Amendment 4_Attachment 7 Preproposal Industry Questions Tech Med.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 51 KB Posted
- Attached to
- ASPR Professional Technical and Medical Support Services Federal contract opportunity
- Solicitation number
- 75A50121R00015
About this file
This combined synopsis/solicitation from the Department of Health and Human Services seeks proposals for professional administrative staffing support services to be awarded through multiple-award indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contracts with firm fixed price and labor hour task orders. Services include areas such as program management, operations, logistics, and industry engagement to support the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. The period of performance is one base year and two option years. The minimum contract value is $2,500 with a maximum ceiling to be determined. Proposals are due by March 5, 2021 with awards anticipated within 60 days. The incumbent is Aveshka, Inc. under contract HHSO100201600021I.
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Other files for this federal contract opportunity
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Amendment 3_Attachment 1A Pricing for Professional Tech and Med RTOPs.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Amendment 2_Attachment 3 - Appendix I.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Amendment 2_Attachment 1 Pricing for Professional Tech and Med Support.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Amendment 2_Attachment 6_Request for Task Order Proposal (RTOP).pdf | ||
| Amendment 2_Attachment 7 Preproposal Industry Questions Tech Med_Consolidated.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Amendment 2_Attachment 5 Non-Disclosure Agreement.pdf | ||
| Attachment 3 - Appendix I.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| RFP 75A50121R00015_ASPR Professional Technical and Medical Support Services.pdf | ||
| Attachment 8 DRAFT Department of Defense Contract Security Classification Specification (DD254).pdf | ||
| Attachment 7 Preproposal Industry Questions.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet |
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Sheet1
| Amendment 4_ATTACHMENT 7 | |||
| Preproposal Industry Questions and Responses for ASPR's Technical and Medical Support | |||
| No. | Reference | Comment/Question | Government Response |
| 1 | Basis for Award and Evaluation Criteria, Factor 4 – Price/Cost pg 7 of 169 | The Government indicates that it will assign an Adjectival rating to this factor. Does the government intend to use an overall evaluated price as the basis for an award determination using the tradeoff (i.e., best value) process? If so, what is the basis for the overall evaluated price? | |
| The Adjectival rating for Factor 4 was inadvertently included in the RFP and is therefore removed in its entirety. Except as changed per this document, please refer to the basis of award and evaluation criteria as set forth in the evaluation for Factor 4 - Price/Cost. |
| 2 | RFP Page 4: Factor 1 Technical Approach and Management Plan, Sub-Factor 1B | "Offerors shall describe their ability to successfully recruit and retain all required labor categories as defined in the SOW throughout contract performance." Is the SOW referenced the IDIQ SOW in Attachment 2 Page 44 Section 4? | For clarity, the SOW referenced is the SOW supporting the IDIQ contract. |
| 3 | Page 89, RTOP SIIM, Level of Effort Breakdown and Page 154, RTOP SPPR, Level of Effort Breakdown | "Administrative Assistant" is not listed as a Labor Category in Attachment 3. Question: Please clarify what Labor Category applies to this role or provide the labor category description. | |
| Administrative Assistant was inadvertently included in the RTOP for SIIM-CIP SOW. This labor category is removed in its entirety. | |||
| 4 | Page 89, RTOP SIIM, Level of Effort Breakdown and Page 154, RTOP SPPR, Level of Effort Breakdown | "Scientific Analyst", "Sr. Business Associate II", "Sr. Consultant (Facilitator-Emergency Care)" are not listed as a Labor Categories in Attachment 3. Question: Please clarify what Labor Category applies to these roles or provide the labor category description. | |
| The following labor categories have been added to Attachment 3: Scientific Analyst, Sr. Business Associate II, and Sr. Consultant (Facilitator-Emergency Care). |
| 5 | Page 89, RTOP SIIM, Level of Effort Breakdown and Page 154, RTOP SPPR, Level of Effort Breakdown | "Senior Public Health Analyst" is not listed as a Labor Category in Attachment 3. Question: Please clarify what Labor Category applies to this role or provide the labor category description. | Senior Public Health Analyst should have been identified as "Sr. Management Analyst (Public Health) and has been properly labeled in the RTOP SOW. |
| 6 | RFP Section: Factor 1 – Technical Approach and Management Plan; Subfactor 1: Sub Factor 1A – Managerial Capabilities; Item#5; Page Number 5 | Government requires the prime to describe the labor categories that teaming partners/subcontractors will provide primary support. We applaud the government for including this subfactor which will ensure better transparency. Is this information applicable only for the base year or should the prime specify it for the duration of the IDIQ contract to ensure a continued role for the teaming partners ? | |
| For purposes of evaluation, this information is applicable for the base and all option periods. The Agency maintains its discretion to exercise option periods upon award. |
| 7 | RFP Section: Factor 1 – Technical Approach and Management Plan; Subfactor 1: Sub Factor 1A – Managerial Capabilities; Item#5; Page Number 6 | To qualify for a Good or Outstanding evaluation in this subfactor should the primes propose a minimum target subcontracting dollar percentage (during base and option years) for each of its first-tier, similarly-situated small business teaming partners, to ensure that first-tier small business subcontractors can also boost their growth from this opportunity over the life of the contract and position themselves for to take larger support roles at HHS/ASPR in the future? Such targeted goals for each first-tier similarly-situated small business partners will also allow the government to evaluate the teaming agreements as realistic, meaningful, positive, and in accordance with limitations of subcontracting. |
| Please refer to the basis of award and evaluation criteria as set forth in the evaluation for Factor 1 – Technical Approach and Management Plan. | ||
| 8 | RFP Section: Factor 1 – Technical Approach and Management Plan; Subfactor 1: Sub Factor 1A – Managerial Capabilities; Item#5; Page Number 7 | Will government annually monitor contractor compliance (e.g. review of annual Service Contract Reporting filings) with workshare being proposed in teaming agreement plans to avoid the all too common bait-and-switch tactics (i.e. little or no-utilization of first-tier small business subcontractors or dropping them after contract award) by some small business primes that HHS Small Business Representatives have repeatedly pointed out during industry events? |
| The Government will comply with mandated reviews; however, the government does not have privity with subcontractors and/or teaming partners. | ||
| 9 | RFP Section: Factor 1 – Technical Approach and Management Plan; Subfactor 1: Sub Factor 1A – Managerial Capabilities; Item#5; Page Number 8 | To qualify for a Good or Outstanding evaluation in this subfactor should the primes explain in their proposal how they would monitor their adherence to their stated teaming agreement goals and rectify any deficiencies ? |
| This would be helpful information; however, it is not the only basis for a good or outstanding evaluation. Please refer to the basis of award and evaluation criteria as set forth in the evaluation for Factor 1 – Technical Approach and Management Plan and associated Sub-factors. | ||
| 10 | RFP Section: Factor 1 – Technical Approach and Management Plan; Subfactor 1: Sub Factor 1A – Managerial Capabilities; Item#5; Page Number 9 | Recommend that government require primes to receive consent from the government prior to cancelling a subcontract with any teaming partner proposed as part of this bid and if possible provide the affected subcontractor an opportunity to rebut. |
The government does not have privity with subcontractors and/or teaming partners.
11 RFP Section: Factor 1 – Technical Approach and Management Plan; Subfactor 1: Sub Factor 1A – Managerial Capabilities; Item#5; Page Number 10 Does the government anticipate requesting recertification of a prime's size on any task order over the duration of this small business set-aside IDIQ? If so, and a prime is then found to have outgrown the assigned NAICS code, what recourse would the team have at that point ?
| In accordance to 13 CFR § 121.404, business size is considered prior to contract award and is effective through its duration, except as excluded in 13 CFR § 121.404(g), generally involving the sale of the company. | ||
| 12 | RFP Section: Factor 1 – Technical Approach and Management Plan; Subfactor 1: Sub Factor 1A – Managerial Capabilities; Item#5; Page Number 11 | We believe that by taking a few simple steps at the bidding stage and setting clear expectations for primes about treating their subcontractors especially the first-tier small businesses, the government can ensure and promote a fair contracting environment for every one during the life of this contract. |
Regarding Signed Teaming Agreements being included in the proposal; does the whole Teaming Agreement need to be included or the Signed version of the teaming agreement. And is this included in the page count.
| The government does not have privity with subcontractors and/or teaming partners. A signed version of the entire teaming agreement is required and does not count toward the 40-page limitation. | |
| 13 | 9.1 |
| 13 CFR 121.103(h)(4) suggests that joint ventures are not required to have a clearance if classified duties are ancillary to the performance of the contract. Because the 9.1 states that personnel may have access to classified data, will the government accept JV offers who have cleared venturers? |
Personnel need to have clearances on some task orders. No cleared work will be offsite - company facilities do not need to be cleared.
| 14 | 9.1 |
| Does a JV have to have its own Top Secret facility Clearance or does the Managing Partners TS facility clearance suffice as per the latest CFR referenced below? |
A Facility Clearance (FCL) is required.
15 RFP #75A50121R00015; Section 9; Page 51
| Must offerors hold a current Facilities security clearance? Is it required at time of proposal submission? At what level? Does a JV have to have its own Top Secret facility Clearance or does the Managing Partners TS facility clearance suffice as per the latest CFR referenced below? |
| A FCL is not required. |
16 Attachment 8 DRAFT Department of Defense Contract Security Classification Specification (DD254)
Is a Prime without an FCL partnered with a Subcontractor with an FCL eligible to bid?
A FCL is not required.
17 Para 9.1 Page 51- Clearance
Do the proposed subcontractors require Top Secret Facility Clearance in order to bid this contract?
A FCL is not required.
18 Facility Clearance
| Regarding the TS FCL, how will unpopulated Joint Ventures be handled? If both ventures in the JV are cleared at the TS level does that meet the clearance requirement? Or is it required that the unpopulated joint venture entity have a TS FCL as well? |
| A FCL is not required. |
19 Para 9.1 Page 51- Clearance
| Will the prime company require a Top Secret Facility Clearance in order to submit an offer? | A FCL is not required. | ||
| 20 | Attachment 1 and Attachment 6 | A review of the SOWs reveals that there are 16 labor categories for which the indicated level of effort is greater than the 2 FTEs for each period (one onsite and one offsite) shown in Attachment 1. The range is from 1 to 27 additional FTEs (including optional and surge staff) in excess of what is shown in Attachment 1. In addition, there are 119 IDIQ labor categories with no level of effort in the SOWs at all. We are concerned that the pricing required in Attachment 1 is not reflective of the actual staffing that will be required for this work. Can you provide more realistic FTE quantities in Attachment 1 for each of the Labor Categories so that we are able to determine what the personnel requirements might actually be? | As an emergency response organization, the level of effort (minimum/maximum) cannot be forecasted in advance of need. For clarity, there are two (2) separate needs for rates: 1) Attachment 1 serves as the proposed rates at IDIQ level; 2) Attachment 1A has been incorporated to request rates for proposed RTOPs. In accordance with FAR 16.504(a), an indefinite-quantity contract provides for an indefinite quantity, within stated limits, of supplies or services during a fixed period. The Government places orders for individual requirements. Quantity limits may be stated as number of units or as dollar values. |
| 21 | Page 58 | Are 1099 employees treated as subcontractors and subject to the consent to subcontract provision? | If any offerors intend to provide services as independent contractors (i.e., under a 1099 consultant arrangement), such a contractual arrangement would satisfy the definition of a “subcontract”. |
| 22 | General |
Factor 4 – Price/Cost (p.7) "The Government will rate Factor 4 using the ratings below:
1. The proposed response to Draft Task Orders for Proposal (RTOPs) is complete and reasonable
2. The proposed labor mix in response to Draft RTOPs completely and clearly addresses all required support needed identified in all Draft RTOPs"
| Are the 10 SOWs provided in Attachment 6 indicative of the likely level of effort for the Base Period of this contract? Will additional RTOPs be issued through the Base Period? |
| Per this amendment, there are 14 RTOP (SOWs). The government anticipates awarding all TOs, based upon need, at time of contract award. Program office needs will determine whether additional TOs will be negotiated and awarded during the base and/or option periods if exercised at the government's discretion. |
23 General
Factor 4 – Price/Cost (p.7) "The Government will rate Factor 4 using the ratings below:
1. The proposed response to Draft Task Orders for Proposal (RTOPs) is complete and reasonable
2. The proposed labor mix in response to Draft RTOPs completely and clearly addresses all required support needed identified in all Draft RTOPs"
| Are offerors required to respond to all 10 task orders? Is the government considering giving awards for several task orders even if the offeror cannot fulfill all required SOWs in the RFP? | |
| Per this amendment, there are 14 RTOP (SOWs). All Offerors are required to be responsive. | |
| 24 | General |
Factor 4 – Price/Cost (p.7) "The Government will rate Factor 4 using the ratings below:
1. The proposed response to Draft Task Orders for Proposal (RTOPs) is complete and reasonable
2. The proposed labor mix in response to Draft RTOPs completely and clearly addresses all required support needed identified in all Draft RTOPs"
| Are there RTOPs missing from the Solicitation, such as in the missing Attachment 6? | |||
| Attachment 6 - Request for Task Order Proposal (RTOP) (SOWs) was included in the original RFP on pages 70 through 169. However, it was inadvertently not labeled as Attachment 6. The RTOP (SOW) for the Intermediate Office (IO) was missing. It is incorporated in this amendment. | |||
| 25 | Page 2, Submission Instructions, Page Count paragraph | As part of the page limitations and font size instructions item (4) states "(4) Tables and illustrations may use a reduced font size not less than 8-point and may be landscape." Question: May the Arial family be used for Tables and illustrations? | Offerors shall use Times New Roman fonts. |
| 26 | Pg 5 - Basis for Award and Evaluation Criteria, Factor 3-Past Performance, pg 5 |
| Based on both of these referenced sections, it seems the Government is requiring the offeror to provide Attachment 4, the Past Performance Questionnaire to each of its three (3) past performance references if CPARS are not available…and those references are to return completed questionnaires directly to the Government, instead of including the completed questionnaires in the proposals. Please confirm that this is the case. | ||
| The offeror’s representative/reference is responsible for providing the Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) to the Government point of contact (POC) as stated in the RFP. However, offerors shall provide a narrative in their proposal submissions to include the requested information listed on the PPQ, Sections A and B. | ||
| 27 | Pg 7 - NOTE: See Attachment 4-Past Performance Questionnaire, pg 7 | As contract titles and scopes of work are often complex, will the government amend the instruction and evaluation criteria to permit the Offeror to submit a not to exceed (NTE) two-page narrative describing how each submitted PP meets the relevancy, recency and quality factors (total of 6 pages or less)? If permitted, are these included or excluded from the 40-page requirement)? |
| Offerors shall provide a narrative in their proposal submissions to include the requested information listed on the PPQ, Sections A and B. This is included in the 40-page limitation. | ||
| 28 | Submission Instructions, Page 2 |
Submission Instructions "Part II – Business/Price Proposal shall include Attachments 5, 8 and the following factors: Factor 4: Price/Cost" (p.2) Proposal Part Page Count "Part II – Business/Price Proposal: NTE 10 pages, excluding covers, title pages and table of contents." (p.2) Factor 4 – Price/Cost (p.7) "The Government will rate Factor 4 using the ratings below:
1. The proposed response to Draft Task Orders for Proposal (RTOPs) is complete and reasonable
2. The proposed labor mix in response to Draft RTOPs completely and clearly addresses all required support needed identified in all Draft RTOPs" ATTACHMENT 2 - IDIQ STATEMENT OF WORK (pp.40-59) All ten RTOPs (pp.70-169) "Part II – Business/Price Proposal shall include Attachments 5, 8"... What parts of the DD254 should we fill out for this IDIQ proposal submittal?
| Offerors shall complete the contractor information on the form. | |
| 29 | Submission Instructions, Page 2 |
Submission Instructions "Part II – Business/Price Proposal shall include Attachments 5, 8 and the following factors: Factor 4: Price/Cost" (p.2) Proposal Part Page Count "Part II – Business/Price Proposal: NTE 10 pages, excluding covers, title pages and table of contents." (p.2) Factor 4 – Price/Cost (p.7) "The Government will rate Factor 4 using the ratings below:
1. The proposed response to Draft Task Orders for Proposal (RTOPs) is complete and reasonable
2. The proposed labor mix in response to Draft RTOPs completely and clearly addresses all required support needed identified in all Draft RTOPs"
| Business/Price Proposal: NTE 10 pages. As requested above, please verify the page limit on the Part II Volume and specify what does not count toward the 10 pages? Also, can the government specify what is to be included? |
| For clarity, the Business/Price Proposal is not to exceed (NTE) 10 pages. Supporting documentation not included in the 10-page limitation are: the pricing schedule in Attachment 1, labor categories in Attachment 3 (should be included as an addendum to the price proposal if offerors propose additional, alternate or tiered labor categories), the Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA) in Attachment 5, the DD254 form - Attachment 8, Attachment 1A - price proposals in response to RTOPs (SOWs), teaming agreements (Appendix), and resumes (which shall not exceed 2 pages per individual). |
Supporting documentation included in the 10-page limitation for the Business/Price proposal includes the offeror's narrative in support of its pricing to include a narrative of any additional, alternate, and/or tiered labor categories.
| 30 | ATTACHMENT 2 - IDIQ STATEMENT OF WORK (pp.40-59) | |
| All ten RTOPs (pp.70-169) | Attachment 6 is cited six times, thrice as it refers to RTOPs and thrice as it refers to an NDA. | |
| The NDA references are all within RTOPs. Please clarify what Attachment 6 is and where Attachment 6 is. | Attachment 5 - Non-Disclosure Agreement was included in the original RFP on pages 68 and 69. However, it was inadvertently not labeled as Attachment 5. Attachment 6 - Request for Task Order Proposal (RTOP) (SOWs) was included in the original RFP on pages 70 through 169. However, it was inadvertently not labeled as Attachment 6. Please note RTOPs have been amended and are included as separate attachments. | |
| 31 | 3.3.2 Secondary Locations, ASPR Regional Office Locations table (pp.43-44) |
Hawaii is in the OCONUS row
STATEMENT OF WORK
Professional Staffing Support for the Office of Strategy, Policy, Planning, and Requirements (SPPR) (RFP pp.154-160)
10. PLACE/LOCATION OF PERFORMANCE/DELIVERY (SOW p.159)
| "and/or a regional reporting US location, including Alaska/Hawaii" | Can HHS please indicate whether Hawaii is part of Region OCONUS else please indicate which Region 1-10 it belongs under? | Attachment 2, Section 3.3.2 Secondary Locations, specifies Hawaii as OCONUS. It is not a part of any of the 10 Regions. The chart in this Section identifies which states are in which regions. |
| 32 | 3 CONTRACT OVERVIEW (p.43) |
3.3 Place of performance
"ASPR requires professional support in multiple locations consisting of Primary and Secondary locations specific at the Task Order level."
| Can the agency provide the number of FTEs in the current contract based in each locations? | The government will not provide this information. This information can be requested via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). | |
| 33 | General | Can the government clarify whether there is an incumbent(s)? If so, is the incumbent performing work under the TO SOWs included in this RFP? Can the government provide the name and contract number? When does the incumbent contract expire? |
The incumbent contractor is Aveshka, Inc., contract number HHSO100201600021I. The IDIQ task orders expire at various periods.
34 General Is the incumbent eligible to bid on this effort?
The incumbent is eligible to bid.
35 General Can the government provide the percentage of offsite work vs onsite work anticipated in the base and option years?
The percentage of offsite work vs onsite work during the base and option periods will be dependent on Program Office requirements. However, unless otherwise specified, all positions by default are Onsite Full-Time Equivalent (FTE).
36 General When does the government anticipate awarding the IDIQ contract? Individual TOs?
The government anticipates awarding the IDIQ contract and associated TOs within 60 days of RFP closing.
37 General Section 6.2 compels the incumbent to assist with transition to a new awardee if the incumbent is not awarded the follow-on contract. Will the government issue a Task Order specific to transition support? If this solicitation results in a multiple-award IDIQ, will all awardees be issued a transition support task order?
| This will be determined at contract award. | |||
| 38 | General | What current contracts or task orders does ASPR and its divisions have that currently address the task areas in this IDIQ? | Not all task areas in this IDIQ are currently being supported. Some are new and RTOPs will be provided based upon Government need. |
| 39 | General | Can the government indicate how many FTEs are part of the Firm Fixed Price and the number of FTEs that need to be for Time and Material based upon your current contract burn rate and projections. What positions are considered FTE's for FFP and what for T&M. |
For FFP TOs we would not expect to be billing at the T&M rates from Attachment 1; rather we would expect to have a milestone schedule based on the work and the total price for the TO. Please clarify. The government does not have the capability to provide the ratio of FFP vs TM FTEs under the incumbent contract. The type of TO and FTEs required is dependent upon the Program Office's requirements. However, unless otherwise noted, the anticipated contract type is FFP.
For FFP contracts we expect offeror's to utilize fully burdened rates in Attachment 1 with the inclusion of ODCs and travel.
| 40 | General | Can a prime contractor bring on additional subcontractors after the award? | A prime contractor can bring on additional subcontractors after award with the prior approval of the CO. |
| 41 | General | Can a prime contractor partner with another prime contractor on the IDIQ to respond to a specific task order? | A Prime contractor should not partner with another prime contractor to respond to a specific task order. |
| 42 | General | Does the government plan to off-ramp or on-ramp prime contractors over the life of the IDIQ? | The government does not plan to on/off ramp prime contractors during the life of the IDIQ. |
| 43 | Attachment 1 - Pricing for Professional Technical and Medical Support, pg. 10 | Can the Government please clarify the format they prefer us to provide the pricing (i.e. Excel, PDF, etc.)? Can the Government provide a template they prefer us to use? | Pricing may be provided in Excel spreadsheets per amended Attachments 1 and 1A. |
| 44 | RFP, 6 Transition Plan, Page 48 of 169 | Can the Government please confirm that the reference to "three (3) business days" refers to "within three (3) business days of request"? |
For clarity, the reference supports "three (3) business days of contract award."
| 45 | RFP, 6 Transition Plan, Page 48 of 170 | Can the Government please confirm our assumption that the reference to "20 days" should be changed to "20 business days"? |
| For clarity, the reference supports "20 business days." |
| 46 | RFP, 6 Transition Plan, Page 48 of 171 | Can the Government please confirm that the reference to "five (5) business days from the date of award" is correct and should not be changed to "from the contract start date"? | For clarity, the reference supports "five (5) business days from the effective date of award". |
| 47 | General | Can the Government provide an estimate of the percentage of on-site and off-site work? | The percentage of offsite work vs onsite work during the base and option periods will be dependent on Program Office requirements. However, unless otherwise specified, all positions by default are Onsite Full-Time Equivalent (FTE). |
| 48 | RFP, Description - Small Business set-aside, Page 1 of 169 | CFR 124.513 establishes that a joint venture formed within SBA’s Mentor-Protégé program will be deemed small provided the protégé qualifies as small for the size standard. Given that this is a small business set-aside, can the Government confirm that, pursuant with the stated clauses, it will accept offers from joint ventures that are considered small businesses? | The Government will accept offers submitted by qualified small businesses in the respective NAICS size standard including those qualified under 13 CFR 125.9(d) which states "a properly formed and approved joint venture qualifies as a small business, "A protégé and mentor may be a joint venture as a small business for any government prime contract, subcontract or sale, provided the protégé qualifies as small for the procurement or sale. Such a joint venture may seek any type of small business contract (i.e., small business set-aside, 8(a), HUBZone, SDVO, or WOSB) for which the protégé firm qualifies (e.g., a protégé firm that qualifies as a WOSB could seek a WOSB set-aside as a joint venture with its SBA–approved mentor). Similarly, a joint venture between a protégé and mentor may seek a subcontract as a HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, SDVO small business, or WOSB provided the protégé individually qualifies as such." |
49 4.3 Consulting Services Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) p.46 "Consulting SMEs will not be considered contractor personnel selections for permanent or ongoing performance under this contract or task orders and therefore will be considered Offsite contractors..."
| A list of SMEs follows beginning with "Metric and Impact Assessment SME" | Different SMEs, not found on this list, are in Attachment 1, Pricing for Professional Technical and Medical Support. Can the offeror therefore assume that they are not expected to price all SMEs that may be used during performance at time of bid? | Offerors shall provide rates for all labor categories in the amended Attachment 1 and 3. However, after award additional SMEs may be requested based on Program Office need. | ||
| 50 | Attachment 2; Page 46 | Do Offerors need to provide rates for consulting SMEs? | Offerors shall provide rates for all labor categories in Attachment 1 and 3. However, after award additional SMEs may be requested based on Program Office need. | |
| 51 | p. 43, 3.3 Place of Performance, 3.3.1 Primary Locations | Do we need to have a presence in both Washington, DC, and Atlanta, GA to respond to this request? And what are the expectations for secondary locations? | Offerors shall be available to support ASPR's professional technical and medical support in multiple locations consisting of Primary and Secondary locations specified at the Task Order level. | |
| 52 | Attachment 2 - SOW, Section 16, pg. 58 | Does the Government approve submissions including subcontractors? |
| The government will provide written consent for approved subcontractor and consulting agreements submitted with proposals. | ||
| 53 | Attachment 2 - SOW, Section 16, pg. 59 | Can an offeror submit a proposal as a prime and also as a subcontractor with another team? |
An offeror should not submit a proposal as a Prime contractor and a subcontractor.
| 54 | Attachment 2 - SOW, Section 16, pg. 60 | For Past Performance references, can it be for work that we performed as a Subcontractor? Or must it be at the Prime level? |
| Past performance references can be for work performed as a subcontractor. | ||
| 55 | Attachment 1 - Pricing for Professional Technical and Medical Support, pg. 10 | |
| Does the government expect subcontractor's rates to be included in the Prime's proposal or can subcontractors submit their rates separately directly to the Government? |
The Prime Contractor shall submit inclusive rates directly to the Government.
| 56 | Factor 4 - Price/Cost, Page 7 | Does the government want to see our cost buildups for labor category pricing? | Offerors shall provide the cost-breakout of their pricing. |
| 57 | Factor 2, Key Personnel | Does the S-CPM and the CPM need to have an active TS clearance or do they need to have a TS-SCI? |
| The type of clearance required will be defined at the Task Order level. Clearance information is highlighted in yellow of the amended Attachment 6 - Request for Task Order Proposal (RTOP). | |||
| 58 | Factor 2, Key Personnel | Please clarify the LCATs for which the TS-SCI requirement is applicable. | The type of clearance required will be defined at the Task Order level. Clearance information is highlighted in yellow of the amended Attachment 6 - Request for Task Order Proposal (RTOP). |
| 59 | General |
Attachment 1 lists every individual Labor Category as its own CLIN. Considering the government intends to issue a hybrid FFP and Labor Hour award, would the government consider restructuring the CLINs to reflect the individually awarded Task Orders?
The government will not be restructuring the CLINs to reflect the individually awarded task orders.
60 Appendix I
Each of the Offsite and Onsite Tables for each year include CLINs for Travel, ODCs, and "Response + Surge + New Requirements 15%" with plug numbers for the funded amounts for those CLINs. Are the amounts for these three CLINs additive between Onsite and Offsite or the total expected across all labor planned for the base and each option year? Attachment 1 is amended to eliminate "Response + Surge + New Requirements 15%" and CLINs for Travel and ODC. These CLINs will be confirmed at contract award.
61 ATTACHMENT 1, Pricing for Professional Technical and Medical Support, ONSITE SCHEDULE OF CHARGES Base Period (Onsite), (pp.10-14), Option Period I (Onsite), (pp.15-19), Option Period II (Onsite), (pp.20-24) ATTACHMENT 1, Pricing for Professional Technical and Medical Support, OFFSITE SCHEDULE OF CHARGES Base Period (Offsite), (pp.25-29), Option Period I (Offsite), (pp.30-34), Option Period II (Offsite), (pp.35-39).
| The pricing CLINs repeat from the Onsite Base Period and Onsite Option Period I. The CLINs repeat from Onsite Base Period to Offsite Base Period. The CLINs repeat between all three periods and both Onsite and Offsite Labor Categories. Could the government please assign unique CLINs to each pricing block to avoid confusion? A traditional suggestion would be for Offsite Base Period to be numbered 0157-0313 and Onsite Option Period I to be numbered 1001-1156, Offsite Period I to be numbered 1157-1313, etc. | Please refer to Amendment 2_Attachment 1. | ||
| 62 | Factor 2, Section 5, Attachment 3, and "Statement of Work (SOW) for Task Order No. 1" | Factor 2 and Section 5 state: "No special consideration will be afforded [S-CPM and CPM] candidates maintaining a Program Manager Institute (PMI) certification. The USG values proven work experience managing complex projects, programs, and portfolios above independent for-cost past/fail certifications." However the Experience and Qualifications provided in Attachment 3 for these positions specifically states: "PMP Preferred." Similarly, several Labor Category descriptions in the BARDA Task Order SOW indicate a preference for PMP certifications. Please clarify the government's position on the PMP certification provided by PMI and the expectations regarding the S-CPM and CPM position descriptions and the Labor Category descriptions in the BARDA SOW. | There will be no evaluation benefit conferred if a candidate for the relevant position has a CPM certification. |
| 63 | Page 7 | Factor 4 is indicated as the Price/Cost evaluation factor, but the instructions include technical evaluation for the RTOPs as part of the price evaluation. Considering this inappropriately combines technical approach and price into a single evaluation factor, will the government consider separating the technical approach for the RTOPs as a separate Evaluation Factor with its own instructions, page limitations, etc.? | The Adjectival rating for Factor 4 was inadvertently included in the RFP and is therefore removed in its entirety. The language in Factor 4 is revised as follows: "The Government will evaluate Factor 4 based on the following: |
1. The proposed response to Draft Task Orders for Proposal (RTOPs) is complete and reasonable
2. The proposed labor mix in response to Draft RTOPs completely and clearly addresses all required support needed identified in all Draft RTOPs
3. The proposed costs or pricing is deemed fair and reasonable or the proposed costs or pricing not deemed fair and reasonable"
| 64 | Attachment 3, Appendix I / RFP Section 4.1 | From our review of the labor category list, we have found that there are some duplicates with regards to labor category name. Some of the labor categories with similar names have substantial differences with regards to experience and qualifications (e.g., Principal Consultant v. Senior Consultant and Senior Analyst (Grants Support) -listed twice with different experience and qualifications). While the RFP says that we can propose additional labor categories if needed, will ASPR allow offerors to propose a simplified/reduced list of labor categories? If yes, how should pricing worksheets be adjusted, as the price currently evaluates all 153 labor categories? | Attachments 1 and 3 have been revised to resolve duplicates and add missing labor categories. Offerors are to prepare their proposals in accordance with amended Attachments 1 and 3. |
| 65 | RFP #75A50121R00015 | Given the high volume of positions, will the government offer an extension? | An extension is granted. Proposals are due no later than 5:00 PM ET on Wednesday, 17 March 2021. |
| 66 | Description, P. 1 | Given the large scope of work for this RFP, will the Government consider a multi-award multi-size IDIQ structure where it is full and open competition with a set aside number of awards for small businesses, and then a number of awards for large businesses so that the Government is ensured maximum coverage for the broad scope of task areas? | The government will continue this requirement as a small business set-aside. |
| 67 | Attachment 3, LCATS, General | Graduate degree is Bachelor's or above, correct? |
| A graduate degree which is equivalent to a Master's or other advanced degree is above a Bachelor's. | |||
| 68 | Attachment 3, LCATS, General | Advanced degree is Master's or above, correct? | A graduate degree which is equivalent to a Master's or other advanced degree is above a Bachelor's. |
| 69 | General | If it is the government's intent to issue a single-award IDIQ contract, consistent with FAR 16.504(a)(4)(iv) please describe the procedures that the Government will use in issuing orders, and the task order proposal process the awardee is to follow under the awarded IDIQ. | The government reserves the right to make a single or multiple awards. Capability of the proposals received and evaluated will determine whether the Government makes a single or multiple award. If the Government determines to make multiple awards, task orders will be competed among awardees. |
| 70 | p. 5, Factor 3 – Past Performance | Is greater weight given to the past performance of small business prime contractors? |
Greater weight will not be given to the past performance of small business prime contractors.
| 71 | p. 5, Factor 3 – Past Performance | “recent similar contracts". Will similar experience outside of ASPR and HHS be considered relevant? | The Government reserves the right to obtain and/or use information in the evaluation of past performance from all sources. |
| 72 | Page 57 Section 13.8 |
| Is HHS required training, such as security briefings required for access to HHS IT systems or for SCI access and other such classes, considered exceptions to section 13.8? | |
| HHS required trainings are not applicable to Section 13.8. | |
| 73 | Attachment 2 |
| Re Section 13.8 - Please clarify the procedure for obtaining prior authorization for overtime hours in emergency situations. It would seem that if an emergency should arise resulting in the need to provide additional staff hours, this same emergency could well prevent us from being able to submit a request and obtain approval for the overtime hours. How will this work in practice? (Also for Attachment 6 RTOP Overtime on page 85/169 and in other places in subsequent SOWs) | |
| The process remains the same as stated per Section 13.8 - Overtime. |
| 74 | Attachment 2 | Section 13.8 defines Overtime as hours in excess of 40 hours a week / 160 hours a month. Since it is often the case that there are more than 160 work hours (20 work days) in a calendar month, please confirm that we will be able to bill for hours worked not to exceed 40 hours per week without prior authorization and the monthly limit does not apply. | For clarity, "160 hours per month" is removed in its entirety. Offerors will not be able to bill for hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week without prior CO authorization. |
| 75 | ATTACHMENT 1, Pricing for Professional Technical and Medical Support (pp.10 & 13) |
0012 Jr. Project Manager
| 0127 Jr. Project Manager | Is line 0127 "Jr. Project Manager" supposed to be "Jr. Project Manager - Project Scheduler"? Can the government confirm if the intention is to have both roles billed as "Jr. Project Manager" rates? | The language "Jr. Project Manager - Project Scheduler" included at BARDA's SOW, Attachment 6, was submitted in error and has been removed. Offerors shall provide rates for all positions listed in Amendment 2 to Attachments 1 and 3. | ||
| 76 | General | Is the contractor able to submit Substitution Language for Education and Experience Requirements? For example: A Bachelor's Degree is equal to 4 years of additional experience, etc. | Offerors may provide comparable experience and education substitutions. However, all deviations from education requirements shall include a justification to support how it pertains to the requirements of the Statement of Work (SOW). The Government will determine its acceptability. | |
| 77 | Pg 51 - Attachment 2, IDIQ SOW, 9-9.3, pg 51 | Is there an anticipated percentage of task orders that will require a level of clearance? | There is no known percentage. Contractors required to have an active security clearance will be defined at the Task Order level. | |
| 78 | RFP, Page 44, 4.1 Contractor Personnel | Many private sector firms perform solely on a firm-fixed price basis, utilizing pricing methodologies not based on cost element data and who do not have accounting systems that are able to allocate costs per hour, and therefore, do not have pricing based on estimated hours and hourly rates. These companies focus on impact achieved, rather than the time and resources expended, and as such utilize alternative pricing methodologies such as weekly team rates. To help all offerees best facilitate the Government’s goal of a labor mix that meets and/or exceeds performance goals, can the government clarify whether an offeree can provide pricing in team rates in addition to or instead of hourly rates for each LCAT? | Pricing is recommended at hourly rates for each LCAT. | |
| 79 | Attachment 3, Appendix I | Not all labor categories include minimum years of experience and/or education experience. Would ASPR please provide that information for the following labor categories: Watch Officer and Technical Consultant? | Attachment 3 is amended to incorporate information supporting the Watch Officer and Technical Consultant. | |
| 80 | RFP, Attachment 6, General | Our firm is a small business with many employees located across the globe, and able to staff a team and deploy within 24 hours of request. However, we recognize some tasks may be better fits for our core capabilities than others. Can the government confirm that the offerees are not required to respond to every task order? | Offerors are required to respond to every RTOP (SOWs), Attachment 6. |
| 81 | General | Overall staffing requirements are quite vague and as such increase transition/staffing risk in execution. To mitigate the risk, will the government provide a staffing table that provides insight into the current (or historical) LCAT requirements by location, requiring office, and security clearance? | Offerors should use Attachment 6 - Request for Task Order Proposal (RTOP) as a reference that will be further defined at task order issuance. |
| 82 | RFP, General | Page 50 of the RFP, 7.2 Offsite Contractors, outlines "all equipment, software, and services required for Offsite contractor performance will be provided by the Offeror at no additional cost to the USG." However, 3 of the Draft Task orders [pgs. 84, 146, 158] mention access to VPN. Where the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates hybrid or fully offsite work, can the government confirm that access to remote tools such as GFE and VPN will be given? | |
| For clarity, unless otherwise specified, all positions by default are Onsite Full-Time Equivalent (FTE). However, due to the unprecedented COVID-19 and its restrictions, staff is working off-site until restrictions are lifted and they are able to physically return to onsite locations. |
| 83 | RFP, General | The RFP mentions multiple times "onsite work" (e.g. Attachment 1 page 1: "Onsite schedule of charges"; and SOW for TO1 page 70 "The contractor shall provide support onsite at a minimum during core office hours of 7:00AM to 3:00PM Eastern Time (ET) Monday through Friday..."). Can the government clarify whether fully onsite work is expected, given COVID-19 pandemic? | |
| For clarity, unless otherwise specified, all positions by default are Onsite Full-Time Equivalent (FTE). However, due to the unprecedented COVID-19 and its restrictions, staff is working off-site until restrictions are lifted and they are able to physically return to onsite locations. | |||
| 84 | RFP, General | In light of the COVID-19 emergency and restrictions for onsite work, would the government explain their expectations for all positions to be full time onsite and how the offerors will be able to fulfill the workplace expectations and comply with the mandated work from home restrictions applied to HHS employees and contractors? Can the government modify section 13.7 to incorporate HHS's workplace regulations under the COVID-19 emergency? | |
| For clarity, unless otherwise specified, all positions by default are Onsite Full-Time Equivalent (FTE). However, due to the unprecedented COVID-19 and its restrictions, staff is working off-site until restrictions are lifted and they are able to physically return to onsite locations. | |||
| 85 | RFP, General | Will the government provide access to data analysis and visualization tools such as SAS, R, Tableau, MS Power BI? | This will be dependent on the program office's requirements. If the program office determines it's a necessity, then access will be granted to these tools. |
| 86 | Page 154 of 169 | Please clarify the expected number of position and associated hours for the Program Manager in the "Level of Effort Breakdown" table. The Quantity for this position is list as "1/3" and the hours are listed as "1120 (373)." | Please refer to amended Attachment 6 - Request for Task Order Proposal (RTOP) |
| 87 | Page 159 of 169 | Please clarify the first paragraph of section 14. The paragraph seems to include placeholder language. | The information in this section is to be inserted upon IDIQ and TO award. |
| 88 | Page 160 of 169 | Please clarify whether the SPPR task order SOW will require access to classified information, the required access level, and the required positions for classified access. | Please refer to amended Attachment 6 - Request for Task Order Proposal (RTOP) |
| 89 | Attachment 1 | Please confirm that none of the LCATS fall under the Service Contract Act? | The Service Contract Act and Wage Determination does not apply. |
| 90 | Page 48, SOW section 5.5, Non-Key Personnel | Please confirm that resumes submitted in response to this proposal are not required to meet the requirements of Appendix II, which include PII. (Note: It is understood that the successful offeror is required to submit resumes in a form compliant with Appendix II upon award.) | Representative resumes submitted for non-key personnel in response to this combined synopsis/solicitation are not required to include personally identifiable information (PII). |
| 91 | Page 161 | Please confirm that the place of performance for all work conducted by staff other than the Senior Analytical Consultants under the EMMO SOW will be in Washington DC locations. | |
| Unless otherwise noted, the place of performance will be the Washington DC Metro Area. |
| 92 | Page 162 | Please confirm the staff supporting the Task Order SOW for the HHS COOP Division do not require security clearances. | Please refer to the "Security Requirements" section listed per the RTOP (SOW) for the COOP Program Office. |
| 93 | General | Please describe the frequency and period under which ordering entities may use the IDIQ to issue task orders. May ordering entities use the IDIQ at any time under the period of performance? Can task orders be issued only with the original IDIQ award and on the anniversary of the base period? | |
| The government may issue TOs any time during period of performance of the IDIQ contract based on program needs. |
| 94 | General | Will task orders awarded under this IDIQ be allowed to have periods of performance that extend beyond the period of performance of the IDIQ? If so, what is the maximum period of performance allowed for each task order? Will offerors be allowed to provide escalated rates for the labor categories applicable to any Task Order that exceeds the IDIQ period of performance? | Although not projected, task order period of performance may extend beyond the IDIQ end date. The maximum period of performance allowed is determined at each task order award. Offerors are not allowed to provide escalated rates. |
| 95 | General | Please describe whether ordering entities are allowed to require additional qualifications, education, or experience above and beyond those outlined in the Labor Category descriptions in Attachment 3. If so, will awardees be allowed to submit revised rates to accommodate the new labor category requirements? | Statement of Work (SOW) will be defined during request of RTOP in accordance with Program Office needs. |
| 96 | Page 119 | ||
| Please indicate in the Technical Staffing Support Table the positions expected at the duty stations identified on page 123. | |||
| For clarity, only one (1) Management Analyst will be located in Atlanta, GA. All other staff will be located in Washington, DC. |
| 97 | Page 125 |
| Please indicate in the Technical Staffing Support Table the positions expected at the duty stations other than those in Washington DC identified on page 133. | |
| For clarity, the duty station is the Washington, DC Metro Area. | |
| 98 | Page 142 of 169 |
| Please indicate in the Technical Staffing Support Table the positions expected at the duty stations identified on page 147. | |
| For clarity, there is one (1) Supply Tech at MSC Maryland, one (1) Supply Tech at MSC Texas, and one (1) Supply Tech at MSC California. All other contractor personnel will be located in Washington, DC Metro Area. |
99 Attachment 1
Please indicate in the Technical Staffing Support Table the positions expected at the duty stations other than those in Washington DC identified on page 159.
| For clarity, all positions for the RTOP supporting SPPR are in the Washington, DC area. | |
| 100 | Attachment 1 |
| Please reconcile the requirement to provide pricing for 306 FTEs in each period of the contract (153 onsite and 153 offsite) with the contract being (1) an IDIQ contract with only $2500 minimum guarantee, (2) set-aside for small business, and (3) a multiple award IDIQ. | |||
| The government determines the requirements based on need as defined in the Statement of Work (SOW). | |||
| 101 | Page 4, Factor 1 – Technical Approach and Management Plan, 4,d “Scheduling”. | Question: Please clarify the government’s use of scheduling in this context and what information should be provided in response to this requirement. | Offerors shall "demonstrate its ability and proficiency in maintaining quality accounting practices, management of routine and new requirements." |
| 102 | Attachment 1 | Rather than requiring offerors to price 1 FTE onsite and 1 FTE offsite for each labor category, would the government be willing to revise its request to instead have offerors provide a rate card for the required labor categories onsite and offsite for the years of the expected validity period of the IDIQ similar to the format provided in the "alternate rate card" tab in this spreadsheet? | Labor Categories should be proposed as provided in Attachments 1 and 3. |
| 103 | RFP, top of page 2 of 169 | RFP States, Offerors’ proposals shall include a detailed description of the techniques and procedures to be used in achieving the proposed end results in compliance with the requirements of the SOW. Are we addressing the Attachment 2 SOW requirements or the RTOP SOWs? | Offerors shall address the SOWs for Attachment 2 and Attachment 6. |
| 104 | Page 48 Section 6 and Sub-Factor 1D (Page 4) |
RFP states, The Offeror shall provide a plan for transitioning to the new contract within 30, 60, or 90 calendar days, negotiated at the time of award. Assuming this statement refers to TOs, will the government amend instructions and evaluation criteria to cover how the Prime offeror intends to transition in at the IDIQ level? The government would benefit greatly from reviewing the Offerors' plan and commitment to responding to TOs.
The "Preliminary Transition Plan" supports the IDIQ and Task Order level.
105 Page 48 Section 6 and Sub-Factor 1D (Page 4)
| Although this is a new contract as stated, please confirm that contract support is currently being provided under HHSO100201600021I? Are other contracts currently executing part of these requirements? If so, please provide the contract number? |
| Some support services are new based on ASPR's growing mission. However, other support services are currently supported per Contract No. HHSO100201600021I. |
| 106 | RFP #75A50121R00015; Basis for Award | Please also clarify what part of the Transition plan is to be written as part of the proposal and what is to be written post-award. | |
| Offerors shall provide the "Preliminary Transition Plan" in accordance with the evaluation criteria for Factor 1, Sub-Factor 1D that support the requirements stated per Section 6 in Attachment 2. |
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