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Question #
| PAGE # |
| SECTION, PARAGRAPH, ATTACHMENT |
QUESTION
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
| 1 |
| PWS 2 |
| 2.0 |
| Can you provide more details about the expected audience for the Employee Engagement Training Summit, including the expected number of participants, their roles within the organization, and their current level of D&I knowledge. |
| See Amendment70Z02324Q12700001A00001 Attachment 1 – PWS Section 2.0. RFQ has been amended to reflect, “This four (4) hour event can be a mix of presentation and activity facilitation to a group of approximately 40-50 D&I professionals.” |
These D&I professionals are involved in various Employee Resource Groups or are certified Change Agents. They will have varying degrees of D&I knowledge.
| 2 |
| PWS 3 |
| 2.1.1 |
| Are there any specific Coast Guard core values that should be emphasized in the D&I Acumen curriculum, and can will you share any existing materials or assessments related to these values? |
| No. The theme is facilitating cultural change in an organization. |
| 3 |
| PWS 3 |
| 2.1.2 |
| Regarding the Leadership’s D&I Awareness & Accountability curriculum, are there any particular challenges or areas of improvement that have been identified within the leadership that should be addressed in the personal inclusion action plans? |
| No challenges. |
| 4 |
| PWS |
| 2.2 |
| Are there any preferred formats or specific requirements for the participant guide, PowerPoint presentations, and other materials beyond what is outlined in Section 2.2? For example, are there any branding guidelines or accessibility requirement that need to be followed? |
| None. |
| 5 |
| RFQ 5 |
| B |
| The solicitation # that shows on Sam.gov shows: 70Z02324Q12700001 but in the Word doc it shows 70Z02323QMSR10001 (page 5). Can you please advise here as well? |
| See Amendment 70Z02324Q12700001A00001 - RFQ has been Amended to reflect 70Z02324Q12700001 |
| 6 |
| RFQ 3 |
| Combined Synopsis & Solicitation Notice Information, III |
| On sam.gov it states that the solicitation classification was originally "8a". However, in the Word doc, it states that the set-aside is "small business" . Can you please clarify? |
| RFQ Page 3, Combined Synopsis & Solicitation Notice Information, Section I indicates, “This acquisition is being conducted as an 8(a) set-aside for commercial items or services in accordance with FAR Part 13.5, Simplified Procedures Certain Commercial Items, will be followed for this requirement in conjunction with FAR Part 12.” |
Clarification that this is 100% 8(a) set-aside
| 7 |
| N/A |
| RFQ Attachment 2 |
| There are two sets of dates listed for this event... 8/2/24-8/4/24 & 8/7/24-8/9/24. Can you please confirm which of the two are the correct dates? |
| RFQ Attachment 2 has been Amended to reflect a period of performance of 21-22 August 2024; Additionally, a column for rate has been amended for pricing purposes. |
| 8 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| We see that the event is set for 2 days. Is this so that the keynote is performed on one day and the 4+/- hours of training is done on the second day? |
| See Amendment70Z02324Q12700001A00001 Attachment 1 – PWS Section 2.0. RFQ has been amended to reflect, “The contractor shall be prepared to support two (2) particular events. The first event shall be one (1) keynote address (approximately 45 minutes) to be conducted on 21 August 2024. The focus should be a general D&I / Employee Engagement Theme to a varied audience from the total USCG workforce. The second event shall be to provide an Employee Engagement training exercise (approximately 4 hours) at annual Employee Resource Group and Change Agent Training summit to be conducted 22 August 2024.” |
| 9 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Can submissions be submitted prior to the deadline for consideration and direct award? |
| A quote may be submitted prior to the closing date of 8 July 2024. This requirement is not being directly awarded. |
| 10 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Is there an estimated number of participants to determine instructor ratios? |
| See response to question #1. |
| 11 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Are there breakout spaces to facilitate multiple sessions? |
| See response to question #8. |
The Government would facilitate breakout space if required to accommodate the winning offerors proposed approach.
| 12 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Is the contractor expected to offer session from Aug 7 -9 or just one four-hour session covering the (3) LOE's |
| See response to question #7. |
| 13 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Will the contractor have access to set-up on August 6 or day prior if a one-day session. |
| See response to question #7, reference period of performance. With prior coordination access can be accommodated. |
| 14 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| How soon does your office anticipate Notice to Proceed for budgeting purposes? |
| Award is anticipated on or about 1 August 2024. |
| 15 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Do you have demographic information for those attending ie., gender, race, rank, education level ect... |
| See response to question #1. |
| 16 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Is there a possibility for direct award? |
| See response to question #9. |
| 17 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| If the 4 hours of Employee Engagement Exercise, 4 consecutive hours? |
| See response to question #8. |
| 18 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| How many participants will be in attendance and will they remain together as one group or will they breakout in groups? |
| See response to question #1 and question #11. |
| 19 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Are you open to a D&I Maturity Assessment for accountability to equip leaders to create specific targeted personal inclusion action plans that help align intention with action. |
| The Government would need to understand what this entails. |
| 20 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| How are the participants/leaders being held accountable to D&I now? |
| Leaders are guided by organizational documents such as policy statements, action plans and strat plans as they relate to D&I. |
| 21 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Can you provide a previous conference agenda? |
| There are no previous conference agendas available to be provided. |
| 22 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| There are 3 Lines of Effort and multiple topics identified. Is the expectation for the curriculum to include the identified topic areas under the respective lines of effort? |
| The Government does not understand the question. |
| 23 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| How many attendees can we expect at the summit during the keynote? |
| See response to question #1. |
| 24 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| For the 4-hour training sessions how will it be broken up? Will it be 1-hour breakouts or a continuous 4-hour training? |
| See response to question #8. |
| 25 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| How many attendees can we expect in the 4 hour training session? |
| See response to question #1. |
| 26 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| The pricing sheet has a spot for us to put the number of students, can you explain what that is for? The assumption is that the USCG already has an anticipated number of student attendees. |
| See response to question #1. |
| 27 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| The RFQ is requesting the entire curriculum from the offeror, will a high-level outline of the curriculum suffice? There are concerns around intellectual property rights. |
| The Offeror may submit a quote as they deem appropriate. However, in accordance with the RFQ, “The Government will award a contract resulting from this RFQ to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the RFQ is the most advantageous to the Government . . . The Government will award a contract without requesting additional information and/or revised quotes. Therefore, the offeror’s initial quote should contain the best terms from a price and technical standpoint.” |
| 28 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Is there an incumbent for another aspect of this effort of similar work? |
| This is a new requirement. |
| 29 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Is there any further clarification of scope and objectives that is pending posting via Amendment? |
| RFQ Amendment 00001 is posted as result of industry questions. |
| 30 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Would you be able to provide information on the venue layout, etc to support a more detailed response regarding training set up, etc? |
| The venue will be a large conference room with a/v capabilities for the keynote on 21 August. The group training/facilitation on 22 Aug will be a smaller room. |
| 31 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Can you describe the audience and participants in terms of roles/positions? |
| See response to question #1. |
| 32 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| How many participants are expected? |
| See response to question #1. |
| 33 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Do you have a preference for theory, practical exercises or a mix? |
| A mix of theory and practical exercises would be ideal. The four (4) hours could potentially be split up so a mix of theory and practical exercise would be well suited. |
| 34 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Are there any specific cultural intelligence and D&I challenges that have been identified within the organization that we should address in the training? |
| See response to question #2, see response to question #3. |
| 35 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Are online materials permissible? |
| Online materials that complement the training objective are permissible. |
| 36 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| What would indicate a successful engagement beyond the deliverables? |
| This is subjective. |
| 37 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Is there an expectation for follow-up support or continued engagement after the summit? |
| There is an expectation for additional diversity and inclusion requirements. |
| 38 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| What is the exact date of the keynote address? |
| See question #8. |
| 39 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Is there a specific topic for the keynote address (or is it general to DEI and cultural competence)? |
| Refer to the PWS. |
| 40 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| What is the exact date of the training? |
| See response to question #7. |
| 41 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| How many USCG staff will participate in the 4-hour training? |
See response to question #1.
| 42 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Is there an incumbent? |
| See response to question #28. |
| 43 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Where can we find the Commandants “Guiding Principles?” |
| None currently. |
| 44 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Where can we get a copy of the “Lessons Learned?” |
| None currently. |
| 45 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Is the training class a ONE session 4-hour long training? Or, is it a three day training for 4 hours each day? |
| See response to question #8. |
| 46 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| How many are expected to attend the training sessions? |
| See response to question #1. |
| 47 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Who is expected to attend? What rank structure, senior leaders or midlevel or open to all? |
| See response to question #1. |
| 48 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Can we get the time extended to 6 hours vice 4-hours? In an effort to start making cultural changes the initial/introductory session we recommend the session be 6-hours in duration. |
| See response to question #8. |
The Government would facilitate additionally time if required to accommodate the winning offerors proposed approach.
| 49 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Can we know who will attend in order to give pre-work? |
| Participant email addresses will be provided prior to class start date. |
| 50 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Where can we find all the referenced documents? |
| See response to question #43, see response to question #44. |
| 51 |
| RFQ 5 |
| Section B.ii.a; Section ii.b |
| These sections require that offerors address “…the specific requirements/tasks of the Performance Work Statement”, and “…the requirements as identified in the Performance Work Statement”. Does the Government expect a response to PWS Section 2.0, Specific Requirements/Tasks only? If the Government expects responses to other numbered PWS Sections, to which additional sections are offerors to provide a response? Clarification will ensure that each offeror is responding to the same criteria to allow for a consistent comparative evaluation. |
| RFQ Section A, General Instructions and Quote Submission, B.ii.a. and ii.b. in conjunction with Section IX. FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Items (Nov 2021) identify the content of the quote, how the Government will evaluate the quote, and the basis for award. |
| 52 |
| RFQ 5 |
| Section B.i.a |
| Cover/Letter” include: “Request for Quote (RFQ) 70Z02323QMSR10001”, however all other references to the RFQ number cite it as “70Z02324Q10001”. Which is correct? |
| See response to question #5. |
| 53 |
| RFQ 5 |
| Section B.i.f and Section B.i.i |
| This requirement appears to be duplicated. Please clarify. |
| Duplicative Section B.i.i deleted per Amendment 00001. |
| 54 |
| RFQ 5 |
| Section B.i.h |
| Where is the “…representations and |
certifications at FAR 52.212-3 ALT 1 (see FAR 52.212- 3(b)(OCT 2018)…” that offerors are to sign and submit?
In accordance with RFQ - See FAR 52.212-3(b)(OCT 2018) for those representations and certifications that the Offeror shall complete electronically
| 55 |
| PWS 1 |
| Section 2.0 |
| How many employees will be expected to participate in the Employee Engagement training exercise? |
| See response to question #1. |
| 56 |
| PWS 1 |
| Section 2.0 |
| How many employees will be expected to attend the keynote address? |
| See response to question #1. |
| 57 |
| PWS 4 |
| Section 4.2 |
| The dates provided on Attachment 2: Pricing indicate a period of performance of 2-4 August 2024; however, the PWS indicates 7-9 August 2024. Can the government confirm the anticipated period of performance? Should Offerors update the pricing spreadsheet accordingly? |
| See response to question #7. |
| 58 |
| PWS 4 |
| Section 4.2 |
| Can the government confirm that the training will be conducted during a single day, or will the instructor need to be present for the entire 3-day |
period of performance?
See response to question #7.
| 59 |
| Attachment 2 |
| Pricing |
| The solicitation’s pricing attachment requires Offerors to indicate the Labor Category(ies) (LCATs) in cells B21:B24; however, the calculations for the spreadsheet indicate that this should reflect FBLR. Can the government confirm that cells B21:B24 should reflect FBLR instead of LCATs? Would the government like Offerors to indicate LCATs for each FBLR in any way? |
| Attachment 2 has been amended to add a rate column. See 70Z02324Q12700001A00001. |
| 60 |
| Attachment 2 |
| Pricing |
| PWS Section 4.5 TRAVEL indicates that travel will be reimbursed in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations. Can the government confirm that Offerors should estimate travel costs for CLIN 0002 which will then be invoiced at- cost? |
| CLIN 0002 is a FFP CLIN. |
| 61 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| How many participants will attend the training? |
| See response to question #1. |
| 62 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| The event will occur from August 7 to August 9th. Will the contractor be required to speak each day? |
| See response to question #7. |
| 63 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| How many sessions of diversity training? |
| See response to question #8. |
| 64 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
| Please explain how many sessions or how the presentation is broken down throughout the summit as stated: "1 keynote address (approximately 45 minutes) and provide Employee Engagement training exercise (approximately 4 hours)." |
| See response to question #8. |
