72016820R00002 Sustainable Economic Growth Q and As.pdf

72016820R00001 Questions and Answers

72016820R00001 Sustainable Economic Growth Activity in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Questions and Answers

1. Section H.6 specifies the geographic code as 935 while the cover letter and H.5 identifies

937. May USAID please confirm that 935 is the authorized geographic code for this activity?

A: 937 is the authorized geographic code for this activity and the discrepancy will be corrected in Amendment 01 of the RFP.

2. If offerors follow H.11(a) and establish salaries based on the market value of the position in the country of performance that is realistic and reasonable based on the responsibilities of the position, would USAID consider providing waivers should these salaries exceed the Mission’s local compensation plan? We believe this would be necessary to be consistent with AIDAR

752.7007 Personnel Compensation, incorporated in the contract under Section H.10, which stipulates that personnel compensation be in accordance with the contractor’s established policies, procedures, and practices. The salary restriction of the Mission’s LCP maximum may preclude contractors from following their established policies, procedures, and practices, as required by AIDAR 752.700.

A: Pursuant to AIDAR 722.170 “Employment of Third Country Nationals (TCNs) and Cooperating Country Nationals (CCNs)”, compensation, including merit or promotion increases paid to TCNs and CCNs may not, without the approval of the Mission Director or the Assistant Administrator having program responsibility for the project, exceed the prevailing compensation paid to personnel performing comparable work in the cooperating country as determined by the USAID Mission. Therefore, LCP ranges provided under the RFP refer to maximum salaries for CCNs and TCNs employed under the contract. This is not in contradiction with AIDAR 752.7007 Personnel Compensation.

For U.S. expatriate employees, if any, maximum salary must not exceed the USAID Contractor Salary Threshold (USAID CST) stated in USAID Automated Directives System (ADS) Chapter 302 USAID Direct Contracting.

3. Section H.23 states “All STTAs and consultants must be treated as subcontractors if they are not employees of the Contractor or subcontractors. The contractor must request Contracting Officer consent and submit the information required by the aforementioned clause for any subcontracts requiring consent but not listed above.” Based on FAR 31.205-33 (a), we respectfully ask USAID to consider the following revision: “Unless the consultant is engaged as labor and hence considered contractor personnel, they are considered a subcontractor subject to the applicable clauses and requirements.”

A: In accordance with 752.202-1 Definitions (e), Consultant shall mean any especially well qualified person who is engaged, on a temporary or intermittent basis to advise the Contractor and who is not an officer or employee of the Contractor who performs other duties for the Contractor. This is consistent with FAR 31.205-33(a), which defines professional and consultant services as those services rendered by persons who are members of a particular profession or possess a special skill and who are not officers or employees of the contractor. Pursuant to FAR 52.244-2, consent to subcontract is required for any subcontract that is of the cost-reimbursement, time-and-materials, or labor-hour type;

or is fixed-price and exceeds either the simplified acquisition threshold or 5 percent of the total estimated cost of the contract.

4. Will USAID provide a template for the “overall summary chart listing proposed interventions” that is referenced in Section L.7.B.1 Factor 1? Similarly, can USAID provide a template for Annex C “Draft Implementation Schedule including timeline” Referenced in L.7.B.a? It would be helpful to distinguish these items from the “illustrative work plan” that is called for in the PWS for describing interventions by component (Section L.7.B.1 Factor 1).

A: No templates as referenced in the question will be provided. The contractor will provide their own.

5. Section L.7.B.2 lists the organogram as a necessary inclusion in the management plan without specific reference to Annex B. Can USAID confirm that it is sufficient to include an organogram in Annex B “Staffing Plan,” instead of the “Management Plan and Implementation Schedule.”

A: The organogram and staffing plan should be placed in Annex B (4-page limit organogram with explanatory information as required).

6. Section L.7.B.4 Past performance requires offerors to “List in an annex to the technical proposal all relevant contracts for the past five years” as well as provide contract information on each contract. Since this would constitute a considerable number of contracts and add numerous pages to the proposal, would USAID consider limiting offerors to ten technically relevant contracts?

A: Yes, and this will be included in the amendment 01 of the RFP. USAID impresses on Offerors that L.7.B.4 also explicitly states “the most relevant indicators of performance are contracts of similar size, type of work, scope of work, and complexity/diversity of tasks and how recently they were performed.”

7. Section L.8.4.i states that “Completed biographical data sheets, Form AID 1420- 17...must be provided for the proposed key personnel.” However, Section L.7.B.2 states that “the Offeror must not propose individuals to fill [key personnel] roles.” Could USAID please confirm that biographical data sheets for key personnel should not be included in the cost proposal?

A: USAID confirms that biodatas for key personnel are not required during the proposal and must be submitted five days after award. This will be corrected under Amendment 01 of the RFP.

8. Section M.4(d) indicates that offerors will be scored on their utilization of small business concerns, including efforts in achieving small business participation goals. However, Section L.7.B.4 does not reference past performance utilizing small business concerns.

Could USAID confirm that offerors should include this information in Annex G Past Performance?

A: Offerors should include efforts in achieving small business participation goals in Annex G Past Performance.

9. We note that while the cover letter indicates that geographic code 937 applies to this procurement, RFP Section H.6 indicates that Geo Code 935 applies. Please confirm that Geo Code 935 is correct.

A: 937 is the authorized geographic code for this activity and it will be corrected in the amendment 01 of the RFP.

10. Please clarify if the Mission LCP on page 45 of the RFP represents basic salaries (net salary plus personnel income tax) or net salaries?

A: Mission LCP on page 45 of the RFP represents net salaries.

11. Section H.22 (page 52) of the RFP implies that a Small Business Subcontracting Plan (RFP Attachment J.6) should be submitted, but Section L.8 (Instructions for Preparation of the Cost/Business Proposal) does not refer to this attachment. Please:

a. Confirm that Offerors should complete and submit Attachment J.6.

A: Yes, Offerors, except for small business offerors, must complete and submit Attachment J.6.

b. Clarify which section of their Cost/Business Proposal Offerors should contain the completed plan.

A: The plan should be included as an appendix to the Business/Cost proposal.

12. The RFP includes the Standard Form LLL (Disclosure of Lobbying Activities) as Attachment J.5, but does not refer to it in Section L.8 (Instructions for Preparation of the Cost/Business Proposal). Please:

a. Confirm that Offerors should complete and submit the SF LLL.

A: Yes, Offerors must complete and submit the SF LLL.

b. Clarify in which section of their Cost/Business Proposal Offerors should submit the completed form.

A: The SF LLL should be included as an appendix to the Business/Cost proposal.

13. Section L.7.A.5 (page 104) states that electronic signatures are acceptable by USAID.

However, Section L.8.4 (page 112) requires “an original signature of a corporate authority authorized on behalf of the Offeror to sign the offer.” Please confirm that electronic signatures will be accepted for this purpose.

A: Electronic signature of a corporate authority authorized on behalf of the Offeror to sign the offer will be accepted by USAID.

14. Section L.3.c.2 (page 99) includes a list of required elements for the “first page of the proposal,” which we interpret to apply to the Cover Page. Section L.7.B.a (page 106) includes “Cover Page/SF 33” as one of the items that is excluded from the technical proposal’s page limit. Since the SF 33 does not contain all of the “first page” required elements, please confirm that Offerors should submit both a compliant Cover Page *and* the SF 33, and that neither of these will count against the technical proposal’s page limit.

A: Yes, Offerors must submit both a compliant Cover Page and the SF 33, neither of which will count against the technical proposal’s page limit.

15. Branding and marking information is requested as part of both the technical proposal (“Annex D,” noted in Section L.7.B.a on page 107) and the cost/business proposal (last bullet in Section L.8.4.a on page 112). Please clarify where Offerors should submit their Draft Branding Implementation and Marking Plan.

A: Draft Branding Implementation and Marking Plan must be submitted as an appendix to the cost/business proposal. This will be clarified in Amendment 01 of the RFP.

16. For Government’s convenience, please confirm that Offerors should arrange Annex F in similar fashion to the table in F.8.1.b?

A: Yes, Offerors should arrange Annex F in similar fashion to the table in F.8.1.b. The same arrangement should be used for Fixed Fee payment schedule in Section B.

Payment of Fixed Fee.

17. Section L.7.B.2 (page 108) states “The management plan must include the following components in the technical body (not annexes unless otherwise noted)…” The first three bullets in the subsequent list discuss the organigram and the draft staffing plan. While not marked as annex material in this section, Annex B is shown as “Staffing Plan (4-page limit organogram with explanatory information as required) on page 107. Please confirm that the organigram and staffing plan should be placed in Annex B.

A: See response to Question 5.

18. Section L.7.B.2 (page 109) states in part “The statements of qualification should also be summarized here.” Statements of qualification are not referred to anywhere else in Section L.

Please confirm that they are not required.

A: Statements of qualifications are required and must be included in the management plan. See also response to Question 19 below.

19. With respect to Section L.7.B.2 (page 109), please confirm that the staffing plan should show roles and qualifications only for Key Personnel.

A: The staffing plan should show qualifications only for Key Personnel. The roles of Key Personnel, other long-term staff as well as short-term, professional staff should be included to the extent that it allows the proposal to be evaluated per M.4(b).

20. Section L.7.B.2 (page 109) refers to the “implementation schedule … (to be labeled as Annex E).”

a. Please confirm that this reference should be to Annex C (to agree with the list shown in Section L.7.B on page 107)

A: Yes, the implementation schedule is to be provided under Annex C. This will be corrected in Amendment 01 of the RFP.

b. Please provide guidance as to what Offerors should provide in Annex E (Coordination Plan with Key Stakeholders), as we are unable to locate instructions for this annex.

A: It should provide an overall presentation of the offerors plans to coordinate with Key Stakeholders.

21. Could USAID confirm that the MELP will be evaluated as part of the QASP?

A: Per the RFP, the MELP will not be evaluated as part of the QASP.

22. Could USAID confirm that the MELP is due within 60 days after the start of the contract?

A: Yes, MELP is due within 60 days after the contract start date, as part of the first annual work plan (see section F.8.2).

23. Section L.7.B.4 of the RFP defines a major subcontractor as one whose proposed exceeds 20% of the Offeror’s total proposed costs. In the interest of diversifying the pool and in recognition of subcontractors who are providing technical capacity that is key to program implementation, would USAID consider broadening the definition of a major subcontractor to “one whose proposed cost exceeds 20% of the Offeror’s total proposed cost or who will perform a prominent part of technical work”?

A: For the purpose of this RFP, major subcontractors are defined as those whose proposed cost exceeds 20% of the Offeror’s total proposed costs.

24. Section L.7.B.4 (Contractor Past Performance) mentions that Offerors must include performance information for major subcontractors (i.e. those exceeding 20% of total cost). In order to comprehensively show its team’s experience, please confirm that Offerors may also include this information for subcontractors below the 20% threshold.

A: See response to Question 23.

25. Section L.7.B.2 (page 109) states “The Offeror must provide a comprehensive management plan including…plans for *grants under the contract (if applicable)*, and other pertinent information” (emphasis added). However, neither Section H nor I contains a clause regarding Grants under Contract. Please confirm that Grants under Contract are authorize and the clauses will be added upon result of the award.

A: It completely depends on the Offerors’ approach. However please note that the GUCs should not be a cornerstone of a proposal nor should be excessively utilized. USAID does not suggest nor discourage inclusion of GUCs in a proposal. If they are included in a successful proposal, the pertinent clauses will be included at award.

26. Section L.8.(4) requires Offerors to submit a summary and detailed budget for option periods, as well as a consolidated Level of Effort Chart; however, there are no tabs in ATTACHMENT J.2 – BUDGET TEMPLATE for either of those elements. Please confirm that Offerors may use their own budget template as long as it meets all requirements in Section L.

A: Yes, Offerors may use their own budget template as long as it meets all requirements in Section L.

27. Could USAID please confirm those positions and cost items in ATTACHMENT J.2 – BUDGET TEMPLATE are illustrative and Offerors can revise, remove or add any line items based on Offerors’ cost accounting practice and program solutions?

A: Cost items in Attachment J.2 Budget template are illustrative and Offerors can revise, remove or add any line items based on Offerors’ cost accounting practice and program solutions. However, the structure of the Budget template must be followed. Please see section L.8(4) Preparation of Cost Proposal for detailed instructions.

28. Section L.8.(4) (page 112 of the RFP) requires Representations, Certifications, Other Statements of Offerors “(if amended).” Please confirm that “if amended” should be replaced with “portions not available online” which is consistent with requirement in page 119.

A: Yes, “if amended” denotes “portions not available online”, consistent with Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offerors requirements.

29. Section L.8.(4)(a) (page 112) of the RFP states that Evidence of Responsibility is required upon request by the CO, while page 120 seems to require submission of Evidence of Responsibility or with the cost/business proposal, and CO can request additional documents such has certified financial statements, tax returns etc. to demonstrate responsibility. Please confirm that Evidence of Responsibility information for the prime and subcontractors is only required upon request from the CO.

A: Please refer to the last paragraph of Evidence of Responsibility for prime and major subcontractor, which states: “Please note that this information is only required upon a specific request from the contracting officer or his representative”.

30. Sections L.7.B.a (technical proposal instructions, page 106) and Section L.8.4.a (cost proposal instructions, page 112) both call for submission of the SF 33. Please confirm that Offerors should submit the form in both volumes.

A: Offerors should submit the SF 33 in cost volume only. This will be corrected in Amendment 01 of the RFP.

31. Page 115 of the RFP states that Personal Income Tax “must be included and not added to the base pay or salary of local staff”. Could USAID clarify whether Offerors should show *net* salaries under the personnel section of the budget and in Box 6 (Proposed Salary) of contractor employee biographical datasheets?

A: Offerors should show *net* salaries under the personnel section of the budget and in Box 6 (Proposed Salary) of contractor employee biographical datasheets. Also, for contractor employee bio data sheets, please see question 7.

32. Please confirm that Offerors can submit their NICRA in lieu of the Forward Pricing Rate Agreement (FPRA) to meet the requirement of indirect Costs” in Section L.8.(4).

A: Offerors can submit their NICRA in lieu of the Forward Pricing Rate Agreement (FPRA) to meet the requirement of indirect costs in Section L.8(4).

33. Section L.8.4 appears to request Section K from proposed subcontractors in two different parts of the cost/business proposal:

• Page 119 [Representations, Certifications, and other Statements of Offerors]–“Offerors and each proposed subcontractor must submit those portions of Section K not available online in this section.”

• Page 120 [Letters of Commitment (Subcontractors)]–“ The representations and certifications, as set forth in Section K of this solicitation, with the last page signed. This should be completed by any subcontractors as well.”

Please confirm Section K required under Letter of Commitment section will be included under Representations, Certifications, and other Statements of Offerors section.

A: USAID confirms that Section K required under Letter of Commitment section will be included under Representations, Certifications, and other Statements of Offerors section.

34. Please confirm that both Annexes C and F will be evaluated under the “Implementation Schedule” evaluation criteria described in Section M.4.b. Section M.4.b (page 125) states “Implementation schedules will be evaluated based on their completeness, feasibility, and the degree to which they sufficiently *detail a schedule of deliverables* that closely reflects proposed interventions outlined in the Technical Approach of their proposals” (emphasis added). We note that the instructions for the Implementation Schedule in Annex C do not reference deliverables (they are requested in a separate annex, F).

A: USAID confirms that both Annexes C and F will be evaluated.

35. Attachment J.4 includes a template Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (Template) and Logical Framework. Can USAID confirm whether the offeror is expected to use this template and submit it as part of Annex A Draft Activity Monitoring & Evaluation Plan?

A: USAID confirms that offerors expected to use the template provided under attachment J.4 and submit it as part of Annex A Draft Activity Monitoring & Evaluation Plan.

36. The RFP states that the Draft Branding Implementation Strategy and Marking Plan is required in the Technical Proposal (on page 107) and required in the Cost Proposal (page 112).

Would USAID consider receiving this plan after award? If not, please clarify if it should be submitted as part of the technical or cost volume.

A: Draft Branding Implementation Strategy and Marking Plan must be submitted as part of the cost volume.

37. On page 114, the RFP states that biodatas are required for key personnel, however, on page 109, the RFP states that “The Offeror must not propose individuals to fill these roles…” Can USAID confirm that biodatas for key personnel are not required during the proposal and that they are requested to be submitted five days after award?

A: Please see Question 7.

38. In Section L.7.B.4(a)(1) Past Performance, the Sustainable Economic Growth Activity RFP only mentions “contracts” in the instructions for past performance. In addition to contracts, offerors have a long history of implementing assistance programs that are similar in size, scope, and complexity, and which are highly relevant to showcase the offeror’s full experience for the Sustainable Economic Growth activity in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Therefore, we would like to respectfully request that, in addition to contracts, you consider allowing cooperative agreements in your evaluation of the past performance.

Our understanding is that the guidance from ADS 302 Policy Guide for Assessment and Use of Contractor Performance and Integrity Information encourages USAID to allow for different types of relevant experience to be presented. According to the ADS 302 document, page 18 states that the “CO has broad discretion to consider or authorize consideration of CPI from other sources deemed relevant and reliable”.

Page 125 states that “The contractor performance information determined to be relevant will be evaluated in accordance with the elements below, which are listed in descending order of importance:

5. Quality…

6. Cost control…

7. Schedule…

8. Management…

9. Regulatory Compliance…

10. Utilization of Small Business…

We understand that the decision of what past performance to use on particular procurements is at your discretion, but we do hope that you will see value in broadening the type of performance information for the Sustainable Economic Growth activity procurement, to include assistance instruments similar in scope and complexity.

A: Please note that the above criteria are elements of Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting, which is one of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) requirements. Please review Paragraph M.4.d.(5) of the RFP regarding evaluation if an offeror lacks a relevant past performance. Prior to assigning a "neutral" past performance rating, the contracting officer may take into account a broad range of information related to an offeror's performance.

39. On page 112 (4)(a), the RFP states that offerors should submit the “Evidence of Responsibility for prime and major subcontractors (if requested by the CO).” And on page 120, it states, “The responsibility information that may be requested includes, but is not limited to, audited or certified financial statements, tax returns and other financial records necessary to establish responsibility. Please note that this information is only required upon a specific request from the contracting officer or his representative.”

Could USAID please confirm that offerors are not required to submit the Evidence of Responsibility as detailed on page 120, section (1) through (7) with our Cost Proposal?

A: Please see response to Question 29.

40. USAID provides Attachment J.5 Disclosure of Lobbying Activities. Are Offerors required to fill out and submit this form? If so, please confirm that it should be included in our final proposal?

A: See response to Question 12.

41. On page 109, in Section L.7.B.2, the RFP states that “the implementation schedule must clearly describe the planned activities, major tasks and outputs, timetable, resource requirements, and expected results for the first year (to be labeled as Annex E).” Can USAID confirm that the annex regarding the implementation scheduled should be labeled as "Annex C" to match the annexes listed on page 107?

A: USAID confirms that the annex regarding the implementation schedule should be labeled as "Annex C" to match the annexes listed on page 107. This will be corrected in Amendment 01 of the RFP.

42. Given the travel restrictions between the US and Europe, will USAID consider an extension of the proposal deadline to balance the impact of competitors’ inability to travel to BiH to gather all pertinent information that will ensure a high-quality proposal?

A: USAID is not considering an extension of the proposal deadline. Pertinent information may be provided to offerors by their prospective BiH partners, as a maximized use of local resources is a contractual requirement and an evaluation factor (see section M.4(b) of the RFP).

43. In Section B.5 Option to Extend Services, the RFP states “… the Contractor hereby grants to the U.S. Government option to extend services under the contract for six additional one-month periods.” The six one-month periods are also mentioned in Section L.8 (3). However, in

Section B.5, the format for the optional periods only mention five options. Can USAID confirm that the offeror should provide six one-month options.

A: USAID confirms that offerors should provide six one-month options. This will be corrected in Amendment 01 of the RFP.

44. In Section B.10 Payment of Fixed Fee, the RFP says “...and upon receipt of a proper invoice, USAID will pay a portion of the fixed fee in accordance with the following delivery schedule”. Can USAID confirm that the balance portion of the Fixed Fee could be treated as Base Fee? If so, is there a ceiling on the Base Fee?

A: There is no base fee. Payment of fee is tied to deliverables accepted by USAID.

Offerors are to propose meaningful deliverables and assign a portion of the fixed fee to each respective deliverable.

45. On page 45 of Section H.11 (a) Limitations, the RFP lists ranges for the Mission LCP. Can USAID confirm whether the salaries are gross salary or net salary?

A: The salary ranges under LCP are net salaries.

46. On page 114, the RFP states, “For each major subcontractor (defined as one whose proposed cost exceeds 20% of the Offeror’s total proposed cost) the Offeror must include a full detailed budget worksheet linked to the Prime’s in the same spreadsheet”. Can USAID confirm that detailed budget worksheets are NOT required for non-major subcontractors?

A: USAID confirms that detailed budget worksheets are NOT required for non-major subcontractors.

47. Section B.7 of the RFP is entitled “Ceiling on Indirect Rates (if applicable).” Could USAID please clarify if “if applicable” makes the proposal of ceiling rates optional for Offerors?

A: Ceiling on Indirect Rates must be proposed by offerors.

48. Section H.5 752.225-70 “Source and Nationality Requirements” and H.6 “Geographic Code.”

Could USAID please confirm that the Geographic Code for the resulting contract will be Geographic Code 935?

A: The Geographic Code for the resulting contract will be Geographic Code 937. Section H.6 will be corrected in Amendment 01 of the RFP.

49. Under H.11(a) it is stated that “salary ranges for all positions under this award must be established based on the market value of the position in the country of contract performance as well as based on the Contractor’s established personnel policy.” It is further stated in paragraph

(a) that “If during contract performance, the Contractor proposes salary or wages for an individual(s) that exceeds the market value of the position, the cognizant Contracting Officer’s approval is required.” Could USAID first please clarify: Is CO approval needed if the initially determined annual salary for an individual is exceeded, or if the market-determined salary range is exceeded? Second, does this CO approval apply to “all positions under this award,” including home office staff? Or does this approval apply only to local staff working in-country?

A: Initially determined salaries must be part of offerors’ cost proposal (see Section L.8.4 and more specifically subsection i. Personnel). The detailed salary and benefit information for professional employees that the Offeror provides in its cost proposal will be considered the Offeror’s professional compensation plan and will be evaluated in accordance with FAR 52.222-46 contained in this RFP.” Professional compensation plan is subject to CO approval. Please also refer to H.10 752.7007 Personnel compensation (JUL 2007). CO approval refers to all positions under the award.

50. Section H.11(d) Annual Salary Increases. The escalation rate is listed as “TBD.” Could USAID please clarify if Offerors should propose an average rate of escalation consistent with their own established personnel policy? Second, is this percentage merely a contractual “not to exceed” maximum rate or will the rate be used for cost realism purposes in evaluating proposals?

A: Offerors should propose an average rate of escalation consistent with their own established personnel policy. USAID may adjust an offeror’s proposed escalation rate in accordance with FAR 15.404-1(d)(2).

51. In Section H.11(d) Annual Salary Increases, there is a reference to “professional level employees” needing COR “technical concurrence prior to commencement” of work by such employees. Is this concurrence necessary for all staff in addition to proposed key personnel and including all home office professional level employees charged directly to the contract? Second, does this concurrence relate to salary rates, or an approval of the actual persons for positions, or both? Please clarify.

A: Yes, the COR technical concurrence is necessary for all professional level employees prior to commencement of work by such employees. Administrative and support staff don’t need COR concurrence. Concurrence to salary rates is not required, since the contractor's certified compensation plan approved by the Contracting Officer (Section H.11(a)) will satisfy this requirement. COR technical concurrence is limited to qualifications of the proposed personnel for their respective positions under the contract.

52. Section H.11 (d) Annual Salary Increases. This paragraph indicates that annual salary increases will be capped at a particular percentage for the life of the contract. Earlier in the solicitation, H.10 752.7007 Personnel Compensation notes “Direct compensation of the Contractor’s personnel will be in accordance with the Contractor’s established policies, procedures, and practices, and the cost principles applicable to this contract.” The reference in Clause H.11(d) to limit annual increases conflicts with recent USAID/OAA guidance, may undermine gender equity, and may not reflect historical inflation within BiH. It also conflicts with the cost principles for Personnel Compensation found in FAR 31.205-6(a)(3) requiring contractors to “conform to the terms and conditions of the contractor’s established compensation plan.” The Offeror respectfully requests confirmation from USAID to adhere to the Contractor’s established policy and practice regarding annual increases.

A: Section H.11(d) stipulates that annual salary increases (e.g. cost of living and merit increases and other) for the current labor pool may be granted once a year and cannot exceed the escalation rate that will be negotiated and included in the contract. Annual salary increases of any kind exceeding this limitation or exceeding the USAID Contractor Salary Threshold (CST) may be granted only with the advance written approval of the Contracting Officer.

53. Section I.1 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference. FAR 52.216-7 “Allowable Cost and Payment” is not included in Section I. Is this in error?

A: FAR 52.216-7 “Allowable Cost and Payment” is mentioned in other sections of the RFP and inadvertently omitted from Section I, Clauses incorporated by Reference. This will be corrected in Amendment 01 of the RFP.

54. In K.1 “Notice Listing Contract Clauses Incorporated by Reference,” FAR 52.237-8 “Restrictions on Severance Payments to Foreign Nationals” is included; however, this clause conflicts with FAR 52.237-9 “Waiver of Limitations on Severance Payments Foreign Nationals” included in the table at Section I. Was 52.237-8 included in the RFP in error?

A: FAR 52.237-8 “Restrictions on Severance Payments to Foreign Nationals” will be removed by Amendment 01 of the RFP.

55. On Attachment J-2 Supplies, what is the unit cost range for “General Equipment”? Can USAID confirm whether the cost range is less than $500 or less than $5,000?

A: The range for General Equipment under the budget template reads $1-$4,999.

Pursuant to AIDAR 752.245-70 “Government Property—USAID Reporting Requirements

(July 1997)”, Non-expendable property, for purposes of this contract, is defined as property which is complete in itself, does not lose its identity or become a component part of another article when put into use; is durable, with an expected service life of two years or more; and which has a unit cost of more than $500.

56. Will USAID please consider allowing Letters of Support from resource organizations and collaborating partners to be included in the Cost Proposal, Letters of Commitment (Subcontractors) in addition to the letters of commitment from subcontractors as instructed in Section L.8(4)(a)?

A: USAID allows Letters of Support from resource organizations and collaborating partners to be included in the Cost Proposal, Letters of Commitment (Subcontractors) in addition to the letters of commitment from subcontractors as instructed in Section L.8(4)(a). Please clearly separate subcontractors from resource organizations and collaborating partners.

57. On page 115, the RFP states that the meals and transportation allowance are unallowable costs for cooperating country nationals employed under the contract. In our experience, local law states that employers are required to provide meals and transportation allowance. Can USAID clarify that the meals and transportation allowance is allowable for CCNS employed under this contract?

A: Meals and transportation allowance are unallowable cost. Please see 722.170 Employment of third country nationals (TCN's) and cooperating country nationals (CCN's), incorporated by reference. It is USAID policy that cooperating country nationals (CCNs) and third country nationals (TCNs), who are hired abroad for work in a cooperating country under USAID-direct contracts, generally be extended the same benefits, and be subject to the same restrictions as TCNs and CCNs employed by the USAID Mission.

58. In Section C.3b (page J.1-4 of the SOO), we note that the list of required indicators skips #2.

Please confirm that this was a typographical error, and that no required indicators are missing from the list.

A: Yes, this was a typographical error and will be corrected in Amendment 01 of RFP.

59. Does USAID anticipate the development of marketing and promotional content as part of the Activity? If so, does this include international marketing efforts, trade shows, social media and video activities?

Answer: Yes, this is correct.

60. USAID defines four objectives/components in the SOO. Please confirm that the Offeror is not required to design the Activity around those four components as specifically set forth, but rather may organize Activity objectives in line with their proposed technical approach.

Answer: Offerors will be evaluated on how they will accomplish the objectives set forth in the SOO. However, any additional component that would be in line with the defined objectives are welcome.

61. Would USAID encourage the development of additional indicators by the contractors, or prefer that indicators be limited to those defined in section C.

Answer: Yes if these additional indicators are well justified and in line with the proposed technical approach.

62. Does USAID anticipate a delay in measurement of macroeconomic indicators (such as arrivals, expenditure and overnight stays) given that:

a. These metrics will not be attributable to the Activity in the immediate and short-term?

b. It will be at least two to three years before the global travel and tourism industry recovers to pre-2020 rates?

A: (a. and b.): USAID will take a realistic approach taking into consideration the current circumstances. The new trend in 2020 should be included in the baseline.

63. Section L.7.B.2 (page 109) refers to the “implementation schedule … (to be labeled as Annex E).”

a. Please confirm that this reference should be to Annex C (to agree with the list shown in Section L.7.B on page 107).

A: Yes, the reference should be to the Annex C. This will be clarified in Amendment 01 of the RFP.

b. Please provide guidance as to what Offerors should provide in Annex E (Coordination Plan with Key Stakeholders), as we are unable to locate instructions for this annex.

A: There are no specific instructions. The offerrors should identify key stakeholders and the Coordination plan should be part of each proposal.

64. Section L.7.B.2 (page 109) states “The Offeror must provide a comprehensive management plan including…plans for *grants under the contract (if applicable)*, and other pertinent information” (emphasis added). However, neither Section H nor I contains a clause regarding

Grants under Contract. Please confirm that Grants under Contract are authorized and the clauses will be added upon result of the award.

A: We do not suggest nor discourage inclusion of grants under contract in a proposal.

However, Grants under Contract are authorized and the clauses may be added upon result of the award, as appropriate.

65. Given that COVID-19 will likely affect the performance of 2020 indicators, such as overnight stays, expenditure and number of arrivals, will a control be established to assist in measuring indicators that are attributable to project initiatives and performance?

A: We recognize that COVID-19 will affect the performance of 2020 indicators. We will follow USAID monitoring and evaluation best practices in measuring indicators that are attributable to activity initiatives and performance.

66. Please confirm that both Annexes C and F will be evaluated under the “Implementation Schedule” evaluation criteria described in Section M.4.b. Section M.4.b (page 125) states “Implementation schedules will be evaluated based on their completeness, feasibility, and the degree to which they sufficiently *detail a schedule of deliverables* that closely reflects proposed interventions outlined in the Technical Approach of their proposals” (emphasis added). We note that the instructions for the Implementation Schedule in Annex C do not reference deliverables (they are requested in a separate annex, F).

A: That is correct.

67. In attachment J1, section C.3.b, indicator 8) reads: "Number of new, indigenous agriculture products that have achieved protected status and/or an increase in sales." Can USAID please share their definition of an "agriculture product that has achieved protected status"?

A: A product that can be patented and associated with Bosnia. Please refer to https://ec.europa.eu/info/food-farming-fisheries/food-safety-and-quality/certification/quality-labels/quality-schemes-explained_en https://ec.europa.eu/info/food-farming-fisheries/food-safety-and-quality/certification/quality-labels/quality-schemes-explained_en https://ec.europa.eu/info/food-farming-fisheries/food-safety-and-quality/certification/quality-labels/quality-schemes-explained_en