USAID_RFP_7200AA18R00036_Questions_and_Answers.pdf

USAID RFP 7200AA18R00036

Questions and Answers

1. Question: Must all the ingredients be products of U.S.A. Can we use Palm Oil in the HEB?

Reference: Pages 4 and 24. The current HEB supplier uses Palm Oil, which is not a product of U.S.A.

On page 24, X (checked) (46) 52.225-1 Buy American Supplies (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 83). Does that mean all ingredients must be sourced from the U.S.?

Answer: 52.225-1 Buy American Supplies (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 83) has been unchecked.

2. Question: Are the fat, protein and sugar contents on pp. 4 and 5 based on “as is” or “dry basis” per 100g?

Answer: Dry basis per 100g of finished product

3. Question: Could the individual HEB biscuit weight be outside of the 5 to 10g range? For example, higher than 10g, and lower than 5g.

Answer: As long as the size of the package is maintained, suppliers can propose different sizes for individual biscuits, indicating the reason (i.e. manage water activity and moisture, improving baking residence time, rheology and packaging, etc.)

Reference: On p. 6, C.3.3.2 Weight: One HEB should weigh between 5g and 10g.

4. Question: Could the HEB biscuits be loosely packed instead of stacked?

Answer: Individual biscuits must be stacked into 100g packs, but these biscuits packs can be loosely inserted in the secondary packages (boxes), as long as there is data showing that such an approach would not lead to crumbling and breakage. For instance, secondary packaging (e.i. cartons with full product) must pass the drop test as per ISTA 2A standard (after each drop, there must be no rupture, breakage or loss of contents).

5. Question: Could the net weight per case be less than 10Kg? What’d be the lowest net weight allowed in a case, i.e. 2 Kg?

Answer: Smaller packages are undesirable, unless there is evidence that it will lead to efficiency gain or cost reduction. Larger sizes are also accepted (i.e. >10 kg) as long as appropriate justification is provided, as in previous question/answer.

6. Question: Are we required to place 15 – 20 bags of silica gel of at least 1g and craft paper on all sides of the carton? The pouches will be hermetically sealed. If we tape-seal the case tightly (able to keep moisture out), can we skip the silica gel packs and the craft paper?

Answer: No, silica is needed as the carton does not provide (is not intended to) WVP barrier. USAID will entertain such proposition if evidence/data is shared that it will not impact shelf life.

7. Question: Is the Contractor or USAID paying the 3rd Party Inspection Company, for the on-going (normal production) testing and shipping of samples (bottom of p. 9): Moisture Content, Water Activity, Organoleptics, Protein, Fat, Ash, Peroxide Value, Vitamin A, Iron, Coliforms and Packaging Performance?

Answer: Food safety and quality is supplier-owned and thus it’s their responsibility to pay for third-party audits, even when the service is provided by a government agent such as USAD/AMS. The cost of food safety and quality is supplier’s responsibility and thus is must be factored in the cost line and price of finished product.

8. Question: Is the Contractor or USAID paying for the shipping of samples and shelf-life testing described on p. 10. Is the contractor or USAID 3rd Party Inspection Company monitoring the shelf-life testing?

Answer: Additional sampling, shelf life studies and USAID staff site visits beyond operational needs will be covered by USAID and its partners using third party agents (i.e. Intertek, SGS, etc.). Any contribution from the supplier on this effort should be factored in the bid. In fact, suppliers are encouraged to budget resources for at least “two batches” runs per 100 MTs production to validate changes (i.e. fat reduction, protein increase, antioxidant, news packaging settings, etc.).

9. Question: Who is the 3rd party Inspection Company? Is it a US company? How are foreign companies being evaluated?

Answer: For foreign suppliers, the 3rd party inspection company could be Intertek or SGS. For US-based suppliers, the third-party audits are conducted by USDA/AMS branch. All offerors will be evaluated based on section L and M of this solicitation.

10. Question: Regarding the Optional Quantity, is it exercised after the first award is completed? Or, could it be added while current production is on-going? If multiple awards, are tiers split evenly? What is the minimum award for options?

Answer: Options on multiple awards will be identified at time of award. If option period(s) are included in the solicitation, the determination to exercising the option and quantity will be at the discretion of the government at a later date.

11. Question: If the HEB does not have to be made in the U.S.A., how are foreign companies evaluated relative the

FAR Clauses, especially wage? What is the baseline US wage standards? How is Equal Opportunity evaluated in a foreign country?

Answer: All offers will be evaluated based on the requirements identified in this solicitation. When evaluating proposals the government will evaluate based on section L and M of this solicitation.

12. Question: If we are a supplier of the HEBs but not the actual manufacturer, can we still bid on the subject opportunity? We would be able to submit an agreement we have with the manufacturer.

Answer: Co-manufacturing is permitted, as long as the timeframe is adequate, responsiveness and delivering is guaranteed, and no unique investment and retooling of the co-manufacture is needed which would compromise the timing of the delivery.

13. Question: Has a contractor performed similar work to this for the government in the past? If available, please provide the incumbent contract number.

Answer: This is the second procurement of HEB

14. Question: Verification if the Product Shelf Life Requirement is 12- months or 24 months?

C.3.3.6 Shelf-life page 7 has 12-Month Shelf Life requirement, while C.3.4.1 Primary package page 8 states required 24-Months.

Answer: The required minimum is 12 months

15. Question: Do we have to use recipe formula as listed on page 4, C.3.2.1 Formula1, if we determine alternative recipe can yield higher quality with increased shelf life?

Answer: Any adjustment to the formula can be considered as long as evidence leading to higher cost-effectiveness is presented.

16. Question: Your solicitation Form 1449 in box 10 list this acquisition as UNRESTRICTED, BUT 52.219-4 for Hubzone Price Evaluation was not checked on page 22.

Please advise, is it determined if a solicitation is Unrestricted it automatically comes with a Hubzone Price Evaluation? Was this done because you plan to have multiple awards? If so, I understand your reasoning.

But, would you consider including the Hubzone Price Evaluation Preference to this solicitation just in case you make only 1 award?

Answer: 52.219-4 for Hubzone Price Evaluation was not checked on page 22 because this solicitation is unrestricted.