Questions and Answers Received.docx

Questions and Answers Received

RFQ 73351023Q0322

Service Jobs Post and Fill Vacancies

1. Does the government intend to put out another RFQ for platform maintenance or should that cost be included in this RFQ?

Answer: No, this RFQ is to utilize the functionality and capability of a pre-existing platform (owned by the contractor).

1. How long does the government intend to have the maintenance requirement?

Answer: Our need for services will span a 3–4-month period. We need to have the ability to utilize services whenever we need it. That three-to-four-month period may be continuous or one month at a time depending on our hiring needs.

1. Does the SBA intend on training its staff on using the platform or will that be a requirement of the contractor?

Answer: The platform should, at a minimum, provide an account representative and a basic baseline training on how to navigate their platform, retrieve data, and captured metrics pertaining to SBA job posts.

1. Should this proposal include marketing and awareness costs to support SBA in showcasing the platform?

Answer: No. Whenever additional marketing of SBA is required; SBA will initiate that service request.

1. The RFQ has a Jobs Skills Test requirement. Does the government know what skills it wants to capture for the tests (i.e., math skills, verbal tests, coding tests, emotional intelligence tests, etc.)? Is the contractor responsible for developing the quality assurance of the tests as well?

Answer: All job skills and requirements will be included in the job announcements. SBA will not be posting any openings that require testing prior to submitting an application.

1. The RFQ requires the ability to post over 100 jobs during emergency hiring surges. Will this posting capability need to be available for multiple SBA offices nationwide and for how many staff members?

Answer: No. Not at this time.

1. Is there specific job posting platforms in addition to USAJobs the government will want this system to integrate into? Will the government provide the names of the systems it wants integrated into the platform, or does the contractor need to source and propose which external systems the platform should be connected to?

Answer: The selected platform will have the capability to redirect applicants to USAjobs.gov when they get to the point of wanting to apply for any SBA openings.

1. Does the government foresee this platform having the ability to scale beyond USAJOBS and USAstaffling?

Answer: No. Not at this time.

1. In understanding how the platform will be used to support the SBA, does the government foresee it providing feedback mechanisms to the applicants?

Answer: All feedback provided to applicants will flow through USAjobs after applications have been completed.

1. The RFQ mentions the request for Virtual Interviewing Capabilities. Does the government want this feature to be hosted on the platform or connected to an external platform such as Microsoft Teams, it already uses? Is the intent to include voice annotation software?

Answer: All interviews, virtual or otherwise, will be coordinated through SBA via USAjobs.gov and our HR professionals. There will be no need for the external platform to have interview hosting capabilities.

1. The RFQ mentions integration capabilities with external ATS. Is there a specific external ATS and are there certain pieces of information or functionalities that are needed or required?

Answer: Once an interested candidate clicks the apply button, the job advertising platform will direct them to the provided link to that specific opening on USAjobs.gov. USAjobs.gov will not provide integration with outside sources or ATS.

1. The RFQ mentions providing detailed feedback and analytical data per each job posting weekly. Can you explain?

Answer: The platform must be able to provide feedback on the following:

-How many clicks did the opining get -How many opened the job announcements -How many people clicked apply and was diverted to USAjobs.gov Also any demographic information captured by the platform, age, gender, location etc..

1. what you mean by feedback? (Manual as in customer success driven vs. AI driven summarization tool).

Answer: Feedback is any information provided that can help assess and analyze the success of a job posting. Example: customer survey information, customer service questions regarding SBA job postings, and data listed in the answer to question 12.

1. Is the contractor expected to handle applicant and platform user support questions and ticketing?

Answer: Yes. The SBA will be posting our job openings for wide dissemination on the platform. To the extent that platform support is already available, the expectation for that support will not change.

1. Is this a new requirement or contract renewal? If re-compete, what is the current contract number and who is the incumbent?

Answer: This is a New Requirement.

1. Will the Government be changing the Solicitation Number upon RFP release?

Answer: No, After the RFQ phase is complete a separate number is issued as the award number.

1. When does the Government plan to release the RFP?

Answer: An RFP will not be released since this requirment was issued as an RFQ (Request for Quote).

1. Will the Government be making the award for this requirement in FY23?

Answer: Yes.

1. Can this please be clarified- “Procure a Job search engine to post our jobs/vacancies for maximum visibility until vacancy has been filled.” Will we need to build a specific job search engine platform? Or can a current job search engine platform be used for this specific solicitation?

Answer: We are looking for an existing site with frequent visitors who are looking for jobs. This site should be known to job seekers for their ability to provide multiple job listings, serving multiple/diverse career fields. We will be posting our jobs so that theses job seekers can see. If the job seekers think they qualify the site will provide them a uncluttered pate to apply using a USAJobs link provided by the SBA that will take them directly to that specific job posting.

1. I'm preparing my proposal for this RFQ, and I have a question about the price quote format. Is there a particular format or file preference that should be used? (excel spreadsheet or word document?)

Answer: Please submit a proposal in accordance with Section 4, “Quotation Preparation Instructions”. The following information must be submitted in order to be considered for award:

1. Quote (contractor's format): your quote shall include the Specifications and/or Descriptions of all items being submitted, unit price for the item quoted, the extended total and the total order amount.