24Q0051 - Questions and Answers.pdf

Questions and Answers – 49100424Q0051

Regarding Volume I:

1. Is there any particular format required for the Summary Cover Letter?

No, there is no required format – a cover letter is often used to state general information and provide an overview of who to coordinate with in the quoter’s organization.

2. In submitting SF1449 as part of Volume I, shall we also include all subsequent pages (i.e. 2-64), including responses to the Offeror Representations and Certifications on pgs.

47-59?

No, you only need to acknowledge the cover form (SF 1449) itself so as to ensure that you are acknowledging the correct solicitation.

3. Given the information to be provided in Volume III, is it necessary to:

1. Insert a specific "Unit Price" or Total "Amount" in Sections 23 and 24 of SF 1449?

No, so long as your price information is detailed in Volume III that is sufficient.

2. Complete the "Price/Cost Schedule" on page 2?

No, the price cost schedule is illustrative to show what an award will look like, and will be amended by the Contracting Officer to incorporate the information provided by proposers in Volume III

1. If yes, can you please explain the level of detail required for Items 1-3?

N/A, see above information. The Contracting Officer will incorporate the proposed rates by the successful quoter(s) in their Volume III into the Labor Hour Contract Line Item.

3. How do I confirm the small business size status as reported in SAM.gov? Is that done by signing SF1449?

Size status is reported in SAM.gov as a representation/certification by the creator of the SAM.gov record. In order to confirm that quoters have correctly represented themselves, we are asking that they confirm their registration in SAM.gov as a Small Business. If you have a valid SAM.gov registration, you will have already answered the question in that registration.

The Contracting Officer will nonetheless check the SAM.gov registration representations and certifications independently during the proposal review process.

Regarding Volume II:

1. Can you tell us whether the plan to be designed, implemented, and evaluated for one or more pilot sites is intended to: a) address existing harm in a specific community; or b) serve as a blueprint for addressing future harm with RJIA? We ask because the two require different approaches, unique sets of work, and distinct skill sets among personnel.

This project is intended to support both a) and b)

2. Can you tell us any more about the potential pilot site(s)? We recognize the original RFI was focused on the United States Antarctic Program whereas this solicitation applies to various NSF-funded off-campus or off-site research venues.

Thank you for your question. NSF funds a wide range of off-campus or off-site research venues. These may include our large facilities projects (see list at https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/lfo/docs/major-facilities-list.pdf), remote sites such as Toolik Field Station or Summit Station in Greenland, and recurring conferences and programs such as our Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs). OECR will work closely with the contractor on site selection.

3. Is there any flexibility in the timeline surrounding design and implementation? We ask because the design phase may take longer than what is envisioned in the delivery schedule, especially if individuals from the pilot site(s) are involved in the design process, as we hope they could be.

Yes, there is flexibility in the timeline.

4. Are we correct in understanding that NSF envisions the Initial Task Order as being completed in approximately 28 months and as there being potential for additional Orders thereafter, through 4/14/29?

The NSF envisions the initial task being completed in approximately 18 Months, with the potential for orders thereafter through a 5-year period (provisionally April 14, 2029, however that will be formalized at the date of award).

https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/lfo/docs/major-facilities-list.pdf

5. In addition to listing all Key Personnel (with appropriate resumes), can we also list other potential personnel? If so, will bios be sufficient for those individuals or shall we include resumes (where possible) for those individuals as well?

Only Key Personnel resumes will be directly rated during the evaluation.

While non-key personnel resumes or bios may be submitted as part of the technical narrative, their inclusion would be subject to the overall page limitations for that portion (20 Pages maximum). Non-key personnel resumes will not be directly rated.

Regarding Volume III:

6. Are we correct in understanding that the quotation to be provided is limited to labor costs and does not need to include other costs related to travel or materials?

Yes. The ODC costs for the initial and subsequent task orders will be derived from an estimated ceiling and only paid at cost. These amounts are expected to be incidental compared to Labor.

7. Are we correct in understanding that Volume III should include the following key components:

a. Overall cost(s) for the Initial Task Order (with rates and hours);

Yes.

b. A summary of labor categories and skills necessary to fulfill the Initial Task Order;

and

Yes.

c. A summary of established rates for all labor categories for each year of the contract (i.e. 2024-2029)?

Yes. This is in order to define what the expected costs would be for possible future tasks during the out years of the contract.

8. Are there any specific hourly rate caps or ranges we should be aware of for this solicitation regarding the labor categories to be proposed?

No. However, as this is a competitive solicitation, the award decision may be selected based upon proposed prices/labor rates. Per the solicitation, “The non-price factors are significantly more important than price, but price will become more important in making the best value determination as quoters’ non-price factors are found to be more equal.”

9. Can you help us understand what degree of budget detail is needed for the launch/implementation period since we don’t yet know where the pilot site(s) is/are located, how long team members may need to be present on site, or what precisely the team members will be doing while there (e.g. facilitating a restorative process or training others to facilitate future processes)?

When preparing the quotation, ensure that your assumptions upon which you base the proposed effort are clearly indicated, and the assumptions utilized in development of that price will be meaningfully considered during the award decision process.

As this is planned to be a Time and Materials initial task order, the ceiling price of the task order is defined by the hours and rates quoted. As there is implicit variability in a Time and Materials type contract, it is possible for there to be variances in actual performance. The ceiling price sets the limit beyond which the contractor must not perform without a modification to the contract.

10. Given the unknowns, might it be acceptable to include a price range that accounts for various possibilities, rather than an estimate based on more specific assumptions?

No, quoters should delineate, in as much as they are able, what assumptions they intend to base their quotation on. As the initial Task Order is planned to be Time and Materials, the ceiling price is the limit beyond which the contractor must not perform without a modification to the contract.

11. Once a quotation is provided, are we locked to those numbers or can they be adjusted after the award?

The quoted rates are binding. The quoted hours may be more variable during performance. The quoted rates and hours are combined to define a ceiling price.

During performance the contractor shall not exceed the ceiling price of the Task Order without a modification.

As this is a pilot effort and the Government is aware of the potential ambiguity and possibility of changed requirements, it is possible that during the first half of the performance, where the contractor develops an Option Paper and designs a Pilot, there will be scope changes to the latter portions of the initial task order, wherein the Pilot and Pilot Evaluation are conducted. In the event of a scope change, a modification will need to be negotiated to address those, which would likely include an alteration to the ceiling price.

Regarding Volume Format(s) and Format of Submission:

Are we correct in understanding that Volumes I, II, and III should be submitted as separate files, with Volumes I and II in pdf format and Volume III in MS Excel format (or similar)? Or would you like Volumes I and II combined into a single pdf document with Volume III provided separately?

Please keep Volumes I, II, and III separate in your submission of your quote.