72062122R00009 Amendment 0003 Q and A.pdf

RFP 72062122R00009 Amendment 0003 Questions and Answers

Question 1: Page 7, Section B.6, Payment of Fixed Fee, states: “A percentage of the Contractor’s total fee (70%) is subject to the achievement of deliverables specified in Section F.6.” Further in the solicitation, Page 23, Section F.6 is “Authorized Work Week.” The Offeror respectfully requests confirmation that Section B.6 should reference F.7, Reports, Deliverables, and Outputs, rather than F.6.

USAID Answer: Please refer to question # 17 in Amendment 0001.

Question 2: Page 22, Section F.4, Key Personnel: Grants Manager, states: “Master’s degree in degree in finance/accounting.” To broaden the pool of qualified candidates, the Offeror respectfully requests the Mission to consider changing the Master’s degree requirement to a Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration, and or relevant field and certification appropriate for the role.

USAID Answer: This has been revised.

Question 3: Page 23, Section F.7, Reports, Deliverables, and Outputs, provides program deliverables and reports and the associated percentage of fixed fee to be assigned. Based upon the provided figures, the total “% of Fixed Fee” equals 112 rather than 100. The Offeror respectfully requests USAID confirm the breakdown of calculations for the fee schedule.

USAID Answer: Please refer to question # 38 in Amendment 0001.

Question 4: Page 41, Section H.8(a) 1., Additional Requirements for Personnel Compensation:

Limitations, states: “Salaries and wages may not exceed the Contractor's established policy and practice, including the Contractor's established pay scale for equivalent classifications of employees, which shall be certified to by the Contractor. Nor may any individual salary or wage, without approval of the Contracting Officer, exceed the employee's current salary or wage, or the highest rate of annual salary or wage received during any full year of the immediately preceding three (3) years.” However, in October 2019, USAID revised USAID Form 1420-17, Contractor Employee Biographical Data Sheet, to remove the salary history requirement. Consistent with this change, our organizational policy has been changed to no longer request salary history information from personnel – rather, salary determination is made considering reviews of experience, education, and market value to determine fair and reasonable salaries. The Offeror respectfully requests confirmation from USAID/Tanzania that in the absence of preceding salary history data that offerors may use the market value of a position to determine salary and wages, in line with its established policy and practice.

USAID Answer: Offerors may use the market value of a position to determine propsoed compensation, but must request and receive USAID approval per H.8(a)(1).

Question 5: Section H.8(c), Additional Requirements for Personnel Compensation: Annual Salary Increases, states: “One annual salary increase (includes promotional increase) of not more than three

(3) percent may be granted according to the Contractor’s established policy and practice.”

Subsequently, on page 49, Section I.2, AIDAR 752-252-2, AIDAR Solicitation Clauses Incorporated by Reference (Mar 2015), includes AIDAR 752.7007, which states: “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 Offeror respectfully requests confirmation that it should defer to its compensation policies to provide annual salary increases which may exceed 3%.

USAID Answer: Please refer to question # 3 in Amendment 0001.

Question 6: Page 70, Section L.5, Proposal Submission, states: “Total email size cannot exceed 5 MB.”The Offeror respectfully requests USAID to consider increasing the file size maximum.

USAID Answer: This has been revised.

Question 7: Page 71, Section L.6.1, General Technical Proposal Instructions, states: “The text in any text boxes included within the technical proposal must not be less than 12 points in size. All graphs and charts must be included in the annexes. Text in graphs, maps, and charts may be less than 12 points in size but no less than 8 points and must be legible.” The Offeror respectfully requests USAID to consider allowing graphics and tables be allowed to be presented in the technical proposal.

USAID Answer: Please refer to question # 33 in Amendment 0001.

Question 8: Page 75, Section L.7 Part 1, Cost Proposal Instructions: Letter and Standard Form (SF) 33, states: “The Offeror must submit the cover page (Section A) of this Solicitation [Standard Form (SF) 33, "Solicitation, Offer, and Award"], with Blocks 12 through 18 completed, with the original signature of a person authorized on behalf of the Offeror to sign the offer.” Earlier, page 70, Section L.5, Proposal Submission, states: “Offerors must submit their proposals via email to Sascha Kemper at skemper@usaid.gov and Ramadhani Selemani at rselemani@usaid.gov by the stated closing date and time specified in the Cover Letter.” The Offeror respectfully requests confirmation that given email submission, electronic signatures of authorized personnel will be accepted on the SF 33.

USAID Answer: An electronic signature meets the requirement of an original signature.

Question 9: Page 77, Section L.7 Part 4, Cost Proposal Instructions: Evidence of Responsibility, states:

“Limited to 3 pages, the Offeror must submit sufficient evidence of responsibility for the contracting officer to make an affirmative determination of responsibility pursuant to the requirements of FAR Subsection 9.104-1.” The Offeror respectfully requests confirmation that the page limit is per organization (i.e., prime & major subcontractors).

USAID Answer: The page limit is per organization.

Question 10: USAID’s answer to Question 12 states “the LCP range is from TSH 11,754,838 to TSH 262,321,165. This is annual compensation. These amounts include the salary and all direct fringe benefits”. Per the LCP USAID/Tanzania provided during the Tanzania Heshimu Bahari procurement (attached), the rates included are basic rates/salaries which implies they do not include direct fringe benefits. Further, from the range provided in USAID’s answer to Question 12, the TSH 11,754,838 rate matches Grade 1, Step 1 exactly and the TSH 262,321,165 rate matches the Grade 12, Step 14 exactly in the LCP. Based on the LCP previously provided and since direct fringe rates vary by implementing partner based on their respective benefit policies, could USAID reconfirm whether the values listed in Question 12 are inclusive of direct fringe benefits?

USAID Answer: The US Embassy/Tanzania’s Local Compensation Plan does not have basic rates/salaries. As confirmed by the Embassy’s HR Officer, the LCP includes salary and all direct fringe mailto:skemper@usaid.gov mailto:rselemani@usaid.gov benefits for cooperating country nationals. Offerors may determine their own distribution between basic salary and fringe benefits, but total compensation must not exceed the LCP without approval as required by AIDAR 722.170. See the LCP below: