E4_Questions_and_Answers.pdf

72011519R00001 Questions and Answers

IDIQ and RFP

Q: A search of the Development Experience Clearinghouse provides the Competitiveness, Trade, and Jobs (CTJ) Activity quarterly report for the period from October 2016 through March 2018 and the annual report covering October 2016 through September 2017. May USAID please make available subsequent project periodic reports and any other relevant technical deliverables for this project?

USAID Response: The following CTJ reports have been posted at FBO.gov: Quarterly report for April - June 2018, Annual report for October 2018 - September 2019, and Quarterly report for October - December 2018

Q: Cost Proposal Budget – On the first page of the RFP, USAID states that ‘the IDIQ will have a ceiling of $38 million, and the task order has an estimated budget of $17-19 million’. On page 20 of the same document, USAID states that the performance period is 7 years (October 1, 2019 - September 30, 2026) and the ordering period is 5 years (October 1, 2019 - September 30, 2024).

Can USAID clarify whether the cost proposal for this RFP should outline the cost for the full project ($38M for 7 years) or only the task order ($17-19M for 5 years)?

USAID Response: The cost proposal should include costs for the Task Order only.

Q: Would USAID please provide a local compensation plan for each country E4 intends to operate in?

Q: RFP Section B.6, page 6: Labor To comply with AIDAR 722.170, can USAID please provide a copy of the local compensation plan or FSN scale for each country for budgeting purposes?

Q: No Local Compensation Plan –In previous RFPS USAID gave guidance for the rates of local staff compensation. In the E4 RFP no such guidance has been provided. Does USAID advise we use the rates provided in the past or use our own rates?

USAID Response: Please find attached prevailing compensation rates for Central Asia countries.

Q: RFP Section C.4, page 15: Schedule C.4 instructs offerors that “interventions proposed by the contractor must be carried out within the legal parameters that are applicable to USAID.” Can USAID provide additional guidance regarding the specific statutes and regulations to which interventions must comply?

USAID Response: This reference refers to limitations placed on funding through appropriation law as well as all legal and regulatory requirements under which USAID operates.

Q: RFP Section I.1, page 48: Notice Listing Contract Clauses Incorporated by Reference: RFP Section I.1 FAR 52.229-8 Please confirm if the contractor including US and local teaming partners and their personnel will be exempted from local taxes and duties (VAT and other taxes) in each of the five countries of performance under IDIQ and Task Order 01 and does USAID have agreement in place that will exempt implementing partners from being subject to income taxes imposed by the host governments under IDIQ Contract/Task Order?

USAID Response: USAID has bilateral agreements in place in four of the five countries of performance that exempt foreign assistance from VAT and similar taxes (the Kyrgyz Republic currently does not have an agreement in place). In practice, obtaining exemption from VAT and similar taxes is challenging throughout the region.

For the purposes of budgeting and to be consistent with FAR Clause 52.229-8 “Taxes- Foreign Cost-Reimbursement Contracts. (MAR 1990),” Offerors must not include costs for VAT or other similar taxes in their cost proposal.

Q: Section L.6.1 Page Limitations (Page 74): Would USAID please consider allowing the text in text boxes to be smaller than 12 points in size so long as they are legible?

Q: On page 74, Section L.6.1 it states, “Text in tables, graphics, charts, graphs, etc. may be smaller than 12 points in size, but must be legible”, and also states, “The text in any text boxes within the technical proposal must not be less than 12 points in size.” May offerors utilize smaller than 12 point font in text boxes as long as it is legible?

USAID Response: Offerors may vary the font and font size for tables, text boxes, charts, graphs, ext. Such use should be infrequent and not substantial. If USAID determines that the tables, text boxes, ext. are being used for the purpose of avoiding the font size requirement, it may reject all or part of the proposal as not being in accordance with the RFP.

Q: RFP Section L.6.3, page 76: Performance Work Statement: Would USAID kindly elaborate on what “appropriate compliance and reference documents” are with regards to the offeror’s PWS? Is this a reference to the required Annexes?

USAID Response: USAID has removed the reference to “appropriate compliance and reference documents” in the revised RFP.

Q: RFP Section L.6.3, page 76: Draft Year 1 Work Plan: Would USAID allow a draft year 1 work plan in Gantt chart form to be included as an annex to supplement the corresponding technical approach section?

USAID Response: Offerors may provide a Gantt chart, but it must be as part of their Year 1 Work Plan description and included in the 22-page limit.

Q: In reference to Section L.6.4, will USAID permit the staffing plan to be an annex in a table/chart form?

USAID Response: USAID expects that Annex 1, “Organizational Chart,” will help illuminate the staffing plan. This annex cannot exceed one page. Any other table/chart that describes the staffing plan must be included in the technical proposal and is included in the page limit.

Q: Section L.6.4 (p. 77) indicates that key personnel resumes must include contact information of supervisors for the three most recent positions the candidate has held, but Section L.6.6 (p. 78) indicates that two supervisory references are required. Can USAID please clarify how many supervisory references are required?

Q: Section L.6.4, page 77, states “Resume for key personnel must contain contact information (email and phone number) of supervisors for the three most recent positions the candidate has held”, please confirm that this is a separate requirement from the two references requirement on page 78 Section L.6.6. Would USAID consider the two references in lieu of the three supervisor contact information requirement? Also, would USAID please confirm/clarify that the LOC for each Key Personnel is not counted in the resume 3-page limit?

Q: RFP Section L.6.6, page 78: Annex 4: On page 77, the RFP states that offerors must provide contact information of supervisors for the three most recent positions held by key personnel candidates. On page 78, the RFP calls for 2 supervisory references to be included in each key personnel resume. Can USAID please clarify how many supervisory references are required for each Key Personnel?

USAID Response: The revised RFP clarifies that 3 references are required.

The LOC is included in the 3-page limit, and the RFP is amended to reflect this.

Q: Section L.6.4 (p.77) states that “The offeror’s proposal must indicate the names, positions, titles, and provide full CVs of all key managerial and technical personnel for Task Order No. 1.”

Could USAID please clarify whether “key managerial and technical personnel” is synonymous with “key personnel” or whether full CVs for other critical, non-key personnel are requested?

USAID Response: USAID confirms that “key managerial and technical personnel” is synonymous with “key personnel.”

Q: RFP Section L.6.6, page 78: Annex 4: Should Offerors include resumes for proposed long-term non-key personnel in addition to Key Personnel in Annex 4? Are CVs for non-key personnel also limited to 3 pages?

Q: RFP Section L.6.6, page 78: Annex 4: Are LOCs only required for key personnel or should offerors include LOCs for all proposed long term non-key personnel?

USAID Response: Resumes for long-term non-key personnel must not be submitted and will not be considered. Resumes and letters of commitment for key personnel are limited to 3 pages per key personnel position.

Q: Section L.6.6., page 78, states “Offerors must submit an organizational chart which displays all positions proposed, including expatriate and local, home office and field, long term and short term, by functional labor title and year.” Would USAID consider permitting this information to be provided in the staffing plan instead of the organizational chart? Does USAID require LOE for each position and, if so, may this be provided as a life-of-project total?

USAID Response: Offerors must provide the information required in Annex 1, though they may provide it as part of the staffing plan and have it count against the technical proposal page limit.

Q: Section L.6.6. Annex 5 Past Performance Information (Page 79) states “List in an annex to the technical proposal up to five (5) of the most recent (active or ended no more than 3 years ago) and relevant contracts/agreements for efforts similar to the work in the subject proposal for the Offeror and up to (3) three for each major subcontractor using the template provided in Section J.” Would USAID please provide the referenced template?

Q: RFP Section L.6.6, page 79: Annex 5 Past Performance: The RFP refers to a past performance template provided in Section J but there isn’t one included with the RFP attachments. Can USAID please provide a template if required.

USAID Response: The reference to a template is in error and has been removed from the amended RFP.

Q: RFP Section L.6.6, page 79: Annex 5 Past Performance: In the instructions for Past Performance Information, offerors are required to list in an annex to the technical proposal five of the most recent and relevant contracts for efforts similar to the work in the subject proposal.

For contracts listed that are in CPARS, should offerors provide only the contract name and number? Is any additional information required?

USAID Response: For contracts in CPARS, USAID confirms that it only requires the contract name and number.

Q: Section L.7.2 (p. 81) indicates that completed biographical data sheets must be included for all proposed personnel. Would USAID please consider requiring completed biographical data sheets for only key personnel?

USAID Response: USAID required biographical data sheets for only key personnel, and this is reflected in the revised RFP.

Q: Can USAID please confirm that Consent to Subcontract is required for all proposed subcontractors as stated in Section L.7.10 on page 86, or is this only required of major subcontractors at this time?

USAID Response: The Consent to Subcontract information is required for all subcontracts where the Offeror wants to the Contract Offeror’s consent to contract at the start of the award.

Any proposed subcontract that does not address the elements of FAR 44.202-2 will not have the CO’s consent to begin work at the start of the award.

TASK ORDER, STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES and OTHER ATTACHMENTS:

Q:. Section F.1 of Attachment J.1 sets the period of performance as five years: from October 1, 2018 until September 30, 2023. Based on Section F.2 and the period of performance for the

IDIQ, could USAID please confirm that the period of performance for Task Order Number One is October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2024?

Q: Attachment J.1, Section F.1 Performance Period (Page 6) states “The period of performance for this Task Order is 5 years: from October 1, 2018 until September 30, 2023.” Please clarify the start and end dates.

Q: J.1., Section F.1, page6: Performance Period: Period of Performance states that the PoP of this 5-year TO is from October 1, 2018 to September 30, 2023. Can we assume that the correct PoP is October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2024?

USAID Response: The dates have been updated to reflect a October 1, 2019 start date and a five-year period of performance.

Q: J.1, Section F.3, page6: Key Personnel: Must each individual member of the key personnel team be fluent in both Russian and English, or is the requirement that the key personnel team may include an individual who is fluent in either English or Russian as well as individuals who are fluent in both English and Russian?

Q: In reference to Section F.3 of Attachment J.1, must all three Key Personnel be fluent in Russian and in English, or is the intent that the Key Personnel will collectively have fluency in both languages covered?

USAID Response: The offeror must propose a mix of key personnel that will collectively have fluency in both English and Russian. Each individual is not required to have fluency in both languages, however, the team must be able to effectively communicate among one another.

Q: Attachment J.1., F.4.1 Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (Page 7) states “the Contractor must use the MEL Plan template, which includes a surveillance plan matrix, that is attached in Section J of the IDIQ.” Would USAID please provide the referenced template?

USAID Response: This language has been revised in the amended RFP as the surveillance plan matrix is part of the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) template.

Q: Section F.4.1 of Attachment J.1 states the MEL Plan is due 45 days following award, but the table in Section F.5 says that the MEL Plan is due within 30 days after the effective date of the Contract. Could USAID please confirm that the deadline for submitting the MEL Plan is 45 days after contract award?

Q: MEL Plan Due Date Discrepancy – On page 7 of the E4 attachment ‘J.1. Task Order’, USAID states that the due date for the MEL plan is 45 days after the contract award. However, on Page 14 of the same document, under ‘Fee Schedule’ the delivery schedule is listed as ‘within 30 days after the effective date of the contract’. Although we assume this will be clarified at the signing of contracts, in order to build an accurate work plan we request that USAID clarify the due date for the MEL plan.

USAID Response: The MEL Plan will be due 45 days after award, and this is reflected in the amended RFP.

Q: RFP J.1 Section H.1, page 22: Does USAID anticipate the funding of grants under contract for this Task order.

USAID Response: Grants under contract may be proposed in the Performance Work Statement as part of the offeror’s technical approach. If the apparently successful applicant’s approach includes a Grants Under Contract (GUC) component, USAID’s internal approval process must be completed before any grant activity can begin.

Q: As shown on Page 1 of Attachment J.2 Statement of Objectives, how does USAID intend for the 50% regional funding to be spent between the five Central Asian countries? Further, will the 50% regional funding apply to the Kyrgyz Republic, given the bilateral mission there?

USAID Response: Regional funding should be used for activities that support regional approaches to development.This may include the promotion of cross-border trade, support for industries with potential for growth in two or more countries, and support of cross pollination of ideas and innovation among countries in the region. Central Asia regional funds include operations in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Q: On Page 4 of Attachment J.2 Statement of Objectives, USAID states as an Illustrative Custom Indicator: “Number of entrepreneurs receiving funding from USG programs.” Would USAID please clarify if “from USG programs” means specifically “from the E4 Activity” or is E4 intended to assist entrepreneurs in receiving funding from other USG programs? If “from the E4 Activity” is to replace “from USG programs”, and given that there is no grant fund on Task Order 1, does USAID mean for this to refer to “training and technical assistance” rather than “funding”?

USAID Response: “From USG programs” refers to funding received through the FGI Task Order. The referenced illustrative indicator is illustrative, and it can be refined and revised to best capture the Offeror’s proposed interventions.