Consolidated QA for RMACC III.pdf

# QUESTION

RESPONSE CHANGE

TO RFP? RFP SECTION

District 9/USCG Great Lakes District states that it is a contract set-aside for 8(a) contractors only. Is the set aside restriction only for those companies that still currently have an 8(a) designation?

To be eligible for the Region 9 8(a) set-aside, your firm's official SAM.gov registration must reflect an active 8(a) certification at the time of proposal submission and maintained throughout the contract period. Self-certifications are not acceptable.

N

When it says Customer/Owner This means USCG or the physical user that was on site?

For Attachment B, Block 9, identify the Customer. If the work was completed for a USCG installation, indicate "USCG." For private sector projects, provide the company name. For other federal agencies, specify the agency name (e.g., US Army, USMC).

N

What happens if we don’t get back all the reviews? Does this eliminate us from being to

BID?

CPARS evaluations are preferred, however, past performance questionnaires will be accepted. Lack of past performance may not eliminate your firm from competition, but it may result in lower rating. If other firms receive an overall higher rating than your firm, this could affect your ability to remain competitive. N

Will offeror's that are both an 8(a) and HUBZone firm be required to submit one proposal for both set-asides or will offeror's be required to provide a separate proposal for each set-aside option?

Separate proposals are required for each region. If a region has multiple socioeconomic set-asides, a distinct proposal must be submitted for each. Firms must be registered under the applicable socioeconomic classification to be eligible for that set-aside. Each proposal will be evaluated independently and should be clearly labeled accordingly

N

Will the final solicitation include formatting requirements (e.g., font size, margin size, etc.)? If so, please consider the impact of the font type, font size, and margins to the page limitations and the amount of information required to be provided within the page limitation

Yes, the Final RFP incorporates formatting requirements, outlined in Section L.6.1

Y L.6.1

It is our understanding that a moratorium was placed on the bona fide place of business requirement during COVID and then extended through September 30, 2025. We suggest removing this requirement for 8(a) designated regions if the Government intends to keep the DRAFT schedule listed in the pre-solicitation on page 104.

We acknowledge the recent SBA update regarding the Bonafide Office rule and the expiration of the temporary moratorium on September 30th. The application of this rule to your specific circumstances, particularly in relation to the timing of this solicitation and its release date, is best addressed by your local SBA Business Development Specialist. They can provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date guidance on how the Bonafide Office rule applies to your 8(a) firm and your offer submission. We encourage you to contact them directly for clarification. The SBA makes final eligibility determination of any apparent successful offerors prior to contract award IAW 13 CFR 124.503(i)(1)(i).The final RFP has been updated to remove reference to Bona fide place of business.

Y L.6.3, M.3.3.1

The RMACC III is intended to serve a wide variety of missions and agencies, including FEMA, ICE, TSA, the Coast Guard, and more. The diversity of end users reinforces the need for depth, capacity, and geographic agility among contractors. Restricting entire regions (e.g., Region 7 to only 8(a) firms or Region 8 to only HUBZone firms) reduces the Government’s ability to leverage broader pools of qualified small business contractors, and may directly undermine the performance, pricing, or timely execution of projects that fall outside the niche strengths of a single SBA category.

The Government acknowledges the concern regarding the impact of regional set-asides. However, these set-asides are based on thorough market research and due diligence commensurate with the requirements of this procurement. At this stage, the Government will maintain the set-aside strategy as outlined in the Draft RFP.

N

Rather than limiting each region to only one SBA category, we respectfully recommend considering different approaches, such as: • Making Region-7 and Region-8 eligible for "Total Small Business", in lieu of a complete 8(a) or HUBZone set-aside (similar to what the Coast Guard is considering to do for Region-7.5)

• Reserving a portion of awards (e.g., 2 of 10) for targeted groups like 8(a), HUBZone, or

SDVOSB

• Keeping the remainder open to all qualified small businesses

See Answer 7

N

Given the broad spectrum of potential project sizes, it would be prudent to include a balanced mix of both smaller and mid-sized firms. This approach ensures adequate coverage across the full task order range, as smaller businesses (8(a) and/or HUBZone firms) may not possess the bonding capacity required to undertake projects at the upper end of the $20 million threshold .

The Final RFP now includes a table of required bonding per Region.

Y H.10, L.6.3.c

For Joint Ventures, is a single VETS-4212 report required for the JV entity, or must each member of the JV submit their own report?

Offerors can either submit a single VETS-4212 report for the Joint Venture entity or individual reports for each member. Additional information can be found in Answer 49. N

Substantiating Design Firm Relationships: For Organizational Technical Capabilities, the narrative should include "planned business relationships with specific designers" and "experience working with these and other design firms".

Offerors should use their best judgement in addressing the requirements for Section L & M of the solicitation.

N

Bonding Capacity Letter Details: The bonding capacity letter must acknowledge single project and aggregate bonding capacity, and contractors "must be able to obtain bonding simultaneously for multiple projects if required". a. Beyond the minimum dollar amounts, is there specific language or additional information required in the bonding capacity letter from the corporate surety to demonstrate the ability to "obtain bonding simultaneously for multiple projects"?

See Section L and M in Final RFP.

Y H.10, L.6.3.c

Please confirm offerors in District 7 cannot bid on projects in District 7.5 (and vice versa) without submitting, and being awarded, a separate proposal.

See Answer 4 N

Section A, page 3, indicates projects with a maximum value, as determined by each RMACC, between $10M and $20M. Page 5 states task order limits will range from $2,000 to $20M. Elsewhere, additional information seems to indicate that Districts 14 and 7.5 will have $10M task order value limits, while the rest will have a $20M limit.

Please clarify if all regions may issue projects to a maximum value of $20 million or provide the task order value limits for each District.

See Answer 12.

Y H.10, L.6.3.c

SF1442 indicates an offer guarantee is required. Please clarify if this is a Phase I or Phase II submission.

An offer guarantee will be required for Phase II.

N

C.1 indicates a RMACC awardee can only elect to withdraw from submitting a proposal on three (3) task order RFPs during the course of each year of the contract (base plus two (3)-year option periods). Please clarify if an option period is considered 3 separate years or a single (1) year/term for the determination of three (3) withdrawals.

Final RFP has been updated accordingly.

Y C.1

The offeror’s approved business plan is required to be on the file and serviced by the appropriate SBA District and/or Area Office(s) as identified by the Small Business Administration (SBA)for that specific region per FAR 52.219-18. The FAR 52.219-18 Alternate I being quoted requires the following: [Contracting Officer completes by inserting the appropriate SBA District and/or Area Office(s) as identified by the SBA] .

Please provide the appropriate SBA District and/or Area Office for each region to be used for determination of SBA-approved Bona Fide offices.

The Final RFP has been updated accordingly. See 52.219-18. In general, this will be the SBA office responsible for the Region the offeror is submitting a proposal on.

Y

Section I - 52.219- 18(a)(1)(iii)

For Attachment B, please provide allowances for offerors to recreate the form or provide in MS Word version. As an alternate, may offerors attach a continuation page as needed to accommodate the limitation of three pages?

Attachment A, B and C will be provided in Word with Final RFP. The maximum 3-page limitation for Attachment B applies. Any pages after 3 will not be evaluated, nor reviewed by the USCG. N

Please confirm previously obtained PPQ may be submitted in full rather than obtaining a new PPQ.

Confirmed. Existing PPQ or CPARS evaluation are acceptable within the timeframe indicated in the RFP. The POC information should be completed and up to date. The USCG must have sufficient information to validate the authenticty of the PPQ.

N

Section L.3 et al addressed the requirements to have a Bona Fide office if submitting as an 8(a) firm. The SBA’s approval of these offices has been progressing very slowly.

Please consider allowing the review of an approved Bona Fide office as a pre-award consideration rather than a requirement at the time of submission.

See Answer 6.

Y L.6.3, M.3.3.1

In L.5.1, the requirement is: If proposing as a joint venture, to provide the UEI Number and Cage code for the members of the joint venture. Must this be on the SF 1442 or will listing this information in the cover letter be acceptable?

This should be entered into Block 14 of the SF 1442.

N

For Attachment B, is the dedicated photo page used to demonstrate past performance limited to a single page per individual(each) project, or a single page containing photos of any/all submitted projects?

Single page per individual project (each).

N

10. L.6.1.6, is the description of the involvement of Affiliate, Subsidiary, or Parent Firm Experience included as a separate submission element or must it be included within the three-page limitation of Attachment B? We recommend allowing a separate one-page response outside of the three-page limitation on Attachment B in order to avoid penalizing firms without as much experience from by not having the full allowance of space to describe the project itself.

As stated in L.6.1.3.b. Offerors have the option to include additional descriptive content on the Project Information Sheet (Attachment B) beyond the minimum information requested. Attachment B contains 2 pages. Contractors may add one single page of project descriptive content and remain within the page limitation (3 total pages-the photographs page does not count as one of the three).

N

L.6.2.2: Please provide examples of “amplifying information” that would be acceptable for submission with the PPQ outside of Factor 1 information

This would be additional information that supports the PPQ, to include but not limited to, explaining any perceived deficiencies, or highlighting key achievements relevant to the RMACC scope of work as stated in the RFP. N

L.6.3.c says offerors must demonstrate bonding for a Minimum $10M in Region 14, $20M all other regions. Section H.10 includes District 7.5 in the $10M category. Please clarify the aggregate bonding for District 7.5 .

See Answer 12.

Y H.10, L.6.3.c

Section M, page 108, notes on evaluation of Factor 3 indicates The Offeror's demonstrated ability to perform task orders across diverse geographic settings (multiple states, urban/remote) and facility types (large/small USCG facilities). Please clarify that the facility types must be similar to USCG facilities, but may have been performed for organizations other than the USCG.

Section L and M have been updated to include DHS and USCG facilities.

Y L.6.3.a, M.3.3.1

Please clarify how future on-ramping may be conducted? Will a pool of “bench” firms be created from the respondents for solicitation or will a new solicitation be released with firms not originally selected for award needing to submit a new bid?

On boarding would utilize commensurate processes as the current solicitation.

N

Section A, Introduction pg. 3 of 111 - Awarding up to 10 contracts per region will discourage some experienced contractors from proposing since this is still a big field to compete against for task orders. We often will instead bid on other MACC’s that are awarding to far fewer companies instead so the winning of a MACC means we have a real shot at winning task orders. Has making the field of winners smaller been considered?

Ten contracts per region is an approximate target; the total number of awardees may be more or less. Based on historical data from the previous RMACC II iteration and market research, the target number of approximate contracts has proven successful for the USCG/DHS and IDIQ holders.

N

Region 8 is a geographically huge area but designated as HUBZone. Have you considered splitting the area into two with two different set asides or potentially making it two set asides in the region for example, HUBZone and/or SDVOSB?

See Answer 7.

N

Attachment A If we are prime building contractor is the offeror’s total contract amount and share of responsibility automatically 100%?

The intent of Attachment A is to capture percentage of actual performance. Thus, a Prime contractor is not nessciarily automatically responsible for 100% of performance.

N

Attachment B is very detailed with all the disciplines involved. Is this for every discipline or just the major ones? If you look at all we can often have a dozen types of engineering disciplines in a renovation project and more than a dozen subcontractor Trades. This could take far more than three pages to describe. How do we narrow this down?

The intent is to highlight the major trades.

N

Attachment B Item 16. Do these industry awards or recognition count towards the page limitations?

Attachment B has been updated as follows: maximum of one page-this is not included in the 3-page maximum for Attachment B.

Y Section J:

Attachment B

Section M – says specialized experience could be rated higher and mentions waterfront/marine may get a higher rating. Secure construction is becoming more common and is very complex with extensive requirements such as the ICD 705. Can this be added as specialized experience also?

Based on anticipated type and frequency of requirements it is not anticipated to change types of facilities for higher ratings. This may be required on the Task Order level.

N

The Heartland district is huge. Is it possible for this contract Region 7 include Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana? They are gulf coast states and very similar to Florida.

See Answer 7.

N

Please add to definitions “turnkey project”. This definition sometimes varies from agency to agency.

See 14 U.S. Code § 913 - Turnkey selection procedures for definitions.

N

Would the Coast Guard consider assigning multiple set-aside designations per district/region, such as permitting 8(a), SDVOSB, and Total Small Business firms to compete concurrently within the same region? Alternatively, is there potential to revise the current set-aside structure based on market interest or participation levels across multiple small business categories?

See Answer 7.

N

RFP – Page 9- Section C.1- Can the USCG consider setting aside or incorporating SBA Certified Woman Owned Small Business to the categories?

See Answer 7.

N

During the recent Industry Day call for RMACC III, the Government clearly communicated that the only acceptable method of proposal submission will be via email and provided the file size limit of approximately 10MB per email. Given the anticipated size and complexity of the proposal documents requested in Section L, the current requirement to submit the entire proposal as a single PDF file titled "RMACC III Region X Phase One Proposal" may be impractical or impossible to meet within the stated 10MB limitation. Can the Government please confirm whether offerors are permitted to logically separate the proposal into multiple emails when necessary to comply with the 10MB limit?

Limit 20MB – Offerors are allowed to submit two emails for their Proposal. The first email shall contain all elements required by Section L, except for photo pages incorporated into Attachment B. A second email will be allowed for photo pages only.

Y L.7, L.6.1

RFP- Page 99- Completion Date- Please consider extending the experience to the last 8 years, so contractors can show a wider range of experience.

The USCG has considered the requests. However, the requirements of the RMACC include multiple simultaneous projects . Experience time frames will not be extended.

Note: as stated in L.6.61.1.c: Substaintial completion is allowable: Completion Date:

Each project must have achieved substantial completion (defined as 65% completion) within the six-year period immediately preceding the issuance date of this Request for Proposals (RFP). N

RFP- Page 101- Factor 3- L.6.3.a- Please consider increasing the page limit to Eight (8) Pages for this section so we can provide an introduction of the team.

The page limits remain the same in the RFP.

N

10. RFP- Page 101- Factor 3 L.6.3.b- Please consider increasing the page limit to six (6) pages, as there are several criteria to address between Item #1 and Item #2.

See Answer 40.

N

RFP- Page 24 vs Page 102- The minimum bonding requirements on Page 24 states that Region 7.5 is $5M per task order and $10M aggregate; however, Page 102 states that all regions are $20M except region 14. Can the government please clarify?

See Answer 12.

Y H.10, L.6.3.c

RFP, Page 3, Last Paragraph- Can the USCG clarify what they mean by significantly different market conditions for Region 7.5

Refer to updates in the Final RFP Y Section A

RFP, Page 107- Evaluation Criteria- Are DBB or D/B projects considered more favorable in selection?

Refer to Sections L and M. The Offeror must submit at least 1 DB project. There are no additional requirements for the mix of DB and DBB submitted. Offerors are responsible for structuring their proposals to clearly and effectively address all requirements outlined in the solicitation. N

Please publish the limitation on document size allowable by the Government’s email system. If an offeror’s proposal exceeds this limit, is it acceptable to break the proposal into clearly defined sections and submit via multiple emails? (the request for photos may cause proposals to easily exceed the size if it is 10MB).

See Answer 38

Y L.7, L.6.1

L.6.1, Factor 1, Corporate Experience: Demonstrated Project Experience, No. 1 Project Relevance and Scope, b. Contract Value, “Each Submitted project must have a contract value ranging from $500,000 to $15,000,000. Can projects be greater than the $15,000,000?

The Final RFP has been updated from $15M to $20M additional clarifying language inserted as well.

Y L.6.1.1.b.

For projects to be submitted in response to “L.6.1 Factor 1 – Corporate Experience:

Demonstrated Project Experience”, using the forms in Section J of the DRAFT Solicitation, can a Prime Offeror include projects completed by key subcontractor teaming partners and be considered equally as relevant as those completed by the Prime Offeror?

The requirement remains the same. The USCG is not requesting this information.

N 48 How will past performance of newly formed joint ventures be evaluated? In accordance with FAR 15.305(a)(2) attention brought to (iii) and (vi) N

L.6 Specific Phase One Instructions (RFP pg. 98) say to submit an executed SF1442, SAM registration, Section K – Reps and Certs, completed K.1 and K.2, and documentation addressing Phase One Evaluation Factors 1 – 4. Can you please verify that the VETS-4212 Registration is to be submitted in Phase Two with pricing or should it also be included in the Phase One proposal?

VETS-4212 Registration will be required with Phase Two submittal. Upon successful submission of a VETS-4212 Report to DoL, contractors will receive an email confirmation for their records.

These confirmation notifications should be used as verification of submission by federal contracting officer.

Y H.33

Please confirm that questions go to Cheryl.A.Berry@uscg.mil and John.Wright@uscg.mil (RFP L.2, pg. 96), whereas the final proposal submittals go to the RMACC Region POCs in L.7 (pg. 103).

Correct, pre-proposal questions will be issued to Cheryl Berry and John Wright. Proposal responses will be sent to the RMACC Regional POCs. Please note, Artic District/Region 17 Proposal POCs are Cheryl Berry and John Wright. N

Based on RFP, L.3 language, it appears that only 8(a)-designated regions require a contractor place of business in the region. Please confirm that only 8(a) regions require a contractor place of business in the region (Regions 1, 7, 9, 14, and 17).

See Answer 6

Y L.6.3, M.3.3.1

Table 1 coincides with the map but is the only table that does not show Region 7.5 and the combined Regions 11 / 13. Please clarify if/how this discrepancy affects the bidding of regional proposals?

For the purpose of this solicitation Puerto Rico and US Virgin Island have been designated as Region 7.5 and will be competed and awarded separately from Southeast District/Region 7.

However, per the USCG designated regional boundaries, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Island are part of Southeast District. Table 1 separates Region 11 and Region 13 due to different names under new naming convention, however, for the purpose of this solicitation and subsequent award, these regions are combined, and all awardees will compete under fair opportunity for all projects throughout these two regions combined.

N

When can we expect the final solicitation release, and can you confirm the Phase One due dates by region?

Final RFP release date is unknown. The USCG intends to release RFP by the end of August.

Dates will be determined by release date of final RFP. Regions 5, 8 and 11/13 will be due first-approximately 30 days after official release of RFP. N

Will you provide standard templates or formatting guidelines (page limits, fonts, etc.) for both Phase One and Phase Two?

Formatting guidance has been incorporated into the Final RFP.

Y L.6.1

55 Is there a limit to how many regions a single contractor can pursue?

Contractors can pursue any region they are interested in provided they meet the criteria of the region. Separate proposals for each region must be submitted. N

56 aHow will RMACC and NMACC task orders be differentiated if their scopes overlap?

Typically, RMACC focuses on Depot Level Maintenance. NMACC focuses on major new capital shore infrastructure. N

In Phase One, how will you weigh regional experience versus broader federal experience?

Evaluation criteria remains as stated in Section M. Offerors are responsible for structuring their proposals to clearly and effectively address all requirements outlined in the solicitation. N

For safety, are EMR and OSHA 300 logs sufficient, or should we also include a written safety-program narrative?

Evaluation criteria remains as stated in Section M. Offerors are responsible for structuring their proposals to clearly and effectively address all requirements outlined in the solicitation. N

Will an existing regional office receive different evaluation credit than a plan to open one after award, and are virtual offices acceptable?

Updated in Final RFP.

Y

For Region 17, what’s the preferred approach to demonstrate both 8(a) and HUBZone status, and are joint ventures permitted?

Updated in Final RFP.

Y L.6

61 Can you provide examples or parameters of a “non-complex” One-Step Turnkey project?

See Answer 35.

N

If we decline a task order with written justification, does it count against the three annual withdrawals? Is there a “no-cost” or “decline for cause” response that would not count toward that limit?

See Answer 16.

Y C.1

To be selected to participate in the IDIQ RMACC III, are contractors required to have Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certifications? What level of cybersecurity certification will be required ?

This may be a requirement on the Task Order level, this is not a requiment for the RMACC III RFO. DHS, like the DoD, is concerned with protecting sensitive information, and cybersecurity requirements may be further defined on the Task Order level.

N

What level of security clearance will be required for contractors? Classified, Secret, Top Secret ?

See Answer 63.

N

65 Specify how the bonding capacity will be evaluated for joint ventures.

Bonding capacity will be evaluated for Joint Venture only, not as an aggregate of the companies.

N

Offerors may be uncertain whether to reference Region 1, District 1, or USCG Northeast District in forms and proposal titles: Request guidance on which naming convention must be used in proposal documents, SF 1442 forms, and file naming. Offerors should use REGION. N

Define acceptable reasons for declining to submit and confirm whether declines beyond the 3-per-year limit automatically prevent option renewal.

See Answer 16.

Y C.1

Confirm whether both names (old district # and new district name) will be required in proposals, invoices, and correspondence.

See Answer 66.

N

69 Is Design Build experience mandatory or [there} this a conflict?

As stated, at least one (1) of the submitted projects must demonstrate experience utilizing the Design-Build method of delivery. N

If an offeror has design build experience which is outside of the 6-year window how can that be demonstrated?

See Answer 39.

N

If design build experience is mandatory it will greatly restrict the competition on this solicitation as most small business firms in the selected small business categories will not have design build experience.

See Answer 69.

N 72 Can projects over $15 million but under $20 million task order range be submitted? See Answer 46. Y

Would the Coast Guard consider adopting similar language [subcontracted teaming arrangements as described in L6.1.6) in the RMACC III Solicitation and increasing the allowable number of projects from an offeror’s key subcontractor?

See Answer 47.

N

The RFP combines Regions 11 and 13. Together these two regions include over 5,400 miles of coastline and a corresponding number of USCG facilities. This presents a challenge for small businesses to remain responsive and competitive throughout the combined regions. Would the Government consider evaluating contractor responsiveness based on the region the contractor is located? For example, a contractor located in Portland, OR, would be accountable for submitting proposals for task orders solicited in Region 13, and the contractor withdrawing from a task order solicited in Region 11 would not count as one of the three withdrawal requests allowed per year.

See Answer 16.

N

Page 97 Socio-Economic Joint Venture (JV) Chart. Please verify all FAR/CFR references and JV Features. For example, the reference to 13 CFR 121.103(h)(3) refers to ostensible subcontractors; and assets are no longer aggregated for small business joint ventures. Rather each entity that is a party to the joint venture must be small based on the size standard assigned to the procurement. Reference 13 CFR 121.103(h)(2).

This has been updated in the Final RFP.

Y Removed

76 Can you provide a definition or explain the difference between Design-Build and Turnkey?

See Answer 35. Design-Build is defined in Section M under Corporate Experience

N

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