Questions Answers_Log_Technical VESS_fnl.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

#693JJ920R000020

Vehicle Electronic Systems Safety Technical Q&A Listing

Question Number

Solicitation Question NHTSA Response

1. Reference: Section B.4, entitled “Labor Categories and Descriptions”

Question: Can a subcontractor propose revised labor categories and descriptions that correspond with their capabilities if the Prime Offeror will be using the labor categories and descriptions provided in the solicitation?

1. The prime offeror is responsible for negotiating with the subcontractor to ensure the any labor categories and descriptions proposed by the subcontractor are aligned with the prime offerors labor categories and descriptions as well as the qualifications of the personnel who will fill those roles.

2. Reference: Section B.5, entitled “PRICE SCHEDULE / LOADED LABOR RATES” and Section G.3, entitled “ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION

OF PAYMENT REQUESTS”

Question: Regarding CLIN items that are being proposed but not included in the RFP tables, would the preference be for us to create an arbitrary CLIN as a placeholder or to leave it blank? This will be the case for many of the ODC CLINs.

1. Offerors are to include all CLINs required to meet the requirement.

3. Reference: Section H.1, entitled “Special Data Rights Provisions”

Question: Will NHTSA have a process to request permission for use of government rights granted under this solicitation for publication and/or use of IP?

1. No. Please reference Section H.1.1, Confidentiality of Reports and Other Data

4. Reference: Section H.1, entitled “Special Data Rights Provisions” and Section I.2, entitled

“DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

ACQUISITION REGULATIONS (48 CHAPTER 12)

CLAUSES BY REFERENCE”

Currently, TAR clause 1252.242-72 (Dissemination of Contract Information) is listed in Section I.2.

Question: In order to facilitate subcontracting with educational institutions, would it be possible to add TAR clause 1252.242-70 (Dissemination of Contract Information – Educational Institutions), which allows publication without prior Contracting Officer authorization for educational institutions specifically?

Question: If so, it would be recommended to add a corresponding clause to section H.1, to allow educational institutions to publish without prior written approval, as long as the Prime Contractor receives prior written approval from the Contracting Officer before entering into a subcontract with an educational institution.

1. No. Please reference Section H.1.1, Confidentiality of

2. No. Please reference Section H.1.1, Confidentiality of

5. Reference: Attachment J.4 - Subcontractor Checklist

Question: Are there any restrictions regarding subcontracting to international organizations if the organization meets all of the requirements on the provided subcontracting checklist?

1. Please reference Section H.7.2, Access to Sensitive Information

6. Reference: L.9 Proposal Content The RFP states that the technical proposal should be in Times New Roman 12-point font. Typically, a reduced font size is allowed for tables and graphics to aid in readability.

Question: Will the Government consider allowing a reduced, 10-point minimum font size for tables and graphics?

1. Yes, the Government will allow Times New Roman 10-point font size for tables and graphics. ADD specific language to RFP for graphic and table. Section L.9

7. Reference: L.6 Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest L.6 states that OCI information is to be provided in the Technical Volume. However, the Technical Volume is subject to strict page limits.

Question: Will the Government please confirm that OCI information is excluded from the page count, and indicate where in the technical proposal it is to be provided?

1. Yes, OCI information may be excluded from the page count of the Technical Volume.

8. Question: Will the Government please confirm that cover pages, cross reference matrices, and glossaries of acronyms may be provided and are exempt from the page count?

1. Yes, cover pages, cross reference matrices, and glossaries of acronyms may be excluded from the Technical Plan page count.

9. Reference: L.11.c Staff Qualifications

L.11.c states that “The offeror shall provide resumes for all the relevant labor categories [LCATs] for the Research Area(s) of interest, for example…,” followed by a list of some, but not all, of the labor categories under this IDIQ. It is unclear which labor categories are considered “relevant” for each Research Area.

Will the Government please clarify:

Question: Are resumes required for each labor category in the J.5 cost template (including Clerical, Editorial Assistant, and other administrative positions)? If resumes are only required for some of the LCATs, please clarify which ones.

Question: How many resumes are to be provided for each LCAT?

1. Yes. See Section L.11.c. – Was updated to identify “all resumes” for submission.

2. Number of resumes are not specified.

10. Reference: L.11.c Staff Qualifications

The RFP states: “Resumes shall be provided for only those personnel whom the Offeror has committed to perform work under the contract.”

Question: 1. Are Letters of Commitment required for current employees?

Question: 2. If provided, are Letters of Commitment exempt from page count?

1. No. letters of commitment are not required for current employees.

2. Yes, letters of commitment are exempt from the page count.

11. Reference: L.11 Technical Proposal Instructions

Offerors are required to identify the author(s) of each proposal section.

Question: May this information be presented in a table format and excluded from the page count?

1. Yes.

12. J.4 Question: Is the Subcontractor Checklist a required part of the IDIQ proposal submission?

Question: It is provided with the Final RFP, but Sections L and M never mention it. Please clarify and provide directions for how to complete the checklist, if applicable.

1. Yes, if applicable.

2. Offerors are to provide the completed J.4 - Subcontractor Checklist with the proposal submission.

13. Reference: J.3; M.3.3

A Small Business Subcontracting Plan template is provided, and Section M indicates that it will be evaluated. However, Section L provides no direction on where to include it in the proposal.

Question: 1. Are Small Business Offerors required to complete the SB Subcontracting Plan?

Question: 2. Where in the proposal should the SB Subcontracting Plan be provided?

1. Offerors are to complete the Small Business Subcontracting Plan, if applicable.

2. Offerors are to return the Small Business Subcontracting Plan as an attachment with the proposal submission.

14. Reference: G.6.2

Section G.6.2 has a section for Key Personnel, but it is blank.

Question: 1. Are Offerors to define their own Key Personnel?

Question: 2. Are resumes to be provided only for Key Personnel?

2. No.

15. B.4 The RFP states:

The following paragraphs define sample labor categories under this contract. A separately evaluated cost proposal shall include specific categories and descriptions, corresponding with the offeror’s capabilities and work approach addressed in the technical proposal. Labor categories must be further tailored to address the conduct of research and testing associated with the vehicle electronics safety focus of this contract, including safe reliability, cybersecurity, and advance control systems including batteries and automation. Subject to prior written approval of the Contracting Officer, the Contractor may revise the list and/or labor category descriptions provided.

Question: 1. These requirements appear contradictory – they indicate that offerors should include “specific categories and descriptions” corresponding with their proposals, and that labor categories “must be further tailored…” However, they also say that labor categories

1. Please see Section B.4 of the updated RFP for the removal of the CO approval language.

may be added/altered only with “prior written approval of the contracting officer.” Please clarify this apparent discrepancy--are offerors allowed to and/or required to tailor the sample labor category descriptions as part of this proposal?

Question: 2. Neither the Government provided cost workbook, nor the cost narrative as described in Section L, provide space for offerors to define labor categories as described in B.4. Please clarify.

2. Please reference Attachment J.5 Cost Proposal Template is the Cost Workbook. The offeror is required to write a detailed cost narrative that reflects the cost workbook.

16. Reference: L.11.c

The RFP states:

Personnel must have specific education, expertise and work-related experience in the science and engineering areas needed for the successful completion of the work as addressed in the IDIQ including, but not limited to, thorough understanding the technical material;

proficiency in experimental design, data collection, reduction, and analysis; modeling and simulation;

software and hardware engineering; and the documentation of all phases of engineering research, including technical report writing.

Personnel must also have demonstrated the ability to successfully pursue scientific and engineering research to a meaningful conclusion including the ability to answer experimental questions through acceptable science and engineering research practices, the appropriate discussion of results, drawing appropriate conclusions on a wide range of topics, and performing unplanned ad hoc studies, white papers, and tradeoff analyses for adding value and reducing program risk. To the greatest extent possible the staffing plans proposed by the Offeror must include personnel having education and current experience in the multi-disciplinary areas of vehicle automation, advanced driver assistance systems, vehicle electronic systems, automotive control system design and evaluation; vehicle hardware and software design and testing; vehicle electronics reliability and cybersecurity (as described in the previous sections); applied experimental research methods; and systems engineering practices.

It is unclear which of these requirements apply to which labor categories, and how the Government wishes them to be demonstrated via resumes. For instance, candidates in the Clerical and Senior Media Specialist categories would be unlikely to have (or need) “demonstrated…ability to pursue scientific and engineering research to a meaningful conclusion,” as they are not scientific/engineering positions.

Question: Will the Government please clarify the requirements for each labor category/resume?

1. No.

17. Reference: B.5; J.5; L.12.a

The instructions at Section L.12.a state that “For each Price Schedule cited in Section B of this solicitation, the offeror shall provide the Regular Loaded Labor Rate for each Labor Category.”

The pricing information called for in Section B differs from that required by the Cost Workbook, J.5. (For instance, B.5 includes an Overtime column while J.5 does not).

The instructions at L.12 do not indicate where/how the Cost Workbook is to be provided.

Our understanding is that offerors should provide two separate files for Volume II: an Excel file of the workbook, and a Word or PDF file on the Business Management Proposal. The Business Management Proposal would include the completed tables from B.5.

Question: Will the Government please confirm or clarify this understanding?

1. Please reference attachment J.5 Cost Proposal Template which is the Cost Workbook to update and enter the required data.

18. Question: Given that many of these questions will have significant impacts on proposal preparation, will the Government please consider issuing an extension to the proposal deadline?

1. The RFP proposal due date is extended through November 9, 2020. Please see Section L.1.4 of the updated RFP.

19. Reference: SOW C.1 Background Page 14, 1st Paragraph below bullets & SOW B.4.1 Senior Technical Project Manager & SOW B.4.2 Senior Researcher

In C.1, it states “The scope of this proposal does not include human factor research support”, but the B.4.1 & B.4.2 LCATs require recent experience in “conduct of driver performance/behavior measurement studies”.

Question: If the human factor research support is not concluded, would the Government consider removing the requirement in the B.4.1 and B.4.2 LCAT description? If not, please explain.

1. No. The RFP presents sample labor categories.

Offerors may propose their own labor categories and descriptions as needed.

20. Reference: SOW B.4 Labor Categories and Descriptions

Question: At the IDIQ proposal level, may the contractor revise the labor category descriptions based on the research areas proposed?

Yes.

21. Reference: SOW C.3.1 Kick Off Meeting

Reference: In C.3.1, it states “Within seven (14) days after contract award, key members of the contractor’s staff who will be assigned major responsibility for carrying out the tasks of the contract shall meet at NHTSA headquarters with the COR and other appropriate NHTSA staff.”

Question: Should kick off meeting be held within 7 or 14 days?

1. Please reference Section C.3.1 of the updated RFP as both references are now fourteen days.

22. Reference: SOW G.4.1 Ordering Via Task Orders

In G.4.1, it states “(2) Within a specified timeframe (usually 5 working days after receipt of the Task Order Request for Proposal), the Contractor shall submit to the Contracting Officer, a cost and technical proposal for accomplishment of the task. These proposals must be submitted as two (2) separate documents. No cost information shall be provided in the technical proposal.

The Task Order proposal shall be submitted on a time-and-materials basis.”

Question: 1. Please confirm that the bidder will usually have 5 working days from Task Order Request for Proposal to proposal due date. Under the current IDIQ, bidders usually have multiple weeks to submit a proposal. This section references time-and-materials Task Orders, while sections B.1.2 and L.3 only reference “individual Firm Fixed Price (FFP), Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF), Cost Reimbursement (No fee), or a hybrid variation of FFP and Cost Reimbursement Task Orders.”

Question: 2. Will T&M be included?

1. Please see Section G.4.1 of the updated RFP which removes this parenthetical language.

23. Reference: SOW H.7.2 Access to Sensitive Information

Question: Does the government expect the need for security clearances?

24. Reference: SOW L.9 Proposal Content This section states “The plan format should be in Microsoft Word format using Time New Romans 12-pt font.”

Question: Are figures, tables, and graphics permitted to be a lesser point font?

Yes. Please reference Section L.9 on the updated RFP.

25. Reference: SOW L.9 Proposal Content

This section states “Standard Form LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities - Must be completed and submitted in the Business Management Proposal. The Form is included as Attachment J.2.”

Question: Is this form also required for subcontractors bid as part of a team?

1. Yes. Lobbying activities applies to both the prime and subawardee.

26. Reference: SOW L.9 Proposal Content

Question: Please confirm that the Conflict of Interest Statement does not count against the page number allocation.

1. No. The Conflict of Interest Statement does not count against the page number allocation.

27. Reference: SOW L.11 Technical Proposal

This section states “Staffing Qualifications (4-page maximum for each resume).”

Question: Is there a total page limit for the Staffing Qualifications section?

28. Reference: SOW L.11.d Corporate Experience and Past Performance

This section states “The offeror also shall provide at least three (3) references that have received services from the offeror, which are comparable to those described in this solicitation.”

Question: Can the government provide additional guidance regarding the use of Attachment J.1 Past Performance Questionnaire?

Question: Does the offeror only provide reference information to the government by completing “Offeror/Team,” “Reference Information For:,” and “Contact Information:”?

Question: Or does the offeror provide the questionnaires to the actual reference who will then complete the questionnaire and send to the government?

3. Correct.

29. Reference: SOW M.2.3 Corporate Experience and Past Performance

This section states “The Government will also evaluate an offeror (as appropriate) to determine that it has a plan for providing subcontracting opportunities to small businesses.”

Question: Is the Subcontracting Plan included in the technical or business proposal?

1. The subcontracting plan should be in the Technical Proposal.

30. Reference: General

Question: Are there margin restrictions for the proposal? If so, what are they?

1. No. There are no margin restrictions.

31. Reference: Page 57, List of Attachments

Question: Is Attachment J.4, Subcontractor Checklist, required for submission in the proposal? If so, where should it be included?

1. Offerors are to provide the completed J.4 - Subcontractor Checklist with the proposal submission as an attachment.

32. Reference: https://beta.sam.gov reflects a September 15, 2020 update in the Published Date as well as in the “History” section for the above-referenced opportunity. However, the RFP and all associated attachments reflect the original September 11, 2020 posting.

Question: Can you please clarify what changed on this opportunity on September 15, 2020?

1. The update made on September 15, 2020 to the “RFP posting” on beta.sam.gov was made to allow vendors to view other interested offerors.

33. Reference: Section C.1 Background pp13:

Question: Would a proposal from private road-operator (either alone or in partnership with a local transport authority/DoT) be considered?

1. The Government will not respond to any questions that refer to potential solutions or approaches the offeror could provide.

34. Reference: Section C.1 Background pp14:

“The purpose of this solicitation action (hereafter referred to as the Vehicle Electronic Systems Safety Indefinite Delivery-Indefinite Quantity, or VESS IDIQ) https://beta.sam.gov/ is to establish IDIQ contracts “In completing such research, NHTSA and its research partners collaborate and leverage research with key stakeholders including the automotive industry, standards setting organizations, and Government agencies to include: Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), automotive suppliers, ADS technology companies, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), SAE International, and other USDOT modes.”

between NHTSA and qualified contractors (or contractor teams) to support safety research...”

Question: What constitutes “qualified contractor”?

1. It is up to the offeror to understand what a “qualified contractor” is within the context of the RFP.

35. Reference: Section C.3.2 Task Order Requirements pp22:

“Research Area 4 - Management of Field Operational Tests (FOTs), Naturalistic Studies, and On-road testing.

Areas of focus and desired expertise to include:

• Planning and managing operation of Field Studies

• Vehicle-level instrumentation and data collection to support on-road testing

• ADAS and ADS Pilot concepts and support

• Analysis of vehicle data collected through on-road studies

• Capability in “big data” management, translation and transfer”

Question: Would a solution that provided OEM independent vehicle behavior data (e.g. vehicle behaviors sensed from the infrastructure) be considered?

1. This depends on the requirements of the task order issued under the Research Area.

36. Reference: Section L.11.d Corporate Experience and Past Performance pp82:

“The offeror also shall provide at least three (3) references that have received services from the offeror, which are comparable to those described in this solicitation.”

Question: If proposed area of research involves a new innovation not previously available in the market, what would qualify as “comparable services” for the references?

offeror could provide.

37. Reference: C.2

Question: Is it mandatory to have experience in on-road vehicle systems for all areas mentioned in the RFQ, or will off-road vehicle experience also be counted as suitable?

1. It is not mandatory to have only on-road vehicle experience.

38. Reference: C.2

Question: Will the ECU and HW for applicable bench setups be provided by NHTSA?

39. Reference: C.2

Question: Can the contractor select tools and other resources per requirement; or is there a specific mandate for the same?

1. This depends on the task order being issued.

40. Reference: C.2

Question: Will the work be executed at NHTSA, at Contractors location in USA, or both locations?

41. Reference: C.2

Question: Can the Contractor utilize a team in Global locations (apart from USA) to execute the work?

42. Reference: SOW Section B.4, entitled “LABOR

CATEGORIES AND DESCRIPTIONS”

Question: Would the government consider adding a labor category for “instrumentation engineers” to support engineering activities conducted by individuals below the senior instrumentation engineer level? Also, could the government consider adding a “technician” category?

1. Please see Section B.4 of the updated RFP. The listed labor categories are examples. However, offerors may introduce new labor categories as needed.

43. Reference: SOW Section L.1.4, entitled “When/Where/How Many to Submit”

Question: Based on the complexity of the RFP and the need to obtain detailed information for numerous subcontractors, could NHTSA grant a two-week extension to the October 23rd proposal deadline?

November 9, 2020.

44. Reference: In RFP section G.4.1 (“Ordering Via Task Orders), item (2) reads in part, “Within a specified timeframe (usually 5 working days after receipt of the Task Order Request for Proposal), the Contractor shall submit to the Contracting Officer, a cost and technical proposal for accomplishment of the task.”

Previous NHTSA IDIQs have allowed more than five working days, and typically three to four weeks, for responding to a task order RFP. Five working days is shorter than our contracting organization can manage, and time is needed to write the technical proposal as well as secure any unique partnerships beyond those established in this pre-award period.

Question: Will the VESS IDIQ continue to operate with an acknowledgement of teams’ constraints on turn-around time, such that response times will usually allow three to four weeks?

45. Reference: The RFP states in Section L.11, under item c, that the maximum page allowance for each resume is four pages.

Question: Assuming that introductory text describing the staffing qualifications will be allowed in this section, is there a maximum page allowance for the introductory text? Such introductory text might include short summaries of relevant experience for the key individuals, as well as higher-level statements about staff capabilities.

1. There is no maximum page allowance for “introductory text describing the staffing qualification”.

46. Reference: Labor categories: The RFP states in RFP section B.4 (Labor categories and descriptions, “The following paragraphs define sample labor categories under this contract. A separately evaluated cost proposal shall include specific categories and descriptions, corresponding with the offeror’s capabilities and work approach addressed in the technical proposal.”

Questions: Does this mean bidders may (a) revise the labor category descriptions provided in B.4 to reflect capabilities considered even more useful for the specific proposal, and/or (b) add new labor categories to those listed in RFP section B.4 to include more technically-skilled positions such as technicians and engineers?

Question: If the answer to that question is “Yes,” then shall bidders still restrict the price evaluation sheets described in M.6 to the original RFP set of labor categories to allow NHTSA to compare costs across bidders?

2. No. The new labor categories proposed by the offeror should match the labor categories in Section M.6

47. Reference: In RFP section B.5.4 (Option period) and in section F.2.2 (Option Period), the option period is stated as 24 months, but section B.5.6 and section M.6.6 presume the possibility of a contract year six (six months), meaning an option period up to 30 months long.

Note that a year six would conflict with statements in Section I.3.5 as well.

Question: Can bidders assume a maximum option period definition of 30 months and include contract year 6 tables in the proposal?

1. No. I.3.4 FAR 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services is exercised at the discretion of the Government for six additional months.

48. Reference: Section H.2 (NHTSA Review of Announcements or Publishing) prohibits the Contractor and related entities from making “public releases of information or any matter pertaining to this Contract or any Task Order.” For public universities, whether prime or subcontractor, state law typically leads to a requirement to share basic information about grants and contracts with the public, including the identity of sponsors, project title, period of performance and budget amount, and the general topic addressed in the project (but not the exact methods or findings therein).

Question: Is NHTSA able to modify this section to allow for this?

49. Reference: RFP Section H.7.2 (Access to Sensitive Information) states, “The contractor shall ensure that contractor employees are citizens of the United States of America or an alien who has been lawfully admitted for permanent residence or employment (indicated by immigration status) as evidenced by investigations in accordance with DOT Order 1632.20, Personnel Security Management.”

Question: Can this passage be modified so that “contractor employees” is replaced with “contractor employees with access to sensitive information”? This would allow contractor employees including part-time graduate students from overseas on education visas to work on task orders, but not to have access to sensitive information. Such students – similar to any other graduate students -- may provide good value to the Government due to their ability to support senior researchers working in cutting-edge areas on NHTSA projects.

50. Reference: Please note in the RFP the instructions in section L.11.d (Corporate Experience and Past Performance), specifically the third paragraph.

Regarding how the bidder should assist in these forms being filled out:

Question: Should (a) the bidder provide the past performance questionnaire (attachment J.1) to a past sponsor representative (“reference”), and ask that the reference sends the completed form to a NHTSA OAM email address with identifying information?

Question: If so, by what date should the form arrive at NHTSA? Or alternatively, should (b) the forms be partially filled out by the bidder, who identifies the reference and completes the project factual information (but not the reviewer’s questions), and returns the forms in the proposal so that NHTSA may contact the references directly and send them the partially completed forms?

2. Please see Section L.9 Proposal Content of the updated RFP. Entry Number 9 was added to note that Past Performance Questionnaires shall be submitted no later than 1:00 PM EST, on Monday, 11/09/2020.

Question: If the latter case (b) applies, will these three 3-page references count against the 20pp limit for the corporate experience section?

3. No. The three 3-page references will not count against the 20pp limit for the corporate experience section.

51. Reference: RFP Section L.9, “Proposal Content”

Question: Section L.9 specifies that proposals shall consist of 8 items. Item number 7, “Business Management Proposal” incorporates items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8. Should items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 be included only within the Business Management Proposal (item 7) or within the Business Management Proposal and also as separate attachments?

1. The Government will not advise an offer on how they should present their proposal.

52. Reference: RFP Section L.11.b.2, “Management Plan”

Question: Section L.11.b.2 states: “if subcontractors are proposed, the offer shall submit a thorough plan as to how subcontractors will be used to meet the task order requirements.” Given that specific task orders are currently unknown, to what extent do subcontractor plans need to be detailed in the initial RFP response and can multiple subcontractors be proposed for a single research area to allow for greater flexibility in addressing specific task orders?

1. The Government will not advise an offer on how they conduct their business practices.

53. Reference: RFP Section H.4.a, “Computer Programs/Databases/Printer Layouts and Logic Tables”

Section H.4.a states: “if any programs or data bases are modified, however, and used in performance of the resultant Contract, title to the modified portion shall vest in the Government.”

Question: In the context of this RFP what is the specific meaning of “title?”

Question: In this context does “title” refer to an unlimited-use license?

1. See Section H.4.a.

2. See Section H.4.a. Property of the Federal Government.

54. Reference: RFP Section C.3.2, “Task Order Requirements”

Question: In regards to Research Area 3, “Vehicle Component and Functional Safety Assessments,” are there specific components or subsystems that NHTSA intends to focus testing and assessment efforts on (e.g.

ECU’s)?

1. It depends on the task order which is issued.

55. Reference: RFP Section B.2 - Management Plan

Question: Does the Risk Management plan need to contain TRL levels?

1. The Government will not advise an offer on what should be contained in their proposal.

56. Reference: RFP Section J – List of Attachments:

Question: Is the Subcontractor Checklist form filled out by all partners on the proposal and should it be in the Technical or Business Management Proposal?

1. Prime offerors are to provide the completed J.4 - Subcontractor Checklist with the proposal submission as an attachment to the Business Management Proposal.

57. Reference: RFP Section J – List of Attachments:

Question: Does the Small Business SubContracting Plan form pertain only to the lead if a Small business with a standard of $16.5 million and 500 employees or

Question: Does it need to be filled out by the other subcontractors on the proposal if they meet these standards?

2. Yes.

58. Reference: RFP Section J – List of Attachments:

Question: Should the Small Business SubContracting Plan be attached in the Technical or Business Management Proposal

1. The Subcontracting Plan should be contained in the Technical proposal.

59. Reference: RFP Section J – List of Attachments

Question: Should all the forms uploaded for this project be attached in the PDF with a separation page indicating Appendix-Addendum?

1. It is up to the offeror to provide this information as appropriate for their organization.

60. Reference: RFP Full Section K – Representations and Certifications:

Question: Do all the sections need to be added to the Business Management Proposal as an attachment or addendum with the exact wording from the Sections Pages 58-72?

1. Yes, complete all sections. Please reference Section L.9 Proposal Content Item 2.

61. Reference: RFP Full Section K – Representations and Certifications

Question: Do you want all of these sections answered by the Offeror or all team members?

1. Yes, complete all sections. Prime offerors are to reference Section L.9 Proposal Content Item 2 and complete as directed.

62. Reference: RFP Section K.2.b.(2) – FAR 52.204-8 Annual Representations and Certification (Mar 2020)

– Page 59:

Question: If Paragraph (d) applies from Page 62, I’m assuming we do not have to capture all the Representations and Certifications language on pages 58- 62.

Question: How do you want (d) to be worded and where do you want it placed in the Business Management Proposal?

1. It is up to the offeror to fill out this form as

2. It is up to the offeror to fill out this form as

63. Reference: RFP Sections K.4-K.9 – Telecommunicatons and Video Surveillance; Covered Telecommunications; Information Regarding Responsibility Matters; Cost Accounting Standards;

Proposal Disclosure Cost Accounting; and Technical Data Certification

Question: Do you want these sections placed as attachment or addendum with complete language for each section in the Business Proposal?

1. Section K is to be included in Business Proposal.

64. Reference: RFP L.11.d – Corporate Experience and Past Performance

Question: Should not only the Past Performance Questionnaire be filled out by both the Offeror and the team members, but also paragraphs indicating qualifications statements linked to research areas, recent projects completed and terminated contracts? Do the references need to be in the descriptive paragraphs or just filled out in the form?

1. Offerors will provide the Past Performance Questionnaire to their reference organization who will complete the questionnaire and send to the Government.

Please see Section L.9 Proposal Content, Item 9 of the updated RFP.

65. Reference: RFP IDIQ

Question: Do you have any sample templates for an IDIQ proposal to demonstrate the layout?

66. Question: Does a team need all the roles listed in the Labor Categories?

67. Question: Can one team conduct RA #1 activities (e.g., test track testing) and a subcontractor or other team conduct RA #2 activities (e.g., simulation)?

Question: If so, does the subcontractor need to be identified in the application, or can they be subcontracted with at a later date?

offeror could provide.

2. The subcontractor needs to be identified in the proposal, however subcontractors proposed at a later date, may or may not be approved.

68. Question: If a team develops additional competencies in the coming years, how can they let NHTSA know so that they can be considered for other tasks?

1. Offerors will only be awarded under the research areas they are qualified for under this contract. Future competencies would not be relevant under this requirement.

69. Question: Will the applications be made public?

1. The question is not clear and no response can be provided.

70. Question: Will NHTSA assign TOs to various IDIQ recipients and ask them to bid in for it, or will they just assign TOs to an IDIQ recipient who has the ability to accept or decline?

1. Task Order Awards will be competed amongst qualified bidders who possess awards in the same Research Areas in accordance with FAR 16.505(b).

Please reference Section G.4 Task Orders of the updated

RFP.

71. Question: How and when can we register a subcontactor for a given project?

1. In order to work with the United States Government all offerors should be registered in the System for Award Management database.

72. Question: If a subcontractor on our proposal is an international firm and uses engineers, technicians, analysts, etc. from many different countries outside the U.S., would they be able to utilize that talent for the depth of expertise provided in their writeup in the proposal and their personnel budgets, and if awarded, for the TO’s that would be released?

1. Please see H.7.2 Access to Sensitive Information.

73. Question: Is there any restrictions on the nationality of personnel performing work on these projects?

1. Please see H.7.2 Access to Sensitive Information.

74. My question is regarding the test track research portion.

We would like to leverage our test facilities in Mexico.

Specifically, in Queretaro, Mexico.

1. There are no domestic preferences applicable to this contract.

Question: Are there any regulatory or other restrictions that would prohibit us from proposing our Mexico facilities?

1. There are no domestic preferences applicable to this contract.

75. Question: Do we have to bid all labor categories in the list or the ones that we believe map best to the research areas that we are targeting?

1. No. You do not have to bid all labor categories in the list.

76. Question: Pg 38 Within a specified timeframe (usually 5 working days) after receipt of TO for a proposal submission of a Cost Volume and a Technical volume. Is 5 days enough time to submit a Technical Volume and a Cost Volume? Too short?

77. Section L.11.d last paragraph – Page 82:

As Termination for Convenience is not a reflection of the contractor’s performance, utilizing such information for evaluation purposes would not accurately reflect a contractor’s past performance history. Additionally, the Government rarely furnishes a contractor with a formal explanation detailing its rational for termination.

Question: Accordingly, we request that Terminations for Convenience not be required in the disclosure.

78. Section G.6.1 – Page 41:

Question: Is it permissible to add more than one individual to LCAT Senior Technical Program Manager

1. The Government is not in the business of directing offerors how to conduct their business practices.

with one individual designated as the single point of contact with the COR?

79. Question: While the program is executed in US mainland, is it also necessary that all individuals participating in this program should be US Citizens?

80. Question: Is all the work unclassified? does the bidder need to have Facility Clearance and be able to support classified work? if so, at what level?

1. The Government does not anticipate that classified information will be handled.

81. Question: Will bidders have access to GFE - vehicle sub-systems, faraday cages for RF-based testing etc.?

82. Planning to include a compliance matrix which we plan to list all requirements, government clauses, etc...

Question: Do we need to include all and state not applicable for all that do not apply?

1. The Government is not in the business of directing offerors how to conduct their business practices.

83. Question: Are contractors expected to obtain ADS-equipped vehicles to test, or would NHTSA provide such vehicles?

84. Question: Is NIST 800-171 protection of controlled unclassified information (CUI) applicable to this contract?

1. Yes. Please reference Section H.7.2 of the updated

RFP.

85. Question: Do all subcontractors to a contract also have to disclose conflict of interest and lobbying activities?

1. Please see Section H.7.1(d) Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest. Lobbying activities applies to both the prime and subawardee.

86. Question: Is there the possibility for an extension of the submission deadline?

November 9, 2020.

87. Question: Any specific performance evaluation guidelines will be provided for all deliveries on the program?

1. This would depend on the Task Order.

88. Question: If we are a small biz under a different NAICS, do we fall under CAS requirements?

1. Small Businesses are exempt from CAS requirements.

2. Yes.