Response_to_questions_for_OCONUS.pdf

TECHNICAL SCOPE OF WORK (SOW) QUESTIONS

Reference Draft RFP Section B.4, Consideration and Payment; Section G.8, Task

Order Funding/Task Order Content; Section G.9, Task Order Procedures; and

Section I.4, Ordering (OCT 1995)

Section B.4 states that “(a) Total payment(s) will be made upon the satisfactory completion and Government acceptance of all requirements under the contract.”

1. Question: Can the Government please clarify if this means that payment will be made upon satisfactory completion of the Task Order, or upon satisfactory completion of the overall [IDIQ] contract? Upon completion of task order

2. Question: Can the Government further clarify whether this means that payment to the

Contractor will be received only after demobilization of personnel, equipment and supplies from the impacted area? within 30 days of invoice approval

Section B.4 states that “(b) Supplies may be ordered at any time during the effective period of performance. Task Orders will be issued in accordance with the Section G.9 clause entitled “Task Order Procedures.” Section G.8 further states that “Funding will be provided on a task order basis.”

3. Question: Please clarify whether the “effective period of performance” refers to the awarded Task Order, or to the IDIQ contract award. For example, would Contractor(s) be allowed to purchase equipment and supplies upon IDIQ award, but prior to Task

Order award? The Government will not dictate if or when to buy equipment.

4. Question: If the response to question #3 is “no,” would the Government consider permitting the awarded Contractor(s) to purchase items prior to an unforeseen or known disaster to allow the Contractor(s) adequate time to purchase and pre-position the required items in the event of mobilization? Purchasing necessary equipment and supplies only after an emergency would seem to contradict the intent of the DHS’s Pre-

Positioned Disaster Supply Program as well as of FEMA’s 2018-2022 Strategic Plan.

Section 2.3 of the latter requires “strategically stock[ing] essential items needed to jumpstart a response, but effectively delivering resources in the face of major disaster…” The objective of Section 2.3 is to “Posture FEMA and the whole community to provide life-saving and life-sustaining commodities, equipment, and personnel from all available sources.” See previous response

5. Question: If yes to question #3 above, would Contractors receive payment only upon

Task Order completion?

Section I.4, Ordering (OCT 1995) states in that “Any supplies and services to be furnished under this contract shall be ordered by the issuance of delivery orders or task orders by the individuals or activities in the schedule. Such orders may be issued from the date of award through 365 calendar days.”

6. Question: Please clarify the intended duration of the resulting IDIQ contract, i.e., one

(1) Base Year + X number of Option Years, etc. If the intent is to offer more than one

(1) Option Year, please revise Section I.4 to state [note changes in italics]: “Such orders may be issued from the Date of Award through 365 calendar days for the Base Year and each Option Year exercised.” Revised

Reference Draft RFP Section G.9, (2), Task Order Proposal Requests (TOPR)

1. Question: Would the Government consider restructuring the contract as a Firm Fixed

Price, T&M and/or Cost Reimbursable contract? Given the variable nature of the SOW, and the rapid response required to effectively mobilize after a disaster, the issuance and awarding of Task Orders may cause an unnecessary and unfortunate delay in

Contractor response. Awarding the contract without Task Orders and providing funding to the contract awardee(s) to purchase and pre-position supplies would allow

FEMA personnel to more effectively and rapidly respond in the event of a disaster. FFP only

2. Question: Will Contractors who are awarded the IDIQ contract be obliged to bid on all subsequent Task Orders? Yes

Reference Draft RFP Section C.14.2, Site Design, and Section C.14.3, Site Preparation

1. Question: Is the Contractor expected to purchase the heavy equipment necessary to provide site improvements and/or site building such as storm-water erosion controls and positive drainage; expansion of site capacity; parking areas; performance of selective clearing; and grading and leveling the site(s)? These types of projects will require heavy equipment such as backhoes, bulldozers and dump trucks to haul away dirt and debris. YES, the contractor will have to decide what equipment is needed.

Question: Would the Government please explain why the Contractor is responsible for this if “OCONUS RSC Security will be provided by the Government” in accordance with Section C.8 of the draft RFP? Government will be responsible for Security.

2. Question: Who is responsible for providing the heavy equipment if the Contractor is not responsible? The contractor is responsible.

Reference Draft RFP Section C.15.1, Billeting

Section C.15.1, Paragraph 5, states that “an entomology service shall be utilized…”

1.

Reference Draft RFP Section C.15.2, Administrative Areas; and Section C.8, Government-Furnished Property/Equipment/Services

Section C.15.2 states that “That the Contractor shall provide secure containers where security can discharge (clear) their weapons…” YES, the contractor is responsible for secure container.

2. Question: Please confirm that the “secure clearing containers” referenced in Section

C.15.2 above will not be deployed with Government security personnel as part of their standard equipment. NO

Reference Draft RFP Section C.15.6, Medical Units

(ACLS) procedures 24/7…” YES, the contractor will provide.

1. Question: Is the Government intending to provide the equipment (e.g., the EKG, O2 and delivery systems, intubation equipment, IV fluids and delivery means, etc.) and medications necessary to run a cardiac “code” event? NO, the government will not provide medical equipment.

2. Question: If the answer is “yes” to the above question, does the Government have a MEDEVAC plan to provide a higher level of care for cardiac patients?

Section C.15.6 states that “The medical unit shall be licensed in the location they have been requested to establish camp in.” Licensing requirements vary by location for medical professionals (e.g., doctors, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, RNs, LPNs, paramedics and EMTs, etc.) and require extensive paperwork, time and approval as well as out-of-pocket expenses for the medical professionals. These may not be able to be accomplished within FEMA’s stated delivery timeframes.

Section C.15.6 states that “The Contractor shall provide a medical unit staffed with, at a minimum, medical personnel certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support

Question: Will the Government pay for the initial use of this service or will the

Contractor be responsible for providing and paying for the entomology service? No

Question: If, during an emergency demobilization/redeployment, it is determined that only personnel and not equipment can be redeployed, does the Government reimburse the contractor for the loss of the equipment and supplies left behind? NO

Reference Draft RFP Section C.17.2, Unscheduled Emergency Demobilization

NO

2. Question: Will the utilization of military aircraft be made available for evacuation of

Contractor personnel and equipment or is the Contractor responsible for evacuation of personnel and equipment by alternative means? NO

3.

Reference Draft RFP Section H.3, Subcontracting Plan; and Technical Evaluation –

Volume I: Technical Proposal, Factor 5, Small Business Subcontracting Plan, Page

Section H.3 states that “The successful Offeror(s) will be required to submit a subcontracting plan and/or a Small Business Participation Plan. The subcontracting plan submitted will include the goals set forth below for each socio-economic grouping listed.

The goals will be applied to the total value of each year of performance. Each subcontracting plan submitted will be reviewed to determine whether the successful

Offeror(s) has submitted an acceptable subcontracting plan.”

1. Question: Will a Subcontracting Plan be required to be submitted with the proposal, or upon contract award? If with the proposal, in which Volume and Tab should the

Subcontracting Plan be included? This is listed in the RFP

The Technical Evaluation – Volume I: Technical Proposal, Factor 5, Small Business

Subcontracting Plan section, page 86, states that “Per FAR 19.702(a) (1), only Large

Businesses that are serving as the Prime are required to submit a Small Business

Subcontracting Plan as part of the proposal. This factor will only apply for a Full and Open solicitation where the prime contractors are both large and small businesses.”

2. Question: Please confirm that a Subcontracting Plan is only required if the prime contractors are both large and small businesses. Large Only

3. Question: Would FEMA waive local, state and/or territorial licensing requirements for the region(s) where the medical unit is “requested to establish camp” if those civilian medical professionals are already fully licensed and practicing in another locality? This is

Standard Operating Procedure for military medical professionals who are deployed. NO

Question: In the case of “follow-on” catastrophic events such as what happened with

Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, are Contractor personnel afforded the same consideration as FEMA/Government employees with regard to priority of evacuation?

Reference Draft RFP Section H.12, Key Personnel Requirements

Section H.12, Key Personnel Requirements, states that a nurse is considered “Key

Personnel.” This is the only medical professional given a Key Personnel designation.

However, Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) are only able to perform a very limited scope of practice – i.e., providing triage and patient examinations but not providing diagnoses or prescribed medications – without a Physician or Nurse medications such as antibiotics, painkillers or cardiac medications without a doctor’s or charge of a cardiac code (in accordance with ACLS standards and Section C.15.6).

1. Question: Given the nurse’s very limited scope of practice, which would preclude the ability to perform many of the functions needed during a post-disaster response (such as making diagnostic determinations, prescribing medications and suturing wounds, etc.), would the Government consider including a doctor or Nurse Practitioner instead of a nurse as “Key Personnel”? YES

2. Question: Are any of the Key Personnel listed in Section H.12 required to meet security clearance requirements? If yes, at what clearance level? NO

3.

Reference Draft RFP Section L.5.2, Proposal Files, Volume I, Tab 2 – Management

Approach/Ensuring Quality, Page 72

1. Question: Are formal resumes required for these positions, or will a description of qualifications suffice? Resumes are required.

2. Question: Is a resume or description of qualifications also required for the on-site technical representative? YES

Reference Draft RFP Section L.5.2, Proposal Files, Volume I, Tab 1 – Technical

Approach, Pages 70-71

Sub-Factor A, Meeting the Technical Specifications

Sub-Factor B: Delivery

Nurse Practitioner’s written order. Additionally, neither an RN nor an LPN can be in

Section L.5.2, page 72 (“Volume I, Tab 2 – Management Approach/Ensuring Quality”), requires Offerors to “describe the qualifications of the following specific positions: 1)

OCONUS RSC Manager, 2) Quality Assurance Manager, 3) Nurse, and 4) Food Service

Manager.” The same section also states that “Each offeror will be required to have an on-site technical representative that ensures proper execution of the contract...” YES

Question: Is there anticipated to be any restrictions on nationality of personnel (Key

Personnel or supporting) or will this be determined at the Task Order level? NO

Practitioner’s direct supervision. For example, RNs and LPNs cannot prescribe

Sub-Factor C: Adaptability

Sub-Factor D: Response to Scenarios

Reference Draft RFP Section L.5.2, Proposal Files, Volume I, Tab 2 – Management

Approach/Ensuring Quality, Page 72

Section L.5.2, pages 70-71, requires Offeror to describe, in Volume I, Tab 1, Sub-Factors

A-D, how they will “address….OCONUS RSC housing solutions, mobilizations, site preparation, installation, OCONUS RSC management and operation” (Sub-Factor A);

“achieve the operational OCONUS Responder Support Camp requirements in the timelines specified” (Sub-Factor B); “meet transportation requirements when government transportation is not provided” (Sub-Factor C); and describe the Offeror’s plans to meet all of the above requirements for each of the three FEMA regions (Sub-Factor D).

In Section L.5.2, page 72, Offerors are required to provide, in Volume I, Tab 2, “a description of all the positions that will be involved in the operation of a task order” and to

“describe [the Offeror’s] personnel, supplies and equipment resource plan to include transportation.”

2. Question: If the answer to question #1 above is “yes”, will this also extend to port operations? [Reference Volume I, Tab 1, Sub-Factor D] YES

3. Question: There appears to be redundancy among the requirements for Volume I, Tab

2, Sub-Factors A-D and also between Volume I, Tab 1 [all Sub-Factors] and Volume

I, Tab 2. Can the Government please clarify what is the intent with regard to the required content for each of these sections? Government expects the same level of responsibility in both areas.

4. Question: Are the Sub-Factors A-D in Volume I, Tab 1 meant to be “hypothetical” responses to the each of the scenarios? The scenarios are hypothetical but we want real world answers to question.

5. Question: No timeframe (duration) is provided for the scenarios in Sub-Factor D. Will the Government please provide an estimated timeframe for each scenario? The timeframe are outlined under Sub factor B.

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Performance Not at this time.

1. Question: Volume I, Tab 3 and Volume I, Tab 4 both require similar, and in some cases the same, information. Would the Government consider making this one section?

Volume I, Tab 4, page 74, contains the paragraph copied below in parentheses. This section appears out of place.

“Section 3 – Subcontracts. Offerors shall provide an outline of how the effort required by the solicitation will be assigned for performance within the Offeror’s

Question: Will the government facilitate aircraft landing operations at the three scenario locations? [Reference Volume I, Tab 1, Sub-Factor D] YES corporate entity and among the proposed subcontractors. The information provided for the prime Offeror and each proposed major subcontractor must include the entire company name, company address, CAGE Code, DUNS Number and type of work to be performed by citing the applicable Government SOW subparagraph number. This includes all subcontractors who will be providing critical hardware/services or whose subcontract is at least 50% of the total proposed price.”

1. Question: Please clarify what is meant by “Offerors shall provide an outline of how the effort required by the solicitation will be assigned for performance…” Is this meant to refer to past performance (i.e., the Offeror should describe how the work was performed for the past performance references provided in Volume I, Tab 4 with regard to workshare among the Offeror and any subcontractors, if applicable) or to the requirements of the draft RFP, which is how the section is currently worded? If the former, we would request that the Government please reword the section so that the intent is clearer. See revised RFP

Reference Draft RFP Section L.5.2, Proposal Files, Volume I, Tab 4, Section 5 – Past

Performance Questionnaire (PPQ), Page 75

1. Question: Please clarify if the PPQs submitted by Offerors must match with the past performance references submitted in Volume I, Tab 4. See revised RFP

2. Question: Please clarify if PPQs should be provided for contract references going back five years or ten years. See Revised RFP

3. Question: Would the Government please consider allowing PPQs to be submitted by major subcontractors, since past performance references for major subcontractors are allowed in Volume I, Tab 4, Past Performance?

PRICE QUESTIONS

See revised RFP

Reference Draft RFP Section L.5.2, Proposal Files, Volume II – Price, Page 75;

Section B.1, Price/Cost Schedule; and Attachment 3

Section L.5.2, page 75, contains the below statement for Volume II, Price:

(3) A price proposal for each task order scenario provided in Attachment 5.

The Offeror shall use the unit prices as proposed in Attachment 3 to prepare the price proposal for the scenarios and provide prices for the line items to be determined at the task order level. The price proposals for the sample task orders will be evaluated to determine the Offeror’s understanding of the performance requirements of the sample task orders.

Section B.1, Price/Cost Schedule states the following:

“See CLIN Table, Attachment 3, pricing all TOs issued on a FFP basis will be subject to the unit pricing set forth in Attachment J-3, Pricing Table, with the exception of the line items to be priced at the task order level. The established unit prices reflect full prices per person for each line item and include all labor, ODCs (supplies, travel, transportation, etc.), materials, indirect costs (fringe benefits, overhead, G&A) and profit. Contractors may elect to propose lower unit prices on a task-by-task basis. In any case, proposed unit prices for TOs shall not exceed the ceiling prices established in the contract.

For FFP-type task orders, the number of occupants in the task order requirement will be multiplied against the unit prices listed in this schedule, or as negotiated if lower unit prices are proposed for the TO. The extended total of all items will define the fixed price for the TO.”

1. Question: Will Task Orders only be issued on a FFP basis or will other pricing structures [e.g., Cost-Reimbursable CLINs and/or T&M] also be considered?

[Reference Section B.1] FFP

2. Question: Please clarify if the unit and line item prices submitted by Offerors in

Attachment 5 are binding, or are they meant only to demonstrate the Offeror’s understanding of the requirements? [Reference Section L.5.2] They will be binding

3. Question: Please clarify if the Task Order pricing that Offerors are required to submit in Volume II, Price, Attachment 5, should reflect the Offeror’s proposed solution(s) to the regional scenarios required in Volume I, Tab 1, Sub-Factor D. [Reference

Section L.5.2] Yes, See RFP

4. Questions: Would the Government please explain what is meant by “…pricing all

TOs issued on a FFP basis will be subject to the unit pricing set forth in Attachment

J-3…with the exception of the line items to be priced at the task order level.”?

[Reference Section B.1] See RFP

a. Is the reference to “Attachment J-3” meant to refer to “Attachment 3”? See revised RFP

b. Section B.1 states that “Contractors may elect to propose lower unit prices on a task-by-task basis.” Please clarify whether this means that Contractors may propose different unit prices on a Task Order basis – i.e., will Offerors be permitted to submit their final pricing in response to each Task Order, or will

Offerors be required to use the same unit pricing submitted in Attachment 3 for each Task Order price proposal submitted in Attachment 5? See RFP

c. If the latter, will the Government consider revising this requirement, as unit pricing could vary considerably by FEMA Region as well as by date of order

[i.e., equipment ordered in response to a Task Order issued in 2018 will likely have different unit pricing than one issued in 2019, etc.]? See Pricing attachment

d. Section B.1 also states that “The established unit prices reflect full prices per person for each line item and include all labor, ODCs…indirect costs…and profit.” Please confirm that the unit pricing should only be provided on a per person basis and not on a per person/per unit of time basis [i.e., per person per day or per month]. Per person Per Day

e. No timeframe (duration) is provided for the scenarios in Technical Volume 1, Tab 1, Sub-Factor D. For the purposes of pricing the Task Order proposals

[Attachment 5], will the Government provide an estimated timeframe for each scenario? See RFP

f. Which line items are expected to be priced at the Task Order level? See Pricing attachment

g. Would the Government consider releasing draft versions of Attachment 3 and

Attachment 5 for review and comment? See attachments

Reference Draft RFP Sections B.1, Price/Cost Schedule; and B.2, Minimum and

Maximum Funding Limitation

Section B.1 states that “…proposed unit prices for TOs shall not exceed the ceiling prices established in the contract.” However, Section B.2 states the following:

“The contract ceiling is established at $49M. However, the varying nature and unpredictability of the presidentially declared disasters and emergencies to which

FEMA responds may necessitate the need for a higher ceiling amount. To support a presidentially declared disaster or emergency, the Government reserves the right to incrementally increase the ceiling of this contract. With respect to the maximum quantity of supplies or services, the total amount of supplies or services ordered under this contract shall not exceed the total capacity of all vendors under this contract who are available to provide the subject goods or services in support of the presidentially declared disaster(s) or emergency(ies).

The guaranteed minimum order for the life of the contract is the annual training for the base year and each exercised option year not to exceed $40,000 per awardee.”

1. Question: Sections B.1 and B.2 appear to contradict one another. Can the Government please clarify whether the Offeror’s Task Order pricing shall not exceed the total contract ceiling price [per B.1], or if the Offeror’s Task Order pricing can be revised, as necessary, after Task Order submission and approval, if the Government increases the total ceiling value [per B.2]? The total contract ceiling may be increased based on disasters.

2. Question: With regard to the annual training referenced above, how long is the annual training and how many Contractor personnel are permitted to attend? 1 day, this will be TBD

3. Question: How are the training topics determined, i.e., does FEMA develop and provide all training Programs of Instruction? TBD

4. Question: Would the Government consider alternative training approaches, such as quarterly or semi-annual refresher training and/or training on specific disaster-response topics (e.g., hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.)? YES

GENERAL QUESTIONS

1. Question: For the purposes of submitting a proposal, are there specific requirements or constraints regarding the use of a Joint Venture and/or subcontracting arrangement?

2. Question: Are there any instructions regarding the exclusivity of Key Personnel, See RFP subcontractors and/or teaming partners? See RFP

3. Question: In case of a subcontracting arrangement, how does the Government define a “major subcontractor” in terms of percentage of total workshare or total contract value? See Subcontracting Plan attachment

4. Question: With respect to “hard facilities,” is there a preference or restriction on the

5.

clearance? NO sourcing of prefabricated components or CONNEX units? NO

Question: Will the Contractor-awardee be required to have a facility security