75N96019Q00003_-_Government's_2nd_Response_to_Industry_Questions.pdf

Government's 2nd Response to Industry Questions

RFQ 75N96019Q00003 Amendment 000002

.No. Questions Answers

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation: On page 2, you state that the closing response date is 6/5/2019. On page 3 of that same document it states the ordering period begins July 15, 2019. This would only give a new vendor 40 calendar days to begin servicing this contract. My concern is that bulk tanks will have to be ordered, site inspections will have to be done for those bulk tanks to make sure the sites are suitable, inventories of gases and gas cylinders will need to be gathered and many certified mixtures will have to be produced, certified in laboratory and ready for delivery, all in 40 calendar days.

Although combined synopsis/solicitation 75N96019Q00003 closes on June 5, 2019, Quoters should expect an award to be made that same day. The Government anticipates awarding a single award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract as a result of 75N96019Q00003 prior to July 15, 2019. The current contract’s (HHSN273201500002I) Statement of Work (SOW) includes a requirement for the outgoing Contractor to uninstall tanks and cooperate with the newly selected Contractor during the thirty (30) day phase-out period, which will occur at the end of the period of performance of the contractual effort. The expectation is that phase-in will align with the phase-out; phase-out is projected to end around August 31, 2019.

The new 5-year IDIQ contract period will be from July 15, 2019 through July 14, 2024 and is known as the effective/contract ordering period. Any supplies and services to be furnished under this contract shall be ordered by issuance of delivery orders during the effective period. Any transition under the phase-in period will be directed by the issuance of a delivery order. The fbo.gov notice for

75N96019Q00003 announced that the Government will issue task order 1 for

$95,000.00 to satisfy the minimum guaranteed amount. This task order will usher in the phase-in period. It is not expected that actual deliveries will begin on July 15, 2019; however, phase-in must also align with the phase-out.

If your tank transition plan and technical approach will take more than 30-days as stated in your comment received, then this should be articulated in your submission.

Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 - Instructions to Offerors–Commercial Items, Quote Preparation Instructions (4) a. (a) Tab 1 – Technical Approach, instructs

Quoters to submit an explanation of their proposed technical approach to satisfy bullets # 1 – 4 (objectives, methods, schedule, and the 30-day tank transition plan).

Bullets 2 and 3 specifically provide Quoters with an avenue to explain their:

Furthermore, FAR 52.212-2 – Evaluation, informs Quoters that the Government will utilize a tradeoff approach and reserves the right to make award to the Quoter whose submission provides the best overall value to the Government. Quoters have been advised that an award will be made to that Quoter whose submission provides the combination of features with the best or greatest overall value to the

Government.

Again, if your tank transition plan and technical approach will take more than 30-days as stated in your comment received, then this should be articulated in your submission.

Additionally, sub factor 1 - Technical approach announces that a Quoter’s submission will be evaluated to ensure it demonstrates:

Attachment VI, Sample task order Statement of Work: It shows a delivery schedule that appears to start 9/20/19. Can you please clarify when the first delivery period begins and if all bulk tanks need to be installed, filled and ready by that date as well?

Attachment VI, Sample task order Statement of Work states “Sample”. FAR

52.212-2 – Evaluation, 3. FACTOR III – PRICE notified Quoters that a delivery order award WILL NOT be issued for the Sample task order. It is further stated that the Government will evaluate the total price of the Sample task order to determine if the Quoter’s price is fair and reasonable.

Notice that in Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 - Instructions to Offerors–

Commercial Items, the technical capability instruction does not ask Quoters for their technical solution to satisfying this Sample task order. This is simply a sample based on a scenario and only pricing was requested. There is no need to focus on a start date for this Sample or if all bulk tanks need to be installed, filled and be ready by the Sample start date. Quoters were provided with the information in Attachment VI, Sample task order Statement of Work in order to provide pricing which they should have already generated in the Contract Pricing Matrix

(states that rates must be based on the prices in the Contract Pricing Matrix).

I understand that delivery dates will be specified on each order but I feel the need for clarification due to the below statement:

• The ordering period is July 15, 2019 through July 14, 2023

(includes a 30-day phase-in period)

See above response to 1.

Extension Request In establishing the combined synopsis and solicitation response time, the

Contracting Officer consider the circumstances of the individual acquisition (i.e., complexity, commerciality, availability, and urgency) and determined that the period from the issuance of the Combined Synopsis/Solicitation (May 15, 2019) through the closing response date (June 05, 2019 2:00 pm Eastern) afforded potential Quoters a reasonable opportunity (20 days, excludes memorial day May

27, 2019) to respond to the action. The Contracting Officer considered the following:

When the combined synopsis/solicitation was issued on May 15, 2019, the

Government also took the time to notify those who:

• responded to the sources sought notice issued in 2014

• responded to the sources sought notice issued in 2018

• responded to the combined synopsis/solicitation issued in 2014

• attended the site visit in 2018

• provided questions to the cancelled draft combined synopsis/solicitation issued in 2018

• other potential Quoters identified based on market research

The response date to questions was on May 23, 2019 and very few questions were received. The Government waited until May 30, 2019 for additional questions but received none prior to posting the responses on May 30, 2019.

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation used in the award of the current contract

(HHSN273201500002I) and the time afforded under it (19 days):

• Solicitation Number: NIHES2015019

- Original Posted Date: December 3, 2014

- Responses to Questions: December 16, 2014

- Response Date: Dec 22, 2014 3:00 pm Eastern

Cancelled draft Combined Synopsis/Solicitation NIHES201800020 issued on

October 11, 2018 was a replica of the requirements in 75N96019Q00003 with the exception of the addition of “30-days” to the phase-in period and corrections to the tank inventory list.

The Agency’s need date, the non-complex nature of this requirement, and the commercial availability of items.

The solicitation response time afforded potential Quoters a reasonable opportunity to respond to this action considering the above. Only 1 request was received on

June 4, 2019 for an extension to the closing date and no other request was made for an extension. The instructions and language used in the combined

Synopsis/Solicitation and all documents relative to 75N96019Q00003 are basic and straight forward.

The Combined Synopsis/Solicitation closing date is not extended.