Questions_and_AnswersAmendment.docx

Amendment 0003: The following questions and answers are provided in response to the solicitation.

1. RFP L-26 (b). Page 78. EPA references a small business goal of both 58% and 55%. Can EPA confirm which is the correct small business agency goal?

ANSWER: The small business goal is 55%.

2. RFP L-27 (2) (II). Page 101 (Instructions for Proposing Other Direct Costs). Paragraph 1 states that “Other Direct Costs are recovered at cost without markup or fee.” Alternatively, on page 8, section E, the RFP allows the direct charging of material handling costs or indirect costs applied to Other Direct Costs (ODCs) if in accordance with a Contractor’s usual accounting practice. Can offerors apply a material handling cost or indirect cost to proposed ODCs? If yes, are offerors required to include in their pricing proposals material handling or indirect costs applied to ODCs?

ANSWER: Clause L.27 has been updated. Reasonable and allocable material handling costs or materiel indirect costs may be included in the charge for material or other direct costs to the extent they are clearly excluded from the fully loaded hourly labor rates and are in accordance with the Contractor’s usual accounting practices consistent with Subpart 31.2 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). No profit margin shall be added to material or other direct costs, as profit is included in the fully loaded hourly labor rates.

3. RFP L-27 (2) (I). Page 101. There appears to be a calculation error in the Labor Hour Distribution Table. The PL-2 Total hours for each year should be 7,800 instead of 8,100. This correction would result in the Total PL-2 hours of 39,000, Grand Total hours for each year to be 57,200, and the Grand Total contract hours to be 286,000.

ANSWER: The Clause has been updated to reflect the correct total amounts for each year, the total level of effort for the P2 and the grand total.

4. Please confirm that footnotes can be included in 10pt font.

ANSWER: The footnotes can be included in 10pt font.

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5. Regarding the Past Performance instructions, the RFP (p. 73) states “Offerors must send Client Authorization Letters (see Section J of the solicitation) to each reference listed in their proposal to assist in the timely processing of the past performance evaluation.” Section J contains the referenced letter as item 9. Later on p. 73, the RFP address item 8 in Section J: “The Past Performance Questionnaire identified in section J will be used to collect information on an offeror's performance under existing and prior contracts/subcontracts for products or services similar in scope, magnitude, relevance, and complexity to this requirement in order to evaluate offerors consistent with the past performance evaluation factor set forth in section M.” There is not an instruction for the offeror to transmit item 8 (Past Performance Questionnaire) along with item 9 (Client Authorization Letter). The letter and RfP language seem to indicate that the CO will distribute item 8 to references at her/his discretion. Please clarify that the offeror should transmit only item 9 to references.

ANSWER: In accordance with the clause the offeror should transmit Client Authorization Letters to its references.

6. If necessary, will the government please extend the due date to ensure there is at least two weeks (14 days) between the date the government provides answers to questions and the proposal due date?

ANSWER: The amendment has updated the required due date for proposal receipt.

7. On page 100 in the Labor Hour Distribution Table, the Total Labor Hours for PL-2 is actually 7,800 per year for a total of 39,000 hours. Please confirm that this is the correct number to use.

ANSWER: The total per year and total for the PL-2 has been updated.

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8. Should FedEx and hand deliveries of the hard copy proposals be delivered to EPA contract’s Norwood Ohio address? If so, would you please cite that full address?

ANSWER: No. The correct address is identified in clause L.27

9. The instructions on page 80 of the RFP indicate that the consultant letters of commitment can be included as an attachment in the technical proposal. The letters of commitment, however, contain rate information. We believe we should place letters of commitment in the cost proposal, not the technical proposal. Please confirm that consultant letters of commitment can or should be placed in the cost proposal, not the technical proposal.

ANSWER: Letters of commitment without rate information should be included in the technical proposal, letters of commitment with rate information should be in the price proposal.

10. Page 80 of the RFP identifies items that are to be submitted as separate tabbed attachments to the technical proposal that do not count toward the page limitation. Can project description summaries in addition to those being included in response to Evaluation Criterion I.2 be included among the attachments without counting toward the page limitation?

ANSWER: No.

11. Page 80 of the RFP states that the offeror shall include the Small Business Subcontracting Plan as an attachment to the technical proposal. Please note that this plan includes monetary goals, expressed in terms of percentages of total planned subcontracting dollars, for the use of small business, veteran-owned small business, service disabled veteran-owned small business, HUB Zone small business, small disadvantaged business, and women-owned small business concerns as subcontractors. Because of the inclusion of cost information, it is our experience that this plan is normally submitted only as part of the cost proposal, not as part of or as an attachment to the technical proposal. Should the subcontracting plan in fact be submitted only in the cost proposal and not as an attachment to the technical proposal?

ANSWER: Subcontracting Plan should be submitted in the Price Proposal.

12. On page 81 of the RFP, Section I.2 of the Technical Proposal Instructions (Offeror’s Demonstrated Experience Supporting Drinking Water Regulatory Processes) says that each project narrative “shall identify the appropriate relevant task area(s) outlined in Section 1 of the Performance Work Statement.” Does “Section 1” of the Performance Work Statement refer specifically to the part titled “1.0 REGULATORY DEVELOPMENT, REVIEW AND REVISION,” with subparts numbered 1.1 through 1.10, on pages 3-9 of the Performance Work Statement? If not, to what does it refer?

ANSWER: Yes.

13. On Page 84 of the RFP, Section III.A of the Technical Proposal Instructions requires offerors to submit Table 2 (a crosswalk to demonstrate compliance with the QMP criterion). Is Table 2 included in the page count?

ANSWER: No Table 2 is not included in the page count.

14. For Criterion III.A.1 (Appropriateness of the Customized QMP), both the Technical Proposal Instructions (Section L, page 84 of the RFP) and the Technical Evaluation Criteria (Section M, pages 107-18 of the RFP) indicate that the organizational chart required in the QMP “must be consistent with the organizational chart presented in the Program Management Plan.” Since this RFP does not include a Program Management Plan and an organization chart is not required elsewhere in the RFP, can EPA eliminate these statements from the QMP instructions and criterion or clarify the requirement?

ANSWER: Clause L.27 has been updated to reflect resource monitoring criterion which also been updated to clarify the requirement.

15. Is the offeror’s response to Criterion III.A.2, Appropriateness of the Offeror’s Experience in Developing and Applying QA/QC Procedures (on page 85 of the RFP), included in the page count?

ANSWER: Yes.

16. Element 3 of both Table 1 (EPA Quality Management Plan Requirements for Contractors, on page 87 of the RFP) and Table 2 (Offeror Crosswalk between EPA QMP Requirements for Contractors and the Offeror’s Customized QMP, on page 93 of the RFP) reference the OST QA Officer/Coordinator. Should this be the OGWDW QA Officer/Coordinator?

ANSWER: The reference should be the OGWDW QA Officer/Coordinator.

17. On page 87 of the RFP, Element 5 of Table 1, EPA Quality Management Plan Requirements for Contractors, states that the QMP’s organizational chart must reflect the technical organization described in the offeror’s staffing plan (including subcontractors), technical approach, and management plan. Since this RFP does not include a staffing plan, technical approach, or management plan, can EPA eliminate this phrase from Table 1 or clarify the requirement?

ANSWER: Clause L 27 and Table 1 have been updated to require a staffing plan.

18. Page 77 states that questions are due 10 days after the issuance date, which is September 11th according to the RFP. Since the solicitation was not posted until September 17th, please confirm the final deadline for questions is September 27th.

ANSWER: Questions were due September 27, 2019.

19. Regarding Qualification and Availability of Key Personnel (pages 81-84 of the solicitation):

The requirements for the Senior Analyst, Senior Scientist, and Senior Engineer Key Personnel positions each list extremely broad areas of knowledge and experience that likely would not be possessed by a single expert professional. As examples, the instructions state:

Therefore, we are concerned that including information on only a single senior professional for each of these key personnel positions will (1) not allow offers to adequately demonstrate their senior personnel’s’ full range of expertise and experience and (2) provide an unfair competitive advantage to the incumbent due to their prior staffing on this contract. Therefore, as is common on EPA regulatory support contract procurements, we request that offerors be allowed to propose up to two individuals for each of the following key personnel categories: Senior Analyst, Senior Scientist, and Senior Engineer. Is this acceptable to the government?

ANSWER: Clause L.27 has been updated to address the above questions.

20. Please confirm that a list of acronyms would not count against the page limit.

ANSWER: A list of acronyms does not count against the page limit.

21. Page 81 asks Offeror’s to list "team member(s) that performed the work" for each of the project examples. Please clarify if "team members(s)" refers to organizational partners or offeror's staff.

ANSWER: the offeror’s team members (identify who completed the project).

22. In Section B: Page 8, the RFP states “E. Time and Materials Orders - Reasonable and allocable material handling costs or material indirect costs may be included in the charge for material or other direct costs to the extent they are clearly excluded from the fully loaded hourly labor rates and are in accordance with the Contractor's usual accounting practices consistent with Subpart 31.2 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). No profit margin shall be added to material or other direct costs, as profit is included in the fully loaded hourly labor rates.” This states that contractors are allowed to charge appropriate indirect costs on their other direct costs. In Section L: Page 101, the RFP states “II. INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPOSING OTHER DIRECT COSTS: The offeror shall incorporate the Other Direct Costs specified in the chart below into the price proposal or provide rationale as to why these amounts have been increased or decreased in the proposal. Other Direct Costs are recovered at cost without markup or fee.” This states that contractor’s Other direct costs are recovered at cost without markup and indirect costs cannot be applied.

ANSWER: Clause L.27 has been updated. Reasonable and allocable material handling costs or materiel indirect costs may be included in the charge for material or other direct costs to the extent they are clearly excluded from the fully loaded hourly labor rates and are in accordance with the Contractor’s usual accounting practices consistent with Subpart 31.2 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). No profit margin shall be added to material or other direct costs, as profit is included in the fully loaded hourly labor rates.

23. Can the Government please confirm that contractors are allowed to apply their appropriate indirect rates (Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) rates) to their other direct costs?

ANSWER: Clause L.27 has been updated. Reasonable and allocable material handling costs or materiel indirect costs may be included in the charge for material or other direct costs to the extent they are clearly excluded from the fully loaded hourly labor rates and are in accordance with the Contractor’s usual accounting practices consistent with Subpart 31.2 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). No profit margin shall be added to material or other direct costs, as profit is included in the fully loaded hourly labor rates.

24. In Section L: Page 100, the RFP states “Fixed Rates for Services” These rates will be used to price any time and materials task order issued under the resultant contract and the rates applicable at the time of task order issuance will apply to that task order for the duration of its performance.” This states that the contractor will use these rates to bid time and material task orders, will contractors also use these rates to bid firm fixed price task orders?

ANSWER: Yes.

25. L-19 on page 73 says to submit the COI Plan with the Cost Proposal, but the list of items excluded from the Technical Proposal page count on page 80 also lists the COI plan. Should the COI Plan occur in both proposal volumes?

ANSWER: The COI Plan should be submitted with the Price Proposal.

26. Evaluation factor M-2 states: “The disclosure statement described in the provision entitled, “Disclosure Requirements for Organizational Conflict of Interest” will be evaluated as acceptable or not acceptable.” Please clarify where in the Technical Proposal or Cost Proposal a statement regarding responding to L-20 Local Clauses EPA-L-09-102 DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS FOR ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF INTERST should occur.

ANSWER: The COI Plan should be submitted with the Price Proposal.

27. Section J, Attachment 5, states a Subcontracting Plan is “TBD at time of award, if applicable”. Section L- 26 asks that all Large Businesses submitting an offer provide a subcontracting plan with their initial proposal. Can the Government clarify if a Subcontracting Plan is required as part of the IDIQ proposal submission?

ANSWER: The To be determined refers to date and page number the actual plan that will be incorporated at time of award.

28. If required, as this is an IDIQ, may offerors propose goals as a percentage of “TBD” total subcontracted dollars? Or should the plan be predicated on a specific total award amount?

ANSWER: The subcontracting goals should be based on the total award amount.

29. Can the Government clarify if the Small Business Subcontracting Plan should be submitted with both volumes?

ANSWER: The subcontracting plan should be submitted with the Price Proposal.