Question and Answer Matrix 70FBR527Q00000001_Level II Security Guards as 1600 10-08-26_FINAL.xlsx
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- Solicitation number
- 70FBR527Q00000001
- Issued by
-
Federal Emergency Management Agency
About this file
This is a Question and Answer Matrix that clarifies requirements and submission guidance for FEMA solicitation 70FBR527Q00000001 for Level II Armed Protective Security Officer services in Indiana. The Q&A document addresses critical compliance and operational questions from prospective contractors regarding subcontracting, licensing, weapons ownership, staffing, pricing, and deployment.
Key clarifications include: Prime contractors must obtain all State and City/County licenses and maintain ownership or authorized control of weapons with complete rosters including serial numbers; subcontractor personnel and weapons are permissible only with documented contractual relationships and weapon assignments, though the prime remains fully responsible for compliance. All officers must wear the prime contractor's uniform unless approved by the Contracting Officer's Representative. The initial deployment location is Hamilton County with two primary posts plus one rover position; contractors have seven days from Award Notification to achieve initial deployment. A minimum of 20 FEMA-vetted officers must be available immediately upon award, initially processed through expedited clearance with full background vetting required after 120 days. Pricing must be submitted as a fully burdened labor hour rate with no separate overtime rates authorized; travel costs including transportation, mileage, lodging, and meals must be incorporated into the hourly rate. The CLIN hours are tentative with no guaranteed minimum hours—billing occurs only for hours consumed. Proof of one month's payment capability must be certified by the prime contractor's banking institution as a line of credit. Proposals and supporting documentation should be submitted by email to designated FEMA contacts. The solicitation includes FAR 52.226-5 (disaster area subcontracting) and FAR 52.219-14 (limitations on subcontracting for small business set-aside), with wage determination requirements outlined in Attachment 2 for Indiana.
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Questions Contract/Solicitation Number: 70FBR527Q00000001_Level II Security Guards
| Document / Topic | Page or Section | Questions | Government Response / Disposition | |
| Section M and PWS | 7.2.11/7.2.13 | The RFQ requires proof that "the company owns the weapons being utilized in the performance of this contract." If the prime contractor uses a subcontractor to provide the officers, will the Government accept documented proof of ownership by the subcontractor, along with the full weapons list (manufacturer, model, and serial number)? | State and City/County Licences must be of the Prime Contractor. All ammunition and full weapons list will be Prime Contractor-issued and will also meet manufacturer’s specification. If subcontractor personnel and subcontractor-owned weapons are proposed, the prime contractor should provide documentation showing: | |
| 1. | The contractual relationship between the prime contractor and subcontractor. | |||
| 2. | The subcontractor’s ownership or authorized control of the weapons. | |||
| 3. | The complete weapon roster, including serial numbers; and | |||
| 4. | The assignment of each weapon to the individual officer who will carry it. |
The prime contractor will remain responsible for ensuring the weapons and personnel meet all applicable PWS, state, and local requirements.
| PWS Uniforms | 2.10.3 and 7.1 | The PWS requires officers to wear the prime contractor's uniform, unless approved by the COR. If a single subcontractor provides all officers at a site, ensuring uniform integrity, is the subcontractor's company uniform acceptable? | No. Prime Contractor's uniform and patches must be worn for all guards operating under this contract. | |
| Liscensing (Section M) | For the required State and City/County licenses, will the Government accept the licenses of the subcontractor performing the security services? | State and City/County Licences must be of the Prime Contractor. If subcontractor personnel and subcontractor-are proposed, the prime contractor should provide documentation showing: | ||
| 1. | The contractual relationship between the prime contractor and subcontractor. | |||
| 2. | The subcontractor’s ownership or authorized control of the weapons. | |||
| 3. | The complete weapon roster, including serial numbers; and | |||
| 4. | The assignment of each weapon to the individual officer who will carry it. | |||
| Proof of Payment (Section M) | Please clarify what is meant by "proof of one-month's payment as certified by Offeror's banking institution." Is this intended to show the offeror's financial capacity to fund one month of payroll, and is a bank letter acceptable? | Yes. Prime Contractor's Official banking institution letterhead is acceptable certifying proof of one month payment. | ||
| Limitations on Subcontracting | FAR 52.219-14 does not appear in the clause list. Please confirm whether the limitations on subcontracting apply to this small business set-aside. | FAR 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting, will be added to the solicitation as part of Amendment 00001 | ||
| General | Request for a Capability Briefing for your upcoming FEMA Solication for RFP #70FBR527Q00000001. | Request Denied…Contractor was instructed to follow guidelines outlined in the solicitation. | ||
| General | Is there any incumbent/recompete or this is a brand-new project? If yes, could you please provide us with their award number or even if the customer bought similar services in the past. | No incumbent…New project. | ||
| PWS | 2.10.3.1 | permits performance by a subcontractor. Where the offeror identifies a licensed Indiana security guard agency as its subcontractor for the Level II Armed Protective Security Officer services, may the following submission requirements be satisfied with that subcontractor's documentation, clearly identified as the subcontractor's: (a) the State License and City/County License; (b) proof of ownership of the weapons and the Master Authorization List; and (c) the proof of one month's payment certified by a banking institution? | State and City/County Licences must be of the Prime Contractor. All ammunition and full weapons list will be Prime Contractor-issued and will also meet manufacturer’s specification. If subcontractor personnel and subcontractor-owned weapons are proposed, the prime contractor should provide documentation showing: | |
| 1. | The contractual relationship between the prime contractor and subcontractor. | |||
| 2. | The subcontractor’s ownership or authorized control of the weapons. | |||
| 3. | The complete weapon roster, including serial numbers; and | |||
| 4. | The assignment of each weapon to the individual officer who will carry it. |
The prime contractor will remain responsible for ensuring the weapons and personnel meet all applicable PWS, state, and local requirements.
| Section not referenced | May the offeror's Past Performance Questionnaire include relevant contracts performed by its identified subcontractor, clearly identified as subcontractor past performance? | Yes, sub past performance can be used. | |
| Initial staffing and locations: | Please identify the anticipated initial counties, site locations, number of posts, shift lengths, and weekly staffing hours. Are the stated CLIN hours estimates, ceilings, or guaranteed hours? | As of now, the site location(s) is in Hamilton County. Number of posts is two (2) plus one (1) rover. The CLIN hours are tentative and subject to changes, however; the ceiling will be determined on award. There are no guaranteed hours - hours are billed as consumed. | |
| Startup timeline | The PWS requires initial deployment within 24 hours, while §4.12.1.3 allows a seven-day startup period. Which requirement governs initial performance, and what event starts that timeframe? | Prime Contractor will be given seven (7) days to start up after Award notification (NTP). | |
| Officer suitability | Must the minimum 20 officers already be FEMA-vetted at quote submission, contract signing, or the start of performance? May newly proposed officers begin work under the §3.4.3.1 waiver after submission of the required suitability documents? | Yes. Minimum of 20 officers to be FEMA-vetted immediately upon Award notifiation (NTP). They will initially go through expedited clearance. After 120 days, officers will be subjected to full background vetting. | |
| Financial capacity | Please define the requirement for “proof of one-month’s payment” certified by the offeror’s banking institution. What dollar amount must be demonstrated, and will a bank letter confirming available funds or an established line of credit satisfy this requirement? | One month's payment is defined as the amount that one-month salary would be paid based on the Offeror's proposed rate. Must show proof of the line of credit. Prime Contractor's Official banking institution letterhead is acceptable. | |
| Travel costs included in the rate | PWS §4.5 states that travel will not be paid separately and must be included in the hourly rate. Does this include all transportation, mileage, lodging, lodging taxes, and meals and incidental expenses? If FEMA assigns or relocates officers to distant sites after award, will any rate adjustment or separately authorized reimbursement be available? | The rate proposed is a fully burden Labor Hour rate. Travel will not be paid to incude all transportation, mileage, lodging, lodging taxes, meals and incidentals. Prime Contractors must take into consideration distances and mileage when proposing their rate. | |
| FEMA responder lodging | If FEMA approves use of responder lodging, how will the lodging and meal adjustments described in §4.5 be calculated and applied to the contractor’s hourly rate? If responder lodging is unavailable, must the contractor absorb commercial lodging costs within the proposed rate? | FEMA responder lodging is not available for private security personnel. | |
| Overtime pricing | Should offerors submit separate regular and overtime hourly rates? What advance authorization is required for overtime, and how will approved overtime be invoiced against the CLINs? | No. A separate overtime hourly rate is not authorized. The rate is a fully burdened rate. | |
| Conditional equipment | Please identify which sites will require patrol vehicles, four-wheel-drive vehicles, ATVs, guard shacks, or fencing. Should these costs be included in the hourly rate or quoted separately, and how will equipment requirements added after award be priced? | No patrol vehicles, four-wheel-drive vehicles, ATVs, guard shacks, or fencing is required at this time. | |
| Referenced attachments | Please provide the operational forms, deliverable schedule, and Performance Requirements Summary referenced in the PWS but not included in the posted five-file package, or confirm where offerors can obtain them. | Will be provided to the company selected for this contract. The additional forms are not required at this specific stage. | |
| Disaster-area subcontracting | Please confirm whether FAR 52.226-5 applies to this procurement and identify the designated disaster or emergency area. Please clarify any geographic eligibility or subcontracting restrictions that offerors must address in their staffing plans. | Yes, clause is included in the solicitation. | |
| Applicable wage determinations | Please identify the wage determination number and revision applicable to each anticipated initial site. If sites are added in counties with different wage requirements after award, how will the applicable determination and any resulting rate adjustment be incorporated? | Attachment 2 - Wage Determination - State of Indiana was included on SAM.GOV. Hamiliton County is the initial county. Offerors should review the Wage Determination provided. | |
| Insurance and bonding | Please specify the required insurance coverage types, minimum per-occurrence and aggregate limits, and any bonding requirements. Please also confirm whether armed-security operations or firearms-specific coverage, additional-insured endorsements, or waivers of subrogation are required, and whether a current certificate of insurance satisfies the quote submission requirement. | See PWS 11.4 | |
| General | Please clarify whether offerors must demonstrate 20 currently employed and available Level II Armed Protective Security Officers at quote submission, or whether an offeror may propose an award-dependent recruiting and mobilization plan that meets the requirement by contract signing or the start of performance. | Yes. Minimum of 20 officers to be FEMA-vetted immediately upon Award notifiation (NTP). They will initially go through expedited clearance. After 120 days, officers will be subjected to full background vetting. | |
| General | If an award-dependent staffing approach is acceptable, please identify the mobilization time allowed between award notification, contract signing, and required initial coverage, and the supporting staffing evidence expected with the quote. | Contractor will be given seven (7) days to start up after Award notification (NTP). | |
| Additional Question as of 1600 10-05-26 | |||
| Pricing and Contract Terms | Should offerors propose one hourly rate per CLIN, or is a pricing template forthcoming? May rates differ between the base and option periods? | Offerors should proposed based on their pricing structure, the Government will not provide a pricing template. Offeror should provide pricing for the base and all options IAW company business model. | |
| Is there a minimum guaranteed number of hours or a minimum order value for the base period? | No. The CLIN hours are tentative and subject to changes, however; the ceiling will be determined on award. There are no guaranteed hours - hours are billed as consumed. | ||
| PWS 7.1 | Patrol vehicles, ATVs, guard shacks, and fencing are listed as required "when deemed necessary" (PWS 7.1). Should these costs be included in the hourly rate, or will they be addressed through task orders, separate line items, or modifications? | If needed - a separate CLIN line will be added as agreed by the Contracting Officer. | |
| Will this result in a single award or multiple awards? | Single Award | ||
| SCA Wage Determination | Attachment 2 lists both a $5.92 and a $5.42 (EO 13706) Health & Welfare rate. The solicitation does not include FAR 52.222-62 (Paid Sick Leave). Please confirm whether EO 13706 applies to this contract | EO 13706 was revoked in January 2025 | |
| Personnel and Suitability PWS | 3.4.4.11 | Technical Question 3 asks how many FEMA-vetted PSOs we currently have. Will offerors whose officers are not yet FEMA-vetted be evaluated equally if they can submit 20 complete suitability packages at contract start (PWS 3.4.4.11)? | Offerors should respond with the number of FEMA-vetted guards available at the time of proposal submission. |
| Certification Question | Please confirm what FEMA will accept to satisfy "State Security Officer Certification (as required)" in Indiana. | Offerors must be licensed by the State of Indiana. Additional, armed Security Officers are primarily governed through the Indiana Private Detective and Security Guard Agency Licensing Board. Offerors must be in compliance with state licensing requirements. | |
| Submission Requirements | Proof of weapons ownership: Will purchase invoices, bills of sale, or an inventory record from our Federal Firearms License be acceptable? | Offeror must provide inventory of weapons by manufacturer, model, and serial number. Also known as MAL. | |
| Submission Requirements | The PWS references Attachments 01, 09, 10, 11–15, and 19–22, which were not included in the solicitation package. Will these be posted to SAM.gov? | These are attachments for post-Award that will be shared to the prospective Prime Contractor. | |
| Performance Question | Can FEMA share the anticipated initial locations or counties and the expected number of posts at contract start? | As of now, the site location(s) is in Hamilton County. Number of posts is two (2) plus one (1) rover. | |
| Before preparing our submission, I wanted to clarify the required submission process. Should proposals and all required supporting documentation be submitted directly by email, or is there a designated vendor/procurement portal where all proposal materials must be submitted? | Submitted by email to the following; marvin.r.jennings@fema.dhs.gov and nicole.joseph@fema.dhs.gov |
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