Attachment E_Questions and Answers.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 18 KB Posted
- Attached to
- FDA Nationwide Ergonomic Services Federal contract opportunity
- Solicitation number
- 75F40126Q00019
About this file
This is a Questions and Answers (Q&A) document for FDA Solicitation 75F40126Q00019, a nationwide ergonomic services RFQ issued under Amendment 0001. The document addresses 30+ inquiries from prospective offerors regarding contract structure, staffing, submission requirements, and performance expectations. Key responses clarify that the FDA has an existing incumbent contract (75F40120C00197) with ES SQUARED, LLC valued at $1,647,232.48 running through March 29, 2026, with historical staffing of 2 ergonomists and 1 project manager. The Government confirmed estimated annual volumes including 213-320 ergonomic assessments per month (with approximately 50% health assessments, 25% reasonable accommodation, 10% post-injury, and 5% assistive technology), up to 4 health fairs annually, and 12 trainings per year, with one to two trips monthly to FDA offices in the Washington D.C. metro area and White Oak, Maryland.
Submission requirements include a Cover Letter/Executive Summary plus three separate volumes (Technical Quotation, Pricing, and Past Performance), totaling four attachments, with resumes required but no specific format mandated. The Government clarified that FTE hour calculations are a business decision by offerors, resumes and cover pages are exempt from page limits, and glossaries are optional. An Organizational Conflict of Interest restriction was removed in Amendment 0001. The Government will provide transition during the first week of performance with contractors expected to deliver services beginning week two. Contractor personnel must work Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with after-hours report writing permitted, and must use FDA's Word-based form and FDA web-based customer service platform for documentation. Past performance references must complete questionnaires and email them to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer by the quote submission deadline.
View the file
Other files for this federal contract opportunity
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-05 RFQ 75F40126Q00019 Amendment 0001 Ergonomics.pdf | ||
| 2026-01-26 RFQ 75F40126Q00019 Ergonomics.pdf | ||
| Attachment A_Pricing Worksheet.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Attachment B_Commitment to Protect Non-Public Information (NPI) Employee Agreement_Form FDA 3398.pdf | ||
| Attachment D_RFQ Question Submittal Form.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Attachment C_Past Performance Questionnaire.docx | DOCX document |
On GovTribe
Work with this file on GovTribe
- Download the original file
- Contacts named in this file
- Similar government files
- Ask GovTribe AI about this file
Text version
Sheet1
| FDA Nationwide Ergonomic Services | ||||
| RFQ 75F40126Q00019 Amendment 0001 | ||||
| Attachment E: Questions and Answers | ||||
| RFQ Section | RFQ Page Number | Question to Government | Government's Response | NCB Comment |
| We would like to know if this is a brand new contract OR if there is (was) an incumbent performing these services. If not brand new, could you please provide the current / previous contract number? The history of previous awards, including the award amount(s). | The FDA has in place an existing contract 75F40120C00197 for a similar requirement. The incumbent is ES SQUARED, LLC (UEI: J5FXQUCBKTH6). The total value of the contract, including options, is $1,647,232.48. The total period of performance of the contract is from September 30, 2020, through March 29, 2026. | |||
| What is the name of the COR? | Information on the COR will be provided at time of award. | |||
| Pricing | Pg# 2-3 | To support consistent staffing assumptions and accurate pricing for this T&M effort, can the Government please confirm the basis for FTE calculations for this solicitation. Specifically, whether 1.0 FTE should be considered 2,080 hours/year, or based on the hours specified in the RFQ labor/hour tables (or another defined annual hour standard)? | The annual labor hours provided in the RFQ pricing table are the estimated required need. The total hours comprising an FTE is a business decision by the offeror. | |
| SOW-Tasks | Pg# 6-7 | Can the Government please confirm the expected annual volume (or best estimate) of: (a) individual ergonomic assessments, (b) equipment recommendation reports, (c) health fairs, (d) trainings, and (e) nationwide travel, to align staffing and labor-hour allocation. | Ergo assessments can be about 213-320/month, minimal equipment assessment reports, up to 4 health fairs per year, 12 trainings per year and one to two travel to an FDA office per month, and need to be at the Washington, D.C. metro area and White Oak, MD daily as needed. | |
| OCI | Pg# 33 | Regarding the Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) / “Do Not Compete” language in the RFQ, please clarify the intended scope and duration of the restriction. Specifically, is the prohibition limited to an identical follow-on acquisition for the same FDA OOSH requirements/services (and the associated documents/processes/forms provided under this contract), or does it extend to broader “similar” ergonomics support work that is not based on, or informed by, those FDA materials? Additionally, how long does the OCI restriction remain in effect (e.g., through the period of performance only, a defined number of years, or until a specific event/condition)? | The subject language has been removed from the RFQ. See RFQ Amendment 0001. | |
| Transition | Pg# 36 | Can the Government please confirm whether a defined transition period has been established for this requirement and, if so, the anticipated length and any key transition expectations/deliverables? | Government will provide the transition during the first week of performance. The anticipated key transition expectations is for the contractors to deliver ergonomics services starting week 2. | |
| Volume I -Technical Quotation | Pg# 67 | Can the Government please clarify the resume submission requirements under the RFQ. The solicitation states that “cover pages, table of contents, and resumes are not included in the page limit.” Please confirm whether submission of resumes is required. | Yes, resumes of proposed personnel are required as part of the technical volume. | |
| Volume I -Technical Quotation | Pg# 67 | Can the Government specify whether there is a required or preferred format, template, or organizational structure for resumes submitted with the proposal? If so, please provide any formatting guidelines or expectations the government would like offerors to follow. | There is no specific, required format. A reader should be able to comprehend the resumes with clarity and ease. | |
| N/A | N/A | Can the Government confirm whether there is a current incumbent contractor performing the Nationwide Ergonomic Services described in this RFQ? If so, please provide the incumbent contractor name, contract/award number, and approximate contract value (and period of performance, if available). | The FDA has in place an existing contract 75F40120C00197 for a similar requirement. The incumbent is ES SQUARED, LLC (UEI: J5FXQUCBKTH6). The total value of the contract, including options, is $1,647,232.48. The total period of performance of the contract is from September 30, 2020, through March 29, 2026. | |
| General Formatting Instructions | Pg# 66 | Can the Government please clarify the submission structure for the quotation. The RFQ states that “Each quotation shall consist of a Cover Letter, and three (3) separate volumes (attachments).” Please confirm whether the Cover Letter/Executive Summary is required to be submitted as a separate attachment from Volumes I, II, and III, resulting in a total of four (4) attachments submitted with the quotation email. | Yes, the Cover Letter/Executive Summary is required to be submitted as a separate attachment from Volumes I, II, and III, resulting in a total of four (4) attachments submitted. Please carefully review the solicitation and include all required contents for each. | |
| IV. Volume 3 – Past Performance | Pg# 69 | For Volume III, is a cover page and/or table of contents required or permitted, and if permitted, will those pages count toward any applicable page limitations? | For Volume III, a cover page and/or table of contents are permitted. These pages will not count toward the applicable page limitations. | |
| General Formatting Instructions | Pg# 66 | Is a glossary required for this RFQ? If so, does the Government prefer/require one consolidated glossary for the entire submission or separate glossaries within each volume/file (e.g., Cover Letter/Executive Summary, Volume I, Volume III)? If a consolidated glossary is preferred/required, should it be included with the Cover Letter/Executive Summary (or submitted as a separate attachment)? | Glossary is not required. If submitted, it should be a separate attachment from the Cover Letter/Executive Summary. However, the offeror/quoter is responsible for the clarity of their quote. | |
| I. Cover Letter/Executive Summary | Pg# 67 | Can the Government confirm that if a Quoter identifies no potential OCI and provides the required written “no OCI” statement, then an OCI mitigation plan is not required for that Quoter? | The subject language has been removed from the RFQ. See RFQ Amendment 0001. | |
| Criterion III: Recent and Relevant Experience, AND IV. Volume 3 – Past Performance | Pg# 68 AND 69 | Can the Government clarify the intended distinction between Criteria III and the Past Performance section, including what specific information is expected in each (e.g., narrative approach, relevance mapping, performance metrics), so Offerors can avoid duplicative content and tailor each section appropriately? | Criterion III focuses on the quoter's experience performing efforts similar to this requirement. Criterion V focuses on how well the vendor performed on those efforts identified in Criterion III (such as CPARS rating). | |
| N/A | N/A | Can the Government provide current and historical staffing levels for this requirement, including labor categories, FTE counts by CLIN/task area, and (if available) staffing by location/shift and any planned changes during the period of performance? | Historical staffing for the similar incumbent contract was 2 ergonomists and 1 project manager for all CLINs. Location was as needed nationwide, 5 business days a week except federal holidays. No planned changes. | |
| N/A | N/A | The SOW does not specify the required work schedule for proposed positions. Can the government please clarify the anticipated working days (e.g., Monday through Friday) and standard hours during which contractor personnel are expected to perform services under this contract? | It is all business days, 5 days a week, M-F, 8:30 am to 5 pm to be available to customers. After work hours to write reports is allowed. Contractor does not work on federal holidays. | |
| I. Cover Letter/Executive Summary | 67 | 1. Should the executive summary include pricing information? | No. | |
| General question | 2. Can hyperlinks be embedded in the document to external websites in order to provide examples of a work product or ideas? | No. | ||
| Instructions for Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) | 70 | 3. Who does the contractor send their PPQ to, if there is no CPARS for their current contract? | Each reference must complete the questionnaire and email an electronic copy to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer by the quote submission due date. The reference selected is chosen by the quoter and should be someone competent to evaluate performance of the quoter's effort. | |
| n. Contractor Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) | 20 & 26 | 4. Are any signed NPI/NDA forms required with the quotation, or are these strictly post-award onboarding deliverables (submitted after award/at commencement)? | Must be delivered to the COR prior to commencing performance. This applies to the successful vendor that is awarded the contract. | |
| 22. Quotation Preparation Instructions | 66 | 5. Is a signed cover letter sufficient, or must each volume (or each PDF) contain a signature block/signature page | One cover letter and signature block will suffice. Cover letter of each Volume is optional. | |
| Instructions for Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) | 70 | 6. One of our past performance clients has recently experienced management turnover and the new management that doesn’t know our work history. The past management no longer works for the organization but I still keep in touch with her. Can the past management complete our PPQ without currently working for the organization? | Yes. But FDA would also like input from the current client for a comprehensive assessment. | |
| I. Cover Letter/Executive Summary | 67 | 7. Does the offeror need to print their representations and certifications from SAM.gov to prove their active registration in SAM.gov? | No. | |
| 1 | 1 | If we are a certified small business (SBE) but under a different NAICS code, would it still be acceptable for the set-aside? | Please consult SBA to determine your business size. https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-guide/basic-requirements. You might also consult FAR Part 19 at https://www.acquisition.gov/. |
| 11 | Our company has previously engaged with FDA during RFI back in 2021, then again in March 2024 and finally responded to the formal solicitation in August 2024. Please share if you are able, some history on what has occurred between the last RFP and this new solicitation. What has prompted to pause on the previous RFP and reissue the new one? | FDA declines to comment on any previous solicitation(s) and/or its acquisition planning activities. | |
| We would like to know if this is a brand new contract OR if there is (was) an incumbent performing these services. If not brand new, could you please provide the current / previous contract number? | The FDA has in place an existing contract 75F40120C00197 for a similar requirement. The incumbent is ES SQUARED, LLC (UEI: J5FXQUCBKTH6). | ||
| You had an RFQ in 2021 for a practitioner level tool for documenting ergonomic reports. Has any platform been implemented at FDA as a result and will the vendor be expected to use it for documentation? If not, what is currently being used to document assessment results? | FDA uses a Word-based form is pdf-ed to be signed and then concurrently uses an FDA web-based customer service platform (i.e. not an independent, non-FDA platform). The contractors will be expected to use this form and FDA web-based platform. | ||
| 7 | 7 | Could you please share some historic volume data on different types of assessments: ergonomic assessment, health assessment, reasonable accommodation, post-injury, assistive technology, virtual and follow up. | Ergonomic assessments up to 213-320 per month, of which half can be health assessments, 25% can be reasonable accommodation, 10% post-injury, 5% assistive technology, and the rest can be virtual and follow up. It varies by month. |
| 7 | 7 | Please provide approximate % of office assessments vs laboratory assessments. | It is about 75% office and 25 % labs but the ratio can vary depending the location. |
| 7 | 10 | Please provide physical address(s) for other locations in addition to the Oak Campus and Washington DC. | They can be any of the 230+ FDA offices, labs, resident posts, district office or regional offices in the 50 states as needed. FDA's mission of protecting and promoting public health is not held to one region. As such, FDA has offices and staff in the Washington, D.C. area as well as across the United States (field locations). |
FDA headquarters facilities are located in Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties in Maryland. Many FDA employees are consolidated at the White Oak Campus located in Silver Spring, MD.
| 7 | 7 | For the virtual assessments, please confirm if these are all office related or could it be any of the types (health, accommodation, post-injury etc.). | They can be for all types and are mostly offices or labs. |
| 7 | 7 | How many ergonomists have you had over the past 1-2 years to manage your ergonomics program? | FDA has had 1-2 FTE equivalent ergonomists. |
| 1 | 1 | Is Women Owned Small Business meet the small business requirement? | Please consult SBA to determine your business size. https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-guide/basic-requirements |
| 6 | 2 | Please elaborate on the role (tasks and deliverable) of a Project Manager. Do they have administrative responsibilities? Are they responsible for managing scheduling within the Employee Resource and Information Center (ERIC) administrative system? | The PM has administrative and programmatic responsibilities and coordinates the program, staffing, tracks hours, performs all scheduling (unless the ergonomist can assist), travel, and produces the billing. The contractor team work closely the Employee Resource and Information Center (ERIC) administrative system to provide end-to end-customer services. |
| Criterion 3 – Past Performance | 68 | Will projects used as past performance be accepted where specific contact and project details are unknown? | The FDA will review the past performance information provided with the quote in accordance with the terms of the solicitation and determine if there is sufficient information included to provde a rating. |
| Place of Work | 10 | What is the anticipated frequency of in-person ergonomics support for the Silver Spring, Maryland location. | It depends on the need which change over time. It can range anywhere from biweekly to daily. |
| Staffing | 6 | What is the average volume of ergonomic requests | Ergonomic assessments volume can be up to 213-320 per month. |
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .