72011424R00003 RFP Amendment and Answers to Questions.pdf

(x)

72011424R00003 x x

1 copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted ; or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BE

RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR

OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted , such change may be made by letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

x

N/A

Not Applicable

720114

Tbilisi, Georgia 0131 29, Georgian-American Friendship Av USAID/Georgia Regional Contracting Office

12/01/20230001

13. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO MODIFICATION OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS. IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required) is not extended.is extended, Items 8 and 15, and returning

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended , by one of the following methods: (a) By completing

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

FACILITY CODE CODE

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., street, county, State and ZIP Code)

7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6)CODE 6. ISSUED BY

PAGE OF PAGES

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.3. EFFECTIVE DATE2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

11/13/2023

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority) appropriation data, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not is required to sign this document and return __________________ copies to the issuing office.

ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

The purpose of the Amendment 001 to the Solicitation is to revise certain sections of the solicitation and provide answers to questions from prospective offerors as set forth in the Attachment 1, Answers to Questions.

See continuation pages for additional details.

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

15C. DATE SIGNED 16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 16C. DATE SIGNED

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

Alexis McGinness

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 11/2016)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

Previous edition unusable

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9 A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect .

Amendment No. 001 Continuation Page

The Solicitation is hereby amended as follows:

1. Under Section C.9, page 20, DELETE “Organizational Capabilities and Contact Management” and REPLACE with “Organizational Capabilities and Contract Management”.

2. Under Section C.8, page 19, paragraph 1, DELETE the third sentence and REPLACE with: “The number of proposed grants to non-governmental organizations will be determined by the Contractor, utilizing mostly a competitive selection process or as set forth in the approved Grants Manual. The number of proposed grants may not exceed a total of 30 grants during the life of the program, unless written approval is provided by the Contracting Officer.”

3. Under Section F.6.12, page 35, DELETE the second sentence and REPLACE with: “Notes from the bi-weekly meeting must be prepared by the Contractor and submitted to the COR within two (2) business days following the meeting.”

4. Under Section L.7, page 123, DELETE the first sentence and REPLACE with: “Offerors must submit their Proposal submissions for each phase separately via email to mschronce@usaid.gov, with courtesy copy to rcocaucasus@usaid.gov by the stated closing date and time specified in the Cover Page for Phase 1 and as provided in the Advisory Notice for Phases 2 and 3.”

5. Under Section L.14.1.1, page 133, ADD to the second paragraph “Offerors may include a list of acronyms as part of the one to two pages allocated for the cover letter, if they wish.”

6. Under Section L.15.3, page 137, fourth paragraph, DELETE the last sentence: “Therefore, Offerors may budget no more than a limited budget amount to pay severance payments should the grounds referred to in Article 47.1(a),(f),(i) or (n) occur. Offerors are not obligated to include severance payment in their budget.”

--------End of Amendment 001-------

Attachment 1 Answers to Questions

Solicitation 72011424R00003, Amendment 0001

Question Response

It looks like USAID hosted a pre-solicitation meeting about this opportunity in September. Is a recording and/or transcript of that meeting public? If so, could you publish the link? If not, will that information be made available to the public before the Phase 1 deadline of Dec. 8.

Pre-solicitation meeting materials can be accessed here:

https://sam.gov/opp/e78976d1ef644911899390cf9c595b04/view

Can USAID confirm the anticipated start date for this program is June 1, 2024?

No. The anticipated start date will be determined at time of award, following the conclusion of the procurement process. This may be prior to June 2024.

It is indicated in the RFP, that “any type of organization may submit a proposal”, however, I would still ask if the prime offeror within the call can be the limited liability (Ltd.) company and main partners/subcontractors civil society local organizations in Georgia.

USAID invites all interested and responsible organizations to submit offers in accordance with the requirements of this solicitation. USAID will conduct this procurement as a full and open competition under which any type of organization may submit a proposal, including but not limited to a limited liability company.

Should a PIO be the successful offeror, will USAID revert the agreed terms of engagement and use PIO Terms and Conditions, regardless of what instrument is stated in the RFP?

No. USAID is precluded from changing the terms and conditions of a procurement governed by FAR regulations and resulting solicitation for which the selection of instrument has been keenly identified and publicized based on the nature of USG requirements. USAID must abide by our established procedures and legal requirements when considering the nature of the requirement and selection of instrument decision.

Can USAID provide an estimated percentage of work for each component e.g., Component 1 is expected to entail 40% of the project's work.

USAID does not plan to provide an estimated percentage of work for each component.

As part of the joint work planning process, the level of effort dedicated to specific components will be determined at that time.

The RFP states, “The Contractor must allocate a minimum of 10% of total program funds to support the rights of the LGBTQI+ community in Georgia.” Q. Can USAID clarify whether the 10% of total funding is inclusive of the total amount allocated to grants under contract?

A minimum of 10% of total program funds to be allocated to support the rights of LGBQTI+ community in Georgia is inclusive of funding allocated for grants under contracts. To further clarify, the commitment of 10% of total budgeted amount of the contract.

https://sam.gov/opp/e78976d1ef644911899390cf9c595b04/view

Is the 10% of program funds for LGBTQI+ groups part of or in addition to the $1,000,000 in grants under the contract? See response above.

Section C.3, Scope of Work, of the RFP states, “the Contractor must allocate a minimum of 10% of total program funds to support the rights of the LGBTQI+ community in Georgia.” Would USAID please clarify how offerors should reflect, within their cost proposals, that they have met the minimum 10% threshold? Would USAID also confirm that these costs may include applicable labor and associated costs, activities, and anticipated grants under contract recipients?

The allocation of the total program funds to support the LGBQTI+ community in Georgia may include costs for applicable labor and associated costs, activities, and anticipated grants under contracts. The budgeting for such costs to meet the 10% threshold will not be part of the cost proposal evaluation. Rather, as set forth in Section F.6.14, additional reporting will be required to be submitted for these "earmarked" funds. As a requirement of the contract, failure to achieve the minimum 10% allocation may result in a reduction of fee as per Section B.2.

Would you please confirm the amount of funding for grants for local organizations is indeed $1,000,000 per the RFP and not the 40% - 65% of the budget as stated during the pre-solicitation conference?

The Request for Proposal contains the binding proposal requirements and contract terms and conditions whereas the Pre-Solicitation Conference was pre-decisional. As set forth in Section C.8, Grants Under Contract, no grants will be issued to U.S. organizations.

Section C.9 of the RFP is titled “Organizational Capabilities and Contact Management.” Please confirm that this is intended to be “Organizational Capabilities and Contract Management”?

Yes, we confirm that the corect section should be titled “Organizational Capabilities and Contract Management”.

Can the grant-giving portfolio management, including planning and implementing, be delegated to one of the main partners/subcontractors of the consortium within the supervision of the Offeror and USAID/Georgia office?

Grant planning, implementation, and monitoring may be delegated to a consortium partner or subcontractor, however, requesting and managing the approval process of all grants with USAID/Georgia is the sole responsibility of the prime contractor.

If the payments are made retrospectively, should the prime contractor allocate resources while delivering sub-grants to local NGOs? Concerning the following part: “up to $1 million can be used

USAID may consider advance payments if appropriate and in accordance with AIDAR

742.4. Offeror's should identify if they intend to request the use of advance payments in their cost/business proposal section Part 3.

for grants. The Contractor is expected to issue between 20-30 grants to non-governmental organizations”.

C.8 Grants Under Contracts: “The Contractor must administer and manage grants issued under this contract. Up to $1 million can be used for grants.

The Contractor is expected to issue between 20- 30 grants to nongovernmental organizations, utilizing mostly a competitive selection process or as set forth in the approved Grants Manual.”

Given that local organizations serving vulnerable groups are predominantly non-profit organizations that have never received a subcontract, would USAID kindly consider increasing the ceiling on the GUC from $1 million to $3 million? This would allow for greater adaptative management and flexibility in program implementation while adhering to localization principles.

Would USAID kindly consider revising the number of grants expected under the GUC to 12-25, which would allow for greater grant size flexibility to respond to different needs?

The maximum amount of funds that may allocated for Grants Under Contract is $1 million, however, offerors may propose to utilize less than that amount. USAID is amenable to considering fewer than 20 grants, based on the offeror's technical approach, however is likely not to approve greater than a maximum of 30 grants over the course of the contract period of performance.

The RFP states, “The Contractor is expected to issue between 20-30 grants to non-governmental organizations, utilizing mostly a competitive selection process or as set forth in the approved Grants Manual.” Q. Given the number of vulnerable groups involved in the Program, this presents an opportunity to operationalize localization with a greater number of Georgian organizations, including more nascent groups

See above response.

working directly with these populations, particularly on service delivery. Would USAID consider adjusting the number of grants to “at least 20” to allow offerors flexibility to issue more grants to adequately support the Program’s most vulnerable groups?

Section C.8, Grants under Contract, states that offerors may use up to $1 million for grants.

Please clarify whether this ceiling is inclusive or exclusive of an offeror’s applicable indirect costs.

Up to $1 million may be used for grants and is exclusive of an offeror's applicable indirect costs.

Can an organization pursue more than one grant under the GUCs pool? Is there a limit on how many grants a given organization may receive?

The eligibility to apply for a grant will be determined by the Contractor; the contract itself provides no limitations regarding the number of grants that a grant beneficiary may receive.

Does USAID expect the offeror to issue 20-30 grants over the life of the program or per annum?

The number of grants issued will be determined by the Contractor, but may not exceed 30 over the life of the program.

Can USAID please confirm if meetings with the COR are to be bi-weekly or weekly?

The meetings with the COR are to be bi-weekly (occuring every two weeks).

Section H.11: Does the VAT exemption referenced in Section H flow down to all grants under contract and subcontractors engaged in this program?

Yes.

Section H.11: Regarding VAT, if the Government of Georgia does not respect the VAT exemption letter, will VAT then be an allowable cost?

The Government of Georgia respects VAT exemption. If the situation were to change, USAID will reexamine at that time.

About section H.22, Limitation on Acquisition of Information Technology. Could you clarify if this refers to equipment that costs more than $5,000 per piece or do we need to receive CO written approval prior to acquiring any information technology or services that are less than $5K per piece?

As stated in H.22 (c), the Contractor must not acquire information technology as defined in this clause without the prior written approval by the contracting officer as specified in this clause. The threshold of $5,000 per piece does not apply.

RFP cost instructions do not mention the need for personnel biodatas. By contrast in Section I, on p.

73, AIDAR clause 752.7001 is incorporated by reference. This clause requires contractors to furnish biodata sheets for key personnel and individuals to be sent outside the United States.

Can USAID confirm that the implementing contractor is required to abide by AIDAR clause 752.7001, providing biodatas for “(1) All individuals to be sent outside the United States, or (2) any employees designated as “key personnel”, after an award is made?

AIDAR 752.7001 is applicable to this contract. This Request For Proposal, however, specifically excludes the inclusion of named candidates as part of the staffing plan, and therefore biodata sheets of individuals are not required as part of the proposal submission. For cost proposal purposes, offerors must provide adequate information regarding how the proposed position salary rate is fair, reasonable and realistic; this does not require submission of a biodata sheet.

If no biodatas are to be furnished with the proposal, then it follows that no personnel will be approved to support the program at inception.

Can USAID confirm that non-key personnel staff, whose salaries and qualifications align with the corresponding grade and step used to determine the budgeted salary per role, will be automatically approved to support the program?

Salary and Other Personnel Approvals and Technical Concurrence will be subject to Section H.12. As set forth in Section F.6, Key Personnel must be proposed within 20 days after the effective date of award; mandatory biodata sheets for Key Personnel must be submitted as part of such request.

Regarding Section K.1, Note Listing Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference, would USAID please add FAR 52.237-9, Waiver of Limitation on Severance Payments to Foreign Nationals, considering severance payments may be mandatory in some instances, as noted in Section L.15.3, Salaries and Wages, on page 137?

FAR 52.237-9 is not applicable to Section K. At this time, USAID declines to waive the cost allowability limitations in FAR 31.205-6(g)(6).

Should the prime offeror use the term Major Subcontractors or Partners regarding the consortium members of the proposal and while submission of Phase 1?

Either is fine.

Would USAID confirm that offerors will have an opportunity to ask additional questions during subsequent phases of this proposal?

Yes. As set forth in Section L.10 Phase 2 Advisory Notice and L.13 Phase 3 Advisory Notice, "a deadline for which any additional questions regarding Phase [2/3] must be submitted will also be provided [as part of the Advisory Notice]. Any information given to an Offeror concerning Phase [2/3] will also be furnished to all other Offerors...".

Will U.S.-based small businesses be eligible to participate throughout the three phases of this opportunity regardless of whether they submit a Phase 1 technical capacity individually or are named explicitly as a consortium/team member?

In other words, for those small businesses that would like to participate and be considered for all phases of this solicitation, do they need to (1) submit the Phase 1 5-page proposal and/or (2) be explicitly named in a potential prime's consortium/team?

An Offeror must submit a proposal inPhase 1, if they wish to be considered for Phase 2 or Phase 3, regardless if they are considered a U.S. small business or not. Major Subcontractors/partners can be on multiple Offeror proposals, but must be listed on those proposals beginning with Phase 1 submission.

USAID requests that offerors not conducting lobbying activities provide an affirmative statement of such. Where on the disclosure of lobbying activities form should offerors note that?

Offeror and its major subcontractors must provide a Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form (SF LLL), provided as Attachment J.5.

Can USAID please confirm that a draft fixed fee table tied to proposed deliverables should be included in the budget as part of the Phase 3 submission or will this be negotiated on award?

Payment of fixed fee is in accordance with B.7 and G.5 and will be paid upon completion of deliverables. USAID does not request a draft fixed fee table.

Will the payments/tranches from the USAID/Georgia be made after the expenses incurred by the prime contractor to fulfil the deliverables? Or can the payments/tranches be as advanced payments?

This is a cost reimbursement contract pursuant to Section B.2., in which the procedures for reimbursement are in accordance with Sections G.8 and G.9, subject to Section G.5, among other applicable FAR and AIDAR provisions. See also response to Question #12 indicating that USAID is amenable to advance payments in accordance with AIDAR 752.4.

The RFP states “No cost or pricing information or past performance will be provided as part of the Phase 1 submission.” Q. Can USAID confirm whether this only refers to the submission of J.4

This only refers to the submission of J.4 Past Performance forms.

Past Performance forms and that offerors may use examples from past or current projects to demonstrate institutional capacity in Phase I?

In Section L.6, Phased Evaluation Process, under Phase 3, the RFP states that “USAID reserves the right to combine Phase 2 and Phase 3 submissions into combined Phase 2 should the Contracting Officer in its sole discretion determine it is in the US Government’s interest.” In the event that USAID combines the two phases, please confirm that offerors will have the opportunity to ask additional questions regarding the RFP.

Yes.

Section L.7 of the RFP states that offerors are to provide a cover letter with each proposal phase submission. Please confirm that offerors are to provide the cover letter in addition to the cover page requirements detailed in Section L.9.1 for Phase 1.

No, offerors are required to only provide one cover page for Phase 1 submission, no additional cover letter is required.

RFP, L.9.1.1 Cover Page, states, “The RFP name and number; the name of the Offeror; any major subcontractors; name, title, and signature of the authorized representative; date of submission, and Offeror’s (and major subcontractors’) Unique Entity Identification (UEI) number” , while Section L.15.4, Part 4-SAM and UEI Requirements, p. 141 states, “All vendors, including foreign businesses and individuals, receiving USAID awards must obtain the UEI themselves. In addition, all vendors doing business with the Federal Government must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) http://www.sam.gov/. In order to register in the SAM, a UEI is required,” and Section L.15.7, Part 7- Subcontractor

Yes, this is acceptable.

Information, P. 142, requires the subcontractor’s UEI number to be listed on a cover letter. Q. As USAID is keenly aware, the process for receiving a UEI number can be protracted, especially for new and local entities. The RFP requires offerors to include (for each subcontractor) the UEI number and SAM registration status on the cover letter during Phase I. Our proposed subcontractors have begun the UEI and SAM registration process;

however, some partners are facing delays due to processing times outside their control. Would USAID accept an “in-process registration status” if the process is not completed by the time of Phase I submission?"

Section L.9.1.2, Institutional Capacity, instructs offerors to include demonstration of its institutional experience and that of its “potential partners.” Please confirm that this reference to partners is solely intended for potential major subcontractors.

Offerors are not precluded from discussing the institutional capacity of non-major subcontractors.

Section L.11: Why is past performance information required at Phase 2 if USAID does not plan to review it until Phase 3?

Past Performance will not be evaluated as part of Phase 2. This information is required as part of the Phase 2 submission, however, to enable USAID to expedite its review of Past Performance for viable offerors and to more quickly complete the procurement process.

Section L.11: USAID defines a “major subcontractor” as one “…whose proposed LOE exceeds 20% of total effort.” This potentially differs from the definition of a major subcontractor in the cost instructions, which is “any subcontract that individually totals more than 20% of the offeror’s total proposed cost”.

Can USAID clarify what they mean by effort in the first definition?

This confirms that there is a distinction in the definition of major subcontractors for Past Performance evaluation purposes versus cost proposal purposes. For purposes of Past Performance, "effort" may be defined as technical and managerial contribution to work being performed.

Can USAID please confirm if offerors should include a maximum of 5 relevant awards for the offeror and all major subcontractors combined, or is each organization permitted to submit up to 5 relevant awards for consideration?

Offerors should submit up to five relevant awards for each Prime and each major subcontractor (as defined in Section L.11)

Section L.11: Should offerors submit past performance information for 5 awards per each major subcontractor and the prime? Or just 5 in total? See above response.

The RFP states, “There is no page limit for the Past Performance section. In this section, the Offeror must provide performance information for itself and each major subcontractor, in accordance with the following: Note: For purposes of past performance evaluation solely (e.g., not for cost proposals or other purposes within this RFP), “major subcontractor1” is defined as a subcontractor whose proposed level of effort exceeds 20% of the offeror’s total effort.

Subcontractors do not include sub-award recipients receiving grants.” Q. Would USAID accept past performance from non-major subcontractors as part of the offerors submission since their experience is critical to our approach?

No. For the purposes of the evaluation of Past Performance as described in Section M.4, offerors must only submit past performance for the Prime and each major subcontractor (as defined in Section L.11). Past performance information will not be reviewed for non-major subcontractors. Note that offerors are not precluded from providing information about non-major subcontractor consortium members as part of other aspects of the proposal.

The RFP states, “Oral presentations will occur via video-conferencing from Tbilisi, Georgia.” Q.

Please clarify USAID’s intent and confirm that offerors’ teams may participate in the video conference from any remote location.

Yes Offeror's teams can participate from any remote location.

Section L.12.1: USAID has invited up to 5 participants to deliver the presentation, prioritizing representation from local organizations. Should local organization

USAID will not provide a translator, but the Offeror can make a translator avaliable. All presentations must be in English. Please note that time will not be extended due to translation.

representatives not have fluency in English, will USAID accommodate with translation services and/or can the Offeror make available a translator for this purpose?

Section L.12.1: "The presentation will be followed by a 20-minute Question and Answer session … all Offerors will receive the same set of questions.”

At what point in the process should Offerors expect to see the questions for the Q&A session?

Offerors will not receive the questions for the Q&A before the 20-minute Question and Answer session during oral presentations.

Will the Q&A results from other applicants be disclosed to all the other applicants within the call? Or publicly disseminated in a way that it will be available for interested parties before submitting the Phase 1.

USAID is not fully clear on the nature of the "Q&A" referenced. If with regard to the Q&A related to oral presentations, as set forth above, questions will be posed at the time of the Q&A session and will not be made available prior to that time. Responses of offerors to the Q&A will not be disclosed. If this inquiry is as to Q&A related to the RFP, as set forth above, responses to all questions will be made available to all eligible offerors via this amendment, prior the Phase 1 submission deadline.

Is Zoom an acceptable platform for the Offeror to organize its oral presentation, or must the presentation be organized using Google Meet?

The Offeror is responsible for managing the presentation, utilizing the Google Meet system. USAID will provide the link to the Google Meet platform.

Can USAID clarify whether the acceptable format for presentation materials will be limited to either PowerPoint or Google slides? Yes, Offerors may only utilize PowerPoint or Google slides format.

Can USAID provide an indication of how many days prior to the first Offeror’s oral presentation that a due date for presentation materials will be set?

Presentation materials will be due on the same day for all Offerors, as set forth in subsequent advisory notifications.

Are offerors required to submit an offeror decision letter before proceeding to phase 3?

No offeror decision letter is required before proceeding to Phase 3.

Per the Section L.14.1.1, instructions for Phase 3 cover letter, could USAID please confirm that offerors may include a list of acronyms as part of the one to two pages allocated for the cover letter?

Offerors may include a list of acronyms as part of the one to two pages allocated for the cover letter.

Section L.14.1.2, Management Plan, states that the Management Plan is “not to exceed ten (10) pages.” The instructions following the “Management & Staffing Plan” section state “the Management Plan must not exceed four (4) pages.” Could USAID please confirm that this four-page limit is for the “Management & Staffing Plan” section and not for the overall Management Plan?

Correct, the overall "Management Plan", which includes annexes must not exceed ten

(10) pages whereas as part of the overall submission, the Management & Staffing Plan must not exceed four (4) pages.

Instructions indicate that “offerors are expected to utilize the budget template provided as Attachment J.2 with respect to the summary and detailed budgets.” Can USAID confirm that an offeror budget template that directly mirrors the order and composition of the provided summary and detailed budgets may be used for submission?

Offerors are expected to utilize the budget template provided as Attachment J.2 with respect to the summary and detailed budget.

Section L.15.1 of the RFP requires that offerors complete boxes 12 through 18 of Standard Form (SF) 33 for their cost/business proposals;

however, USAID did not include an SF-33 specific to the RFP. Would USAID please provide an SF-33 for this proposal or confirm that they will provide one in Phase 3? The SF-33 form is located here: https://www.gsa.gov/system/files/SF33-22.pdf.

Section L.15.3: In the absence of a detailed budget and accompanying narrative, what information would USAID need to determine a proposed non-major subcontractor’s budget total is reasonable and realistic?

For non-major subcontracts, such information is optional; however, sufficient information must be provided for USAID to determine whether the proposed subcontract is reasonable and realistic. It is Offeror’s responsibility to ensure that the information provided in the cost proposal provided is sufficient to provide a basis for USAID to determine that the costs proposed are reasonable and realistic.

Section L.15.3: Instructions indicate that subcontracts “must include the same budget

See response above.

https://www.gsa.gov/system/files/SF33-22.pdf items as the prime”. This instruction conflicts with the information on p. 135 – 136, which indicates that a detailed budget and narrative are optional for non-major subcontractors. Can USAID please confirm that detailed budgets and budget notes are not required of non-major subcontractors?

Section L.15.3: What is the rationale for having offerors not include negotiated rates for personnel to be presented in our proposal budgets? This will likely hinder a quick start-up.

USAID does not preclude the submission of the negotiated rates for budgeting purposes to allow USAID to determine that the proposed rates are fair and reasonable. Salary and other personnel approvals are subject to Section H.12. Offerors are not precluded from submitting their proposed compensation plan as part of the cost proposal and USAID may approve such compensation plan at time of award if appropriate.

Can USAID provide more information on the position levels associated with the LCP grades?

No additional information is able to be provided. Further, please note that the LCP is merely one data point of determining whether proposed rates are reasonable.

Section L.15.3: Can USAID elaborate on how offerors should account for severance? The RFP instructions to “budget no more than a limited budget amount to pay severance” leaves room for different organizations to interpret this differently. Perhaps USAID can provide a set assumption (e.g., budget for severance for X% of local staff), so all offerors are using uniform guidance.

USAID declines to establish a set assumption for proposed severance. Offerors should review the Georgia Labor Code and therefrom conclude what is reasonable and realistic.

Section L.15.3: Can USAID please confirm that a purchase vs lease analysis is only required for equipment purchases with a unit cost that exceeds $5,000?

Yes. Cost analysis must be broken down by types and units and include an analysis that it is more advantageous to purchase than lease, if that is the case.

Section L.15.3: Can USAID please confirm that offerors or major subcontractors may direct bill their indirect costs without providing the documentation outlined on p. 139 (such as audited balance sheets, profit and loss statements for the last 2 years, and year to date statements)?

The documents referenced above appear

Yes, offerors or major subcontractors may direct bill their indirect costs without providing such documentation.

necessary for when an organization is utilizing an indirect rate unsupported by a NICRA, but not for direct billing of indirect costs.

Can USAID confirm that the Branding and Marking Plan referred to in Section L.16 will not be submitted with Phase 1, Phase 2, or Phase 3 of the proposal submission but will be requested by USAID at a time after submission of the Phase 3 submission and before award?

The Branding and Marking Plan referred to in Section L.16 is requried for submission in Phase 3.

Does USAID anticipate requiring any additional materials beyond the phase 3 submission before making an award to the successful Offeror?

Should USAID enter into a competitive range, revised proposals, as set forth in correspondence to offerors, may be requested.