 1, Tab C – LU50 SIN 105A Purchase Description – insert Offeror”