Attachment 03 - RFI and Response.pdf

Attachment 03 RFI’s and Responses

• Airport collection requirements Please confirm whether the Government anticipates that Gov authorized drivers may collect and return rental vehicles directly from commercial airport locations, rather than having vehicles delivered and collected by the BPA holder at a Government-specified address under each call order.

The Government anticipates that there may be situations where delivery/pickup from a commercial airport location is most advantageous. This BPA will need to maintain that flexibility for US Government Agencies.

• Separate airport rates If airport collection is anticipated, will the Government permit offerors to submit separate airport-origin rental rates for each applicable city and vehicle class

Offerors can submit airport origin rates as part of their pricing list as a separate line item that is separate from the vehicle rental rates. Attachment 02 – Price List Template is intended to provide a standard template for offerors to complete, but offerors are permitted to submit their own price list as long as it contains, at minimum, the information on Attachment 02 – Price List Template.

• Price-list structure If separate airport rates are permitted, will the Government amend Attachment 02— or allow offerors to duplicate rows—to distinguish between:

City or metropolitan delivery rates Airport counter-collection rates Delivery and pick-up fees within the specified 30 km radius

Attachment 02 – Price List Template is intended to provide a standard template for offerors to complete, but offerors are permitted to submit their own price list as long as it contains, at minimum, the information on Attachment 02 – Price List Template. No amendment is planned to be issued to implement changes to the template, offerors are permitted to tailor their price list.

• Applicable airport locations If airport collection is anticipated, please confirm whether separate rates should be provided for the following capital-city airports: Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin, Perth, and Melbourne. Please also confirm if separate rates should be provided for Alice Springs Airport and Cairns Airport, as these are within the BPA’s listed geographic coverage.

Offerors can include airport rates within their price list.

• Treatment of airport fees Where an airport fee is calculated as a percentage of rental charges and may change during the BPA ordering period, should the offeror:

Incorporate the current airport fee into its daily, weekly, and monthly ceiling rates;

Identify the airport fee as a separate not-to-exceed surcharge in its price list; or Pass through the actual airport fee applicable at the time of the individual Call?

Don’t incorporate the airport fee into the daily, weekly, monthly rates. It can be included as a not-to-exceed surcharge or can be addressed at the time of the individual call at the time of the individual call once the delivery location is specified.

• Call-level identification Will each request for quotation or Call specify whether the vehicle is to be collected from an airport rental counter, collected from a non-airport rental branch, or delivered to a Government-specified location?

Yes, each call will specify the delivery/pickup location.

• Lowest-total-evaluated-price calculation For Calls involving airport collection, will airport concession or location fees be included in the Government’s lowest-total-evaluated-price comparison?

Yes, calls that incur additional delivery or location fees shall be incorporated into the final quote and evaluated on it’s total evaluated price.

• Changes in airport fees Because airport concession fees are imposed by third parties and may change without notice, will BPA holders be permitted to update airport-specific rates immediately following a documented change in the fee, subject to Contracting Officer review and acceptance?

Yes, BPA Holders will provide any fees as part of their final quote in response to a call order RFQ.

• Interstate registration plates

Reference: PWS Section 5, Vehicles; Appendix A, Number Plate requirement for each vehicle class

Context: PWS Section 5 requires vehicles to be registered in accordance with the law of the Australian State or Territory of delivery and refers to the applicable State or Territory number plate. Appendix A further states that the number plate must match the delivery location.

Commercial rental companies operate national fleets and routinely reposition vehicle assets between locations and jurisdictions to accommodate seasonal peaks, changing customer demand, vehicle availability and fleet-maintenance requirements. Vehicles may also finish in a different State or Territory following an authorised one-way rental and subsequently be offered for hire from that location. Consequently, a legally registered vehicle may carry number plates issued by a different Australian jurisdiction from the location where the next rental commences.

Question 1: Please confirm whether a vehicle carrying valid Australian registration and number plates issued by a State or Territory other than the delivery jurisdiction will be acceptable, provided the vehicle is legally registered, insured and permitted to operate in the State or Territory of delivery.

Yes, that is acceptable as long as it is permitted to operate in the State of Territory.

• Supplemental pricing schedule Reference: PWS Section 3.1, Required Content; Appendix B, Standard Price List Template Question 2: May offerors complete Attachment 02 and attach a supplemental pricing schedule containing the additional information required by PWS Section 3.1, with the supplemental schedule incorporated into the offeror’s accepted BPA price list?

• Mandatory vehicle accessories

Reference: PWS Section 5.6, General Items

Context: PWS Section 5.6 requires tinted windows on all sides, including rear windows, as permitted by local law, together with a road-safety kit and fire extinguisher. These items are not standard equipment across all Australian commercial rental fleets. Requiring these items on every vehicle may exclude otherwise suitable, legally registered, and road-compliant vehicles, unnecessarily reducing vehicle availability under the BPA.

Question 3: Please confirm whether tinted windows, a road-safety kit and a fire extinguisher are mandatory for every vehicle supplied under the BPA, or whether the manufacturer’s standard Australian road-compliant configuration is acceptable where these items are not required by the applicable State or Territory law. If these items are operationally required, please confirm whether they may instead be specified as a requirement of the applicable Call.

The needs for those items can be specified at the call order level based on the end user and applicable State or Territory it will be operating in.

• Towing equipment Reference: Appendix A, Vehicle Specifications – SUV, Item 8; Vehicle Specifications

– Pickup Truck, Item 6 Context: Appendix A identifies a tow hitch/receiver compatible with a Beaver Fit Box trailer as a minimum SUV accessory and a tow ball/receiver as a minimum pickup-truck accessory. However, not all rental-fleet SUVs and pickup trucks are fitted with towing equipment. Requiring these fittings on every vehicle would unnecessarily restrict vehicle availability and could increase the ceiling rates for rentals where towing is not required.

Question 4: Please confirm that a tow hitch, receiver or tow ball is required only when the applicable Call identifies a specific towing requirement. Where towing is required, the Call should specify the required towing capacity and trailer connection, allowing BPA holders to confirm availability and separately price any necessary towing equipment.

Towing capability and equipment can be identified at the Call level. However, please include the SUV w/ towing capability or tow package as a separately priced item on the submitted price list to this RFQ solicitation.

• Australian small box-truck engine type

Reference: Appendix A, Vehicle Specifications – Small Box Truck, Items 1 and 2(g) Context: Appendix A specifies a right-hand-drive, gasoline-powered small box truck comparable to a U-Haul 10-foot GMC G-3500. Comparable Australian right-hand-drive box trucks are commonly diesel-powered, while the other specified dimensions, cargo volume, payload and operational requirements can be met.

Question 5: Please confirm that a diesel-powered, right-hand-drive small box truck may be supplied in lieu of a gasoline-powered truck, provided it otherwise meets the comparable specifications and operational requirements stated in Appendix A.

This is acceptable.

• Technical manuals and deed of transfer Reference: PWS Section 5, Vehicles; PWS Section 13.1, Return; Appendix A, Technical Maintenance Manual and Parts Catalog and Deed of Transfer requirements under each vehicle class Context: Appendix A requires a copy of a “Deed of Transfer” for each vehicle class.

However, PWS Section 5 states that title to each vehicle remains with the BPA holder, while Section 13.1 requires the vehicles to be returned to the BPA holder at the conclusion of each Call. The contemplated transaction is therefore a temporary commercial rental rather than a purchase, lease-to-own arrangement or transfer of vehicle ownership.

A deed of transfer would ordinarily evidence the transfer of legal title or ownership in an asset. Such a document would not normally exist for a rental vehicle because the Government receives only temporary possession and authorised use of the vehicle.

Requiring a deed of transfer could therefore create an inconsistency with the stated rental structure and could exclude commercial rental providers that retain ownership of their vehicles or source vehicles through established fleet-supply arrangements.

Question 6: Please confirm that a deed of transfer is not required for vehicles supplied under this BPA because ownership and legal title are not transferred to the Government and the vehicles are returned at the conclusion of each Call.

Please also confirm that the applicable rental agreement, vehicle registration documentation and delivery and return inspection records will provide sufficient evidence of the Government’s authorised possession and use during the rental period.

The Government agrees and determines a deed of transfer is not required as long as rental agreement, vehicle registration documentation and delivery and return inspection records are provided.

• Cancellation and no-show charges

Reference: PWS Sections 3.1, 11.12(a), Termination of Individual BPA Holder or Call, and 11.14, Order of Precedence

Question 7: Please confirm whether reasonable cancellation and no-show charges, disclosed in the BPA holder’s supplemental price schedule or individual Call quotation, may be applied when a confirmed reservation is cancelled after the offeror’s stated cancellation deadline or the authorised renter fails to collect the vehicle.

This can be applied or an request for equitable adjustment can be submitted to the Contracting Officer for review/approval on costs incurred in the situation of a cancellation or no-show.

• May a U.S.-based prime BPA holder fulfill vehicle rental Call Orders through an established Australian rental/fleet subcontractor or fulfillment partner, while the U.S. company remains responsible to the Government as the prime contractor?

This is authorized.

• If subcontracting/partner fulfillment is permitted, may the Australian provider satisfy the applicable Australian vehicle registration, licensing, CTP, comprehensive insurance, and third-party/public liability requirements specified in the PWS, or must those requirements be held directly by the U.S. prime contractor?

These requirements can be satisfied by an Australian provider. However, the US Government will only work directly with the prime contractor on all BPA or administrative matters. The prime contractor will be directly responsible for their subcontractor and handle all matters associated with them, to include ensuring their performance meets the PWS requirements. This BPA is established with the prime contractor, not the subcontractor.

• Is the BPA holder itself required to maintain an Australian Business Number (ABN), Australian entity registration, or physical business presence in Australia, or may a

U.S.-registered contractor perform through qualified Australian subcontractors/providers?

These requirements can be satisfied by an Australian provider. However, the US Government will only work directly with the prime contractor on all BPA or administrative matters. The prime contractor will be directly responsible for their subcontractor and handle all matters associated with them, to include ensuring their performance meets the PWS requirements. This BPA is established with the prime contractor, not the subcontractor.

• Please confirm that an offeror may submit pricing for only the locations and vehicle classes it is capable of supporting (for example, Sydney and Brisbane and selected vehicle classes) without being considered nonresponsive.

The offeror may submit pricing for only the locations or vehicles it offers and will not be considered unresponsive unless no price list is submitted. Additionally, BPA holders can add additional supported locations in the future by revising their price list.

• For the Price List Template, should rates be quoted in AUD or USD, and should the quoted rates include GST, delivery/pickup within the required service radius, and other mandatory fees?

Rates should be quoted in AUD and USD(based on the OANDA currency conversion rate from the date of RFQ submission.) Quoted rates should not include GST, but should be included (if applicable or exempt via Force Posture Agreement) during any submitted invoice. Planned fees should be priced/identified as a separate line time on the submitted price list. Unplanned mandatory fees should be included in the final quote submitted at the time of the call order.