Amendment 0001 - Questions and Answers_75H70926Q00014.pdf

RFQ: 75H70926Q00014

Amendment 0001

Question 1: The Statement of Work, Task 4, and Section B, Paragraph 6 both state that the Contractor shall be authorized or certified to service A-dec, Dentsply and Cavitron equipment. Will the Government accept that authorization when it is held by the technicians and service partner performing the work, rather than by the offeror itself? If the authorization must be held by the offeror in its own name, please state that plainly.

Answer: The Government's requirement is that the technician(s) performing the preventive maintenance and repair services possess the applicable OEM authorization, certification, or other manufacturer-recognized qualifications necessary to service the covered equipment in accordance with manufacturer requirements. The authorization/certification does not have to be held by the prime contractor in its own name when the services are performed by appropriately qualified technicians or an authorized service partner. The prime contractor remains responsible for ensuring that personnel performing the services meet all applicable SOW requirements.

Question 2: Each contract year on the Price Schedule carries a third priced line below the Preventative Maintenance line and the Emergency Service Calls line. That line has no description, quantity or unit. Please identify what the Government intends it to cover.

Answer: The third line is intended for special-order parts or major replacement components that are not included as routine minor repair parts or standard wear items under the firm fixed-price preventive maintenance requirement. Such parts and associated installation costs require separate Government authorization and will be acquired through an authorized acquisition method outside the preventive maintenance contract.

Question 3: The Preventative Maintenance line is priced as twelve months. Is the Government requiring a monthly on-site visit, or monthly billing of an annual maintenance program performed at the intervals each manufacturer recommends?

Answer: The Government is not requiring monthly onsite preventive maintenance visits.

Preventive maintenance shall be performed on all covered equipment at the frequency recommended by the applicable Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for each individual piece of equipment (e.g., quarterly, semiannually, annually, or other OEM-recommended interval). The Contractor shall establish the preventive maintenance schedule in accordance with the SOW requirements. The Contracting Officer will clarify the invoicing/payment schedule applicable to the monthly-priced CLIN.

Question 4: The equipment inventory lists brands outside of A-dec, Dentsply and Cavitron, including Midmark, Ramvac, BeaconMedaes, Air Techniques, Instrumentarium Orthopantomograph OP 3D and ESMA. Please confirm that all listed items are in scope and confirm that one offeror may use more than one factory-trained technician to cover the brands it does not service directly.

Answer: All equipment identified in the SOW equipment inventory is within the scope of this requirement. The Government does not require a single technician to possess qualifications for every manufacturer represented in the inventory. An Offeror may utilize more than one appropriately qualified technician or authorized service partner to service the covered equipment, provided that each technician performing work possesses the applicable qualifications necessary for the equipment being serviced and all other SOW requirements are met. Offerors are responsible for coordinating their personnel and resources necessary to perform the required preventive maintenance. The Government does not intend to incur additional service-call, travel, mileage, or similar charges solely because an Offeror requires multiple technicians to satisfy the applicable manufacturer qualification requirements.

Question 5: Does this requirement include radiation safety testing or tube-head output testing on the X-ray arms and the cone beam unit? If so, please state the frequency and the standard that applies. If those services are bought separately, please confirm that.

Answer: No. Radiation safety testing and tube-head output testing are not included in the scope of the preventive maintenance services under this requirement.

Question 6: Will the Government provide the current preventive maintenance schedule, the manufacturer-recommended service intervals, and the service and repair history before the quote due date? That information affects the accuracy of the firm-fixed price.

Answer: No. The Government does not have a current preventive maintenance schedule or complete service and repair history available to provide for quotation purposes. Offerors shall use the equipment inventory provided with the solicitation and applicable OEM-recommended maintenance intervals as the basis for developing their quotations. In accordance with the SOW, the Contractor shall provide a preventive maintenance schedule identifying the planned service frequency for each covered piece of equipment based on applicable OEM recommendations.

Question 7: Is there a current contractor performing this work? If so, please identify the incumbent, the contract number and the current annual value.

Answer: No. There is no current contract in place for these services.

Question 8: Wage Determination 2015-5395, Revision 30 is incorporated into this solicitation. Which labor category on that wage determination does the Government consider applicable to a dental equipment service technician?

Answer: The contractor is responsible for classifying its service employees in accordance with the applicable Service Contract Labor Standards wage determination based on the actual duties performed. Wage Determination No. 2015-5395, Revision 30, does not identify a labor category specifically titled “Dental Equipment Service Technician.” The contractor shall use the applicable classification under the wage determination based on the duties performed and comply with applicable Department of Labor conformance procedures if the work is not covered by an existing classification.

Question 9: Will the Government offer a site visit or an equipment walkthrough before the quote due date? If so, please provide the date, time and point of contact.

Answer: No. The Government does not anticipate conducting a pre-quotation site visit or equipment walkthrough. Offerors should use the equipment inventory and other information provided with the solicitation as the basis for developing their quotations.

Question 10: The Technical Volume page limit is shown in brackets as ten PDF pages.

Please confirm that ten pages is the final limit, and confirm whether manufacturer authorization letters, technician certifications and resumes count against that limit.

Answer: Technician resumes and certifications are not required to be submitted with the quote and therefore do not count toward the ten (10)-page Technical Volume limit. The awarded contractor shall provide technician resumes and/or certifications upon request by the Government during contract performance. Manufacturer authorization letters are not required to be submitted with the quote unless otherwise specifically required by the solicitation.

Question 11: The predecessor RFQ for this same requirement, Solicitation 75H70926Q00009, included Government Q&A clarifying that (1) the OEM authorization/certification requirement could be satisfied through qualified subcontractor or individual technicians performing the work, with the prime contractor remaining responsible for performance, and (2) clearly identified subcontractor experience could be included as relevant experience in the prime contractor's quotation. Please confirm whether these clarifications from the predecessor RFQ remain applicable to the reissued Solicitation 75H70926Q00014. If they do not, please clarify the requirements that apply under the current solicitation.

Answer: The clarifications from the predecessor RFQ 75H70926Q00009 remain applicable to the reissued solicitation 75H70926Q00014.