RUSF_RUTF BPA Solicitation Questions and Answers.pdf

RUSF/RUTF BPA Solicitation Questions and Answers

1. Section 1.2, page 5: RUTF/ RUSF delivered under this BPA shall conform to the latest USAID RUFs Single Specification attached to this solicitation or as otherwise specified in any modification the Contracting Officer required in writing

As a supplier, it is beneficial to optimize formulas (within the bounds of the specification) throughout the performance period, based on raw material availability and price fluctuations. This helps us to commit to more stable lead times and pricing despite uncertain commodity markets. What is the proper channel for informing USAID of a formula optimization?

Ans: All communication should go through the Contracting Officer and Contracting Officer’s Representative.

2. Section 1.2, page 5: Additional small or medium quantity lipid nutrient supplements for children and/or women may be required during this contract. In this event, specifications would be provided by the USG.

In the event that small or medium quantity lipid nutrient supplements are procured, what technical information is required from suppliers to be eligible to bid?

Ans: Specification will be provided in the BPA call for small or medium quantity lipid nutrient supplements at time of order

3. Section 1.5, page 6: The authorized geographic code for procurement of goods and services under the Master BPA is 997. Individual BPA calls will indicate the authorized geographic code for the call.

In previous BPA solicitations, the authorized geographic code was 000 (United States).

Please confirm that the code is being changed to indicate worldwide procurement. What is the reason for this change? Will RUFs produced in the United States with U.S.

ingredients still be prioritized? Will there be some solicitations that are open to global sourcing, and some that require U.S. sourcing?

Ans: The requirement is written to allow the Agency options to procure or source RUF within and outside the US. The type of funding (i.e., title II or IDA) will determine how products are procured. As of now, the primary funding used to procure RUF is title II which has a US source origin requirement.

4. Section 1.7, page 6: The period of performance for this BPA is two base years and three option years from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2026.

The primary driver of cost for RUFs are raw material commodities which highly fluctuate in price over time. Ingredient pricing, and therefore final product pricing can be most accurately forecasted up to one year out. It would be beneficial for suppliers to be able to offer a price for each of the base years for the initial proposal, then, if option periods are exercised, suppliers could provide updated pricing for subsequent periods. Is this possible? This will help to ensure that suppliers offer the most realistic proposals and the contracting officer can more accurately evaluate the competitive range.

Ans: Offerors should submit estimated prices for all periods for evaluation purposes.

Contracted prices will be determined at time of award of BPA call.

5. Section 2.1, page 10: Historically USAID has procured approximately 10,000 nmt of RUTF and 11,000 nmt of RUSF annually. USAID intends to procure nearly all of its RUTF/ RUSF through this BPA.

Ans: What is USAID’s strategy for local and regional procurement, and how will it affect the quantity procured through the BPA?

Ans: USAID’s strategy for local and regional procurement has not changed. Estimated quantities to be procured through the BPA are consistent with past quantities.

If additional products (small and medium quantity lipid nutrient supplements) are procured within the framework of this BPA, will this replace demand for RUTF/ RUSF or supplement it?

Ans: Potential new products would supplement demand for RUTF/RUSF.

On page 10, the quantity for RUSF annually is 11,000 nmt. On page 40, the quantity for RUSF annually is 13,000 nmt. Can USAID share any further information about the estimated quantity of RUSF to be procured in the coming BPA years – is it closed to 11,000 nmt or 13,000 nmt?

Ans: 11,000 MT.

6. Section 2.2, page 10: As RUTF and RUSF are standard configuration commodities, which are purchased by other governmental and non-governmental entities…

Within the scope of the BPA, does USAID intend to procure standard configuration RUTF and RUSF (i.e. non-branded)?

Ans: Per #6 in Section 2.2., USAID may purchase unbranded commodities if specified in an individual BPA Call.

7. For suppliers, USAID branded RUTF and RUSF are not standard configuration commodities, as they cannot be purchased by other government and non-governmental entities without exceptional approval from the US government. What is the process for approval and would USAID allow suppliers to sell USAID-branded products directly to UN agencies or international NGOs? Under what circumstances?

Ans: The process of approval will be through the Contracting Officer.

8. Section 2.2, page 11: The Government, through the USDA Agricultural Marketing Services (AMS) or USAID contractor shall weigh, audit, inspect, and test the product offered in performance of a Purchase Order.

AMS testing currently consists of testing the finished product for micro (EB and salmonella) and analytical (Iron and Vitamin A). Will additional services from AMS or the USAID contractor be required on an individual purchase order basis?

We understood that there was interest in moving away from the need for duplicate testing as suppliers focus on quality assurance and statistical process controls rather than quality control. Do you anticipate changes to the requirements for AMS laboratory testing?

Ans: While there has been significant progress in the establishment and strengthening of process capability, the Government still sees the need for cross-check testing using indicating or tracer parameters.

9. Section 2.2, page 12: The Contractor shall inform USAID whenever there is a significant change in their main processes, major manufacturing issues, or change of manufacturing site that could affect the quality of the product or any relevant outcome from internal audits, or third-party audits which would reflect differences in the ability of the contractor to comply with USAID requirements both in terms of expected food safety, quality, and delivery timeframe.

What is the proper channel for informing USAID of such a change?

Ans: All communication should go through the Contracting Officer and Contracting Officer’s Representative.

10.Section 2.4, page 12: The contractor shall have the capability to store the procured RUF for up to 60 days past the contracted availability date offered in the Purchase Order in case there are delays due to challenges on the side of the government, which shall be included in the offer price.

In the event that the government requires storage for more than 60 days, suppliers may not have additional storage capacity to accommodate unforeseen delays. In this case, will the government provide alternative storage options until the product is ready to be delivered to the program location?

Ans: No.

11.Section 2.5, page 12: The contractor shall prepare or make available standard shipping documents (packing lists, certificates of origin, etc.) to permit the government or its agent or transport company to export and transport the RUTF/RUSF from the country of origin.

In addition to documentation required for export from the country of origin, additional documentation may be required for specific destinations. We are aware that some countries require certifications that are not in line with the standard USAID product specification (for example, non-GMO certification or limitation of aflatoxin B1). Will USAID provide specific country-level requirements for each solicitation so that suppliers can provide accurate timelines and prices?

Ans: No, USAID may not have the shipping instructions from UNICEF at the time of RUTF procurement.

12. Section 2.5, page 12: As specified in individual transactions, items are to be made available FOB origin, unless otherwise agreed in writing between the parties.\

If suppliers are to propose alternative incoterms, how will proposals from different suppliers with different incoterms be evaluated? Will USAID evaluate the total landed cost, factoring in the cost of transport to the destination?

Ans: Award determination of BPA call will be stated in the BPA call solicitation

13.Section 2.6, page 13: Per the RUF Single Specification, packaging must include QR codes for traceability purposes.

Section 7.3 of the single specification references traceability guidelines for the requirements of printing QR codes on primary and/or secondary packaging. Where are these guidelines published/ referenced?

At present, Edesia has the capability to add QR codes to the secondary packaging only.

Further discussion would need to be had to determine the requirements of adding QR codes to primary packaging. QR codes are added to RUTF and RUSF as a standard based on past requests; it is not (yet) added to LNS-MQ as a standard. In the event that LNS-MQ or LNS-SQ is purchased by USAID, we could add QR codes with advance notice.

Ans: Yes, it is true that the QR printing is still in trial phase and while in the future the QR printing will have to include the final distribution unit (in this case sachets), it is still acceptable to have it only on the secondary packaging.

14.Section 3.1, page 15: For orders below the simplified acquisition threshold USAID will not be required to follow the procedures but will likely follow the procedures below.

We understand that the Simplified Acquisition Threshold is currently at $7.5 million for commercial items. For contracts below the threshold, can USAID purchase directly from a supplier without issuing a solicitation?

Ans: The requirements within the Master BPA solicitation will govern the procurement of RUFs

15.Section 4.4, page 19: The Office of Financial Management Office will proceed to payment of each order upon receipt of the invoice approved by the COR and accompanied by a receiving report.

Timely, reliable payment is critical to ensure that suppliers can maintain the cash flow necessary to continue uninterrupted production. Can you please clarify USAID’s payment terms?

Ans: USAID follows US governmentwide terms which is payment within 30 days of receipt of invoice

16. Section 5.2, page 23-24: References are provided for small business set-asides and women-owned small businesses.

Is priority given to either small businesses or women-owned businesses? If so, is this taken into consideration for the technical proposal, or will it be considered as part of the evaluation criteria for financial proposals?

Ans: This requirement is full and open competition

17. Section 6.3, page 36: Proposals which meet all applicable requirements of the solicitation will be evaluated in accordance with the specific factors and subfactors (see below) in order to determine which proposals will be considered in the competitive range.

How is the competitive range defined/ determined? Which specific parameters are considered in evaluation of the competitive range?

Ans: Amendment 1removes references to competitive range. Below is the undated language on page 36 of the solicitation.

2)Proposals which meet all applicable requirements of the solicitation will be evaluated in accordance with the specific factors and subfactors (see below) in order to determine which proposals will be considered as a source by the Government.

4)Exchanges. The government intends to make one or more awards. The government may engage in exchanges with offerors prior to award but may award without exchanges.

18. Section 6.3, page 36: Offeror’s comprehensive management approach will be used to evaluate its ability to satisfy the Government’s requirements under BPA awarded from this solicitation.

We understand that the technical acceptability factors for this solicitation include management approach, quality control, technical approach, experience, and production capacity. Are these factors also considered as part of the evaluation for individual BPA calls.

Ans: Evaluation of individual BPA calls will be provided in BPA call solicitation

19. Section 6.3, page 36: The best value continuum is a process that permits tradeoffs among cost or price and non-cost factors and allows the Government to accept other than the lowest priced proposal.

Which non-cost factors will be considered in evaluation of proposals?

Ans: Section 6.3 provides all evaluation criteria for the Master BPA

20. Section 6.3, page 40: Past performance references must be submitted using attachment 2, Form – Performance Rating Form from the contractor references directly to the contracting officer via email.

Can you please provide reference to Contractor Performance Report – Short Form? An editable version is preferred. Please note that this is listed as Attachment 1 in Section 7- Attachments.

Answer: Attached to amendment 1

21. Does this BPA solicitation allow contractors to bill for products that have surpassed the 60 days storage requirement?

Ans: Yes, contractors may bill for additional storage.

22. With the geographic code being 997, are contractors required to use materials (materials, packaging, etc.) of US origin?

Ans: Yes, contracts must use materials of US origin due to requirements in the Food for Peace Act.

23. How does USAID expect to use “place of performance?” Will BPA calls mostly be limited to BPA holders from a single country of origin or will they be worldwide calls to all BPA holders?

Ans: BPA holders may be international suppliers however BPA calls will determine the source of funding. Currently the primary source of funding for RUFs is title II which has a US source origin requirement.

24. Did the previous product freshness requirement of 6 months create problems in the field? Revising this down to 4 months may cause BPA holders to make less buffer stock.

Ans: This is the same requirement from the previous solicitation.

25. Is the contractor responsible for the cost of inspections of finished goods? If so please provide corresponding rates/cost of those inspections.

Ans: The contractor is responsible for these costs.

26. Please provide the cost of USDA lab tests for Nutritional/Chemical and microbiological testing.

Ans: Suppliers may reachout to USDA for the cost of inspections

27. Please provide copies of the past performance rating form referred to in section Part IV Past Performance (page 41) using attachment 2, Form-Performance Rating Form. and later in part 2. list the relevant information container in the Contractor Performance Report-Short Form.

Ans: Attached

28. In section 1.6 it states the price for this BPA is N/A. then section 4.4 Paying Office, it states" Under no circumstances will any invoice exceed the dollar amount (ceiling price) for any funded order without prior contracting Officer Approval." Does this mean no ceiling price or ceiling price for the next two years? Does the submitted price need to be the ceiling price for the next two years with the understanding that the price may be adjusted down.

Ans: Section 4.4 is in reference to the submission of invoices. Invoices cannot exceed the amount of the funded order, meaning suppliers cannot invoice for an amount greater than the contracted amount.

29. #4 Storage, RUF may be required to be stored for 60 days. Should 60 days storage be factored into the price?

Ans: Yes.

30. Boxes for RUF have a plastic liner. Would a waxed box be considered?

Ans: Requirements remain unchanged. Awarded BPA holders may propose changes in the future and would be considered.