RFP_72051923R00004_Amendment no. 2.pdf

(x) x x 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.

720519

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.

Items 8 and 15, and returning ____1_______

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

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.

72051923R00004

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

USAID/El Salvador Regional Office of Acquisition and Assistance San Salvador, El Salvador

PAGE OF PAGES

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO.

5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

03/31/2023

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.

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

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

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 11/2016)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

Previous edition unusable

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

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

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

Agnes Tusjak

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

05/12/2023

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

The purpose of this amendment is to:

1) Provide answers to questions received from potential offerors;

2) Make resulting changes in the solicitation;

3) Update Attachment J.2 Contractor Past Performance Information Template;

4) Update Attachment J.3 Cost/Price Evaluation Matrix, and

5) Update Attachment J.8 Cost/Price Evaluation Matrix in Excel format

See highlighted revisions in the attached amended solicitation.

5/12/2023

Section / Attachment Number

Page Number and Paragraph

Solicitation Requirement Question USAID Response

1 Cover Letter Pg 1 Submission deadlines Given May 29th is a U.S. Federal Holiday, would USAID consider extending the proposal deadline by one week?

Thank you for your feedback. The due date for proposals remains unchanged.

2 N/A N/A Eligibility of applicant

We did a thorough search of who is eligible to apply. We were not able to find the usual list that appears in solicitations (e.g., all, individuals, institutions of higher education, NGOs, etc.). Specifically, I would like to know if we can prime (small U.S.-based women-owned LLC) and if we can subcontract U.S. business and U.S.

universities.

For the unrestricted pool of awards, eligibility is not restricted. To be eligible under the small business reserve, offerors must meet the definition of a small business per FAR Part 19.

3 N/A N/A Cost share* We did a thorough search of what is the cost share. We were not able to find the usual cost share section. Is there no cost-sharing required, please confirm. Thank you.

Cost Share does not apply to this procurement.

4 N/A N/A Contractors and subcontractors Is there a partnering list or a list of sub-opportunities associated with this proposal?

USAID's Sub-Opportunities portal shares opportunities being offered by USAID’s prime implementing partners, who may seek subcontractors or subawardees when they need specialized expertise or on-the-ground support.

https://www.workwithusaid.org/sub-opportunities?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

5 Amendment 1 #357 Please provide the complete answer to #357 in amendment #1, the response is not shown in full. (Last column on the right)

Thank you for yout feedback. The complete response to question #357 reads as follows: Thank you for your question. Attachment J.5 has been revised in its entirety. In addition, the RFP has been revised to specify that information on Consent to Subcontractors should be included for major subcontractors only, as Part 9 of the Cost/Business Proposal. Please review the extensive changes in Amendment no. 1.

Amendment No.1 Questions and Answers

Page 21, Answer #128.

“The Offeror shall submit up to 10 corporate experience submissions (using the template provided in Attachment J.1, limited to 2 pages per submission). Information regarding corporate experience and capability is limited to these submissions. No additional narrative is requested, nor will it be evaluated”

Could USAID clarify that “no additional narrative is requested” applies to corporate capability statements (J.1) only, or does it also apply to Past Performance Information (J.2)?

Thank you for your question. The response to question #128 pertains to Corporate Experience and Capability submissions. Please refer to Section L.4.2.3 for detailed instructions on submission for Contractor Past Performance Information.

7 Closing Date/Time p.1, line 4 Closing Date/Time: May 31, 2023, 10:00 am El Salvador time

Given the substantial revisions of the RFP and the necessary time to receive and address the answers to the second round of clarification questions, we would be very grateful for your consideration of extending the current proposal submission deadline through June 14, 2023.

Please see response to Question #1.

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE

AND SERVICES/

RFP_72051923R00004_

Amended+Solicitation.p df

9 Award amount and use of funds The amount that can be solicited is unclear to us, according to p.9 would this be a minimum of U.S. $10k to a (theoretical) and a maximum of $800M? Thanks for clarifying.

Please review FAR Subpart 16.5 for information about Indefinite-Delivery contracts.

9 RFP, Section B.6.1 Page 12

Section B.6.1 Unburdened Ceiling Daily Rates, Note 3 states that unburdened CDRs apply to any task orders that are awarded under this contract. However, Note 4 states that unburdened CDRs do not apply to Fixed Price task orders.

Additionally, Section F.6.2.2 (e) states that when issuing T&M task orders, the fully loaded hourly labor rates will be negotiated at the TO level and will apply only to that task order.

Please confirm that unburdened ceiling daily rates do not apply to Time & Materials (T&M) task orders.

The Unburdened Ceiling Daily Rates in Section B.6.1 do not apply to Fixed-price or Time & Materials Task Orders. The RFP has been revised to provide more clarity.

RFP, Section B.6.1, B.6.2, Section L.5

Page 11-14, page 21, page 145-147

The solicitation requests CDRs for senior and mid-level resources, and provides the requirements for meeting the levels on page 21. Page 11 notes that any ‘junior-level personnel...must be proposed at rates below the unburdened ceiling daily rate’.

Please confirm that offerors will be able to use junior-level resources during implementation and that junior-level would be defined as anyone not reaching the requirements of the mid-level.

Confirmed. If junior-level personnel are required under task orders, they must be proposed at rates below the unburdened ceiling daily rate. Rates for any such personnel will be negotiated at the task order level, as needed.

11 Section B.7 Page 22

Page 22, Section B.7: “Pending establishment of revised provisional or final indirect cost rates, allowable indirect costs must be reimbursed on the basis of the following negotiated provisional or predetermined rates and the appropriate bases for prime contractors and their major subcontractors.” Further, under the Indirect Costs table, the RFP states that subcontractor’s rates will be on file with the Government.

A company’s indirect rates are widely acknowledged to be proprietary and sensitive financial information, the disclosure of which would result in competitive harm and, consistent with the Trade Secrets Act, should therefore be protected from such disclosure to third parties, (including prime contractors whom may be competitors on other Procurements). Thus, we respectfully request that Subcontractor’s indirect rate information not be included in Section B.7 or any part of the final Contract and that the cited RFP sentence be updated accordingly

Thank you for your feedback. This was an oversight and we do not intend to include indirect rates of subcontractors in the contract. Section B.7 of the RFP has been revised to remove "and their major subcontractors." Other sections of the RFP have also been revised to provide more clarity.

Cover Page/General

Section B https://www.workwithusaid.org/sub-opportunities?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery https://www.workwithusaid.org/sub-opportunities?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery https://www.workwithusaid.org/sub-opportunities?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery https://www.workwithusaid.org/sub-opportunities?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery https://www.workwithusaid.org/sub-opportunities?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

12 Section B.6.1. Page 14

The RFP states that salaries for individual locally-hired personnel and other non-U.S. expatriates under this contract and any resulting subcontract must be in accordance with AIRDAR 752.7007, Personnel Compensation (July 2007), and should be based on a combination of factors including the prevailing compensation paid to personnel performing comparable work in the cooperating country as determined by USAID and consideration of the individual’s education, work experience and recent salary history.

Would USAID please remove “recent salary history” as the biodata form was revised to exclude this information and this information is no longer collected.

The RFP has been revised to read as follows: "Salaries for individual locally-hired personnel and other non-U.S. expatriates under this contract and any resulting subcontract must be in accordance with AIDAR 752.7007, Personnel Compensation (July 2007), and should be based upon a combination of factors including the market rate of the position, the prevailing compensation paid to personnel performing comparable work in the cooperating country as determined by USAID and consideration of the individual's qualifications, education and work experience."

B.6.1 Unburdened Ceiling Daily Rates

(CDR)

Page 12 Labor Category - Level

Will USAID kindly consider adding ‘Junior’ levels to the Labor Categories? This will provide flexibility and greater cost consciousness when bidding for RFTOPs (and therefore providing Best Value to USAID). This would also allow for local junior level staff to play an important role in locally led development, and as future development leaders.

The decision not to incorporate and evaluate junior level personnel in the IDIQ solicitation and contract does not mean that entry/junior level staff cannot be hired under task orders. If such personnel are necessary for task order implementation, salaries can be determined at the TO level. Note that CDRs are limited to U.S. expatriate personnel and we expect mid and senior level positions to represent the majority of expatriate staff and these rates will therefore drive the competitive process.

14 B.6.1/L.5 Part 2 Pg. 12-13. Pg 143 Unburdened Ceiling Daily Rates

USAID presents a table that includes multiple subject matter experts (Market systems specialist, trade specialist, Custom’s expert…). To ease the proposal response as well as the administration of the contract, would USAID consider replacing these multiple labor categories with a single “Subject Matter Expert” or Technical Advisor labor category? Many technical experts work across multiple technical labor categories. Additionally, most of these labor categories will have the same or similar rates. Collecting market research for so many labor categories is a burden for small businesses that may not have this information readily available.

Thank you for your feedback. The Labor Categories and their corresponding descriptions in Section B.6.1 will remain unchanged.

15 B.2, C.1, L1 9, 23, and 137

B.2: The Government will issue task orders that are one or more of the following: Time and Materials (T&M), Cost-Plus- Fixed-Fee (CPFF) (term or completion), Cost-Plus-Award-Fee (CPAF), Cost-Plus-Incentive-Fee (CPIF) or any Fixed-Priced type.

C.1: using a variety of contract types including fixed price (all types), time and materials/labor-hour, and/or a hybrid mix of contract types.

L.1: The contract types that may be awarded as orders under the resultant IDIQs include fixed-price (FP), time and materials (T&M), labor-hour (LH) or a combination thereof.

Please confirm that the language in RFP Section B.2 Contract Type and Services, overrules the cited language present in sections C.1 and L.1.

Thank you for your feedback. The RFP has been revised to ensure consistency accross the referenced sections.

16 B.5 and B.6 10-20

B.5 Fixed Fee Ceiling: Cost-Plus- Fixed-Fee Task Orders Only

B.6 Labor: Only applicable to cost reimbursement type task orders

The cited RFP sections expressly state that the requirements contained within each are not applicable to fixed-price task orders, and B.5/Fixed Fee ceiling adds that CPIF and CPAF are also excluded (will be negotiated later during Task Order award).

Please confirm for T&M /L-H task orders, the limitations/ requirements in these sections also do not apply.

The Unburdened Ceiling Daily Rates in Section B.6.1 and Fixed Fee Ceiling in Section B.5 do not apply to Time & Materials Task Orders. The RFP has been revised to provide more clarity.

17 B.6.1, (3) 1. 14, Last Paragraph

The 1. Project Management Specialist category states that the category “Provides technical expertise in support of task order requirements in one or more of the following areas: (i) Crisis, Conflict and Natural Disasters (ii) Democracy, Rights and Governance (iii) Education (iv) Economic Growth (v) Environment, Climate Change, and Environmental Compliance (Reg. 216) (vi) Food Security and Agriculture(vii) Gender (viii) Health and Nutrition (ix) Infrastructure and Urban Planning (x) Organizational Capacity Strengthening (xi) Science and Technology (xii) Education (xiii) Trade (xiv) Workforce Development (xv) Energy (xvi) Other, As Required.”

Would USAID consider combining and/or eliminating redundances from some labor categories(suggestions below) for efficiency and clarity purposes? This Labor Category appears to conflict or overlap with other categories, such as Gender Specialist, Engineering Advisor, Democracy, Rights and Governance Specialist, Environment and Natural Resources Specialist, Food Security Specialist, Capacity Strengthening Specialist, Trade Specialist, Workforce Development Specialist, or Urban Climate Resilience Specialist.

Please see response to Question #14.

18 B.6.1. (3) 4. 15, 4th paragraph

The 4. Operations Specialist position states that the category will “Provide subject matter expertise as necessary to manage each task order, including but not limited to: sub-contracts, sub-grants, financial management, gender, monitoring, evaluation learning, youth, sustainability, environment and training. They will provide industry specific skills to contribute to the day-to-day operations and ongoing monitoring and measurement of the project.”

Would USAID consider combining and/or eliminating redundances from some labor categories (suggestions below)for efficiency and clarity purposes? This Labor Category appears to conflict or overlap with other categories such as Project Management, Gender Specialist, Financial Management Specialist, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist, Entrepreneurial Development /Youth Engagement, Environment and Natural Resources Specialist, Capacity Strengthening Specialist

Please see response to Question #14.

19 B.6.1. (3) Pp 14-20, numbers 11, 12, 19, 22,25, 27,28, 29, 33, 39, Separate Labor Categories for:

Project Management Specialist (removing categories covered by other areas below) Public Space Coordinator Environment and Natural Resources Specialist Municipal Services Specialist Political & Analytic Country expert Urban Climate Resilience Specialist Engineering Advisor Education Specialist Crime and Violence Prevention Specialist Resilience Specialist Food Security Specialist Migration Specialist

Would USAID please consider combining these Labor Categories into one “Subject Matter Expert” Category?

Please see response to Question #14.

20 B.6.1. (3) Pp 14-20, numbers 4, 7, 8, Separate Labor Categories for:

Operations Specialist Financial Management Specialist Grants Management Specialist Procurement Specialist

Would USAID please consider combining these Labor Categories into one “Finance, Contracts, and Grants Specialist”

Please see response to Question #14.

21 B.6.1. (3) PP 14-20, numbers 3, 38 Separate Labor Categories for:

General Administrative Support Interpreter/Translator

Would USAID please consider combining these Labor Categories into one “General Administrative Support” Category?

Please see response to Question #14.

22 B.6.1. (3) PP 14-20, numbers 9,10 Separate Labor Categories for:

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist Knowledge Management and Learning Specialist

Would USAID please consider combining these Labor Categories into one “Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist” Category?

Please see response to Question #14.

23 B.6.1. (3) PP 14-20, numbers 5, 6 Separate Labor Categories for:

Gender Specialist Vulnerable Population Inclusion Specialist

Would USAID please consider combining these Labor Categories into one “GESI Specialist” Category?

Please see response to Question #14.

24 B.6.1. (3) PP 14-20, numbers 20,21, 23, 24,26, Separate Labor Categories for:

Democracy, Rights and Governance Specialist Rule of Law and Human Rights Specialist Civil Society Initiatives Specialist Civil Society and Media Resilience Specialist Transparency, Accountability and Public Function Specialist

Would USAID please consider combining these Labor Categories into one “Democracy and Governance Specialist” Category?

Please see response to Question #14.

25 B.6.1. (3) PP 14-20, numbers 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

Separate Labor Categories for:

Workforce Development Specialist Customs Expert and Trade Facilitation Specialist Market Systems Specialist Trade Specialist

Would USAID please consider combining these Labor Categories into one “Economic Development Specialist” Category?

Please see response to Question #14.

26 B.6.1. (3) PP 14-20, numbers 34, 35,36

Separate Labor Categories for:

Capacity Strengthening Specialist Training Specialist, HICD Specialist

Would USAID please consider combining these Labor Categories into one “Capacity Strengthening” Category?

Please see response to Question #14.

27 B.6.1. (3) PP 14-20, numbers 30,31,32

Separate Labor Categories for:

Health Financing Specialist Health Governance Specialist Health Systems Performance and Sustainability Specialist

Would USAID please consider combining these Labor Categories into one “Health Specialist” Category?

Please see response to Question #14.

28 B.5 Fixed Fee Ceilings p.10, Note and Paragraph a

The ceiling on fixed fee does not apply to Fixed-Price Task Orders.

The fixed fee ceiling applies to the prime contract and all cost reimbursement subcontracts.

Fees for CPIF or CPAF task order types will be negotiated by the TOCO at the time of task order award.

Please confirm that the fixed fee ceilings apply to CPFF Task orders only for both the prime contract and subcontracts and these ceilings do not apply to FFP, T&M, CPAF, or CPIF tasks orders under the prime contract or subcontracts.

The Fixed Fee Ceiling in Section B.5 applies to the prime contract and all CPFF subcontracts and applies to CPFF Task Orders only. The RFP has been revised to provide more clarity.

B.6.1 Unburdened Ceiling Daily Rates

p. 14, Notes 1 and 4

Note 1: The Unburdened Ceiling Daily Rates apply to any task order(s) that are awarded under this contract.

Note 4: The Unburdened Ceiling Daily Rates above do not apply to Fixed-price Task Orders.

Please confirm that the unburdened ceiling daily rates apply to cost reimbursable task orders only.

Please see response to Question #9.

Section B.5 and Section B.5(a)

Page 10, Section B.5 heading and paragraphs 1 and 3 of B.5(a)

Application of fixed fee ceiling

The Section B.5 heading indicates that the fixed fee ceiling is relevant for cost plus fixed fee (CPFF) task orders only; however, the first paragraph of (a) seems to indicate that the fixed fee ceiling is applicable to any “cost-reimbursement task order.” Then, the last paragraph of (a) states that fee for cost plus incentive fee (CPIF) and cost plus award fee (CPAF) task orders will be negotiated at the time of award. Could USAID please confirm that the fixed fee ceiling is applicable only to CPFF task orders?

Please see response to Question #28.

31 Section B.6.1(2), Note 3 Page 14, paragraph 5 “Salaries for individual locally-hired personnel and non-U.S.

expatriates … should be based upon a combination of factors including … recent relevant salary history.”

As candidates for project personnel positions are no longer required to disclose their salary or rate history on the Contractor Employee Biographical Data Sheet, and USAID typically requires offerors to use market data to set salaries, could USAID please remove “recent relevant salary history” as a factor for salary setting?

Please see response to Question #12.

32 Section B.6.2 Page 21, table at top of page

Direct relevant experience requirements for senior-level personnel

Would USAID please reconsider the years of direct relevant experience required for senior-level personnel for those with an MS/MA/MB, a BS/BA, or less than BS/BA/no degree to 10 years, 12 years, and 15 years, respectively?

Thank you for your feedback. Section B.6.2 will remain unchanged.

33 B.6.1 p. 14, Notes 1 and 4 The task order rates must not exceed the ceiling daily rates set forth in the table below.

Note 1 contradicts Note 4. Could USAID please change Note 1 to read "The Unburdened Ceiling Daily Rates apply to any task order(s) that are awarded under this contract, with the exception to Fixed-price Task Orders."?

Please see response to Question #9.

Amended Solicitation;

B.6.1

Note 2: The Unburdened Ceiling Daily Rates apply to all labor (the prime contractor, subcontractor, TCNs, CCN’s, and consultant salaries). CCN and TCN labor are also governed by the local compensation plan limitations as further provided in note 3 below.

Can USAID clarify if each offeror must complete a J.3 for each country, or would one J.3 suffice for all geographic areas covered under the IDIQ, as indicated in Note 2?

Offerors are required to submit a single cost/price evaluation matrix. Since the CDRs included in the CDR table and the matrix represent U.S. expatriate rates, these should be comparable across countries in the region. Offerors will propose a single mid level and a single senior level unbuderned CDR for each labor category to be incoporated in the CDR table. The offeror will then complete the cost/price matrix by including the proposed unburdened CDRs reflected in the CDR table for the specificed categories. As such, the CDRs used in the CDR table and those entered in the cost/price evaluation matrix for the same labor categories must be identical.

35 Section B.7 p. 22

Pending establishment of revised provisional or final indirect cost rates, allowable indirect costs must be reimbursed on the basis of the following negotiated provisional or predetermined rates and the appropriate bases for prime contractors and their major subcontractors.

Given that this section allows us to report the prime indirect costs only, how does USAID plan to handle subcontractors' indirect rates?

If the subcontractor rates have to be addressed in tandem with prime contractor, do we have to also consider other subcontractors at this stage?

Please see response to Question #11.

B.7; L.5, Part 2;

Attachment J.3

pp. 22, 144, 169

B.7. Indirect Rates L.5 – “The cost/price matrix serves as the basis for final ceiling daily rates, indirect costs, and fee that will be bound in the final contract.”

J.3. E. Indirect Costs (using ceiling rates)

Section B.7 seems to affirm that indirect rates will be established by the Offeror’s updated NICRA rates at any given point during the life of the IDIQ, so they are subject to no cap.

Section L.5 suggests that the indirect rates presented in the cost/price matrix will be “bound in the final contract.” And Attachment J.3 includes a section E – “Indirect Costs (using ceiling rates)”.

Given that a NICRA establishes an organization’s government-approved indirect rates based on actual costs, can USAID confirm that Offerors will be able to adjust their indirect rates consistent with whatever NICRA is operative at a given time?

Further, USAID’s “Best Practices Guide for Indirect Costing” states that “Indirect cost rates should not be considered in award decisions or negotiations since indirect cost rates are approved by the Government for standard application on all federal awards and by their nature do not compare across organizations, given the diverse accounting practices and methods for determining rates” (p. 6). Given the incomparability of indirect rates across Offerors, can USAID also confirm that indirect rates will not be a part of USAID’s “cost realism” analysis?

Attachment J.3 has been revised to remove the phrase "(using ceiling rates)".

USAID will conduct a cost evaluation to determine if the proposed costs (i.e., the ceiling daily rates for all labor categories, provisional and indirect cost rates, and ceiling on fixed fee) are reasonable and realistic.

B.6.1

F.6.2.2

14, Note 4

63, (a) 1

P. 14: The Unburdened Ceiling Daily Rates above do not apply to Fixed-price Task Orders.

P. 63: When competing for TO awards under the fair opportunity process, the Contractor must propose labor rates that do not exceed labor ceilings established in Section B of the IDIQ contract.

Could USAID please confirm that the unburdened CDRs do not apply to fixed-price task orders?

Please see response to Question #9.

B.6.1 (2), Note

Page 14, Paragraph 2 “The Unburdened Ceiling Daily Rates apply to all labor (the prime contractor, subcontractor, TCNs, CCN’s, and consultant salaries).”

In its answers to Questions 31, 41, and 333, USAID indicates that the CDRs are limited to expatriate staff. Accordingly, we respectfully request that USAID confirm that the CDRs are applicable to expatriate labor only and revise the cited sentence to read as follows: “The Unburdened Ceiling Daily Rates apply to all expatriate labor (the prime contractor, subcontractor, and consultant salaries).”

Note 2 of Section B.6.1 has been revised to read as follows: "Note 2: The Unburdened Ceiling Daily Rates apply to all U.S. expatriate labor (the prime contractor, subcontractor and consultant salaries). CCN and TCN labor are governed by the limitations as further provided in note 3 below."

B.6.1 (2), Note

Page 14, Paragraph 2

“CCN and TCN labor are also governed by the local compensation plan limitations...”

We respectfully request that the referenced salary restriction be removed from the RFP as it appears to be inconsistent with AIDAR 752.7007 Personnel Compensation, incorporated in the contract under Sections B.6 and I.2, which stipulates that personnel compensation be in accordance with the contractor’s established policies, procedures, and practices with reimbursement subject only to the USAID Contractor Salary Threshold. The salary restriction above may preclude contractors from following their established policies, procedures, and practices, as required by AIDAR 752.7007.

Please see response to Question #38.

40 Section B P. 21

On page 21, the RFP provides guidance for various subcontracting arrangements.

Would USAID confirm that the prime may seek subcontractor approval for a subcontractor that only processes fully burdened rates which would be above the prime IDIQ unloaded rates?

Confirmed. Note that unburcened CDRs apply only to cost-reimbursement task orders and subcontracts. If the proposed subcontract is T&M (which we assume may be the case, based on the question), the CDRs would not apply. As noted in Section L.5, Part 9, consent to subcontract may be requested at the time of award as long as the Offeror addresses each of the elements in FAR 44.202-2.

41 B.5 Page 10 (a) For each cost-reimbursement task order issued under this IDIQ, the TOCO and Contactor agree to negotiate a set dollar amount for fixed fee.

If a task order includes Grants Under Contracts (GUCs), will offerors be able to include a fee on GUCs, separate from the fixed fee ceiling?

The decision regarding the extent of fees on GUCs will be determined at the task order level by the TOCO.

42 B.6.3 (iii) Page 21 (iii)

Prime subcontracts with a new subcontractor not yet approved and may or may not have a different cost accounting system that only processes fully burdened rates.

Further, subcontractor proposes rates that are “above” the prime IDIQ rates.

The Prime may then include in its TO proposal, (i) the fully burdened rate proposed to the Prime by the Subcontractor,

(ii) allocation of the Prime’s indirect costs in accordance with established accounting practices, and (iii) a reasonable profit.

If the rates proposed to USAID, inclusive of the Prime’s allocable indirect costs and a reasonable profit are above the Prime’s unburdened CDRs, the Prime must disclose the amount of the indirect costs, and the amount of the proposed profit that were added to the Subcontractor’s proposed rates. A reasonable fixed fee will be negotiated by the TOCO for the specific TO. The CDRs of the subcontractor must not exceed the prime’s CDRs in the IDIQ contract.

Would USAID please confirm that “CDRs of the subcontractor must not exceed the prime’s CDRs in the IDIQ contract” refers to the Primes’ unburdened CDRs?

Confirmed.

43 B.6.3.

Page 21, Section B.6.3.

Subcontractor Rates, i

The Prime subcontracts with an approved subcontractor from the original IDIQ competition / The unburdened CDR’s for the prime contract apply to the subcontractor

Could USAID please clarify if this means that subcontractor labor rates will be required to be less than the NTE’s provided by primes? Will task orders allow for flexibility in calculating loaded rates across partners to account for variance in benefits, fees, etc.?

The Unburdened CDRs in Section B.6.1 will be fixed for the contract period and apply to all subcontractors set forth in clause 52.244-2 in Section I. Each CDR for personnel listed in Section B.6.1 is “unburdened” and must only include salary costs or consulting rates of the individual providing the services. The Unburdened CDRs do not apply to Fixed-price or Time and Materials Task Orders. The RFP has been revised to provide more clarity.

C.4 Main Performance Areas/RFP_72051923R0 0004_Amended+Solicita tion.pdf

28,34 Performance Area topics There are [...] performance areas that we would like to combine in our proposal: [...] Is a combination of performance areas acceptable? [...] (Question partially deleted due to seemingly sensitive Offeror information).

USAID is unable to offer specific guidance on how Offerors structure their proposals. Please review Section L to ensure the proposed information alignes with the solicitaiton requirements.

45 RFP, Section C.5.1 Page 36

The solicitation states the following: “To advance locally-driven development, the contractor must sub-contract with local NGOs, local offerors and other key country entities in the implementation of programs, where the contractor determines that program content and efficiency of implementation will be beneficial.”

It is possible that local NGOs and local offerors do not have the administrative and financial systems in place to sign a subcontract agreement which may contain flowdown requirements per FAR. A grant agreement instrument may be a more suitable instrument to engage local partners. Please consider removing the “must sub-contract" language from this section.

Thank you for your feedback. This language remains unchanged. Note that the suggested contractual setup is already part of the IDIQ and future task orders, these are captured under the grants under contract component, which are expected under task orders, as appropriate. Specific requirements regarding maximizing use of local entities and sustainability, as necessary, will be further defined at the TO level.

46 C 1 and C.3 p.23, Purpose paragraph and p. 27, General Requirements paragraph

The IDIQ contract will support multiple USAID program teams supporting Central America and Mexico.

Could USAID change "Central America and Mexico" to "Latin America and the Caribbean" in Section C, paragraph to be consistent with Section C.1. Purpose.

The RFP has been revised to ensure consistency accross the referenced Sections.

Amended Solicitation;

C.1, F.3

This Contract is primarily available for use by USAID Missions throughout the Latin American and Caribbean Regions.

Can USAID clarify if it intends to apply the proposed Ceiling Daily rates across the entire Latin American Region? Since the CDRs are based on the Central America and Mexico Labor Market, this may limit Offerors ability to attract the best talent in other parts of Latin America.

Please see response to Question #38.

F.1 NOTICE LISTING

CONTRACT CLAUSES

INCORPORATED BY

REFERENCE/

RFP_72051923R00004_

Amended+Solicitation.p df

50 Period of Performance (POP) We would like to propose the maximum POP. Can you confirm this is seven (7) years.

The period of performance for the IDIQ contract is seven (7) years. The period of performance for each task order placed under the IDIQ contract will be specified in the individual task order and must not exceed five years at any given time.

49 F.5.1 and H.28 p.53 and p.87 Small business reporting requirements are described in both sections; some language is redundant and some is different.

Please consider consolidating all subject requirements in H.28 and removing it from F.5.1.

Thank you for your feedback. The referenced sections will remain unchanged.

50 F.6.1(a)9. p.55

The clause states that the “TOCO must provide each Contractor a fair opportunity to be considered for each task order (also referred to as "order") exceeding $3,500 issued under this contract”.

Please confirm that the threshold was intentionally set at $3,500 and not at the micro-purchase level (currently $10,000) as prescribed in FAR 16.505(b)(1)(i).

Confirmed.

Section C

Section F

51 F.6.2.2 Award Types P.63, Paragraph a

A combination of fixed-priced items and cost reimbursable line items may be used or the entire award may be fixed-priced. When competing for TO awards under the fair opportunity process, the Contractor must propose labor rates that do not exceed labor ceilings established in Section B of the IDIQ contract.

As the unburdened ceiling daily rates do not apply to fixed price tasks orders, we respectfully request that this statement be edited to read:

When competing for TO awards under the fair opportunity process, the Contractor must propose labor rates for cost reimbursable labor line items that do not exceed labor ceilings established in Section B of the IDIQ contract.

Thank you for your feedback. The referenced section of the RFP has been revised to read as follows: "When competing for TO awards under the fair opportunity process, the Contractor must propose labor rates for cost reimbursable labor line items that do not exceed labor ceilings established in Section B of the IDIQ contract."

52 F.6.2.2 Award Types p.64, paragraph e Cost-type task orders: The Contractor must have an adequate accounting system in accordance with FAR 16.301- 3(a)(3).

Please confirm that evidence of an adequate accounting system as stated in this section is not required as part of the cost proposal and will be addressed at the task order level.

If evidence is required, please identify in which part of the cost volume it should be included.

Evidence of an adequate accounting system in in accordance with FAR 16.301- 3(a)(3) will be provided by the Contractor as determined by each TOCO at the task order level.

53 Section F.8.2 Page 67, entire section IDIQ Manager Could USAID kindly confirm that offerors should not present an IDIQ Manager candidate until after award of the CARSS IDIQ? Could USAID clarify what materials offerors must submit to confirm an individual’s candidacy?

The contractor must designate the primary point of contact whom USAID may contact for procedural and substantive matters upon award. Even though USAID does not require any documentation to confirm this individual's candidacy, the contractor must provide the central management necessary to fulfill all the requirements of the contract as further specified in Section F.8.2 of the RFP.

54 RFP F.8.2 IDIQ Manager p.67, paragraphs 1,2,3 …Primary Point of Contact: IDIQ Manager… Please kindly advise if the Offerors are required to name their designated IDIQ Manager within the IDIQ proposal responses or they can rather present the IDIQ management team structure and capabilities.

Please see response to Question #53.

55 H.18 81 A blank copy of the DD 254 is attached in Section J.

Please confirm that there is no DD 254 attached to the solicitation. Please also confirm that for the requirement contained within RFP Section L.5 Part 12 of the Cost/Business Proposal, that only a response to the following question is needed: At the time of award, the contractor does [ ] does not [ ] have a Secret level facility clearance.

Section H.18 of of the RFP has been revised. In addition, USAID confirms that Section L.5 Part 12 requires that the Offeror fill out the security provision found in Section H.18, as follows: At the time of award, the contractor does [ ] does not [ ] have a Secret level facility clearance.

56 H.10 (1) (b) 76

Section H.10 (1) (b) specifies that the total value of all GUCs that provide funds to a particular partner government entity must not exceed $300,000 for the duration of the prime contract. Can the Government please clarify if the $300,000 threshold applies to the IDIQ award or a Task Order award?

This requirement applies at the Task-Order level. The amount of grants, if any, will depend on task order requirements.

Amended Solicitation;

H.18 Security Clearance

Fill out the security provision found in Section H. Offerors must provide information on their security clearance status.

Can USAID confirm that the request for representation of whether or not an offeror holds an active facility clearance is for informational purposes only?

Section L.5 Part 12 of the RFP requires that the Offeror fill out the security provision found in Section H.18, as follows: At the time of award, the contractor does [ ] does not [ ] have a Secret level facility clearance. Further, Section F.6.1(c) of the RFP specifies that "Any contractor under this multiple-award IDIQ that has not been granted either an interim or final Secret level facility clearance by the Defense Security Service (DCSA) may be determined to be ineligible to be considered for a classified task order." Please refer to Section F.6.1(c) of the RFP.

Amended Solicitation;

H.18 Security Clearance

Fill out the security provision found in Section H. Offerors must provide information on their security clearance status.

Can USAID provide a reasonable estimate for the anticipated ratio of classified to non-classified Task Orders to be released under this IDIQ?

Thank you for your question. We expect the number of classified task orders to be minimal, if any.

RFP H.6. Authorized Geographic Code p.75, paragraph 3 The authorized geographic code the procurement of goods and services is 937 for the prime contract and its subcontractors or as specified in Task Orders.

Please confirm if the Offerors can include in their IDIQ proposals a 935 subcontractor together with a waiver request under prior approvals, 48 CFR 752.7025, if it is anticipated that the subcontractor would bring significant value to USAID across the wider region and for multiple task orders.

The authorized geographic code for this requirement is 937. We caution Offerors from proposing subcontracting arrangements at the IDIQ proposal stage that do not meet this requirement, as they risk not being evaluated for the aspects of the proposal related to the non-compliant subcontractor. No waivers will be processed at the procurement stage. During task order competition or implementation, if such an arrangement is necessary, TOCOs may consider processing a waiver.

I.1 and Amendment 1 – Q&A document

91 of RFP, 17 of Amendment 1 – Q&A

52.215-12 SUBCONTRACTOR CERTIFIED COST AND PRICING

DATA Jun 2020

Answer to question 88: …This clause [I.1] remains in the solicitation.

Please advise offerors and their major subcontractors on how best to meet this requirement, given this solicitation is an IDIQ and there is no value/budget specific to subcontractors to present certified cost and pricing data on. For example, Table 15- 2 requires on the cover page: (6) Proposed cost; profit or fee; and total. It would benefit the client to have major subcontractors approved at the IDIQ stage.

The applicability of this clause will be determined by each TOCO at the TO level.

No action is needed from Offerors at this time.

J.3 Cost/Price Evaluation Matrix

149-160, 167 Section L.5 Part 3, Cost/Price Matrix Instructions For the labor categories in the model, should the Offeror assume that “expatriate” in this RFP means US citizen? TCN staff and US staff may have different indirect rates applied to them.

Please see response to Question #34.

62 J.2 159 Completion of form Can USAID please verify that on the J.2 form, “Description of the Performance” does not need to be completed when the project being presented has a CPAR report that has been finalized in the CPAR reporting system for the activity?

Confirmed.

63 Attachment J.3 Please confirm that Attachment J.3 deliberately includes only the senior level or mid-level for selected labor categories, rather than both levels for all labor categories, or clarify.

Confirmed. Please see response to Question #34.

Section H

Section I

Section J

64 Attachment J.8 N/A Paid Absence Not in Fringe Benefits – pre-populated calculation/formula

Using the Chief of Party as an example, row 10 calculates the total working days (260 days) less paid absences multiplied by proposed Year 1 CDR. Row 11, titled “Paid Absences not in fringe benefits”, includes a pre-populated formula that calculates paid absences multiplied by proposed Year 1 CDR. Please confirm that if firms paid absences are recovered within fringe, that this formula can be removed, and a $0 total can be left in its place.

Confirmed. The Excel document is meant to help Offerors with completing their matrices, but its use is not mandatory and as noted in the instructions, Offerors may revise it (or use an alternative Excel format) to ensure the numbers reflect their organizational policies and practices.

Attachment J.1_Corporate Experience Reference Template Amendment

Please confirm bidders are permitted to use 0.5 margins for the corporate experience reference section in accordance with the corporate experience reference template J.1.

Confirmed. The RFP has been revised to provide more clarity.

Attachment J.1 and Attachment J.2

Since grants are allowable in corporate experience (attachment J-1) and there is a provision for grants under contract (sections C.5.2, H.10), we are asking if grants can be provided by the offeror for past performance as well.

For Contractor Past Performance, information is limited to recent and relevant contracts.

67 Attachment J.2 Since USAID is looking to leverage its funding and increase private investment in the LAC region, can projects funded privately be presented in attachment J-2?

For Contractor Past Performance, information is limited to recent and relevant contracts.

Attachment J.3 Cost/Price Evaluation Matrix

p. 176, part E Indirect Costs (using ceiling rates)

"E. Indirect Costs" in the Attachment J.3 Cost/Price Evaluation Matrix on page 176 of the NOFO indicates "Indirect Costs (using ceiling rates)," but instructions indicate that applicants should use current approved or provisional rates in accordance with their NICRAs. Attachment J.8 does not include this “(using ceiling rates)” language.

For consistency and clarity, can USAID please remove the “(using ceiling rates)” language from part E of the Attachment J.3 Cost/Price Evaluation Matrix?

Attachment J.3 has been revised to remove the phrase "(using ceiling rates)".

Cover Page and Attachment J.6 Local Compensation Plan (LCP) Ranges and all of Attachment J.6

“USAID is seeking proposals to provide services for USAID’s Missions in Latin American and the Caribbean, as described in the attached Request for Proposals (RFP).”

Although USAID confirmed that the place of performance will be throughout the Latin American and Caribbean Regions, Attachment J.6 Local Compensation Plan (LCP) Ranges only gives ranges for Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.

Could USAID please confirm if: a) the current 10 anticipated Task Orders will only be implemented in Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala?; Or b) the current 10 anticipated Task Orders will be implemented in any country in Central America, South America, or the Caribbean?

If “b)”, could USAID please clarify why salary ranges were only provided for Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala?

The Cover Page of the RFP states that USAID anticipates the award of up to ten

(10) seven-year Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity Contracts (IDIQs). An estimate of the number of anticipated Task Orders has not been provided.

However, USAID confirms that the place of performance will be throughout the Latin American and Caribbean Regions. Task orders will specify the task order place of performance. As USAID is now limiting unburdened ceiling daily rates to U.S. expatriate staff, Attachment J.6 has been removed from the RFP.

Attachment J.2 Contractor Past Performance Information

CPARS report(s) “If CPARS report(s) have been finalized in the CPARS system for the activity, leave the following boxes blank. If not, please fill in in full”

If the project has finalized CPARS report(s), are Offerors permitted to indicate “Yes” in the row above, and delete the row for “Contact information (names, job titles, mailing addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses of the procuring Contracting Officer and/or the Contracting Officer’s Representative):” in order to maximize the use of space in the template?

Offerors must not modify Attachment J.2.

ATTACHMENT J.1 -

CORPORATE

EXPERIENCE REFERENCE

TEMPLATE

ATTACHMENT J.1

OFFEROR NAME:

OFFEROR CAGE CODE: OFFEROR UEI:

It appears that offerors must list their name, CAGE Code, and UEI on each of the ten

(10) corporate experience reference forms submitted. Is it necessary to repeat this information for every project, or could it just be provided once?

Please provide this information for each Corporate Experience submission.

72 Attachment J.3 Page 176, item E Requirement to use indirect cost ceiling rates Could USAID please confirm that the reference to indirect cost ceiling rates is a typo in Attachment J.3 and that offerors should apply their current provisional rates to the direct costs in the Cost/Price Evaluation Matrix?

Please see response to Question #68.

73 Attachment J.1 N/A The Offeror shall submit up to 10 corporate experience submissions (using the template provided in Attachment J.1, limited to 2 pages per submission).

The margins provided in the template (.5" top, bottom, right, left) are considerably smaller than the required proposal margins of 1" top and bottom, .75" right and left.

Please clarify which margins take precedence as the Attachment J.1 template must be incorporated into the technical proposal document.

Please see response to Question #65.

74 Attachment J.1 N/A The Offeror shall submit up to 10 corporate experience submissions (using the template provided in Attachment J.1, limited to 2 pages per submission).

At the top of J.1, we are requested to provide the OFFEROR name, UEI, and CAGE code. However, we will also be providing corporate experience for major subcontractors. For those references provided for major subcontractors, please clarify if USAID still wants the OFFEROR's information at the top, or if we should provide name, UEI, and CAGE for the corresponding major subcontractor for which the experience is being provided.

Please include the Offeror's information at the top (name, UEI and CAGE code) and provide the information of the major subcontractor within the CONTRACT/AGREEMENT REFERENCE INFORMATION section.

75 Attachments J.3 and J.8 Pg. 144 Submission of Attachment J.8 as an Excel…