20210301 RFP 72066821R00013 Amendment P00001 Questions Responses.pdf

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

PAGE OF PAGES

1 16

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO.

P00001

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

3/1/2021

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO

REQ-668-21-000029

5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

6. ISSUED BY CODE 720668 7. ADMINISTERED BY (IF OTHER THAN ITEM 6) CODE N/A

USAID/South Sudan Washington DC 20521-4420 4420 Juba Place

Not Applicable

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., Street, County, State, and Zip Code)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

72066821R00013

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

CODE:

FACILITY CODE:

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11) 08/13/2018

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

The above numbered, solicitation is amended as set forth in item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers is extended is not extended.

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 Items 8 and 15, and returning copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers, FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT 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 telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If Required) See Schedule Net Increase $350,000.00

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO., AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14

A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify Authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT

ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43,103 (b).

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority) FAR 43.103(b)

E. IMPORTANT: Offeror is NOT is required to sign this document and return copies to the issuing office.

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

The Purpose of this modification is:

1. Provide responses to the offerors’ questions and comments to the Request for Proposals (RFP) No. 72066821R00013 Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Support (MELS) Activity.

2. Revise the RFP 72066821R00013 MELS Activity; and

3. Revise the ATTACHMENT 01 Budget Template of RFP 72066821R00013 MELS Activity.

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

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

Michael Capobianco, Contracting Officer

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 15C. DATE

SIGNED

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

16C. DATE

SIGNED

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

NSN 7540-01-152-8070 STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 10-83)

Previous Edition Unusable Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.

RFP #72066821R00013

USAID/South Sudan MELS Activity

Amendment P00001

The purpose of this amendment is to respond to the offerors’ questions and comments to the RFP No. 72066821R00013 MELS as detailed below.

Offerors Questions and Comments USAID Responses, and comments

1. Page 10, C.5.1.1 – Data Management. What is the current online partner reporting platform that is utilized by

USAID?

There is no online data management system at the moment. However, the Mission will soon develop a platform entitled “Development information Solution” (DIS) for this purpose.

2. Page 13, C.5.2 Component 2: Evaluations and Assessments. For budgeting purposes, can USAID provide the estimated number of evaluations, assessments, and desk reviews per year during the period of performance?

Four evaluations per year;

five special studies per year (special studies include assessments and desk reviews)

3. Page 14, C.5.3 Component 3: Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management.

(a) How many Learning Forums are anticipated during the period of performance?

(b) Will the holder of MELS have access to the current

Learning Space used by the incumbent? If so, what is the rent for this facility?

(a) four (quarterly) learning forums per year.

(b) Yes, the contractor must provide the learning space, which will be part of the office facility.

4. Page 92, L.8, Part 5 – Past Performance. As this is a small business set-aside, would USAID consider removing the range of $20,000,000 and $80,000,000 for past performance information?

No.

5. Please confirm that the Past Performance Information is to be included in the Cost Volume and not the Technical Volume?

Confirm.

6. How many projects should be presented in the Past Performance Information Sheet?

Please review Section L for these instructions.

7. Does USAID plan on issuing a new RFP for Phase II that No.

will have substantial changes or new material in it?

8. When would a Phase II RFP come out and how long would offerors have to work on that proposal?

Phase two will come out after phase one evaluations are complete. Offerors can expect sometime in April.

Offerors will have a minimum of 30 days between phases, maybe more.

9. Can there be repetition of material between the Phase I and Phase II proposals –especially between the Institutional Experience in Phase I and the Past Performance section in Phase II?

As long as it meets the RFP requirements, this is up to the offeror.

10. Are the Cooperating Country National (CCN) staff expected to fall under the local compensation plan (LCP) of the country they work in? If they are, would USAID kindly provide the local compensation plan (LCP / FSN) for South Sudan?

We can’t provide the LCP.

The basic salary LCP salary scale ranges from $5,026 to $79,002 per annum.

11. Page, 20. Section F.4. USAID has stated the total LOE is 69,520. Is this inclusive of all proposed staff, including Home Office based personnel, administrative or support staff such as drivers and subcontractor staff/ local data collection firms? As the level of effort days is noted to be an estimate, is it acceptable for a bidder to propose more or fewer days based on their scope of work?

Yes.

No, proposed LOE must comply with the ceiling.

12. Given local law and assuming application of the framework bilateral agreement, which taxes, if any, should bidders assume will be exempted (Value Added Tax, Corporate Income Tax, Personal Income Tax for expats, Foreign Contractor Withholding Tax, Import Duties)?

Most taxes will be exempted per the bilateral agreement. All those mentioned in the question are exempted. Personal income tax of CCNs are not exempted.

13. Will any equipment from the current contracts be transferred to the new contract (i.e., vehicles, IT equipment, office furnishings) or should the offeror budget for all new office-related items, including project vehicles, IT equipment and office furnishings?

Yes, depending on the condition of the equipment.

14. Can USAID clarify whether second-tier subcontractors They will not.

will require consent?

15. On page 87, Section L.6 Phase 1 – Instructions for Preparation of the Phase One Proposal, USAID states that Offerors must submit an initial Phase one proposal not exceeding five (5) pages in length that addresses institutional experience. Can USAID kindly confirm that institutional experience presented should only be for the small business prime experience and should not include the qualifications of potential subcontractors?

Only the prime offeror.

16. Can we submit the experience of our major subcontractors in Phase 1 proposal?

No.

17. Page 92 lists Past Performance under the Cost Proposal.

Please confirm that this is where Past Performance should go or whether it is a mistake.

Confirm.

18. Could the Mission please provide an estimated funding for this contract?

No.

19. RFP states the period of performance to be five years, none of which being option years. However, the budget template states Year 4 and Year 5 being Option Period.

Can USAID clarify whether period of performance has any option period?

The PoP is 5 years, this is a mistake and has been corrected..

20. RFP does not state USAID’s preferred Ceiling Amount for the five-years’ CPFF budget. Can USAID provide its desired Ceiling Amount for the five-years’ total budget?

See question # 18

21. Section B.6 requires offerors to provide Ceiling Indirect Rates for five years of period of performance, even though this is a small-business set-aside. Can USAID delete this requirement of ceiling indirect rates, since small businesses by definition are prone to drastic changes in their indirect rates structure from year-to-year?

No.

22. RFP states that Phase 2 responses will be required no earlier than 30 days after results of USAID’s review of Phase One Responses are announced. Can USAID estimate the date of USAID’s review of Phase One

Please see #8.

Responses (Advisory Notification) once offerors submit responses to USAID on March 18, 2021?

23. Section B.4 specifies all “Technical Assistance” under CLIN 001. However, the Budget template in Excel shows on the “SUMMARY” tab, Fee/Profit on “CLIN 001” as well as on “CLIN 002”. Also, on tab “DETAIL Prime”, line 42 shows “TOTAL ESTIMATED CLIN 002 COSTS”. Can USAID please clarify the components of

CLIN 002?

This is a mistake and has been corrected.

24. Page 92 of the RFP says: “For contracts not in the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), offerors (including all partners of a joint venture) must use the “Past Performance Information Sheet” (included as Attachment 3) to list past performance information for itself with a cost between $20,000,000 and $80,000,000, with a period of performance falling within the last three years, and involving similar work as in Section C. All applicable fields in Attachment 3 must be completed. Offerors must not submit past performance information for contracts in CPARS.”

(a) Can the offeror submit past performance information for its major subcontractor?

(b) Please confirm that for contracts in the CPARS, we do not need to submit PPRs at all.

a) Yes. We have updated the definition of major subcontractors.

b) Yes.

25. Part 3 – Proposed Costs, pg. 89 states “The cost information must include the basis of each and every cost, (e.g., current salaries, vendor quotes, market surveys, historical experience, etc.).” Please confirm if cost justification documentation is required for Home Office Staff as well.

Yes.

26. On beta.SAM.gov, USAID has released this RFP with a classification as a 8(a) Set-Aside (FAR 19.8). However, in the document of the RFP, there is no mention of the 8(a)-set-aside designation, and rather lists this opportunity as a “total set-aside for small business concerns” (pg.1). Can USAID kindly confirm that r the

It's a total set-aside for small business concerns.

The classification in beta.SAM.gov was corrected.

https://beta.sam.gov/opp/0ded0e627847472bbfef8824dc519b61/view?keywords=%22South%20Sudan%22&sort=-modifiedDate&index=opp&is_active=true&page=1&organization_id=100148640 https://beta.sam.gov/opp/0ded0e627847472bbfef8824dc519b61/view?keywords=%22South%20Sudan%22&sort=-modifiedDate&index=opp&is_active=true&page=1&organization_id=100148640

USAID/South Sudan MELS opportunity is not a 8(a) set-aside?

27. Pg. 87, Section L.6 states that the Phase 1 proposal must, “include the Offeror’s relevant institutional experience, at the prime or first-tier subaward level, in performing the services listed in Section C…” Could USAID confirm that Offeror's Phase One proposals could speak to the relevant institutional expertise of the Offeror and members of its consortium?

No, the prime offeror only.

28. The USAID business forecast, last updated October 23, 2020, lists the estimated value of the MELS program at $50m-$99.9m over a five-year period. However, the released RFP does not provide a cost value range for the MELS opportunity.

(a) Will USAID kindly provide an expected value range for this program?

(b) Will USAID confirm if the current MELS program budget is envisioned at $50m-$99.9m?

a) No

b) This is only a selected value range in the forecast.

Offerors should price their proposals according to the requirements.

29. Pg. 10, Section C.5.1., Data Management, states “The Contractor must support the utilization of an online USAID partner reporting platform, utilizing existing Agency-approved systems only” Is USAID able to provide a list or names of Agency-approved online platform reporting systems?

There is no online data management system at the moment. However, the Mission will soon develop a platform entitled “Development information Solution” (DIS) for this purpose.

30. Pg. 92, Section L.8 Part 5, Past Performance, states, “offerors (including all partners of a joint venture) must use the “Past Performance Information Sheet” (included as Attachment 3) to list past performance information for itself with a cost between $20,000,000 and $80,000,000, with a period of performance falling within the last three years, and involving similar work as in Section C.”

(a) By “all partners of a joint venture”, does USAID mean all partners forming part of the Offeror’s consortium for USAID/South Sudan MELS?

(b) Considering the designation of this solicitation as a

a) No. A JV is a legally established entity and would be the prime offeror. .

b) No. And there is no amount of past performance submissions (i.e. the “3” mentioned in the question).

https://www.usaid.gov/business-forecast/search/award/48ccdffdab?search=&location=All&ouid%5B0%5D=26&solicitation_date%5Bmin%5D%5Bdate%5D=&solicitation_date%5Bmax%5D%5Bdate%5D=&award_date%5Bmin%5D%5Bdate%5D=&award_date%5Bmax%5D%5Bdate%5D=&naics=&specialist=&fy=All&sort_by=title&sort_order=ASC&items_per_page=10 small business set-aside, will USAID consider revising the cost value of the 3 past performance lists by either reducing by half or eliminating the $20,000,000 threshold?

31. Pg. 93, Section L.8 Part 6, Letters of Commitment (Subcontractors), states that “USAID discourages the use of exclusive agreements as this limits USAID’s ability to receive the best services.” By ‘exclusive agreements’, does USAID refer to exclusive agreements with local, South Sudanese entities, or all subcontractors (including other U.S. firms)?

“Exclusive agreements’ in this context refers to all subcontractors.

32. Pg. 44, Section H.15, prescribes various requirements for personnel compensation, which are well noted and understood. To help ensure the Offeror’s compliance with AIDAR 722.170(c) when developing our business proposals, could USAID please share a copy of or an excerpt from the USAID/South Sudan Local Compensation Plan?

See Question # 10 above

33. Under Section L.7 Pag 88: Technical Proposals must adhere to the page limit of 40 pages total. Any pages beyond these stated limits will not be evaluated. Nothing is excluded from the page limitation. Offerors must include CVs (max 2 pages per CV) for all key personnel, including three references. The “max 2 pages per CV” seems to suggest the resumes may be in addition to the 40-page limit for the Phase Two Technical Proposal.

Would USAID please clarify if the key personnel resumes were intended to be excluded from the identified 40 pages, but limited to 2 pages each?

The page limitation includes everything.

34. Under Section L.7, pg 88: The Technical Proposal must be written in English and typed on standard 8 1/2” x 11” paper, single spaced, one-sided, Times New Roman point 12 font size with each page numbered consecutively. Will USAID allow the use of smaller fonts in tables and graphics (such as 10 pt.) to assist in organization and presentation of content commonly displayed in tabular or graphical form (such as key personnel roles and responsibilities, organizational charts, flow charts, etc.)?

No.

35. Under Section L.5, pg. 86: Will there be another Possibly.

opportunity for questions after USAID provides the evaluation response to the Phase One proposal?

36. Under Section F.4.c, pg. 20: LOE is for productive work days - Does USAID have a defined number of productive workdays per year per FTE for this proposal?

No, just a total.

37. General - Is there an Incumbent working these requirements currently? If so, would USAID provide contract number and contract title?

Yes. AID-668-I-13-00001 Monitoring and Evaluation Support Project

38. General - Would USAID provide the Total Contract Value Ceiling?

No.

39. General - Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, is there a telework policy? Or do all Contractors need to be onsite in South Sudan?

Key personnel will need to be onsite in South Sudan.

Telework policy may be authorized only in exceptional circumstances, such as COVID-19.

40. Under F.9 pg. 26 - Does USAID have any preference of the level (senior, mid, junior) of the TBD positions?

Senior level.

41. Does USAID want the contractor to specify what the TBD positions should be or does USAID plan to clarify these positions? If the latter, would USAID please define them at their earliest opportunity to allow non-incumbent teams time to locate proper resources.

This is up to the offeror based on their proposal.

42. Does USAID South Sudan encourage 8(a) firms to participate in submitting proposals if they are successfully operating in South Sudan? Is there any preference given to an 8(a) certified bidder?

Yes, we encourage all small business concerns to submit a proposal. No preference is given.

43. General Under Pg. 1 - Is this a 8(a) set aside or Total Small Business Set aside, please confirm – beta.sam and the RFP are different.

See question #26

44. Under Section M.2, Pg. 97: Institutional Experience - The amount and relevance of the Offeror’s demonstrated experience operating similar services to MELS in a non-permissive environment where access to sites is routinely hindered by instability, difficult terrain, and/or natural disasters. Does experience operating similar services performed for other US government agencies in South Sudan carry equal weight as similar services performed for USAID, given the work meets the other relevant factors?

As long as it meets the requirements, there is no preference.

45. Under Section F.9.1 2 pg. 26: Key Personnel Qualifications: Chief of Party- The RFP lists a “minimum

Extensive experience that is relevant to supervising the qualification” for the Chief of Party as, “at least 7 years of experience as a senior field management experience”.

Would USAID please define “senior field experience”?

implementation of USAID monitoring, evaluations and learning activities at field level.

46. Under Section F.9.2 2 pg. 27 Key Personnel Qualifications: Senior GIS and Data Analyst - Would USAID accept a candidate with a graduate degree in lieu of a GIS certification?

No.

47. Under Section F.9.1 pg. 26 Key Personnel - Would USAID consider allowing bidders to determine the number, and position titles of Key Personnel roles at their discretion?

For the two positions listed as TBD, yes.

48. Under Section F.9 pg. 26 Key Personnel - There are no requirements for Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP). Does USAID require an offeror to propose a DCOP with a technical or operations background?

This is up to the offeror to propose.

49. Under Section M.4 Pg. 98: For evaluation purposes, “recent” is defined as an effort that is ongoing or being performed during the past three (3) years from the date of issuance of this solicitation. In an effort to open the competition to more small businesses, would USAID consider expanding the timeframe for “recency” from 3 to 5 years from date of issuance of this solicitation?

No.

50. In reference to H.12 on page 43 of the RFP: The language around Preclusion from Competing on Future Activities appears to be less defined when compared to the language of Preclusion from Furnishing Certain Services and Restriction on Use of Information. When it comes to Preclusion from Furnishing Certain Services and Restriction on Use of Information, the RFP states the “the Contractor will be ineligible to furnish, as a Prime or Subcontractor or otherwise, the implementation services under any contract or task order that results in response to findings, proposals, or recommendations in the evaluation report within18 months of USAID accepting the report”, yet the Preclusion from Competing for Future Activities suggests this clause does not flow down to Subcontractors and will be analyzed for OCIs at that time.

Based on the OCI clauses included in both this solicitation, and the incumbent contract being performed today, would USAID please confirm organizational conflict of interest is both perceived and actual and that the incumbent is not able to compete in this contract?

This contract is a small business set-aside, so the incumbent is not able to compete as a prime. The two preclusion clauses are not mutually exclusive.

This is based on the fact they are not just performing on this contract, but it is noted their parent company holds contracts on water, sanitation, road construction, and various other contracts within South Sudan which would cause objectivity concerns around the work being performed on MELS South Sudan going forward.

51. C.5.1.1 Participatory Monitoring states “Data

Management: The Contractor must support the utilization of an online USAID partner reporting platform, utilizing existing Agency-approved systems only.” Can USAID please share if there is a current online partner reporting platform that the selected contractor will take over?

Alternatively, is USAID looking for a new platform to be built?

There is no online partner reporting system at the moment. However, the Mission will soon develop a platform entitled “Development information Solution” (DIS) for this purpose.

52. C.5.1.4 Data Collection and Research:

(a) “Surveys: The Contractor must design and implement representative household survey(s) in the target areas, including conducting the analysis of subsequent datasets. In addition, when the operating context does not allow for primary data collection, the Contractor must propose alternative solutions.” Can USAID provide an estimate of how many household surveys are expected under the life of the project?

(b) “Indicators: The Contractor must recommend indicators that effectively measure outputs, outcomes, and impacts from the standard indicators, as well as custom indicators, taking special care to propose gender- and age-sensitive indicators. When creating custom indicators, the Contractor will submit drafts of accompanying Performance Indicator Reference Sheets (PIRS).” Does USAID anticipate indicator development at the Activity (AMELP), Project (PMELP), or Mission level (PMP)? Will the contractor be working with IP staff or USAID staff on this task?

(a) One household survey only.

(b) The contractor will develop indicators at all the three levels (activity, project and PMP). Also, the contractor will collect the data from IP reports and other sources as applicable, and coordinate with USAID staff on indicator development.

53. C.5.2 Component 2: Evaluations and Assessments. Can USAID provide a sense of how many evaluations and assessments are anticipated per year?

Four evaluations per year;

five special studies per year (special studies include assessments and desk reviews)

54. F.2 Period of Performance. When is the anticipated start date for this contract for the successful Offeror?

Between July and September 2021.

55. L.4 General Instructions to Offeror. The solicitation states, “Pre-award Survey: USAID reserves the right to perform a pre-award survey which may include but is not limited to: (1) interviews with individuals to establish their ability to perform contract duties under the project conditions.” Will the possible interviews include individuals from the prime Offeror only? Are consortium partners included in this process?

This is up to USAID’s discretion.

56. L.4 General Instructions to Offerors, Voluntary Down- Select Process. Will another Q&A period be offered after the completion of Phase I?

Possibly.

57. L.8 Part 5 – Past Performance, M.4 Past Performance – Phase Two. Will Past Performance of only the prime Contractor be considered, or will USAID consider the past performance of any major Subcontractors as well? Is there a minimum or maximum number of past performance examples required for the proposal?

Refer to question # 24.

No.

58. M.2 Advisory Evaluation Factor – Phase One. When are offerors expected to receive the “Advisory Notification” concerning the viability of their Phase I proposal?

Please see question #8.

59. Reference C.5.1, Indicator Performance Tracker. The Contractor must support the Mission in maintaining up-to-date indicators for the Performance Management Plan (PMP), Indicator Performance Tracking Tables (IPTT), and other performance tracking tools, providing highlights to the COR as required. Will a copy of the South Sudan PMP and IPTT be available for review prior to Phase 2?

No. These documents are internal to USAID and will only be shared with the contractor after the award.

60. Reference: C.5.1.1, Data Management. The Contractor must support the utilization of an online USAID partner reporting platform, utilizing existing Agency-approved systems only. Will the government please provide more information on the USAID partner reporting platform? Is

There is no online data management system at the moment. However, the Mission will soon develop a platform entitled “Development information there government-provided training provided for the use of the platform? What are the Agency-approved systems?

Solution” (DIS) for this purpose.

61. Reference: C.5.3, Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management. The Contractor must work closely with the Mission to set-up or improve existing knowledge management systems that are comprehensive and curated, focused on data and evidence use for decision making and the retention of institutional knowledge. What KMS is currently being used by the Mission?

The Mission is still in the process of developing a Knowledge Management and Organizational Learning (KMOL) tool.

62. Reference C.5.3, Learning Space. The Contractor must establish and maintain data-sharing techniques to enhance collaborative development planning and MEL among stakeholders. In addition, the Contractor must provide a meeting space to facilitate communication within the Mission and between the Mission and other stakeholders.

Is the learning space required to be located at the office of the contractor?

Yes, the contractor will provide the learning space, which will be part of the office facility.

63. Reference: F.9, Key Personnel, Senior GIS and Data Analyst. At least 7 years of experience in managing GIS databases with advanced working knowledge of GIS, including but not limited to Esri’s ArcGIS software, and related programming language. Is the government providing Esri’s ArcGIS software or is that to be provided by the contractor?

No. We have also revised the requirement and removed the reference to Esri’s ArcGIS software.

64. Reference Part 3, Proposed Costs section b2. The most recent two fiscal year pool and base cost compositions along with derived rates, the bases of allocation of these rates and an independent certified audit by a certified accounting firm of these rates. Does the above statement apply to small businesses with or without a NICRA?

Without.

65. H.15.d states, “One annual salary increase not more than 3% percent may be granted after the employee’s completion of each twelve-month period of satisfactory services under the contract.” We kindly request this statement be removed from the RFP as it prevents

No, this doesn’t conflict with AIDAR 752.7007.

offerors from following their policies, procedures, and practices as required by 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…”

66. Can USAID please clarify the additional Key Personnel (KP) required? The RFP states that “Minimum position requirements for each further Key position will be incorporated upon contract award” Will the remaining KP and their minimum requirements be decided by USAID prior to Phase 2, or is it up to the offeror to propose 2 KP roles and requirements of their choosing?

This is up to the offeror.

67. Can USAID please provide an estimated cost ceiling or range? As noted on pg. 4, 3B it is currently listed as TBD

No.

68. Can cover page and cover letter be combined in one page?

Yes.

69. May CV's be submitted as an annex? Yes, but they count against the page limit.

70. Section M indicates that past performance will be evaluated but section L does not provide any instructions on how to submit past performance information.

Please see Section L.8.

71. Will the mission have implemented DIS by the time this contract is awarded or will there be the need to support an interim system pending deployment of DIS?

This is not yet known;

however the Mission will start developing DIS soon.

72. How many TPM site visits are expected per month? Approximately five (5).

73. On page 43, “Preclusion from Competing for Future

Activities”, the RFP notes that specific work subcontractors perform will be analyzed for OCIs at that time. Given that the prime may want to call on major subcontractors for numerous pieces of work, and individual approvals might prove burdensome and time consuming for USAID, would you consider modifying this to indicate that a subcontractor’s likelihood of OCI will be assessed upon approval of that subcontractor and if necessary the subcontractor will be required to submit an OCI plan outlining how any potential OCIs that would arise would be avoided or mitigated”

No, the current language is appropriate.

74. F.4.c states that the LOE total in F.4.a is for productive days only and does not include paid leave or holidays.

No.

Since many organizations’ financial systems are structured to directly bill paid leave and holidays, and those organizations do not have an indirect rate to instead bill for those paid days, we kindly ask USAID to remove this stipulation and allow offerors to count all billable LOE days toward the total in F.4.a.

75. How many evaluations (performance and impact), assessments, and desk reviews does USAID anticipate the contractor conducting over the course of the contract?

Four evaluations per year;

five special studies per year (special studies include assessments and desk reviews)

76. On pg 10 of the RFP USAID writes, “Data Management:

The Contractor must support the utilization of an online USAID partner reporting platform, utilizing existing Agency-approved systems only.” Can USAID please provide additional details on the current system and/or approved systems to support offerors in detailing an appropriate design and budget?

There is no online partner reporting system at the moment. However, the Mission will soon develop a platform entitled “Development information Solution” (DIS) for this purpose.

77. How many representative household surveys does the Mission anticipate the contractor conducting over the course of the contract?

One household survey only.

78. Based on experience sourcing GIS candidates, would the Mission consider revising the requirements for the Sr.

GIS and Data Analyst position to a minimum of 3 to 5 years of experience?

No.

79. In order to assist offerors in budgeting realistic labor costs for CCN staff, would USAID please provide the most recent Local Compensation Plan for South Sudan?

Please see question #10.

80. Section B.8 PAYMENT OF FIXED FEE, page 6, indicates that the Contractor’s fixed fee will be paid in proportion to the Level of Effort expended specified in Section F.6. However, the LOE listed in Section F.6 also incorporates LOE from subcontractor personnel. We have the following questions:

a. Will USAID please confirm that Section B.8 only incorporates the fixed fee off the Prime Contractor, and not the fixed fee of proposed subcontractors?

b. Will USAID please confirm that subcontractors’ fixed fee will be paid as invoiced, and not be

a. Yes.

b. It is up to the prime to pay subcontractors.

subject their respective level of effort expended during the period in question?

81. Section B.6, ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING ON

CEILING INDIRECT COST RATES AND FINAL

REIMBURSEMENT FOR INDIRECT COSTS, page 5, requires offerors to propose ceilings for their indirect rates. We are deeply concerned about the issue of cost recovery given uncertainties affecting international development during the COVID-19 pandemic. In forecasting indirect cost rates for a five-year period, the contractor must make assumptions about the volume of work that will be generated by USAID, which represents the base for indirect cost rates. At this time, organizations are facing an unclear future, with uncertainty about where infections may spike, when vaccines may be available – and if they will be widely available in developing countries, how work will continue to be adapted, if travel will be possible, to name only a few. All of these factors are outside the manageable control of contractors and their impact and timing cannot at this time be reasonably estimated. Given the fact that we may be facing significant, as yet unknown, events that may have substantial impacts on indirect cost rates and given that the US Government has been clear that it intends for reasonable, allowable and allocable costs due to COVID- 19 to be recoverable contract costs, which includes indirect costs, we respectfully request that the requirement for indirect cost ceilings be removed from this solicitation. Instead, we request that contractors be allowed to recover their indirect costs in accordance with their US Government Negotiated Indirect Cost Rates applicable at the time.

No.

82. With regards to Section K.3 of the RFP, which incorporate FAR 52.204-24, 52.204-26 and Section 889, Covered Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment under FAR 4.2104, we have the following questions:

a. Does USAID have any additional information or instruction related to the Section 889 Foreign Assistance Waiver that USAID received from the

a. No, please follow the provision requirements.

b. No. Offerors actually generally have more information on this than USAID.

Director of National Intelligence (DNI), which expires on September 30, 2022?

b. USAID, through its own efforts as well as a recipient of information provided by many implementing partners in-country is in the position of having more information than any one Offeror is likely to have. Specifically related to basic services of cellular telephone and internet service providers (ISPs) that all offerors will need to use in the implementation of this project, if it is already known by USAID that providers in-country use covered technologies, could USAID please provide this information to Offerors?

83. Section F.4.3, Level of Effort, requires offerors to designate the level of effort according to productive days, which exclude leave and holidays. We would note that certain organizations typically budget CCN labor at the full 260 days per year, including leave, which is direct billed. As such, this would lead to level of effort listings that are not comparable across offerors. Can USAID provide offerors with the latitude to indicate level of effort per their usual budgetary and accounting practices?

No, offerors must comply with the LOE requirements.

[END AMENDMENT P00001]