Q&A_to_72066819R00003_Amendment_01.pdf

QUESTIONS UNDER RFP# 72066819R00003

PARTNER LIAISON SECURITY OFFICE (PLSO) SERVICES

Q&A to AMENDMENT 01

Question 1:

Is there an incumbent exists for the potential requirement: Partner Liaison Security Office

(PLSO) Services outlined under 72066819R00003. If so, could you please provide the following information?:

· Vendor name:

· Contract number

· Value

· Date of award

· Expiration date

Answer:

No.

Question 2:

Referring to C.7 NO CONCURRENT SECURITY ACTIVITIES

Our company is involved in security management projects on behalf of other companies in

South Sudan. In this role we don’t perform man guarding nor CPO duties but only management duties. Is this considered security protection services as mentioned in C7?

For purposes of this solicitation, USAID considers those as security activities.

Question 3:

Referring F.3 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The place of performance is South Sudan. The contractor must have the principal office in

Juba where all key personnel must be located.

In case of the required 3 persons in-country this can be done in a rotating wheel of a positive overlap of every two weeks so there will continuously collective knowledge in-country. Is this given the requirements of USAID allowed? Are these kind of approaches toward the project possible from the USAID perspective?

So long as the contractor provides the three key personnel and the level of effort required per the contract, then yes.

Question 4:

Referring F.6 AUTHORIZED WORK WEEK

The standard work week is from Monday through Friday. No overtime or premium pay is authorized under this Contract. The Contractor is authorized up to a five-day work week for long-term staff. A six- day work week may be authorized on a case by case basis with the prior written approval of the designated Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). We would like to apply for a six day working week, on a six week rotation.

RFP# 72066819R00003

Q&A to PLSO Amendment 01

Answer:

The Contractor may apply for the six-day week approval after award of the contract provided all other contractual requirements are met.

Question 5:

Referring F.9 KEY PERSONNEL

The contractor must furnish three (3) full-time positions deemed key personnel for the performance of this contract. One of the positions must be a Operations Manager. The three key personnel must be based in Juba, South Sudan. The contractor must provide the minimum requirements for the position, as well as general roles and responsibilities. Key personnel must have the requisite skill set to implement the approach set forth in Section C, achieve results, and coordinate and cooperate with a wide range of stakeholders . Is it allowed to have non-US Staff. Can we provide a step by step approach and start with an

Operations Manager and gradually (when needed) expand the staff to two or three members.

We would like to know whether this is preferred or that USAID requires a direct start with 3 persons in country?

The Contractor may provide non-US staff for these positions, so long as they have the minimum requirements for the position. The three staff are required at the start of the contract.

Question 6:

On page 16, Section F.4 Level of Effort, will USAID please confirm that the total level of effort that the contractor must provide is fifteen thousand six hundred days (15,600), as opposed to thirty-four thousand seven hundred sixty-four (34,764) as written?

Confirmed. The thirty-four thousand seven hundred sixty-four (34,7640 hours was an error.

The correct figure for the LOE is 15,600 Hours

Question 7:

May the offeror propose fewer than 15,600 days, if the offeror believes fewer days would be sufficient to accomplish the responsibilities and activities in the Statement of Work and all reporting requirements?

No.

Question 8:

Will USAID please confirm that H.12 Organizational Conflicts of Interest on page 34 was included in error as the contractor will not be furnishing services to support the evaluation of

USAID/South Sudan activities?

This was not in error. Since the contractor may evaluate other contractors’ security plans, to include the financial information associated with them, this clause is necessary.

Question 9:

Will USAID please confirm that in their initial Business Proposal submission, offerors are not required to submit Part 7 – Branding and Marking Plan and Part 11 – OCI Mitigation

Plan and that these are required only after offerors have been determined to be in competitive range or identified as the apparently successful offeror?

Correct.

Question 10:

Regarding Section F.4 Level of Effort (on page 16):

a. Can USAID reconfirm the LOE it expects the offeror to provide under this Contract?

The text in Section F.4(a) reads “34,764 days level of effort” but the table immediately following that text only totals to 15,600 days of LOE.

See answer to question 6 above.

b. Will USAID consider offers that propose fewer than the listed number of days of LOE if the offeror believes it can accomplish the responsibilities and activities in the

Statement of Work and all deliverables and reporting requirements in a more cost-efficient manner?

See answer to question 8 above.

Question 10:

Regarding Section H.12 Organizational Conflicts of Interest (on page 34):

a. Noting that neither the Statement of Work (in Section C) nor the Deliverables

Schedule (in Section F) reference or mention an evaluation, evaluation services, or an evaluation report, will USAID please confirm that Section H.12 Organizational

Conflicts of Interest was included in error as the contractor will not be furnishing services to support the evaluation of USAID/South Sudan activities?

See answer to question 8 above.

b. If Section H.12 Organizational Conflicts of Interest was indeed included in error, can

USAID please confirm that instructions to include PART 11 – OCI Mitigation Plan in the offeror’s Business Proposal were also included in error and that the offer does not need to submit PART 11 – OCI Mitigation Plan in its Business Proposal?

This was not in error and offerors in the competitive range, or the apparent successful offeror, must provide the plan as required in the RFP.

c. Alternatively, if USAID does intend for this requirement to include evaluation services or support the evaluation of USAID/South Sudan activities (and thus keeps

Section H.12 Organizational Conflicts of Interest in the RFP), could USAID please clarify the Statement of Work (in Section C) and Deliverables Schedule (in Section F) to include the specifications of the evaluation services and the evaluation-related deliverables (e.g., the evaluation report referenced in H.12) being required by

USAID?

Please see answer to question 8 above.

Question 11:

Will USAID please confirm that Section C.7 No Concurrent Security Activities does not preclude offerors from providing ongoing security/protection services to themselves to secure and/or protect their own their operations in South Sudan?

Confirmed, provided offerors are cognizant of and adhering to the other preclusions requirements in the contract. Part of the role of the PLSO contractor is to act as an honest broker in providing advice. They can’t be seen as being self-serving, hence the restrictions.

Question 12:

For Section B.4 the table shows the Base Year and Option Years 1 and 2. Please confirm pricing should only reflect the Base Year and Option Years 1 and 2, and not the full

[potential] 5 year period.

Pricing must be provided for the base years (three years) and for both option years. This provides the total for the full potential five years.

Question 13:

On Page 16 and Section F.4 it states that ‘The Contractor must provide thirty-four thousand, seven hundred and sixty-four days level of effort’. The table beneath this defines the breakdown of LOE in days between the CCN and USN / TCN categories for the Base Year and Option Years 1 and 2.

a. The initial LOE figure of 34,764 does not seem to match the table breakdown?

See answer to question 6 above.

b. Is thirty-four thousand, seven hundred and sixty-four days level of effort only for the initial 3 years [Base Year and Option Years 1 and 2].

Kindly disregard the figure “thirty-four thousand, seven hundred and sixty-four (34,764)” days level of effort. This has been amended in the RFP.

Question 14:

On Page 16 and Section F.4 the day LOE table suggests [using a working year of 260 days] approx. 30 CCN and 6 USN/TCN staffing levels for year 1; and approx. 10 CCN and 2

USN/TCN staffing for year 2 and 3.

a. Can USAID confirm that these are the LOE days for each year and nationality category of staff.

The required LOE days, and the categories for those days, are correct in F.4. The contractor is required to provide that total LOE in those categories during the period of performance.

b. Are these staffing numbers a fixed requirement of USAID, or is the bidder to present their proposed staffing solution based on meeting the RFP technical requirements?

USAID is fixing and requiring the LOE, not a particular staffing structure. It is up to offerors to determine how to provide it within the other requirements of the contract.

c. Does the staffing totals include short-term consulting and/or home office LOE amounts as well?

Please review Section F.4.a.

d. Would the year 4 and 5 LOEs reflect year 2 and 3 LOE levels [if pricing for year 4 and 5 is required].

Please review Sections F.2 and F.4. The base period is three years (the first table in F.4), and the other two tables are for one-year options each (Option Year 1 and Option Year 2).

Question 15:

On page 17 and Section F.6 it states the authorized work-week is Monday to Friday. Can a more flexible work week be used to cover the tracking and reporting of threats over weekends - so long as the period worked during a week remains within a 5-day limit.

Yes. USAID may adjust the LOE to account for this in a future RFP amendment.

Question 16:

On page 30 and Section H.8 [for the purposes of pricing the bidder’s response] the insurance rate table quotes rates for a base period and option period 1, 2 and 3. The dates for the base period are 12/1/2015-11/30/2017 and add 1 year to each option year. Option 3 would be for the beginning period of this contract, but future rates are not provided. Have new rates been contracted as it appears USAID contract number AID-OAA-C-16-00015 is set to expire on

11/30/2020, which is at the end of the first year of this proposal.

New rates have not been provided. Offerors are required to estimate the amount based on the existing rates.

Question 17:

Our organization is based in Europe, may be submit a proposal in response to this solicitation.

No. The geographic code for this procurement is 937, which is defined in USAID’s

Automated Directives Systems 310. This code limits eligible offerors to those from the U.S., the host country, and other developing countries other than advanced developing countries, but excluding foreign policy restricted countries (e.g. North Korea).