INVEST QAs.pdf

INVEST Questions and Answers Closing Date/Time for Questions: August 10, 2020 9 am EST

1. The INVEST+ basic ordering agreement (BOA) states, “Contracts placed under this Agreement may not extend beyond one (1) year of the expiration of this agreement.” The end date of the BOA is September 27, 2023. Thus, any contract issued under the BOA must end by September 27, 2024. Please note that given the five-year period of performance for the DRC order, the Activity will extend beyond the ordering period of the BOA.

A: The RFP is now full and open, with no reference to the BOA (Amendment 01)

2. Section F.6 provides details on key personnel. However, USAID has not included position titles, qualifications, and requirements in this section, and there appears to be no request for staffing details (e.g., a management or staffing plan, CVs) in Sections L and M. Can USAID clarify whether offerors are expected to identify and name key personnel and their associated positions in the technical volume? In addition, will Offerors’ management approaches be evaluated as part of the technical approach?

A: 1) No. 2) No.

3. In line with clause H.3 in the INVEST+ BOA, can USAID revise the geo code in section H.3 of the subject solicitation to 935?

A: See Amendment 01. Geo code is 937.

4. L.6. states that attachments must be “compatible with Adobe Acrobat (PDF), Word, and Excel MS Office 2010,” but p. 53 in the same section only mentions “Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, etc.) and/or WordPerfect.” Can USAID confirm that proposals may be submitted in Adobe PDF?

A: Confirmed. See Amendment 01.

5. Will USAID allow font smaller than 12-point Times New Roman in graphics, charts, tables, etc., so long as it remains legible without magnification?

A: See Amendment 01

6. L.7.B provides details on the inclusion of past performance information. Can USAID confirm that Offerors do not need to include a narrative within the technical approach and that only the short forms in Annex 3 are required for the proposal submission?

A: Confirmed.

7. Regarding L.7.B.6.f, can USAID confirm that Performance Indicator Reference Sheets (PIRS) will be developed post-award and incorporated into the final AMELP?

A: Yes.

8. L.7.B.6.f states, “The AMELP should follow the ADS 201 requirements and align with the Mission performance management plan (PMP).” Could USAID share the DRC Mission’s PMP to aid Offeror compliance with this requirement?

A: See Amendment 02

9. L.7.B.6.g notes that Offerors must propose FTF indicators appropriate for the activity.

Could USAID confirm that the September 2019 FTF Indicator Handbook is the most up-to-date version?

A: Confirmed

10. L.7.B.6.h states that “the interested company shall have a climate risk management plan which demonstrates that their activities are resilient to climate risks identified.” Can USAID confirm that the climate risk management plan will be part of the final AMELP due after project award and is not included in proposal submissions?

A: Confirmed

11. Can USAID confirm that Offerors may propose life of project targets, as opposed to yearly targets?

A: Offerors must propose yearly targets as indicated in the RFP.

12. Per Section L.8.A, “Salaries for long-term and short term CCN staff must not exceed a threshold as specified in Local Compensation Plan (LCP).” Because AIDAR 722.170 is not applicable to consultants, can USAID remove the reference to short-term CCN staff in this clause?

A: Yes, but please note that the LCP will be one way to determine if the rate is fair and reasonable.

13. Per Section L.8.A., “Salaries for long-term and short term CCN staff must not exceed a threshold as specified in Local Compensation Plan (LCP).” We request that the above mentioned salary restriction be removed from the RFP because it appears to be inconsistent with AIDAR 752.7007 Personnel Compensation, 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.

A: Yes, See amendment 1.

14. L.8.B states,“Fringe Benefits for local long-term staff must be budgeted as a separate item of cost and include only the social contributions (excluding income tax) in accordance with Ukrainian labor law.” L.8.F references geo code 110, which applies to procurements out of the former Soviet Union. Please confirm both the reference to Ukrainian labor law and that geo code 110 should be interpreted as Congolese labor law and geo code 935, respectively.

A: see Amendment 01. Geo code should be 937.

15. In L.8.b on p. 66 of the RFP, USAID states that policies and procedures should be included. On p. 75, USAID states: "Upon receiving a specific request from the Contracting Officer, the Offeror may be required to submit a copy of Offeror’s personnel policies, especially regarding salary and wage scales, fringe benefit, merit increases, promotions, leave, differentials, travel and per diem, procurement regulations, etc., as they will relate to this project.” Can USAID confirm that policies and procedures should be submitted only after award?

A: It is upon request from the CO, which may be before award.

16. List of Items, Schedule of Requirements, Scope of Work, Terms of Reference, Bill of Materials required.

A: See Section B and C of the RFP.

17. Soft Copy of the Tender Document through email.

A: The RFP is attached to the Beta.SAM announcement.

18. Names of countries that will be eligible to participate in this tender.

A: See amendment 1. The geographic code for this procurement is 937, which is the United States, the recipient country, and developing countries other than advanced developing countries, but excluding any country that is a prohibited source. See USAID Automated Directives System (ADS) Chapter 310 for more information regarding geographic codes.

19. Information about the Tendering Procedure and Guidelines

A: See Section L of the RFP.

20. Estimated Budget for this Purchase https://www.usaid.gov/ads/policy/300/310

A: The estimated cost range of this award is $11M - $13M.

21. Any Extension of Bidding Deadline?

A: Yes, see amendment 1.

22. Any Addendum or Pre Bid meeting Minutes?

A: See amendments 1 and 2 to the RFP. USAID does not have any meeting minutes to attach to this solicitation.

23. I was wondering if there is a contractor that fulfilled the same or similar efforts. If yes, would you be able to share the incumbent contract ID and the Contractor's name for the effort?

A: This is a new requirement.

24. The RFP seems to only refer to organizations in the regions South Kivu, North Kivu and Ituri. Will work be limited to organizations and institutions that are functioning solely in those 3 regions? If so, is there a reason why we are focusing only on these regions of the country? How many organizations are being targeted for this platform by the Mission and how are these organizations triaged (are they by sector, size, structure, site, activities, complexity)?

A: These regions are currently part of the Mission’s current strategy and its geographic focus. There is not a limit to the number of organizations being targeted by the platform, all opportunities that fit the requirements will be considered. As for what type of organizations are being targeted, this platform is currently sector agnostic.

As noted, current USAID strategies are focused in those areas. In Section C it is noted that “work WILL (emphasis added) focus” in those areas, and other areas will be considered on a case by case basis. Any work proposed must be clearly described in the technical proposal and follow the proposal instructions and will be graded in accordance with the evaluation criteria in Section M.

25. We understand that there have been positive discussions with the government regarding the investment platform, however, we could not locate any formal documentation from the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank or any other State Institution. Are any formal documents of this genre (regarding the investment platform) available?

A: There have not been discussions with the government of the DRC about this platform.

26. Would the government consider adding a facilitation arm to the concept of investment platform, since perhaps without such an arm, companies on the ground will be deprived of essential information on the necessary requirement to be included as potential investment parties?

A: We are not sure what the Government of the DRC’s plans are when it comes to this space. But if they are interested, we (USAID and the awardee) would have a discussion with them to discuss how we can further work together through the platform.