Attachment 2 - Questions and Answers - RFP 72052321R00001 PDP.pdf

Attachment 2

ATTACHMENT 2 -- Questions and Answers

Solicitation Number 72052321R00001, Amendment 1 Por la Protección de Defensores y Periodistas (PDP)

SECTION H - SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

No. Section Questions Answers

1 H.15(c) (page 36-37) states “(c) Annual Salary increases, which include Cost of Living Adjustments, for Contractor’s U.S. and TCN employees may not exceed those provided by the Contractor’s established policy and practice. With respect to such employees performing work directly under this contract, USAID shall reimburse the Contractor for one annual salary increase of not more than 5% of the employee’s base salary, subject to the Contractor’s established policy and practice.” We respectfully request that the restriction of salary increases to not more than 5% be removed from the RFP as it appears to be inconsistent with AIDAR 752.7007 Personnel Compensation, incorporated in the contract under Section H.15.c, which stipulates that personnel compensation be in accordance with the contractor’s established policies, procedures, and practices. The limitation on salary increases may preclude contractors from following their established policies, procedures, and practices, as required by AIDAR 752.700.

Section H.15(c) states that USAID will ONLY reimburse the contractor for one annual salary increase of not more than 5% of the employee’s base salary however, if the Contractor chooses to provide a higher salary increase percentage based on the Contractor’s established policies and procedures, the percentage difference would have to be funded by the Contractor and not by

USAID.

SECTION L - INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

2 L.6.b Instructions for the Preparation of the Technical Proposal, Page Limitation, it states: “The reasonable use of tables and graphs may be no less than 9-point font…Proposals must be…12

a) Yes, USAID confirms that all figures may be no less than 9-point size font point Times New Roman…” We have the following questions:

a) Would USAID kindly confirm that all figures may be no less than 9-point size font?

3 L.6.b b) Would USAID kindly allow Offerors to use a font style other than Times New Roman for tables, graphs and figures, as long as it is legible?

b) All the proposal, including graphs and figures, should use front style Times New Roman.

4 L.6.c Instructions for the Preparation of the Technical Proposal, Content, it states:

“Not included in this page limitation are the following…Past Performance Matrix…and past performance forms, references, Past Performance Information (PPI) Form…; Small Disadvantaged Business participation program targets information…” As Annex D. Past Performance Information, is not to exceed 5 pages and includes the Past Performance Summary Chart (according to the guidance on page 94), we have the following questions:

a) Would USAID kindly confirm that the Past Performance Summary Chart and the Past Performance Matrix are referring to the same item, which is the template provided in Attachment J.9?

a) Correct. USAID confirms that the Summary Past Performance Chart and Past Performance Matrix (Attachment J.9) are the same.

Offerors should use the template in J.9 to complete this requirement.

5 L.6.c b) Is the Past Performance Information Form provided in Attachment J.10 different from the past performance forms and references that are stated on page 91 above?

b) Yes. The Past Performance Information form is a similar, yet separate requirement. Offerors must complete both as part of their application package.

6 L.6.c c) If so, to what are the additional past performance forms and references referring

c) Additional past performance forms and references are not required. Only Attachment J.9 and J.10 are required to to? be completed with past performance information.

7 L.6.c d) Would USAID please confirm that the PPI forms should be included in Annex D, and that they are not restricted to the five-page limit that applies to the Past Performance Matrix?

d) Yes. The Past Performance Information forms should be included in Annex D and are not restricted to the five-page limit that applies to the Past Performance Matrix. However, USAID is removing this page limitation in Amendment 1 to the RFP.

8 L.6.c e) The “Small Disadvantaged Business participation program targets information (per Section L)” bullet seems to refer to the Small Business Subcontracting Plan, to be submitted in the Cost Proposal. Would USAID please confirm that this bullet refers to requirements for the Performance in Using Small Business Concerns as noted on pages 95-96?

The Performance in Using Small Business concerns referred to in Section L, is specific to past performance of the Contractor, based on which USAID will evaluate the extent to which the Offeror used and promoted the use of small business concerns under current and prior contracts. The Small Business Subcontracting plan, refers to the proposed activity and how the Contractor plans to use small business concerns.

9 L.6.c (page 90) requests “Resumes (for Chief of Party only, not to exceed 3 pages), however on page 93, the instructions also state that “Offerors may – though are not required to – provide CVs, letters of commitment, and contact information for the other key personnel positions.” Can you please clarify if this means we should only submit a resume for the proposed Chief of Party, and this resume should not exceed 3 pages?

USAID confirms that a proposed candidate name and CV for the key personnel position of Chief of Party is Required. The CV for the Chief of Party candidate may not exceed 3 pages. This is the only key personnel position for which a proposed candidate and associated CV is required.

Offerors may - but are not obligated to -provide CVs, letters of commitment, and contact information for the other key personnel positions.

10 L.6.c (page 91) includes a list of components not to be included within the page limitation, including a “Personnel summary matrix (per Section L) on the expertise of staff, consultants, and other personnel specialists.” There are no further instructions on this matrix, so we wish to confirm if this is a required element, and if so, where and in what format it should be provided.

Offerors may but are not required to include a personnel summary matrix as an annex. The matrix is not subject to page limits. Offerors may structure the matrix as they deem best supports the management plan.

11 L.6.c Please confirm that the Past Performance Information form referenced on page 91 and included in Attachment J.10 should only be included for projects where Contractor Performance Assessment Reports are not currently available in Government past performance systems.

That is correct, as stated at the top of the attachment “The form is not required if the below information is available in the Government past performance systems.”

12 L.6.c.6 (page 94) requests, as part of Annex D, that Offerors submit a “Summary Chart of Past Performance” following the template on page 94, in addition to a “Contractor Past Performance Matrix” following another template included in Attachment J.9. Given that the two templates are similar, could USAID please confirm that USAID requires only the “Contractor Past Performance Matrix” provided in J.9?

b) Correct. USAID confirms that the Summary Past Performance Chart and Past Performance Matrix (Attachment J.9) are the same.

Offerors should use the template in J.9 to complete this requirement.

13 L.6.c.6 (page 94) instructs offerors to submit up to five pages in Annex D for past performance information. However, offerors who are not small business concerns are also asked to provide a narrative summary of the organization’s use of small-business concerns over the past three years, plus associated information. Please confirm that the small-business portion of the annex (i.e., the small-business use narrative, list of recent contracts with subcontract reports submitted to eSRS, and small-business references) does not count toward the five pages allotted for past performance information.

That is correct. The small business information required in Annex D does not count toward the five-page limit.

USAID is removing this page limitation in Amendment 1.

14 L.6.c.6 Annex D instructions (page 96), Offerors are instructed to “provide a list of three recent contracts for which offeror submitted subcontract reports to eSRS (FAR 52.219-9(d)(10) and a copy of any similarly recent subcontracting reports if they were not submitted to eSRS.” In addition to our subcontract reports submitted

USAID confirms that we will accept a copy of five SF-294 forms that are not duplicated on the eSRS however, the solicitation is not requesting for the last three years of reports, it is requesting for a narrative summary of the Offeror's use of small business concerns over the past three years. The narrative must “describe how small businesses were employed--as through the eSRS, our hardcopy subcontracting reports (SF-294s) for the past three years total 74 pages and comprise 1.12 MB. Instead of submitting the electronic files totaling

1.12 MB with 74 pages of SF-294

reports, may we submit — along with the requested list of three contracts with subcontract reports submitted to eSRS — a copy of five SF-294 forms that are not duplicated on the eSRS?

subcontractors, as joint venture partners, through other teaming arrangements, etc.

Explain the nature of the work small businesses performed--substantive technical professional services, administrative support, logistics support, etc. Describe the extent of offeror’s compliance with SB subcontracting plan(s) or other similar SB incentive programs in Offeror’s contract(s) and explain any mitigating circumstances if goals were not achieved.”

ATTACHMENTS

15 Attachment J.1 Statement of Objectives

(SOO)

Section C.2 SCOPE, page 1, states the Activity will work “in at least five priority states, including the possibility of the greater Mexico City area.” Can USAID please clarify whether the geographic focus is five states outside the Mexico City area and then possibly additional states that are considered within the greater Mexico City area, resulting in a number greater than 5 states?

For the purposes of state selection, USAID would consider a proposal to work in the greater Mexico City area as a “state.” Offerors may propose work in at least five priority states, resulting in an offer-proposed number of states greater than five.

16 Attachment J.2 Budget Template Excel

Can USAID please clarify that the cost proposal submission requires the inclusion of the following budget, in addition to the tabs in the budget template: Consolidation Budget Incorporating Subcontractor Costs in Cost Category, as these are not included in the budget template as provided.

The Consolidation Budget Incorporating Subcontractor Costs in Cost Category is the breakdown of subcontracting costs that must match the total in the Subcontracts cost category number 7 in Major Cost Categories tab.

17 Attachment J.2 Budget Narrative Template

Can USAID please confirm that all budget notes are to be contained within the Budget Narrative Template per Attachment J.2., and that offerors are not to submit budget notes in a separate submission in Excel?

That is correct, all budget notes are to be included in the Budget Narrative document.

18 Attachment J.2 Budget Narrative

Section IV, related to Direct Labor Salaries, requires tables to be filled out specifying the current and

That is correct, current salary information should not be included in Section IV of the Budget Narrative.

Template proposed salaries for all positions, and justifications between current and proposed salaries. This requirement appears to be in contradiction of current USAID practices to have contractor salaries based on the requirements of the position and market-based salary data for the positions, not the candidates’ salary history. Can USAID please confirm that current salary information should be excluded from the tables in Section

IV?

19 Attachment J.2 Budget Narrative Template

Section IV, related to a Summary Table for Direct Labor Salaries, on page 2, instructs: “This table summarizes the number of individuals proposed for each labor category by contract year. The Offeror must explain any adjustments year-over-year for each labor category with references to its technical approach.” However, the RFP instructions in Section L do not call for labor categories to be proposed. Can USAID please confirm that this instruction is meant to refer to positions, rather than labor categories?

That is correct, the term Labor Categories refers to proposed positions.

20 Attachment J.2 Budget Narrative Template

Section XII, related to Fixed Fee, indicates that the fixed fee calculation should exclude the costs of subcontractors. This requirement does not conform to the requirement in the Solicitation, at Section L.7.c, Part 2, Fixed Fee, page 100, which states that the calculation for fixed fee should only exclude the subcontractor’s proposed fixed fee.

Can USAID please confirm that offerors can propose fixed fee on all of their own direct and indirect costs and those of subcontractors’ costs, except for subcontractors’ fixed fee?

That is correct. Offerors can propose fixed fee on all of their own direct and indirect costs and those of subcontractors’ costs, except for subcontractors’ fixed fee.

Attachment J.2 Budget Narrative Template will be updated in Amendment 1.

OTHER QUESTIONS

21 Other In order to assist offerors in budgeting realistic labor costs for CCN staff, would USAID please provide the most recent Local Compensation Plan for Mexico?

Labor costs for CCN staff should not be based on the Embassy’s Local Compensation Plan, but instead it should be based on local market research for similar positions.

22 Other Is this considered a new requirement? If there is an incumbent, would you be able to share the incumbent Contract ID and the Contractor's Name so that I may identify it in FPDS?

This is considered a new requirement.

23 Other An announcement was released in beta.sam.gov on January 8, 2021, however, the purpose of the posting was unclear. I did not find a new attachment nor new information in

it. I was hoping to get clarification on the purpose of the said announcement.

Attachment J.2 was replaced by two separate attachments: J.2 Budget template (Excel) and J.2 Budget Narrative Template (Word).

[END OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS]

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