47QTCB20R0005 Questions-Responses.pdf

8(a) STARS III Questions and Responses

Thank you for your interest in the 8(a) Streamlined Technology Acquisition Resource for Services III (STARS III) Governmentwide Acquisition Contract (GWAC). GSA is providing the following responses to anticipated questions regarding solicitation 47QTCB20R0005.

While these responses may include one or more specific solicitation passages in response to a question, interested parties are reminded that the solicitation serves as the official guidance regarding STARS III proposal preparation.

Questions and responses are organized into the topic areas shown below. In some topic areas there is a statement that precedes the questions and responses, therefore interested parties stand to benefit from reviewing all statements, questions and responses.

● Eligibility

● Relevant Experience

● 8(a) Graduation

● Security Clearances

● Labor Categories

● General

A few requests have been received from organizations wanting government assistance with proposal development. The RFP itself is intended to serve as the basis for the competition and expresses the government’s requirements. Procurement integrity considerations preclude the acquisition team working on this procurement from offering support to offerors. Proposal preparation and related decisions are matters in which interested parties should exercise sound business judgment.

As a reminder, STARS III will use a web-based portal for proposal submission. The offer portal is the ONLY method of proposal submission. Please follow the portal registration and offer submission instructions in Section L as well as the STARS III Offer Portal User Guide provided as an attachment to the STARS III solicitation on beta.Sam.gov.

Questions regarding STARS III may be sent to S3@gsa.gov for potential inclusion in a future Questions/Responses document. Inquiries directed elsewhere (including items submitted via the US Postal Service or other delivery service) are not official, might not be received, and may go unaddressed. TELEPHONE INQUIRIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

mailto:S3@gsa.gov

Eligibility

Question Response

Q1) Will 8(a) STARS II contract holders be grandfathered into 8(a) STARS III?

STARS II Industry Partners will not be grandfathered into the STARS III GWAC.

STARS III is a separate procurement from other GSA contract vehicles.

Q2) Do I need to have any other GSA contract (e.g. Schedule 70, OASIS) or an industry credential to receive an award on

STARS III?

No. There is no requirement to hold any other GSA contract or industry credential to receive an award. See Section L for proposal requirements.

Q3) I have applied for 8(a) status. Can I submit a proposal while that is pending?

Only legal entities that are SBA 8(a) certified small business concerns at the time of initial offer submission that includes pricing will be considered for award. See L.3.7. Also see L.9 for additional information related to Joint Ventures.

Q4) Am I allowed to propose as a prime contractor and also as a subcontractor to another company proposing as a prime, or as a subcontractor to multiple primes?

Yes. Also see L.10 for requirements associated with proposed subcontractors.

Q5) Must all proposed subcontractors be 8(a) Program participants for purposes of the proposal?

Yes. See L.10.2. This limitation only applies to the offer. During performance STARS III primes will have to comply with FAR 52.219-14, Limitation on Subcontracting

Q6) Can an 8(a) company submit an offer as a STARS III prime, and also as the managing member of a Joint Venture or Mentor/Protege?

Joint Ventures (including Mentor-Protege relationships) are governed by SBA rules and regulations. We encourage you to review 13 CFR 124.513 and contact your supporting SBA office for JV eligibility related questions.

Q7) Are there any restrictions as to the business size or socioeconomic status for the Partner Venturer/Mentor in a JV making an offer on STARS III

Joint Ventures (including Mentor-Protege relationships) are governed by SBA rules and regulations. Contact your supporting SBA office for JV eligibility related questions.

Relevant Experience

Q1) Can a firm provide a relevant experience example of emerging technology that is not included in the list within the solicitation?

Experience in one of the seven technology areas listed in L.17.7 is required for an award in the emerging technology scope sub-area, which supports a common basis for offer evaluation.

Q2) What is the minimum value of projects that can be included as a relevant experience example?

No individual REP value shall be less than $100,000. See the relevant experience requirements at paragraph L.17

Q3) Can my relevant experience be used under my submission as a prime and also by another offeror with me as a proposed subcontractor?

Yes. Also see L.10 for the requirements associated with proposed subcontractors.

8(a) Graduation

Q1) Our firm will graduate from the 8(a) Program during the contract ordering period.

How will this impact my ability to receive task order awards after we graduate?

FAR 19.804-6 addresses 8(a) task orders under IDIQ contracts. Also refer to G.12 and G.13 in regards to orders below the 8(a) competition threshold and order-level offer and acceptance by the SBA.

Q2) What happens to our firm’s eligibility for the master contract option if we graduate during the ordering period of STARS III?

Paragraph H.12.3, indicates conditions that will prohibit exercising a master contract option, including no longer being an active participant in SBA’s 8(a) program (e.g.

graduated, terminated, or otherwise exited from the program).

Security Clearances

Q1) Is GSA willing to sponsor my firm for a secret level facility clearance?

GSA will not sponsor clearances at the Master Contract level. Clearances may be sponsored at the task order level. See H.7.

Q2) Can I propose on 8(a) STARS III if our firm is still working on our security clearances?

Yes. The Master Contract does not require Contractors to hold an active clearance. See H.7.

Labor Categories and Pricing

Q1) Does an offeror have to provide pricing on every labor category in order to be compliant with pricing for the 8(a) STARS III solicitation? What if they have no experience in that area?

Yes. Failure to offer maximum rates for all labor categories at both government site and contractor site will result in offer ineligibility.

Please see L.19.5.

Q2) How do we add labor categories as needed by a customer once 8(a) STARS III is open for business?

There are no plans to add labor categories other than those listed at Attachment J-2 at the Master Contract level. OCOs may consider different labor categories for T&M and LH Orders when deemed necessary. See C.5.

Q3) Please explain the locality differential and escalation calculations

Please see B.8.3.4 and Attachment J-3 for an explanation on locality differentials and L.19 for escalation calculations.

Q3) Must I provide the same pricing that I have already established on another GSA contract?

No. As stated in the Eligibility section in response to Q1, this is a separate procurement from other GSA contract vehicles. Pricing will be evaluated per M.7.

General

Q1) What is the planned award date for 8(a)

STARS III?

The planned award date for STARS III is Spring 2021.

Q2) Is there a maximum number of awardees for this GWAC?

There is not a set or projected number of awardees for STARS III. See L.2.2.

Q3) Is there anyone that can help me with preparing my offer?

While GSA cannot assist industry in offer preparation, the solicitation makes use of easy to use templates and keeps proposal requirements to a minimum.

Q4) Where can I find sales data on the current STARS II GWAC?

The GSA GWAC Dashboard provides sales information for all of the GSA GWACs. And while past results are not a guarantee of future business volume, STARS III is being positioned as the next generation of the successful 8(a) STARS family of contracts.

Q5) How do I submit a proposal for the 8(a)

STARS III GWAC?

The 8(a) STARS III GWAC Offer Portal is the official proposal submission location. Review proposal submission instructions within the posted solicitation.

Q6) I have issues logging into the 8(a) STARS III Offer Portal, who do I contact?

Individuals with issues accessing the 8(a) STARS III GWAC Offer Portal should proactively reach out to tscportal@gsa.gov.

Q7) What date should a JV enter as the 8(a) exit date when registering for the offer portal?

When registering a JV, use the managing venturer’s 8(a) exit date.

http://www.gsa.gov/gwacdashboards mailto:tscportal@gsa.gov