RFP 7200AA21R00017 ICL Questions_Answers.pdf

RFP No. 7200AA21R00017 In-Country Logistics

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer

General Questions

F.14(1), H.9(1)(a), L.8.5(e), L.8.5(i)(2), L.8.16(b)

There are several references to “task order” throughout the solicitation (L.8.5(e), L.8.5(i)(2), L.8.16(b), F.14(1), and H.9(1)(a)). Would USAID please confirm that there will not be any task orders associated with this contract since it is a single-award cost-plus award fee type contract?

USAID confirms this is a standalone cost plus award fee type contract. See the cover letter, Sections B.2; L.3 M.2(1), M.3(1), and C.10 for reference.

Could USAID please clarify the role of base fee in the ICL RFP? For example, attachment J.10 – Budget Template includes rows for “Base Fee” and “Maximum Award Fee,” however Section B.4 Contract Budget only includes a CLIN row for “Award Fee.” In this case, is base fee: (1) part of the Headquarters or Country Costs CLINS, (2) part of the Award Fee CLIN, or (3) not meant to be included? If base fee is allowed in addition to award fee, could USAID please clarify how it will evaluate fee allocated as award fee versus that allocated as base fee because award fee would provide better value to the government than base fee. Please also clarify the inclusion of FAR 52.216-8 Fixed Fee in §B.7 and G.9. Is it accurate to say that because this is an award fee contract, the fixed fee clause does not apply? Would USAID consider replacing the clause with AIDAR 752.216-70 Award Fee, which is already incorporated into Section I and substantively retains the same government rights

The RFP has been amended to clarify the CLIN structure.

USAID will apply FAR 52.216-8 to the payment of the base fee although not prescribed in FAR 16.307 as there are no award fee-specific clauses. This ensures that base fees earned are paid routinely while the award fee is paid annually upon completion of award fee determination. This seems to be a reasonable application rather than determining the base fee to be zero (FAR 16.305) or utilizing a hybrid-type contract for services that are not separately identifiable (FAR 4.1003).

3 Please clarify the language at §B.7(2) and G.9. Because this is The payment of fees will be made in

Page

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer not a completion-type contract, negotiation of fee during or following termination procedures would not be based on work performed but rather the base award fee would normally be paid as a fixed lump sum amount per unit of time (e.g., per month). It follows, then, that if the contract were terminated in its entirety for the government’s convenience, this amount could be prorated for the number of days in the period (e.g., month) prior to termination and would not be proportional to work completed because that would not be consistent with the contracting mechanism.

accordance with Sections B.7 and B.8.

4 Can USAID kindly clarify the reference to FAR 52.216-7 Allowable Cost and Payment clause at §B.8(2)(c) and G.9? This has been updated in Amendment 0001.

Initial Environmenta l Examination document, on page vi and again on page 7:

As part of the ICL overview, in the paragraph that starts "The specified health commodities ...", there is a sentence that states "The best in class provider would be expected to have appropriate infrastructure in place to be awarded the contract," which follows a sentence that discusses "temporary control over commodities" during warehousing or transport or when assisting with recalls and waste management.

Could USAID confirm if "appropriate infrastructure" includes warehousing in Category 3 and 4 countries where the scope is providing transportation or TPM services only.

Category 3 and 4 countries do not include warehousing.

Because offerors must address activities, benchmarks, staffing, management, subcontractors, etc for HQ, Nigeria, Haiti, Zambia, and Rwanda, would USAID kindly consider increasing page and/or word limitations for all of the Annexes

Pages and/or characters have been increased as indicated in the revised RFP. See note in Section L.8.5.

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer in the Technical (Non-cost) Proposal? It will be next to impossible for anyone to write sufficient enough detail for HQ and four specific countries, each with unique scenarios for services required, in the page and/or word count limitations that are given for the Technical (Non-cost) Proposal.

7 Can a company that does not have a NICRA be considered for this award? Yes.

8 Please specify a full list of the countries (per Category i.e.

Categories 1, 2, 3 and 4) involved in the scope of work.

The place of performance for the ICL award is Worldwide (see section C.5). The four representative countries called out (Nigeria, Haiti, Zambia & Rwanda) will be used only for the cost proposal. There is no guarantee these four countries will actually be part of the award. See note in Section L.8.5.

Please share the end dates of the existing contracts and/or task orders per country and per program being replaced by the Global ICL.

No further information is available at this time.

10 Please provide the name and the contract number of the incumbent.

No further information is available at this time.

Please provide a copy of current contract records/ reports that contain:

1. Award Timeline

2. Award Value

3. Current Spend on contract

4. CPARS

No further information is available at this time.

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer

12 Are foreign owned companies eligible to bid on this contract? Yes.

13 Would the Government favor a subcontractor or joint venture using a small business as the PRIME? No.

14 Can the PRIME use foreign owned companies as subcontractors? Yes.

Does the government require any security clearances for this contract (if so, please describe the security access levels required)?

No.

Can the Logistics Information Technologies (LIT) solicitation conditions be satisfied solely by a subcontractor, or through the collective efforts of a joint venture/team member?

Yes.

17 Will LIT related tasks require synchronization or any other type of interface with similar USAID information systems?

Please refer to Section H.5 for more information.

18 Can USAID please confirm if there is an expectation that any consumer/patient data will need be processed?

Yes, there is an expectation that facility level data will need to be processed by the ICL award.

The procurement does not ascribe accountability for the integrity and management of Master Data across the suite of contracts comprising NextGen GHSC. Please provide clarity on the expected role, if any, of the ICL Contractor in the management of Master Data.

Product master data will be maintained by the CT and NextGen PSA mechanisms.

However, any master data pertinent to the ICL partner such as GLN (global location number), geolocation or status is the responsibility of the ICL Contractor to assure integrity and submission to the CT.

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer

Where master data doesn’t align, the CT staff can identify integrity issues and use the governance process to resolve.

Will the ICL Contractor be responsible for procuring and managing services of regional distribution centers to consolidate product flows and buffer stocks across different task orders/Procurement Supply Agents?

No. Procuring and managing services of Regional (i.e. Global) Stock Centers, as detailed in the solicitation, (which might be managed by PSAs) are not within scope of the ICL award.

Would USAID please consider a 2nd round of questions to be submitted in late July or early August? Given the size and scope of this project, it would be helpful to have additional time to determine if Offerors have questions for USAID.

No.

22 Can USAID please confirm that page 44 was intentionally left blank? No. Pagination corrected.

Can USAID please provide detailed information on all current ICL activity that would form part of the transition as at the current date?

Detailed information will be given at the time of award on all current ICL activities that will need to be transitioned.

Will ICL partners be asked to provide any warehousing and/or internal logistics services for similar non- USAID provided products? Please clarify.

Yes, potentially. Many countries’ supply chains are integrated with other donor and government procured products. It is possible the ICL award will be asked to warehouse and distribute non-USAID procured products together with USAID procured products. If this occurs, USAID will fund the warehousing and distribution services

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer performed under the ICL award. Further, the ICL award may be asked to report on the inventory and distribution of non-USAID procured products separately.

25 Are products supplied by other donors to be warehoused and distributed separately in all cases? Please clarify.

Yes, potentially. Many countries’ supply chains are integrated with other donor and government procured products. It is possible the ICL award will be asked to warehouse and distribute non-USAID procured products together with USAID procured products. USAID will fund the warehousing and distribution services performed under the ICL award. Further, the ICL award may be asked to report on the inventory and distribution of non-USAID procured products separately.

26 Will there be a requirement to redistribute health products internally within a country? Please clarify.

Yes, potentially.

27 Are USAID missions deciding which NextGen mechanism to use in providing warehousing assistance? Please advise.

Warehousing technical assistance is not part of the ICL award.

28 How will the efforts between the TA and ICL partners be monitored to prevent duplication of efforts? Please clarify.

No further information is available at this time.

29 What are the roles and responsibilities of the TA and ICL partners when it comes to warehousing and/or supply planning

Please refer to Industry Day Collaboration Slides for examples.

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer and logistics assistance? Please clarify.

Please clarify how will benchmark criteria and indicators be monitored to prevent “gaming” the number of qualified suppliers?

No further information is available at this time.

Does the ICL provider have any responsibility for assisting local warehousing and/or logistics vendors in upgrading their operations in order to compete for ICL’s business? Please clarify.

Technical assistance is not part of the ICL award.

If the ICL provider does not have any responsibility for assisting local warehousing and/or logistics vendors in upgrading their operations in order to compete for ICL’s business, who does? Please clarify.

Technical assistance is not part of the ICL award.

Section B

B.4 Contract Budget M.3 Basis of Award M.4.4 Factor 4: Proposed Cost/Price

Based on the language contained in Sections M.3(3) and M.4.4 of the solicitation, could USAID please provide more clarity on how it intends to evaluate Offeror's proposed costs against the Offeror's technical approach? The PWS notes that the place of performance is worldwide, but the budget will be based on an 18-country budget using detailed budgets for four representative countries. How will USAID therefore evaluate that: (M.3(3)) "costs are consistent with the technical approach, and management and staffing," (M.4.4(3)) "An analysis of the proposed cost will be conducted to determine the validity and the extent to which it comprehensively reflects performance addressed in the offeror’s technical approach, and

Please see Section M for more information.

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer management and staffing," and (M.4.4(4)) "Cost/price evaluation will be performed to determine whether the proposed cost/prices are realistic for the work to be performed, reflect a clear understanding of the requirements, and are consistent with the unique methods of performance set forth in the Offeror’s technical approach and budget narrative."

34 B.9

On page 16 of the procurement under section B.9, USAID details the cost recovery on country-based work for HQ operations. Must the submission include the Contractors planned method of distribution of direct costs associated with the central management of the contract of headquarters’ operations across individual countries’ work?

Yes, this should be captured in the budget narrative.

Page 14, Part I - The Schedule, Section B:

Supplies or Services and Price/Costs;

B.4. Contract Budget, Table

This section outlines the contract CLIN line items as “Headquarters Costs”, “Country Costs”, and “Award Fee”.

However, the CLIN Summary in J.10 Budget Template ICL outlines the CLIN line items as “Total Costs”, “Base Fee” and “Award Fee”. On page 49, Section G: Contract Administration Data, G.1. AIDAR 752.7003 Documentation for Payment, Table 6 lists the line items as “Total Headquarters Direct Costs”, “Total Subcontract Costs” and “Total Indirect Costs”.

Could USAID please confirm which CLIN breakdown should be used?

The CLIN structure in B.4 has been clarified. Attachment J.10 has been updated. Section G.1 has been updated accordingly.

Price/Costs;

B.4. Contract Budget, Table

Section G: Contract Administration Data, G.1. AIDAR

752.7003 Documentation for Payment, Table 6 lists the line

items as “Total Headquarters Direct Costs”, “Total Subcontract Costs” and “Total Indirect Costs”. Could USAID

The CLIN structure in B.4 has been clarified. Attachment J.10 has been updated. Section G.1 has been updated accordingly.

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer please confirm which CLIN breakdown should be used?

37 B.4 Pages 13-14

To correctly complete the table in Section B.4 of the solicitation, would USAID please confirm that the proposed base fee should be included in CLIN 1: Headquarters Costs and CLIN 2: Country Costs?

Yes, this is correct.

38 B.7

Would USAID please confirm that the payment of base fee will be paid in installments at the time of each payment on account of allowable cost? Section B.7 of the RFP states both that “The payment of base fee will be in accordance with the following fee schedule which is tied to the deliverable schedule as outlined in Section F.7” and “Subject to the withholding provision of the contract clause entitled "Fixed Fee" (FAR 52.216-8), the base fee specified in Section B shall be paid in installment. at the time of each payment on account of allowable cost. The amount of each such installment will be determined by applying - to the amount payable as allowable cost - a percentage reflecting the ratio of total contract base fee to total contract estimated costs.

Yes, payment of base fee will be paid in installments at the time of each payment on account of allowable cost. The language in B.7 has been revised to remove reference to the deliverable schedule.

39 B.7

Section B.7 on page 15 of the RFP states that the payment of base fee will be in accordance with the fee schedule tied to the deliverable schedule in Section F.7. Then part 1 of this section states that the fee will be paid in installments based on a percentage of the costs. Can USAID please confirm that the payment of base fee will not be tied to deliverables.

Yes, payment of base fee will be paid in installments at the time of each payment on account of allowable cost. The language in B.7 has been revised to remove reference to the deliverable schedule.

40 B.7

Section B.7 (p.15) states that “the payment of base fee will be in accordance with the following fee schedule which is tied to

Yes, payment of base fee will be paid in installments at the time of each payment on

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer the deliverable schedule as outlined in Section F.7.” Section B.7(1) then states “the base fee in Section B shall be paid in installments at the time of each payment on account of allowable cost. The amount of each such installment will be determined by applying – to the amount payable as allowable cost – a percentage reflecting the ratio of total contract base fee to total contract estimated costs.” This is further reinforced in Section G.9. Will USAID please confirm that base fee is paid as a percentage reflecting the ratio of total contract base fee to total contract estimated costs?

account of allowable cost. The language in B.7 has been revised to remove reference to the deliverable schedule.

Section C

41 Pages 219 -

On pages 219-220 of the procurement, USAID notes that “key personnel must be accessible during USAID business hours in the Washington, DC area.” Does this requirement mean that the Project Director must be physically based in Washington, DC (or the Washington, DC metropolitan area), or only that they are available to meet/converse with USAID during Washington, DC business hours? If the former, please provide guidance on the frequency of meetings and/or whether virtual meetings would be an acceptable alternative?

USAID does not envision the need for the Key Personnel to be physically based in Washington D.C. [area]. The frequency of meetings (in person and virtual) will be determined post-award and built into the annual work plan. Virtual and hybrid meeting arrangements are expected throughout the contract.

Section C4, (pages 218 and 219

Under the scope of in-country logistics activities (warehousing), the RFP mentions that the ICL provider’s role is to conduct warehousing and order fulfillment activities.

This is at odds with the definition of 4PL, which is to manage resources, technology, infrastructure, and logistics service providers. Could USAID confirm that the ICL provider will manage these services rather than directly provide them?

Yes, the ICL requirement is to manage the warehousing and distribution services.

However, per Section C.4, if USAID requires it, the provider must provide warehousing services.

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer

C.8 Pages 222 -

Attachment J.1, Section C.8, Performance Objectives, pages 222-223: After listing the required results and benchmarks for Objective 1, the SOO states that “offerors are encouraged to provide additional performance standards in support of innovative methods of achieving the objective .” [emphasis added.] After listing the required results and benchmarks for Objective 2, the SOO states that “offerors are encouraged to provide additional performance standards in support of innovative methods of achieving the full award fee .”

[emphasis added.] There are no similar statements in the SOO regarding Objectives 3 and 4. Could USAID kindly provide additional guidance regarding these statements:

a. Could USAID clarify the discrepancy between the language in Objectives 1 and 2?

b. Could USAID confirm that offerors are likewise encouraged to provide additional performance standards for Objectives 3 and 4?

USAID has made all four objectives consistent with the following language:

“In addition to these mandatory benchmarks, offerors are encouraged to provide additional performance standards in support of innovative methods of achieving the objective.”

Objectives 3 and 4 (page 223 and page 224)

Objectives 1 and 2 state that “In addition to these mandatory benchmarks, offerors are encouraged to provide additional performance standards in support of innovative methods of achieving the objective.”

There is no similar statement for Objectives 3 and 4. Are offerors also encouraged to provide additional performance standards for Objectives 3 and 4?

USAID has made all four objectives consistent with the following language:

“In addition to these mandatory benchmarks, offerors are encouraged to provide additional performance standards in support of innovative methods of achieving the objective.”

45 Objective 2 Result 2d (p. 222) states that “Overall Mission satisfaction with contractor’s annual work plan performance is solicited

The solicitation has been updated to specify that the ICL provider solicits the survey.

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer and tracked by USAID…….” We note, however, that the contractor will have no control over whether USAID solicits and tracks performance. Would USAID consider rewording Result 2d to read “Overall Mission satisfaction with the contractor’s annual work plan performance will be based on (at a minimum): timeliness of communication; accuracy and completeness of response to requests…; adaptiveness to program needs”?

46 Objective 2

Benchmark 2d (p. 222) states that “Mission reported customer satisfaction surveys are collected annually with an average rating of 80% or higher.” Would USAID please provide clarification on the customer satisfaction surveys? For example, who is being referred to as the customer (missions or the logistics service providers); who is responsible for conducting those surveys; what methodology will be used; and what does the percentage figure (80%) represent?

The Mission is the customer.

The solicitation has been updated to clarify that the ICL provider will be responsible for soliciting the survey to the customer.

The methodology used will be approved in the final QASP by USAID post-award.

47 C.8.3(a)

On page 223 of the procurement under section C.8.3(a), it appears that the ICL Contractor will be responsible for achieving the benchmarks and targets for developing local partners and positive market dynamics, which are deliverables that the ICL Contractor does not have control. Can USAID please provide clarity on the expected accountability of the ICL Contractor in this regard?

Please see the benchmark’s listed for result 3a. USAID has edited Benchmark 3a.2 and believes the benchmarks are in the control of the ICL Contractor.

Objective 3, Result 3B (page 223)

Concerning the role of Third Party Monitoring (TPM), Result 3B indicates that the Offerer/Contractor may be asked to provide performance-monitoring services for non-USAID service providers, including host governments. Could USAID

Please use the number of countries and listed activities included in“Representative Category 4: Rwanda” shown in L.8.5(k).

There are a total of 3 countries where “the

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer please elaborate on this requirement and how often it might occur?

4PL is responsible for quarterly inventory audits and semi-monthly last mile distribution verification to approximately 100 facilities.” See section C.4 for elaboration of TPM. See note in Section L.8.5.

Objective 3, Result 3A, Benchmark 3a.2: (page 223)

This benchmark suggests an objective that seeks having a larger number of service providers, both for warehousing and transportation.

For transportation, in most countries, it is feasible to spread responsibilities across multiple service providers; however, for warehousing, the size of the network will often limit the number of warehouses that might be managed by the private sector.

Looking at Objective 4, which asks for a focus on cost-effectiveness and seeks cost reductions, the idea of expanding the number of service providers seems somewhat contradictory to this objective, as larger service volumes are generally a key element of effectiveness, cost control and continuous improvement.

Could USAID provide additional feedback on the warehouse network point above, as well as additional guidance on the anticipated trade-offs between Objectives 3 and 4?

Benchmark 3a.2 has been changed to only include transportation service providers.

USAID understands the impracticalities of frequently changing warehousing services providers but the expectation still stands that even a longer term warehouse contract should be shown to be cost effective.

50 Objective 3 (page

Could USAID clarify the statement: “Benchmark 3a.2 (Year 2): For pre-identified countries, warehousing and or

USAID has changed Benchmark 3a.2 to be applicable to transportation services only.

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer

223) transportation services are provided from at least 80% of the total number of qualified suppliers.”

Does this mean at least 80% of qualified suppliers submit offers but are not necessarily awarded the work, or that at least 80% of qualified suppliers are contracted at one time?

USAID has edited Benchmark 3a.2 and reduced the requirement for transportation services to be awarded to at least 50% of the total number of qualified suppliers in Year 2.

51 Objective 3

Benchmark 3a.2 (p. 223) states that “warehousing and or transportation services are provided from at least 80% of the total number of qualified suppliers.” Since the contractor will not have control over the number of qualified offerors who engage in the tendering process, nor the competitiveness of those who do engage, holding the contractor to this benchmark may create incentives for the contractor to 1) narrowly define “qualified” suppliers and/or 2) select LSPs that don’t provide the most effective and efficient services. Would USAID consider removing the 80% benchmark, or replacing it with another benchmark that also supports market growth and diversification such as “For pre-identified countries, warehousing and/or transportation services are provided by an increasing number of qualified suppliers: The number of LSPs competing for contracts per RFP is documented and increases, categorized by country; The number of LSPs receiving ICL spend per year increases, categorized by country and ICL function; Amount of ICL spend awarded to LSPs per year increases, categorized by country and ICL function”?

USAID has edited Benchmark 3a.2 and reduced the requirement for transportation services to be awarded to at least 50% of the total number of qualified suppliers in Year 2.

C.4 Scope of In- Country Logistics

Taking into consideration the potential cost-savings and efficiencies of longer-term contracts, could USAID please clarify whether the ICL provider will be able to negotiate

USAID understands it may not make sense for warehouse contracts to be re-issued as frequently as transportation contracts, but

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer

Activities

P224, Benchmark 4b.1 long-term (3+ years) contracts with Logistics Service Providers.

the expectation still stands that even a longer term warehouse contract should be shown to be cost effective.

The offerors are expected to illustrate their cost effective solution to expanding PSE and lowest cost/price warehousing solutions.

C.8, C.4 Pages 223-224

Will the Government please confirm that the term "ICL functions" for Result 3a and Result 4b is a reference to the 3 categories in C.4: Logistics Services Provision, Warehousing and Transportation? If not, will the Government define ICL functions or is that up to the bidders?

The RFP has been updated to make clear the functional categories of ICL activities.

54 Objective 3

Result 3b (p. 223) states that “USAID is well positioned to advise on outsourcing of national program logistics requirements…” While it is within the contractor’s control to provide USAID with information regarding knowledge and experience gained from third party monitoring, the contractor will not have control over how USAID uses that information or any externalities that impact USAID’s ability to advise host country governments. Would USAID consider rewording Result 3b to read “Information on accumulated knowledge and experience gained by the ICL Contractor from its third-party monitoring (TPM) of the performance of warehousing and transportation activities executed by other entities is received by USAID to position them to advise on outsourcing of national program logistics requirements.”?

No, USAID will keep the language as is in the RFP.

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer

55 C.7

On page 220 of the procurement under section C.7, USAID stipulates that the goals of NextGen GHSC include advancing “the resiliency and sustainability of locally-managed procurement”. For local procurements, will the Public Service Agents retain responsibility for the standard terms of delivery for in-country product procurement to the consignee, or will the ICL Contractor be required to manage the 3PL services for fulfillment of those local procurements?

The ICL award is only responsible for commodities after final delivery to the procurement defined destinations. See C.2 of the SOO.

56 C.9.1

On page 225 of the procurement under Section C.9.1, USAID states that the “Contractor must utilize their existing, operational capabilities to generate relevant transactional data required for calculation of the performance indicators by the NextGen Control Tower”. Can USAID confirm that means the NextGen Control Tower Contractor will be calculating and reporting on the performance of the ICL Contractor? If so, can USAID please specify how the ICL Contractor will be given insight into the processes of calculation of the performance indicators and what recourse will be available to the ICL Contractor in the event of dispute?

No further information is available at this time.

57 C.11 Attachment J.1, Section C.11, Constraints: Does USAID see gender equity and PSE as cross-cutting objectives that the offeror should explicitly address in their PWS

Please address any constraints in the PWS that impact how the offeror may conduct the work described in the PWS.

58 C.11.6

Will the Government require the incumbent to transfer data to the ICL Contractor and to the NextGen Control Tower by a date certain to help with transition and mobilization? If so, when will the transfer of full data for all countries be shared (e.g., 30 days after award)?

Yes. To be determined.

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer

Section E

59 E.1

Offerors may maintain carrier agreements with transportation service providers that benefit multiple contracts if necessary.

Can we assume as a result of this that these providers will not be required to report IAW FAR 52.204-14 (b)? Also reporting "hours" is a challenge when the unit is often "price per mile" when it comes to transportation services. FAR states: "It does not include the Contractor’s supplier agreements with vendors, such as long-term arrangements for materials or supplies that benefit multiple contracts and/or the costs of which are normally applied to a Contractor’s general and administrative expenses or indirect costs."

The reporting requirements apply to all first-tier subcontract costs incurred in the performance of Section C. USAID expects that all first-tier transport subcontracts will be reported annually.

USAID recommends that primes’ first-tier subcontracts contain requirements that will keep the prime in compliance with the instructions IAW FAR 52.204-14(b).

Section F

F.3, F.8(1) Pages 31-32, Section F.3 provides an anticipated start date of October 1, 2023, while Section F.8(1) states that the transition/overlap with the predecessor contract(s) is anticipated to take no more than 12 months. It is our understanding that the predecessor contract(s) are expected to end on November 28, 2023. Should the ICL Requirement start on October 1, 2023, this would provide less than two months for transition/overlap. To ensure a level playing field and fair competition under this procurement with regards to drafting the Transition and Mobilization Plan, would USAID provide further clarification to align the anticipated start date, transition/overlap period, and anticipated end date of the predecessor contract(s)?

No additional information is available at this time.

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer

F.8 through F.14 All Pages 37-41

Would USAID please define "contract commencement"? Is it the day of award, start of work, or Full Operational Capability?

Date of commencement will be defined at time of contract issuance.

62 F.11 Pages 39-40

Will the Contractor be responsible for the external evaluation tentatively scheduled for project’s midpoint (e.g., SOW, contracting, management, budget, etc.), or will this be the responsibility of USAID?

To be determined during implementation.

Table 5 Reports and Deliverables (p. 34) item #5 Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) in Section F.7 states a final due date for the QASP of “Within 90 calendar days after contract award date.” Section F.12 (p. 40) states that “The COR will submit the final QASP 30 days post award.” Would USAID please confirm that the QASP is due to be submitted within 90 calendar days of the contract award date?

Table 5 and section F.12 has been updated.

64 F.17

Section F.17 Annual Performance Report “Climate Change-Related Reporting” (p. 43) states that “Each annual report must include the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated from performance of the contract during the reporting period and significant emissions sources (e.g., air travel, shipping, energy consumption).” Will USAID clarify that they are requesting implementing partners to report the project’s Scope 1 emissions (direct emissions created by the project)?

The report should include direct emissions from the project (prime and subcontractors).

It should also include indirect emissions to the extent such emissions are reasonably available. Direct and indirect emissions should be identified in the report.

65 F.21

Section F.21, page 45: Can USAID clarify how it expects the contractor to use the Quarterly Progress Reports (QPRs) in the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP)? In Section F, USAID will not expand on how USAID will expect the ICL contractor to use the QPRs in the QASP.

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer the RFP states “USAID will use the QPR as the primary means of monitoring contractor performance against contract requirements, targets, milestones, and accomplishments detailed in the work plans by country.” Will the QPRs be used as one of the surveillance tools in the QASP to measure country-level performance?

The QPRs are one of many tools that may be utilized by the contractor and COR to monitor the progress/success of the activity and the contractor’s performance: See solicitation sections E.3, F.7 and G.11.

Section G

66 G.1 Pages 49-50

The Government makes several references to the "Chief of Party" in RFP sections I33(b), I33(c), I37(a), I37(b), and G.1 …is the Chief of Party synonymous with the Project Director or is the bidder required to also propose a Chief of Party?

Yes, these are synonymous. See edits to solicitation.

Section H

H.5

(p. 38 reference, p.64 section

P.38 makes two references to the requirements in "Section H.17 Sharing of Operational Data with the NextGen Control Tower". However, the actual section is "H.5 SHARING OF

OPERATIONAL DATA WITH THE NEXTGEN CONTROL

TOWER" starting on p.64.

Could USAID confirm that the Data Sharing and Use Agreement requirements are covered under Section H.5, not Section H.17?

This has been corrected in Amendment 0001.

68 H.5 In H.5 (p. 64) “Sharing of operational data with the NextGen The Control Tower will be able to receive

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer

Page 64 Control Tower,” would USAID please clarify what data exchange protocols will need to be in place between ICL and the NextGen Control Tower, such as Electronic Data Interchange or Application Programming Interface (API)?

operational data from the ICL contractor via a number of ways including EDI and API.

The CT will also be able to receive .csv and other formats though the specifications will need to be developed in conjunction with the CT vendor.

69 H.18(3)(iii)

On page 76 of the procurement under section H.18(3)(iii), USAID refers to FIPS 140-2 compliant encryption methods.

Which FIPS level (class of encryption process and technology) will apply?

The boilerplate language is prescribed in USAID AAPD 16-02. Processes will be discussed with the contractor.

70 H.18.5

On page 76 of the procurement under section H.18(5), USAID stipulates the secure destruction of sensitive information of all remaining originals and/or copies of information or media withing 20 business days after USAID has received all Agency records and media. However, to be compliant with local legislation, longer periods might be required. Would USAID consider granting a waiver to enable compliance with local legislation, including the acceptability or viability to anonymize / pseudonymize such information for locally compliant storage?

The boilerplate language is prescribed in USAID AAPD 16-02. Processes will be discussed with the contractor.

71 H.19(3)(a)

On page 79 of the procurement under section H.19(3)(a), USAID stipulates that Contractors notify USAID of a spillage and information security incident within 30 minutes. Could USAID please define the process around data breach escalations so that it is clear when the time to notify USAID starts?

The boilerplate language is prescribed in USAID AAPD 16-02. Processes will be discussed with the contractor.

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer

Page 92, H.29 Safeguards and Insurance Against Product Loss

(2) and Section L.8.5, k) Subcontracts/ Contractual

Section H.29 states that the contractor must maintain insurance coverage for product loss. Should offerors budget this separately, or is insurance included in the plug figures in Section L.8.5, k) Subcontracts/Contractual, pages 198-202?

Insurance is included and clarification has been provided in L.8.5(b).

Section I

73 I.13

Section I.13, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Contract Clauses, page 114: Please clarify the inclusion of FAR 52.215-20 Requirements for Certified Cost or Pricing Data and Data Other Than Certified Cost or Pricing Data.

USAID is not requiring Certified Cost or Pricing Data.

74 I.17 c. (p.

123)

Under c). Should the number of months be 120 rather than 102? If not, please elaborate This has been updated in Amendment 0001.

75 I.17 (c)

Would USAID please confirm that the total duration of this contract is 120 months? Section I.17 (c) of the RFP notes that “The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed 102 months.”

This has been updated in Amendment 0001.

76 I.17 Section I.17 states "The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed 102 months." Per F.3 "entire contract period is

This has been updated in Amendment 0001.

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer planned for ten (10) years" which is 120 months without any extension IAW FAR 52.217-8 & 9, please clarify.

77 I.17

On page 123 of the procurement under section I.17, USAID states “The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed 102 months.” Can USAID confirm whether the stated 102 months is a typographical error and that it should instead be 120 months?

This has been updated in Amendment 0001.

78 I.20

Section I.20, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Contract Clauses, page 136: Is it possible that the inclusion of FAR 52.232-19 Availability of Funds for the Next Fiscal Year was an error, as this contract is not a 1-year IDIQ or Requirements contract (per FAR 32.706-1)?

This has been updated in Amendment 0001.

Section J

79 J.4

We noticed that the link to Attachment J.4 Collaboration slides appears broken. Would USAID please provide a corrected link to Attachment J.4 Collaboration Slides or provide a soft copy of the attachment?

A copy has been provided with the amended solicitation.

80 J.5 While USAID refers to Attachment J.5 in the procurement, we did not see it posted on sam.gov. Could USAID kindly provide Attachment J.5?

The attachment is not uploaded into sam.gov. The Offerors must use the link(s) provided and download all files provided therein. Three different methods of retrieving the data are now provided.

81 Annex J.7 In Annex J.7 Past Performance Template, the description of a The characters have been increased to 5000.

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer number of components (relevance of the scope of work, complexity/diversity of tasks, additional terms of performance and the skills/expertise required, quality awards or certifications, and extraordinary problems) are allotted a total of 1,000 characters (approximately 200 words).

Could USAID please consider allowing the submission of supplemental information/documentation given the space for the five areas of description or increasing the total characters/words allowed? If not, could USAID please clarify if the 1,000 characters includes spaces?

82 J.7 Will the Government consider changing 1000 characters to 1000 words so Offerors can adequately address each of the 6 evaluation criteria?

The characters have been increased to 5000.

83 J.7

Attachment J.7 Past Performance Template specifies a “1,000 character max” limit for each referenced contract. To allow offerors to provide sufficient detail given the complexity of awards that meet the “similar in scope and size” requirement, would USAID please consider revising this limit to “1,000 word maximum”?

The characters have been increased to 5000.

84 J.10

Can USAID please confirm that the subcontractor plug numbers included in attachment J.10 only reference the subcontracted 2PL and 3PL services and do not reference any other subcontracted services that may be required or proposed?

Any costs that are not directly related to the execution of in-country operational logistics are above and beyond the plug-figure. A subcontract to manage the execution of in-country operational logistics and/or a subcontract that is representing the 4PL and its management

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer duties is not included in the plug-figure and should be taken into account. The cost template allows for this calculation.

The list of attachments on p.160 provides a link to the DEC Clearinghouse data for historical procurement data. The link appears to be broken – can USAID provide a fresh link to all relevant historical procurement data?

Three links to the data source have now been provided.

Section K

Per Section K.1 Notice Listing Solicitation Provision Incorporated by Reference (p. 161), we request that USAID remove FAR 52.237-8, Restriction on Severance Payment to Foreign Nationals, and replace it with FAR 52.237-9, Waiver of Limitation on Severance Payments to Foreign Nationals, to prevent conflict with applicable local labor laws requiring severance payments to cooperating country national (CCN) staff.

No. The agency has not waived the requirement.

Section L

87 L.6

Section L.6, Delivery Instructions, page 175: Should offerors combine the PDFs of the annexes into a single file for submission? Or should the non-cost factor annexes be submitted separately, i.e., one file for Factor 1, one file for Factor 2, etc.? Are offerors permitted to convert the Annex B and Annex H Excel templates into Microsoft Word so that these annexes can be formatted to ensure compliance with the

Offerors should not combine the PDFs of the annexes into a single file for submission.

Each annex is to be submitted as an individual file (i.e. annexes should not be collated into factors).

Excel workbook templates must be used and

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer delivery instructions that: “all attachments/ electronic contents must be formatted to print on 8.5 by 11 inch single spaced, with 12-point font, Times New Roman with one-inch margins on all sides’’? Finally, can USAID please confirm that Annexes B and H do not have page limits?

submitted in excel, and meet the formatting requirements.

The character limit for the narrative in Annex B is 10,000. The character limit for the narrative in Annex H is 5000. There are no page limitations.

88 L.6 (3) 175 Will the Government please confirm that an acceptable format is .pdf format?

Yes, .pdf is acceptable and this has been clarified throughout.

L.7 Pages 175-176

Would USAID allow offerors to include a table of contents and a list of acronyms that do not count against the page limitations?

No. USAID does not want a table of contents. The required list of acronyms to be used are listed on pages 5 and 6 of the RFP. Offerors shall not deviate from this list, to ensure consistent understanding and harmonization with the requirement. See insertion to section L.5(14) of the RFP.

Would USAID consider allowing offerors to submit a two-page Executive Summary in the technical response for the non-cost factors?

No.

Would USAID consider allowing offerors to submit a Table of Contents and list of acronyms in the technical response for non-cost factors?

No. USAID does not want a table of contents. The list of acronyms to be used are listed on pages 5 and 6 of the RFP. Offerors shall not deviate from this list, to ensure consistent understanding and harmonization with the requirement. See revision to section L.5 of the RFP.

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer

92 L.7.1

Would USAID consider revising the following requirement in Section L.7.1 of the solicitation requiring that the cover letter include the following: "A statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation and agreement to furnish any or all items upon which prices are offered at the price set opposite each item." While the proposal budget will be developed based on costs for the four representative countries outlined in the solicitation, we understand that country specific budgets will be developed during implementation as part of the annual country work plans. We therefore request that the final portion of the requirement "agreement to furnish any or all items upon which prices are offered at the price set opposite each item" be removed.

No. This is a requirement per FAR 52.215-1(c)(2)(iii).

93 Annex A

Section L.7.2, Annex A, page 176: Performance Work Statement (PWS), could USAID please clarify if section (4) should be part of section (3) Work or is USAID asking for a separate section in the PWS

USAID revised the description of ‘work’ to include all of the required components. See revised language in L.7.2 Annex A.

94 Annex A

Section L.7.2, Instructions on Annex A, page 177: The instructions state that “Relevant deliverables, indicators, targets, and performance measurements must be identified for each activity, and as relevant, be aligned with the objectives of the contract.” May offerors present the results and benchmarks for each objective with the appropriate activity targets and/or performance measurements?

Solicitation provides instruction regarding this.

95 L.7.2. (pages 176-

In providing our response to Annex A., Performance Work Statement, could USAID confirm that bidders should present

In accordance with FAR 17.206(b) and FAR 52.217-5, the government intends to

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer

177) their strategies/work statements for a five-year base period? evaluate proposals for both the base period and option periods.

L.7.2 Pages 177-178

"a. Would USAID clarify whether the small business concern criteria is for U.S. companies only?

b. How does a Contractor identify criterion for small, disadvantaged business concerns internationally?

c. How does USAID recognize international small businesses?

By local country classifications, etc.?"

‘International’ is removed from the definition.

97 L.7.2 Pages 178

To enable our team staff to prepare for the LIT Demonstration, will the Government share additional information about the session regarding the number of participants allowed from the Contractor and the type of Contractor employees? Please advise if this demonstration will be in-person and/or remote.

The number of the offeror’s staff and type of position is left to the discretion of the offeror.

See L.7.2 Annex C as excerpted below:

“...the Government will invite the Offerors to conduct a live virtual technical demonstration of their existing LIT solutions.”

98 Annex B

Section L.7.2 on page 176 lists the Subcontracting Plan as Annex B of the Technical Approach. Would USAID please consider shifting this to be part of the Cost/Price Proposal submission since it includes budget information.

No. Annex B / Attachment J.8 has been revised and remains a component of the Technical Approach.

99 Annex B

Section L.7.2, Instructions for Annex B, pages 176-177: Could USAID provide guidance on the following issues?

a. May offerors sanitize the budgetary components in the Statutory Small Business/Subcontracting Form to

Revisions to the RFP are as follows:

a. The Statutory Small Business /

Subcontracting Form has been relocated to Factor 4, Cost, and must include all

USAID NextGen Global Health Supply Chain

# Section Reference Question Answer exclude budget figures?

b. Would USAID consider allowing more than 1,000 words for the Subcontract Plan Narrative?

c. Where the instructions reference offerors’

“demonstrated commitment to utilizing small, disadvantaged business concerns (U.S. and international )” [emphasis added], is the emphasis on the use of private sector 3PL and other underutilized LSPs?

required information.

b. The number of characters has been increased to 10,000.

c. ‘International’ is removed from the definition.

Page 176, L.7.2:

Technical Approach

The RFP requires the submission of the Subcontracting Plan with the Technical Submission: “offerors must use template J.8. - the narrative not to exceed 1000 words”... However, said template “J.8: Subcontracting Plan Template” also includes financial proposal amounts such as the total contract value.

Could USAID confirm that this should be included in the Technical Approach? Should a copy of the Subcontracting Plan Template, with financial figures, be included in the cost proposal?

Annex B /…