69319521R000003-Questions received_Amendment 0005.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 40 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- 69319521R000003
View the file
Other files
Show all 16
On GovTribe
Work with this file
- Download the original file
- Contacts named in this file
- Similar government files
- Ask GovTribe AI about this file
Text version
Q&A
| FTA RFP/Solicitation No.69319521R000003 |
| Financial Management Oversight (FMO) |
| Question No. | Noted Section Reference | Questions | Government Responses |
| 1 | N/A | Please confirm that this contract is available only to contractors with 8(a) Small Business (SB) designation set-aside. | Via Amendment 0001 to the Solicitation, it was specified that only firms with 8(a) Small Business (SB) designations were eligible to submit a proposal response as a prime vendor in response to the solicitation. The amendment 0001 to clarify this designation can be found on Contract Opportunities for this soliciation. |
| 2 | Section L.9 | Section L.9 references thumb drives and printed copies of the proposals; please confirm that the proposals are to be submitted via email | Do not provide thumb drive and/or printed copies of the proposal to the agency. Proposals will be accepted electronically. The RFP/Solicitation attachment has been amended to update the language. |
| 3 | N/A | Should proposers include Reps and Certs, in proposal or only ensure that SAM certs are current? | Please review the Reps and Certs and SAM certs in section K of the RFP. Per Section K, page 105 of RFP, Offerors must ensure all respective representations and certifications are completed in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to submittal of a proposal for this procurement. Per amendment 0004, the RFP/Solicitation has been updated in Section L to include language about Volume 4- Additional Information which must be used to provide a current printout of completed SAM information. |
| 4 | N/A | Will FTA provide attachment J.1: Past Performance Questionnaires | Attachment J:1 was submited and included in the list of attachments posted on Contract Opportunities when the initial RFP/Solicitation was posted online. An updated questionnaire which reflects the current due date with time was provided via amendment 0003 to this RFP/Solicitation. |
| 5 | Section L9.9 | Should we insert letters of commitment from key staff, in response to L9.9; does this count against the total pages. | Letters of commitment are required. It does not count against the total pages. |
| 6 | Page 116, L9.9 | Please clarify what is meant “representative resumes” on p. 116 l9.9 | The offeror needs to provide actual resumes of the people they propose to work on the project and those resumes must demonstrate actual experience and qualifications of that person. |
| 7 | N/A | What is the estimated number of FTE's per labor category? It is unclear in the hour buildup how many FTE's are required per LCAT - for example, Partner totals up to 4800 hours in the base year. When divided by 1920, that comes out to 2.5 FTE's. If non-demonstrative resumes are required for all personnel, we want to be sure we provide an adequate number of resumes per LCAT. | Provide a maximum of 3 staff persons for each key-positions, excluding partner which depends on the number of partners. Provide a maximum of 3 staff persons for each non-key positions, excluding administrative assistant which should only be 1 resume. |
| 8 | N/A | Will an initial Task Order be issued based on contractor's responses, or will this solicitation only provide access to the vehicle and all awarded vendors will bid on TO's in the future? | The initial task order is for kick-off meetings for each awarded contractor. |
| 9 | Section F.6 | Does the contractor need to hold office space in the D.C. Metro area, or can work be performed anywhere, since section F.6 states that the contractor will provide its own office space and equipment? | The contractor does not need to hold office space in the D.C. Metro area. |
| 10 | Section L.8 | Per section L.8 - must the proposal be submitted electronically AND in print? Or is electronically sufficient? | The proposal must be submitted electronically. Via amendment 0004 to the RFP/Solicitation, language concerning printed copies has been removed. |
| 11 | N/A | Who is the incumbent and what is the current contract number? | Tuba Group, Inc. - DTFT6016D00005; RMW Associates - DTFT6016D00007; TFC Consulting Inc, - DTFT6016D00006; Hamilton Samlin Milligan (HSM) - DTFT6016D00002. This information can also be found in USASpending on its public facing site. |
| 12 | Page 113, Section L.8; 5th paragraph | a) Are hard copies of the proposal volumes expected? |
b) If so, how many copies of each volume?
| c) What delivery location is the proposal expected taking COVID-19 protocols in consideration? | The proposal must be submitted electronically. Via amendment 0004 to the RFP/Solicitation, language concerning printed copies has been removed. | |||
| 13 | Page 113, Section L.9 | Would you consider allowing small font size for tables, charts, graphs, and other graphics if they are legible and readable? | No, the offeror must stay within the font size requested in the RFP/Solicitation. | |
| 14 | Page 110, Fourth Column, 7th row of the table | There is no Section 9.2 in the table. Was this an omission or the Section is non-existent? | 9.2 is non-existent and reference to it has been removd. 9.1 should be staffing. Resumes count as 2 pages and letters of commitment (neither are counted against the 20 page limit). | |
| 15 | Page 112, Table | Since each volume should stand alone, should each not have its respective cover letter? | Per amendment 0005, adding a correction to response provided for question 15 per amendment 0004- Offerors are to submit the same cover letter that was submitted for Volume 1 as it relates to the remaining three volumes required for submission to this RFP/Solicitation. |
| 16 | Section L.11 | Can firms without peer review propose for this requirement if the Partner/Principal of the CPA firm who signs the Report of Independent Accountants and Senior Manager are CPAs in good standing with AICPA certification requirements? | The peer review is required for contract award. | |
| 17 | Page 117; Section L.9.9 | Would the government please provide the referenced sample resume? | The format for the resume is outlined in section L.9.9 | |
| 18 | Page 116; Section L.9.9 | Would the government consider bios and a firm roster in place of the resumes for Non-Key Personnel? | Resumes for non-key personnel should be formatted as outlined in section L.9.9 | |
| 19 | N/A | Would the government consider extending the proposal due date by 10 business days after contractor questions are answered? | Government has extended the proposal date to July 23, 2021 at 3 p.m. EST. | |
| 20 | Page 111, Table | Because there is a lot of material requested for these three proposal sections, would the Government consider expanding this page limit to 30 pages? | Each volume has specfic page requirements and page limits. They will not be expanded. | |
| 21 | Section L.11, Page 117 | Can the government confirm if the Past Performance requirement is three (3) citations for the Prime Contractor and Sub Contractor(s) collectively, or if the three (3) citations must be met independently by both the Prime Contractor and Sub Contractor(s)? | The Prime Contractor requires 3 past performance citations and a maximum of 3 citations for the subcontractor. | |
| 22 | Section H.6, Page 42 | Can the government identify which positions might require a security clearance? Does the government have an estimate on the number of positions that will require a Top-Secret Clearance? | No security clearances are required for work via the resulting contracts etc. as contracted personnel will not be provided badges. There are no Top-Secret Clearance positions. | |
| 23 | N/A | Who is the incumbent and what is their contract number? | Please see response for question no. 11 above in this document. | |
| 24 | N/A | What is the total number of positions required for the effort, including the four (4) key personnel positions? | That is to be determined by the offeror. | |
| 25 | Section L.8 | Would the government allow a smaller font for tables, charts, graphs and pictures as long as they are easy to read? | The Government requirement for fonts, charts and tables are as explained in the RFP. | |
| 26 | Page 111 | Are resumes excluded from the 20 pages allotted to the Technical Approach? | Resumes are not included in the 20 page limit for Volume I, Technical Approach. | |
| 27 | Page 111 | Technical Approach – 20 pages includes 9.1 and 9.2 which are the cover letter and cover page. Would the government consider excluding these two items from the 20-page limit? | Page 111 of RFP, section 9.1 Project Staffing, and 9.2 is omitted. Resumes are included in Volume I, Technical Approach but are not included in the 20 page limit. | |
| 28 | Page 111 | Is project staffing L.9.9 included or excluded from the 20-page limit? | Page 111 of RFP, Project Staffing is included in the 20-page limit. | |
| 29 | Key Personnel | Are there a total four key personnel as listed below? Principal/Partner, Senior Manager, Transit Financial Analyst, Senior Accountant? | Yes | |
| 30 | Key Personnel | Are additional personnel that are needed in these roles/categories considered non-key (e.g., additional Partners, Senior Managers, etc.)? | Any additional personnel needed in the key personnel category are still considered key personnel. | |
| 31 | L.9.9 | Are resumes required for added staff beyond the following list (e.g., for additional Senior Managers, Transit Analysts etc.).? | Yes, resumes are needed for all personnel both key and non-key personnel. | |
| 32 | L.9.9 | For any additional personnel needed in these six roles, would the government consider removing the requirement for “transit related” experience (except for the Transit Financial Analyst role) as long as one member in each role has the transit related experience qualification? | Personnel must have the staff experience noted in the RFP. | |
| 33 | Attachment J.2 | Should the offeror propose pricing based on the exact hours listed in the spreadsheet? | The hours provided in the spreadsheet are an estimated level of effort for the program. If your firm proposes different hours, written explanation must be provided in volume 3 as a brief narrative to clearly address it for reference. | |
| 34 | Attachment J.2 | Should the offeror propose pricing based on the exact labor categories listed in the spreadsheet? | Yes, the labor categories will not change during the life of the contract. | |
| 35 | Attachment J.2 | Just to verify, will separate task orders be issued upon which the awardee/offeror would propose a customized price based on the exact work? | On the task order level, vendors/offerors can propose different pricing than what was agreed upon at the base IDIQ contract level if it is being provided as additional discounts off of previously approved pricing concerning the vendor's base IDIQ contract award. | |
| 36 | Attachment J.2 | What part of the pricing is Firm Fixed Price versus Labor Hour? | Information concerning the contract type for each CLIN can be viewed directly in Attachment J-2 in column G. Attachment was uploaded with RFP/Solicitation via Contract Opportunities. | |
| 37 | Attachment J.2 | Would the government consider allowing labor rates per labor category only for the Business/Cost Proposal and not a price based on a set amount of labor hours as specified in the J-2 spreadsheet? | No | |
| 38 | Attachment J.2 | Can J-2 be submitted as a separate file along with a pdf for the overall Business/Cost Proposal | Yes, along as the attachment J-2 is also provided as an MS Office Excel file in the vendor/offeror submission for this RFP/Solicitation. | |
| 39 | L.11, Paragraph 6 | If pre-negotiated GSA Schedule rates are used is that a sufficient explanation to comply with this requirement? | It is an offeror's business decision concerning pricing proposed for this procurement which is being procured via utilization of FAR Part 15: Contracting by Negotations procedures. | |
| 40 | L.15 | If Reps and Certs are up to date in SAM is it required that we cut the information into the Price proposal also? | Per amendment 0004, the current SAM information for the offeror must be provided via Volume 4. | |
| 41 | L.9.8 | Would the government consider not requiring the Corporate Organization Chart? If the chart is required, then (1) what structure and detail are required for this chart (2) should the proposed project team be added to the chart? | The Corporate Organization Chart is required with the submission. The required information for the organization chart is presented in Section L.9.9 (Staffing Plan) paragraph 2, and Section M.7 paragraph 2 (Staffing Plan). | |
| 42 | L.9.8 | Would the government consider excluding this section from the Technical Approach 20-page count? | The Corporate Organization Chart is included as part of the 20 page count. | |
| 43 | N/A | Would the government consider extending the due date of the proposal to allow incorporation of changes as a result of Q&A? | Due date has been extended to July 23, 2021 at 3 p.m. EST per amendment 0002. | |
| 44 | L.11 | We participated as a prime contractor on FMO until November 11, 2015. Can we use this as past performance since it is directly relevant although a little over the five-year constraint? | The offeror will have to make a business decision concerning this as it relates to submission for this RFP/Solicitation. | |
| 45 | L.11 | Can the offeror’s team submit more than three past performance PPQs and references? | Submission requires 3 past performance questionnaires and 3 references. | |
| 46 | N/A | Is a large company permitted as a subcontractor on a team with the prime being an 8(a)? | As long as the prime contractor stays within the parameters of the 8(a) program and the percentage of work to be subcontracted via a prime contract is adhered to etc. | |
| 47 | L.11 | Are CPA Licensed firm Offerors that have not yet undergone a peer review eligible to provide a proposal for this opportunity? | The peer review is required for contract award. | |
| 48 | L.11 | If CPARS exist for the referenced projects, is an Attachment J-1 Past Performance Questionnaire required to be submitted and completed by the contract references or would the government accept CPARS in lieu of J-1? | Past Performance Questionnaires are required. | |
| 49 | Key Personnel | For any additional personnel needed in the roles of Senior Manager and/or Senior Accountant would the government consider removing the requirement for “Certified Public Accountant” certification as long as one member in each of these two roles has a CPA and since the Partners performing the final reviews are CPAs? | Not at this time. | |
| 50 | N/A | Is there an incumbent for this work for FY21? If so, please provide the contractor and contract number. | Question is not clear. Base IDIQ contracts were awarded for a 5 year period of performance. There is no specific incumbent to name for work concerning specifically FY21. | |
| 51 | L.9.9 - bullet 9 | Would the government waive the need for the “Name, Title, Phone Number and email address of supervisor or senior manager” on the resumes? | This information is required. | |
| 52 | Section L.7, pg. 113 | If offerors are not providing a duplicate Cover Letter in a Volume(s), should the Cover Page of that Volume(s) be labeled Section 1 instead of Section 2? | The cover page should be labeled section 2 to stay with the format outlined on pages 111 and 112 of the RFP. | |
| 53 | Section L.7, pg. 111 | Please clarify the section names for 9.1 and 9.2 | 9.1 Project Staffing and 9.2 was omitted Resumes are not included in the 20 page limit. | |
| 54 | Section F, pg. 29 | "The offeror will provide a Performance Work Plan in response to the SOW concerning deliverables requested concerning this requirement." Please clarify this requirement, as it does not align with the response requirements detailed in Section L of the solicitation. | Offeror will provide a Performance Work Plan for meeting all contract deliverables outlined in the SOW. | |
| 55 | Section L.11.1, pg. 121 | This section states, "...a legally accepted agreement must be included in your proposal for proposed joint ventures." Please clarify in which proposal volume this information should be provided. | Per amendment 0005, correction to the response previously posted with amendment 0004- Offerors must submit only the legally signed, accepted agreement that includes the proposal for proposed joint ventures in Volume 4 if one exists and is being submitted by the Offeror for this RFP/Solicitation. | |
| 56 | Section L.14 pg. 121 | Please clarify in which proposal volume (and under which section, if applicable) the Conflict of Interest information should be provided. | Submit under Volume 4, Additional Information | |
| 57 | Section L.18, pg. 123 and Section M.2, pg. 125 | Does the Government anticipate conducting oral presentations? | The FTA also reserves the right to conduct oral presentations only with Offerors that are in the competitive range. Offerors in the competitive range may be invited to make oral presentations to explain their Technical Approach, Management Approach and Past Performance and address any significant weaknesses or deficiencies observed during the evaluation of proposals. (This would now be a virtual presentation) | |
| 58 | Section L.7, pg. 111 | Please clarify the page limit. Is Section 10 508 Compliance included in the 20-page limit? | Section 10, 508 Compliance should be included in the 20 page limit. | |
| 59 | Attachment J-2 | Shall offerors use the hours provided in the Pricing Matrix, or are offerors able to adjust the hours? | The hours provided in the spreadsheet are an estimated level of effort for the program. If your firm proposes different hours, written explanation must be provided in volume 3 as a brief narrative to clearly address it for review etc. | |
| 60 | Section B.1, Page 3 | How many awards does the Government anticipate making? | The Government anticipates awarding up to 6 contracts. | |
| 61 | Section C, CLIN 7, pg. 23 and Section C, CLIN 10, pg. 24 | Please clarify the difference between CLIN 7 Financial Management Oversight Workshop/Training and CLIN 10 Regional Workshop/Trainings: | ||
| a) | do both CLINs involve delivering workshops/training to recipients? | |||
| b) | do both CLINs involve delivering training to FTA staff? | |||
| c) | do both CLINs involve development of training materials such as "MS Power Point presentations, audio-visual aids, workbooks, manuals, pamphlets or oral presentations"? | CLIN 7 is for Recipient Workshop/Trainings CLIN 10 is for FTA Staff Workshop/Trainings Both CLINs will required the development of tranining materials. | ||
| 62 | Section C., pg. 26 | We noticed that the labor category descriptions for the Partner and Senior Consultant have been changed from the descriptions currently active for the incumbent contracts currently in effect until July 2021. Could the government please consider reverting to the requirement that is currently active under the incumbent contracts? |
| 1) Could the government please consider revising the requirement for the Partner to have 5 years of transit related experience instead of the 7 currently listed? In other words, we have no objection to the total number of years of experience being 7 years but request the transit experience to be 5 years. | Staffing experience and years in transit are as required in the RFP and will not change. | |||
| 63 | Section C., pg. 26 | Could the government please consider revising the requirement for the Senior Manager to have 3 years of transit related experience instead of the 5 years currently in the RFQ? In other words, we have no objection to the Senior Manager requiring a total or 5 years or more of other relevant experience, but for the transit experience be reduced to 3 years. | Staffing experience and years in transit are as required in the RFP and will not change. | |
| 64 | Section C., pg. 26 | Could the government please consider revising the requirement for the Senior Accountant to be “…a Certified Public Accountant with a Could the government please consider revising the requirement for the Senior Accountant to be “…a Certified Public Accountant with a bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 2 years’ experience in accounting or other disciplines, performing mid-level analytical assignments. Serves as lead analyst on small, medium and large technically complex logistics financial management oversight program or projects…”? | Staffing experience and years in transit are as required in the RFP and will not change. | |
| 65 | Section L.8, pg. 113 | This section states requirements for printed volumes. Please confirm that only electronic submissions are required. | Do not provide printed copies of the proposal to the agency. | |
| 66 | Section L.11, pg. 117 | Please confirm, should three (3) total Government and Commercial contracts be provided, or three (3) for the Prime and three (3) for each subcontractor? | The Prime Contractor requires 3 past performance citations and a maximum of 3 citations for the subcontractor. | |
| 67 | Section L.15, page 121 | Please clarify in which proposal volume (and under which section, if applicable) this information should be provided. | Volume 2, Past Performance | |
| 68 | Section L.20, pg. 123 | There are various signed certifications required, for example, L.20 Other Requirements. Please clarify in which proposal volume (and under which section if applicable), required signed certifications should be provided. | Provide in Volume 4- Additional Information | |
| 69 | Section L.8, pg. 113 and Section L.16, pg. 122 | Please confirm whether submission should be via email or thumb drive or both or either one. | Submission should be electronically. Per amendment 0004, language concenring thumb drives has been removed from the RFP/Solicitation. | |
| 70 | Section L.17.3, pg. 122 and Section L.15, pg. 121-122 | Please clarify the appropriate section that should be referenced in L.17.3. | L.17.3 Offerors have verified that the electronic proposals are free of computer |
viruses using standard commercial anti-virus software. It is under the correct section L.17 - Electronic Submission of Proposal
| 71 | Section L.14, pg. 121 | Please clarify whether the Conflict of Interest information is to be provided for the prime contractor only, or for the prime contractor and its subcontractors? | Conflict of Interest information is to be completed by both the prime contractor and its subcontractors. |
| 72 | Section M.3, pg. 126 | Can the Government please provide the relative weights (e.g., in percentages or numerical points) for each of the evaluation factors (and sub-factors, if applicable)? | The Government is not required to provide such information concerning factors and sub-factors in the RFP/Solicitation. |
| 73 | Section L.11, page 117 | This section states, “Offerors shall provide an outline of how the effort required by the solicitation will be assigned for performance within the offeror’s corporate entity and among the proposed subcontractors.” Emphasis added. This information is being requested for the past performance section and the language seems a little confusing and appears to be asking for how the offeror will assign performance to the subcontractors on the upcoming FMO contract. In other words, should offerors provide this information in relation to each past performance contract described, or should this be a description of the subcontracting relationship proposed for this FMO response? Please clarify this requirement. | Sectin L.11 Past Performance must be provided for the prime contractor and subcontractor. Offeror shall also provide information regarding proposed staffing and organziational structure as relates to this RFP. |
| 74 | Section L.11,, pg. 121 | This section includes “information about the organizational structure of the firm(s).” Please clarify if this information is required for both the prime contractor and subcontractor(s). | The organizational structure of the firm and/or prime should include the role and structure of its sub-contractor(s) in the chart. As stated in the RFP under Project Staffing. |
| 75 | Section L.11, page 121 | This section is labelled “Financial Condition and Capability” and requests for information about the organizational structure and proposed subcontract or joint venture arrangements. Can the Government please confirm that offerors providing the above requested information is sufficient to satisfy the requirements of this section? | Offerors who provide the above requested information will satisfy the requirements of "Financial Condition and Capability". They must also satisfy the other requirements in the section that pertain to their organization structure. |
| 76 | Section L.11, pg. 121 | For “Financial Condition and Capability” can supporting information related sensitive financial data be provided in a separate attachment with a password directly to the contracting officer and contracting specialist? Please also confirm that this sensitive information may also be submitted directly by teaming partners. | Yes |
| 77 | Section B.4, pg. 4 | What is the Government’s anticipated award date? | The Government anticipates awarding contracts between Fall and Winter 2021. |
| 78 | Section L.11.1, pg. 120 | This section requires offerors to “State how its labor and burden estimating practices are devised (e.g., how individual rates are established; what makes up the overhead and burden; whether average rates per labor category are utilized; how standard costs/rates with variances or another generally accepted method are established; and any deviations from standard estimating practices existing in the proposal…). |
| a) | Can the government please clarify whether it is only looking for a narrative description of the labor and burden estimating practices and not the actual calculations? | |||
| b) | Is the government requesting cost and price data? Can the Government please confirm this cost support information is required for a competitive proposal of this nature and it is considered “other than cost and pricing data”? | |||
| c) | Would it be permissible for the contractor to use its GSA schedule contract pricing to support its underlying prices offered for this solicitation? | |||
| Provide this information in narrative form to understand how you arrived at these prices in Volume 3- Business/Cost Proposal. | ||||
| 79 | General | In order to allow 8(a) small business sufficient time to provide a compliant and responsive proposal, can the Government please adjust the due date to at least 10 business days from when the Questions and Answers (Q&A) are provided, if the Q&A is not provided by June 25th? For example, if the answers are provided on June 30th, we request that the government extend the due date for the proposals to July 14, 2021. | The due date has been extended to July 23, 2021 at 3p.m. EST per amendment 0002. | |
| 80 | Section L.7, pg. 111 | Based on the number of requirements offerors are to address in Volume 1, the current 20-page limit is not sufficient to address all the requirements. Could the Government please increase the page limit to 30 pages so that the adequate level of depth can be conveyed to the government and allow contractors to differentiate their responses? | Resumes are not included in the 20 page limit. 2 pages per Resume (front and back) and letter of commitment. | |
| 81 | N/A | Are paper copies of the proposal required as part of the submission. If so, how many copies of each volume? | Paper copies of the proposal are not required. For this RFP/Solicitation, removal of language concerning paper copy proposal submissions has been removed per amendment 0004. | |
| 82 | Page 117 | On page 117, the government provides information that must be included on the resume, does the government require the Offeror to provide the information in the EXACT order? | All of the information must be included in the resume provided. | |
| 83 | Questions 3 and 68 | Questions 3 and 68 refer to a Volume 4 Additional Information, the table on page 104 incudes Volume 4 but the instructions that follow do not include a Volume 4. Please clarify. | Per amendment 0005, language has been added to the RFP/Solicitation in Section L to include clear instructions as it pertains to Volume 4- Additional Information. | |
| 84 | Table on page 104 | The table on page 104 of the update solicitation does not include a Table of Contents requirement for Volume 4, is this correct? | Per amendment 0005, the RFP/Solicitation has been updated concerning the table in Section L pertaining to Volume 4- Additional Information. | |
| 85 | Question 15 | Question 15 states that No, each volume should have its own respective cover letter. However, page 103 of the solicitation states that “*Offerors need only submit one electronic cover letter with their submission.” Can the government clarify? | Per amendment 0005, the response concerning question 15 has been revised in this Q&A document. Also, the language concerning the statement on page 103 has been modified for clarification purposes. | |
| 86 | Question 55 | Question 55, This section states, "...a legally accepted agreement must be included in your proposal for proposed joint ventures." Please clarify in which proposal volume this information should be provided. The answer says it should be included in Volume 1, Project Staffing. These agreements may take up the entire 20 pages. May we suggest it belongs in Volume 3 or 4? | Per amendment 0005, see revised response to question 55. Also, language has been added to Section L concerning it for clarification purposes as well. | |
| 87 | Question number 16, Section L.119 regarding peer reviews | Can they be done by the subcontractor to a prime vendor? | If the subcontractor has completed a peer review in the past for the prime vendor, this is considered fine. |
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .