Amendment 3 - Questions and Answers (QA) Round 3.pdf
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- Solicitation number
- 75F40126R00051
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This document is a Questions and Answers (Q&A) Round 3 for the FDA Facility Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Support Services contract at the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR), issued on July 17, 2026.
The Q&A addresses 21 questions from offerors regarding contract performance requirements and administrative procedures. Key clarifications include: (1) a CBA seniority list showing 30 total JFMU members with 10+ years of service comprising the majority of the workforce; (2) all testing equipment is calibrated annually with schedules provided via work management system; (3) approximately 100 hand sanitizer stations require refilling as needed; (4) the Government does not maintain historical cafeteria consumption data as it is proprietary to the current contractor; (5) battery backup systems within contract scope are limited, with replacements at Government expense; (6) the successor contractor will receive access to incumbent work orders, PM schedules, equipment history, inventory records, and active work orders during phase-in; (7) four Key Personnel positions are required for evaluation: On-site Contract Manager, Operations Manager, Quality Control Manager, and EMCS Manager (resumes not required); (8) licensed water system operators need normal business hours coverage with on-call response, but a certified boiler plant operator must be on-site 24/7; (9) one kitchen vent hood system covering two areas requires third-party inspection paid by the contractor; (10) offerors must propose fixed fully burdened ceiling labor rates for all IDIQ task order categories; (11) only proposal elements specified in Section L are required with proposals; all other plans and deliverables in Section F-2.1 are post-award requirements; (12) contractor personnel cannot use privately owned vehicles to access the secured NCTR campus unless specifically authorized; (13) reports and invoices must be Section 508 compliant; and (14) no sanitized incumbent staffing matrix will be provided beyond the CBA seniority list, as each offeror must develop its own staffing plan based on PWS requirements.
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FDA Facility Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Support services at the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR)
Questions and Answers (Q&A) – Round 3
7/17/2026
1. Labor Requirements, CBA: What is the seniority mix of the current staff under the CBA so that offerors may determine longevity pay and vacation obligations?
Answer: See below for CBA Seniority List.
2. PWS 4.8, Test Equipment: Can the Government provide the current testing/inspection schedule, including frequency and date of last inspection, so offerors can price accordingly? Some data in the attachments appears outdated.
Answer: All testing equipment is calibrated and current. This is performed on an annual basis, and the schedule is provided via the work management system.
3. PWS 17.1, Janitorial Services: Can the Government provide the number of hand sanitizer dispensers and historical refill frequency?
Answer: Approximately 100 stations including entrance/exits of buildings and restrooms. Dispensers are refilled as needed.
4. PWS 18.1, Cafeteria Food Service Operation: Can the Government provide historical data for cafeteria food, disposable supplies, and related items for the last three years?
Answer: The Government does not maintain the requested historical consumption data. This information is proprietary to the current contractor.
5. PWS; Attachment J-2 & J-3, Battery Backup Systems: How many battery backup systems are currently installed and how often do they require replacement?
Answer: The Government has a limited number of battery backup systems within the scope of this contract. Most battery backup systems on site support IT systems or scientific equipment and are outside the scope of this contract. Battery replacement, when required for Government-furnished systems within the contract scope, will be at Government expense.
6. Preventive Maintenance, Historical PM Data: Can the Government provide the current preventive maintenance completion rate and preventive maintenance backlog?
Answer: Completion rate and backlog are low as PMs have expected due dates listed.
7. Solicitation; Section H-5: During phase-in, will the successor contractor receive access to incumbent work orders, PM schedules, equipment history, inventory records, open deficiencies, and active IDIQ/Work Orders?
Answer: Yes, the successor contractor will receive access to incumbent work orders, PM schedules, equipment history, inventory records, open deficiencies, and active IDIQ/Work Orders
8. Solicitation; Section M-2: Please identify the positions considered Key Personnel and whether resumes are required.
Answer: The four Key Personnel positions required for evaluation can be found under Section L-4, Part II – Technical Proposal Instructions, Factor 2, and are: (1) On-site Contract Manager, (2) Operations Manager, (3) Quality Control Manager, and (4) EMCS Manager. Resumes are not required. Section G-5 contains the full contractual list of Key Personnel positions; however, only the four positions identified in Section L-4, Factor 2 are required to be addressed in the technical proposal for evaluation purposes.
9. Attachment J-1 – Performance Work Statement, 1.7 Special Conditions – Can the Government provide a list of tools and test equipment that will be furnished for performance of the contract?
Answer: See Attachment J-3 Appendix VII Equipment ListI
10. Attachment J-1 – Performance Work Statement, Sections 2.1–2.4 Work Management – Can the Government provide historical annual work order volumes by category (PM, ODWO, Routine, emergency, alteration/project work) for the past three years?
Answer: See Amendment 2 – Attachment J-1 – Performance Work Statement, Pg. 81 for updated data.
11. Attachment J-1 – Performance Work Statement, Section 7 – Water Pumping, Treatment, Storage and Distribution – Please clarify whether licensed water system operators are required to be physically present on-site 24/7/365, or whether licensed personnel may provide oversight through normal business-hour coverage supplemented by on-call response.
Answer: Normal business hours are acceptable for the water plant with on-call response but a certified boiler plant operator must be on site 24/7.
12. Appendix VII – Only fume hoods were mentioned in Appendix VII, will the government provide the number of Kitchen Hoods that will require maintenance and inspection?
Answer: There is one kitchen vent hood system that covers two areas, one in kitchen and one over the grill. It is inspected by a third-party vendor and is paid by the contractor.
13. Attachment J-1 – Performance Work Statement, Section 18, Cafeteria Food Service Operation – Will the government provide historical quantity of meals/day or meals/week for cafeteria Food Service Operation?
Answer: This information is proprietary to the current contractor.
14. Site Visit – We would like to know how the food and supplies are purchased for the operation of the cafeteria
Answer: Food and supplies are contractor provided. The current contractor orders through a third party vendor.
15. Service Orders – Can the Government please provide a list of all service orders completed in the most recent full performance period? This will give offerors valuable information as to the trade mix and hours for each trade required specifically for NCTR.
Answer: See Amendment 2 – Attachment J-1 – Performance Work Statement, Pg. 81 for updated data.
16. PWS Section 17: Janitorial Services – Could the Government please provide a more detailed Scope of Work for the janitorial requirements?
Answer: Refer to Section 17, Janitorial Services, of the Performance Work Statement (PWS), including the applicable facility descriptions and appendices referenced therein. The PWS defines the required janitorial services, service frequencies, areas to be serviced, and Contractor responsibilities.
17. Solicitation, H-9 General Conditions, H. Motor Vehicles and Parking Regulations: Please clarify whether Contractor personnel may drive privately owned vehicles through the NCTR campus gates and park within the secured campus during performance of the contract.
Answer: No. Contractor personnel shall not use privately owned vehicles to access parking areas within the secured NCTR campus unless specifically authorized by the Government. Only Contractor vehicles used for Contractor business are authorized to enter the campus.
18. Section B-2 / Section B-3 – IDIQ Labor Rates “Proposed” vs. “To Be Negotiated”, pp. 4-6
– Section B-2 states that offerors shall propose fully burdened ceiling labor rates for all labor categories applicable to IDIQ Task Orders, while the IDIQ pricing tables identify the Fully Burdened Hourly Rate column as “to be negotiated.” Will the Government clarify whether offerors are required to propose fixed fully burdened ceiling rates with the proposal, or whether the rates will be negotiated after proposal submission or after award?
Answer: Offerors shall complete the pricing schedules as instructed in the solicitation. Offerors are required to propose fixed fully burdened ceiling rates with the proposal.
19. Section F-2.1 / Section L-4 – Phase-In Plan and Initial Deliverables, pp. 16-17 – Section L-4 requires a detailed Phase-In Plan for the 20-day transition period, while Section F-
2.1 identifies several initial plans and deliverables due during phase-in, prior to commencement of work, within 10 days after the effective date, within 30 days after award, or within 60 days after award. Will the Government clarify which plans must be submitted as part of the proposal versus after award, and whether the due dates in Section F-2.1 supersede any PWS deliverable schedules?
Answer: Offerors shall submit only those proposal elements specifically required by Section L. All other plans and deliverables identified in Section F-
2.1 are post-award contract requirements, unless otherwise specified. After award, the Contractor shall comply with all applicable deliverable requirements contained in both Section F and the Performance Work Statement (PWS). The deliverables identified in Section F establish the required submission schedule for those items. Additional reports, plans, or deliverables required by the PWS that are not addressed in Section F remain contract requirements. In the event of a conflict between Section F and the PWS regarding reports, deliverables, or submission schedules, Section F shall govern in accordance with Section F-4.
20. Section L-1, pages 61–62; Section I, page 59; and Section F-2.1, pages 16–18 – Section 508 / ICT Accessibility Requirements, pp. 16-18 and 59-62 – Section I incorporates HHSAR 352.239-79, Information and Communication Technology Accessibility, and Section L-1 includes HHSAR 352.239-73, Electronic Information and Communication Technology Accessibility Notice. The notice states that offerors must submit an HHS Section 508 Accessibility Conformance Checklist or Accessibility Conformance Report for proposed ICT supplies, products, platforms, information, and documentation, and must provide sufficient information for proposed ICT services. The notice also states that electronic content deliverables must be accessible to HHS acceptance criteria and that final electronic deliverables, other than items incidental to contract management, should be accompanied by the appropriate checklist unless otherwise approved.
Because this procurement is primarily for on-site facilities operations and maintenance services, and because the contractor will use Government-furnished systems and provide routine contract-management deliverables such as plans, reports, SOPs, schedules, dashboards, and quality/safety documentation, will the Government confirm whether offerors are required to submit any Section 508 Accessibility Conformance Checklist, ACR/VPAT, or other Section 508 documentation with the proposal? If yes, will the Government identify the specific proposal volume where the submission should be included and confirm whether the Section 508 documentation is excluded from proposal page limitations? If no Contractor-furnished ICT products, platforms, websites, software, or systems are proposed, will the Government accept a brief statement of non-applicability or general Section 508 compliance statement in lieu of a checklist or ACR/VPAT?
Answer: Reports and invoices are required to be 508 compliant.
21. Section J / Attachment J-4 – Collective Bargaining Agreement – Given that the Jefferson Facilities Maintenance Union president appears to be an employee of the incumbent contractor, direct outreach to the union for incumbent staffing information may create unequal access to procurement-sensitive or competition-relevant information. To ensure all offerors have access to the same information through the formal solicitation process, will the Government please provide a sanitized incumbent staffing matrix for the CBA-covered workforce, including the number of personnel by CBA classification, shop/function, shift/schedule, FTE status, filled/vacant status, and required licenses/certifications?
Answer: The Government will not provide a sanitized incumbent staffing matrix or additional incumbent workforce data beyond what is already included in the solicitation. The information provided in the solicitation documents represents the full scope of Government-furnished workforce information available to all offerors on an equal basis.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement is posted as Attachment J-4 and is available to all offerors through the solicitation. It contains the applicable wage rates, classifications, leave, and other terms and conditions of employment governing the CBA-covered workforce. Offerors should use the solicitation documents, including the PWS and the CBA, as the basis for their workforce and pricing assumptions.
Current incumbent staffing levels do not establish a required staffing baseline. Each offeror is expected to develop its own staffing plan and matrix based on the performance requirements described in the PWS. Offerors are evaluated on their ability to meet those requirements, not on replication of the incumbent's current workforce composition. See answer to Question 1 of Question and Answer (Q&A) – Round 3 for current CBA seniority list.
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