Amendment 1 - CASS II - 80MSFC20R0009P00001 10.23.2020.pdf

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

PAGE OF PAGES

3. EFFECTIVE DATE 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO.

7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6) CODE

FACILITY CODECODE

6. ISSUED BY CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., street, county, State and Zip Code)

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

Previous edition unusable STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 11/2016) Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 16C. DATE

SIGNED

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 15C. DATE

SIGNED

(Signature of Contracting Officer)(Signature of person authorized to sign)

15A NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print) 16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers extended.

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

is not

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted;

or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by orletter provided electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required)

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS.

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not, is required to sign this document and return

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO.

IN ITEM 10A.

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority) is extended, copies to issuing office.

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.

1 2

/ /202

NASA

Marshall Space Flight Center Office of Procurement Marshall Space Flight Center

AL 35812

NASA

Marshall Space Flight Center Marshall Space Flight Center

AL 35812

X

80MSFC20R0009

09/25/2020

X X

See Continuation Sheet If Applicable

X

Contracting Officer appropriation data, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

CHECK ONE

(X)

For a complete description of Amendment P00001, see Page 2.

Offerors shall acknowledge receipt of this, Amendment P00001, to the Center Administrative Support Services II (CASS II) solicitation, as part of the proposal response cover letter to RFP 80MSFC20R0009.

electronic communication, orlettereach

P00001

James W. Bailey

80MSFC20R0009P00001

BLOCK 14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (continued)

(a) The purpose of this amendment is to respond to Request for Proposal (RFP) questions and comments in relation to the Center Administrative Support Services II (CASS II) solicitation.

(b) Attachment A, RESPONSES TO INDUSTRY RFP QUESTIONS, provides responses to questions and comments provided by industry.

(c) As indicated in the Government’s response to several Attachment A questions, changes to RFP 80MSFC20R0009 will be released in the forthcoming Amendment 002

(80MSFC20R0009P00002).

(d) In relation to Section L, Provision MSFC 52.205-90, Designated Point of Contact, paragraph (c), the Government will only accept additional questions specifically related to the topics discussed in Attachment A, no later than 12:00 p.m., noon, Central Time, October 28, 2020.

(e) Failure by the offeror to acknowledge receipt of this amendment (e.g., via the offeror’s proposal transmittal letter) may result in a determination that the offeror’s proposal is unacceptable and therefore ineligible for award.

(f) All terms and conditions of RFP 80MSFC20R0009 remain unchanged.

80MSFC20R0009P0001

Attachment A - Page 1

ATTACHMENT A – RESPONSES TO INDUSTRY RFP QUESTIONS

Index Industry-Provided RFP Reference Question Response

1 General What % of the staff will be incumbent employees vs new hires?

Offerors should reference Attachment L-3, Background and Historical Data, Table L.3.2, Current and Prior Length of Service Percentages.

Offerors must also consider the required personnel qualifications as described in Attachment J-12, Labor Category Descriptions, and Service Contract Labor Standards requirements of Attachment J-8, Wage Determinations, when deciding upon the incumbent capture rate.

2 General Would NASA like the awardee to offer incumbent personnel first right of refusal?

Per the "Executive Order on Improving Federal Contractor Operations by Revoking Executive Order 13495" dated October 31, 2019, the first right of refusal has been revoked.

3 General Is the current incumbent eligible to bid for this opportunity?

The incumbent is not currently on the List of Qualified HUBZone Small Business Concerns maintained by the Small Business Administration.

4 General Would it be possible to request the number of FTE’s that are currently working under the contract?

The requested information is not considered necessary for proposal submission as the number of work year equivalent personnel, upon which the offeror's price is based, is provided by the Government. Additionally, the number of WYEs for the current CASS contract is based on different scope and capacity than the CASS II requirement.

5 General If this is an expanded requirement or a bundled requirement, who were the previous contract holders?

This is not a bundled requirement as defined at FAR 2.101. The incumbent Contractor is Hanks, Hanks, and Associates, LLC, preceded by Deltha- Critique Joint Venture.

6 General Are there any open positions on the current contract? All required staffing positions on the current contract are filled at this time.

Attachment A - Page 2

MSFC 52.216-91

Supplies and/or Services to be Provided and Type of Contract (b)(1)(2)

Is the role and duration of the Program Manager limited to just the Phase-In or does it go through Year 1 and subsequent years?

The contract Program Manager, the general characteristics, duties, and qualifications of which are described in Attachment J-13, Labor Category Descriptions, is a full time position for the base period and all option periods (if exercised) as indicated in Attachment J-11, Minimum Required Staffing Levels (Work Year Equivalents), and Excel Pricing Model Tab PB, Computation of Fixed Price Labor by PWS.

MSFC 52.216-91

Supplies and/or Services to be Provided and Type of Contract (b)(1)(2)

Does the maximum potential NTE value of $2,500,000 (over 5 years) align with the resource estimate of 70.2 WYE (work year equivalent)?

No. The total IDIQ Not to Exceed value of $2.5M (i.e., $500K per year) provides a maximum IDIQ task order limitation by option period only and is not intended to align with mission services staffing requirements as delineated in Attachment J-11, Minimum Required Staffing Levels (Work Year Equivalents) upon which the firm-fixed-price contract value is based. Offerors should infer no correlation between the IDIQ maximum values provided in MSFC 52.216-90, IDIQ Contract Value by Period of Performance, and the mission services staffing requirements delineated in Attachment J-11, and which are reflected as firm-fixed-price mission services CLIN values for CLINs 001 through 005.

Attachment A - Page 3

MSFC 52.216-91

Supplies and/or Services to be Provided and Type of Contract (b)(1)(2)

On Page 9, the maximum contract value per period of performance is stated as $500,000, however, on the price sheet, the total hours is 146,577.6. A rough calculation for only the Secretary II position (68,904 hrs. at $17.54 per hour) results in a value of $1.2m per year. Further the total # of FTEs is stated as 70, which makes the $500,000 threshold impossible to meet. Please clarify the NTE values for each period of performance?

PERIOD OF MINIMUM MAXIMUM

PERFORMANCE VALUE VALUE

Base Contract:

4/01/2021 – 3/31/2022 $0 $500,000 Option 1:

4/01/2022 – 3/31/2023 $0 $500,000 Option 2:

4/01/2023 – 3/31/2024 $0 $500,000 Option 3:

4/01/2024 – 3/31/2025 $0 $500,000 Option 4:

4/01/2025 – 3/31/2026 $0 $500,000

Question addressed in Index 8.

Attachment A - Page 4

MSFC 52.216-91

Supplies and/or Services to be Provided and Type of Contract (b)(1)(2)

The solicitation states, “The maximum potential not-to-exceed (NTE) value of the indefinite-delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) component of this contract including Options, is $2,500,000. The NTE value shall not be exceeded without the prior written approval of the Contracting Officer.”

How does this NTE amount align with the Government’s estimate of 70 FTEs per year and the background/historical data provided stating, “The estimated value of this effort is $25.77M as of August 27, 2020 (total of 55 months) and has a potential value of $28.5M.”

Question addressed in Index 8.

MSFC 52.216-92

Matrix of Contract Line Items

Is there any precedent on the duration of resources in the positions for Mission Support Alignment and the IDIQ Support? In other words, the positions are for >1 year each?

Labor category staffing as delineated in Attachment J-11, Minimum Required Staffing Levels (Work Year Equivalents), upon with the firm-fixed-price contract value is based, is considered to be positions whose activities will be performed across the entire span of each contract period (i.e., base period and all option periods).

The duration of support for labor categories whose effort is performed under an IDIQ task order will be based on the duration of the task order as negotiated for that task order when awarded and can span a period as short as, for example, one week to as long as one year.

MSFC 52.216-92

Matrix of Contract Line Items

The Total line says “$TBP (populate base period only CLINS 001,006)” Does this mean that the total should only include the sum of CLINs 001 and 006, or should the total include CLINs 001 through 006?

The total line shall reflect only the cumulative value of CLINs 001 and 006 (i.e., two CLINs).

See forthcoming Amendment 002 change at 52.216-92, Matrix of Contract Line Items, on page B-2.

Attachment A - Page 5

MSFC 52.216-92

Matrix of Contract Line Items

Discussion: The table requires a Total Value of Base and All Exercised Options, but then states, “$ TBP (populate base period only CLINS 001, 006).” Question: Is the Government requiring a Total Value of the Base and All Exercised Options which is CLINS 001 – 010 or are they asking for a Total Base Period Value which is only CLINS 001 and 006?

Question addressed in Index 12.

MSFC 52.216-92

Matrix of Contract Line Items

The total line of this table has the DESCRIPTION “Total Value of Base and All Exercised Options”.

Offerors have been asked to total ” $ TBP (populate base period only CLINS 001, 006)”. This seems in discord with “total value of Base and All Exercised Options”. Also, NASA has highlighted CLINs 001- 005 and not CLIN 006. Can NASA please clarify if they want the sum of CLINs 001-005 in the last row total box or does NASA want the sum of CLINs 001 + 006 in the last row total?

Question addressed in Index 12.

MSFC 52.232-92

Government Estimated Costs (a)

Paragraph (a): In cases were the Contractor’s fiscal year rate actuals exceed the billed rates earlier in the year, will the government allow for Indirect Rates Retro Billings for the variance?

The nature of this firm-fixed-price contract does not allow for contract value adjustments based on indirect rate variances. See FAR 16.202-1 which states "A firm-fixed-price contract provides for a price that is not subject to any adjustment on the basis of the Contractor’s cost experience in performing the contract."

Attachment A - Page 6

MSFC 52.211-94

Period of Performance

Please clarify whether the period of performance listed in this section is for the Base Year only, or please correct this section to reflect the Base Year plus four Option Periods. Further, the Period of Performance in this section does not match the same clause on RFP page PO-12.

The period of 04/01/2021 through 03/31/2022 reflected in MSFC 52.211-94, Period of Performance, within the CASS II contract document, reflects award at contract start of only the contract base period. As options are exercised, this period will be adjusted.

The period of 03/01/2021 through 03/31/2021 reflected in MSFC 52.211-94, Period of Performance, within the Phase--in Purchase Order, is intended to reflect the 31 day period within which all phase-in activities shall be accomplished prior to contract start.

Therefore, offerors should not infer that these periods are the same as they accomplish differing purposes.

Attachment A - Page 7

MSFC 52.237-91

Place of Performance

Attachment L-1, Excel Pricing Model

Discussion: The RFP states, “The Contractor shall perform the work under this contract at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF), and at such other locations as may be approved in writing by the Contracting Officer.”

Questions: The provided pricing model includes Government provided Work Year Equivalents (WYE) per labor category but it does not provide a breakout by location. With Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) located in Huntsville, Alabama and the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) located in New Orleans, Louisiana, Offerors will need to provide rates by location. This is critical as the labor rates differ per locality as do the SCA minimum wage determinations. Will the Government provide an updated pricing model with WYE broken out by location and an updated Tab PC that allows the offeror to develop a rate build-up by location to be compliant with the RFP Places of Performance?

An update of the EPM is considered unnecessary.

Tabs PB and PC both currently indicate work location by labor category. These labor categories are Secretary II - MAF, Secretary III - MAF, and Secretary/Administrative Specialist Combination -

MAF.

Attachment A - Page 8

1852.242-72 Denied Access to NASA Facilities (a)(2)

Is there a work from home policy in place at MSFC as a result of COVID - 19? At MAF? If so, how many contract employees are working from home?

MSFC is currently at Stage 3 and MAF is currently at Stage 2 of the NASA Framework for Return to Onsite Work and only essential employees have access to NASA buildings. The remainder of the workforce is on mandatory telework status. There are no essential employees on the current CASS contract. The successful offeror will be briefed with the most pertinent and recent information at the time of award, and no additional information is available at this time. It should be noted that the current stages may be adjusted by the effective date of the contract based on circumstances at that time.

1852.242-72 Denied Access to NASA Facilities (a)(2)

Are all employees on the current CASS contract currently working on the Center and at MAF? Question addressed in Index 18.

1852.242-72 Denied Access to NASA Facilities (b)

Due to the current status of COVID-19, will the Government advise how long the mandatory telework status is intended to be upheld for non-essential employees?

Stage status is dictated by COVID case trends by performance location. Therefore, NASA has no way at present to adequately predict how long the current stage assignment will be in effect, or at what stage the performance locations will be in at contract start.

Attachment A - Page 9

MSFC 52.209-92

Disclosure of Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) After Contract Award

MSFC 52.209-94

Resolution of Organizational Conflicts of Interest

Is the Contractor for this Administrative Services contract prohibited from bidding on/working on other MSFC contracts? Does the Government view such work as an OCI issue, or would it be handled under a standard OCI mitigation plan?

The CASS II solicitation does not contain NFS 1852.209-71, Limitation of Future Contracting, which could limit the successful offeror from submitting proposals for other acquisition activities. Offerors should become familiarized with the solicitation clauses specific to organizational conflicts of interest as well as the content requirements of DRD 1703MA-002 relative to the content requirements of the successful offeror's Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) Plan.

52.219-28 Post- Award Small Business Program Rerepresentation (h)(8)(ii)

Since this is a set-aside procurement for HUBZone qualified companies, will the Government require evidence of HUBZone certifications for the Prime and JV companies with the submission of proposals?

In accordance with FAR 19.1303, a HUBZone small business concern must be an SBA certified HUBZone small business concern both at the time of its initial offer and at the time of contract award.

The Small Business Administration maintains a listing of qualified HUBZone concerns at http://dsbs.sba.gov/dsbs/search/dsp_searchhubzone .cfm, and this listing will be checked by NASA upon receipt of proposals and prior to award to the otherwise successful offeror.

Attachment A - Page 10

52.222-42 Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires

The job descriptions / duties / qualifications for the Labor Categories - Executive Assistant I, Executive Assistant II, Executive Assistant III, Administrative Specialist I, Administrative Specialist III, and Secretary/ Administrative Specialist Combination appears to be Administrative / Clerical / Secretarial - Not bona fide Professional Exempt and therefore should be under the purview of SCLS / SCA WD.

Given this scenario, what SCLS / SCA WD Labor Categories must be used for these positions to ensure compliance with SCLS / SCA WD regulations and payment of minimum wages as it pertains to these positions? If not available, request that the rates for these positions be provided via as outlined in SCLA / SCA WD - Attachment J-8 of the RFP

The Government has re-evaluated the Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS) Wage Determinations and Section 13(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act as defined by Regulations, 29 C.F.R. Part 541, and has deemed it necessary to modify the RFP to include the Executive Assistant I as a SCLS non-exempt position using the SCLS Job Code #01020, Administrative Assistant.

Executive Assistant II, Executive Assistant III, Administrative Specialist I, Administrative Specialist III and Secretary/Administrative Specialist Combination will remain as SCLS exempt as these positions should be paid by salary and not hourly rates due to their type of work and work environment not fitting the Department of Labor Service Contract Act (SCA) Directory of Occupations (Fifth Edition) standardized responsibility descriptions.

See forthcoming Amendment 002 for changes at Clause 52.222-42, Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires, on page I-18; at J-12, Labor Category Descriptions, on page J-12-3; and Attachment L-1, Excel Pricing Model, Tab PB, Column B.

Attachment J-1 PWS, page J-1-6, Section 2.1.2 Secretary III (b)

Sub para (b) states that the Secretary III “….must be proficient and knowledgeable of the Secretary II requirements and perform duties…” Should that refer to the Secretary III requirements?

Secretary III shall be capable of performing all requirements of the Secretary II position in addition to the requirements of the Secretary III position listed in 2.1.2.

Attachment A - Page 11

Attachment J-1 PWS, page J-1-7, Section 2.1.3 Executive Assistant I (b)

Sub para (b states that the EA I “…. must be proficient and knowledgeable of the Secretary III requirements and perform duties…” Should that refer to the Exec Asst I requirements?

Executive Assistant I shall be capable of performing all requirements of the Secretary III position in addition to the requirements of the Executive Assistant I position listed in 2.1.3.

Attachment J-1 PWS, page J-1-8, Section 2.1.4 Executive Assistant II (b)

Sub para (b states that the EA II “…. must be proficient and knowledgeable of the Executive Admin I requirements and perform duties…” Should that refer to the Exec Asst II requirements?

Executive Assistant II shall be capable of performing all requirements of the Executive Assistant I position in addition to the requirements of the Executive Assistant II position listed in 2.1.4.

27 Attachment J-1 PWS, 4.0 Training

Will the government please clarify if the Contractor shall be responsible for Training Contractor’s New Employees at MSFC & MAF as well as current MSFC employees.

The Contractor will be responsible for training all Contractor employees under the scope of the contract, specifically new employees hired under the contract, and incumbent personnel in need of training to support the use of new or upgraded systems, new/revised policies, or expanded work requirements in support of the PWS.

The Contractor will also be responsible for ensuring that employees take all mandatory and required training associated with on-site performance and access to Government information technology systems. See MSFC 52.223-97, Mandatory and Required Training.

28 PWS Section 5.0 Will the Contractor be required to submit a motor vehicle report to the Government?

The Contractor will not be required to submit a motor vehicle report to the Government for usage under this contract.

Attachment J-1 PWS, page J-1 through J-4.2

Please confirm the tasks at 6.1 – 6.4.2 are considered “IDIQ support”, which has a maximum ordering value of $500,000 per year (reference: MSFC 52.216-90 and 52.216-19).

Tasks associated with PWS 6.1 through 6.4.2 are designated for IDIQ support. In accordance with MSFC 52.216-90, IDIQ Contract Value by Period Of Performance, IDIQ maximum annual ordering value is $500,000 per year.

Attachment A - Page 12

30 Attachment J-1

PWS

Discussion: Table 6.0-1 IDIQ Support Alignment lists an Administrative Specialist II for PWS Section

6.4.1 but this labor category is not included in the Attachment J.4 IDIQ Rate and Pricing Schedules. Question: Will the Government provide an updated J.4 IDIQ Rate and Pricing Schedule that includes the Administrative Specialist II along with the other IDIQ labor categories listed in Table 6.0-1 to allow the Offeror to provide an IDIQ rate for this position?

Administrative Specialist II is a reserved position that is not required for staffing IDIQ efforts at this time.

31 Attachment J-1

PWS

Discussion: Table 6.0-1 IDIQ Support Alignment lists an Administrative Specialist II for PWS Section

6.4.1 but this labor category is not included in the Pricing Model Tab PC. Question: Will the Government provide an updated Pricing Model that includes the Administrative Specialist II along with the other IDIQ labor categories listed in Table 6.0-1 to allow the Offeror to provide an IDIQ rate for this position?

Administrative Specialist II is a reserved position that is not required for staffing IDIQ efforts at this time and will not be included on Tab PC.

The Government-provided pre-populated IDIQ hours are provided on Columns AC-AG and AH-

AL.

32 Attachment J-2

DRD

DRD 1703EE-001: Since this contract does not appear to do any procurement, could the government please clarify the reporting requirement for this

DRD?

An Environmental Compliance Report is required for all NASA contracts. As stated in Section 13 of DRD 1703EE-001, "For 15.3 where the Contractor does not purchase any designated product during the contract year or duration of contract, the report shall be a statement to that effect."

Attachment A - Page 13

33 Table J-3.0, PRS

(b) Staffing

STAFFING AQL: "100 PERCENT OF POSITIONS

TEMPORARILY STAFFED WITHIN 2

BUSINESS DAYS…." - Please clarify the meaning of TEMPORARILY in this context.

The meaning of "temporarily fill" is to fill the position any way the Contractor deems appropriate for coverage, provided the temporary coverage satisfies all contract requirements for the position being filled, (e.g., redistributing assignments to current employees, providing a temporary hire).

The intent of the PRS is that while the Contractor may be looking for a 'permanent' person to fill the position, they must cover the duties of the vacant position, answer the phones, etc. This includes when anyone is out longer than two days for any reason.

See forthcoming Amendment 002 change at PRS paragraph E.(5) on page J-3-3.

34 Table J-3.0, PRS

(b) Staffing

Table requires that all positions be temporarily staffed within 2 business days. The vacation time for

70.2 FTE, represents a minimum (assuming 2 weeks)

of 5600 hours of temporary labor required each year.

Sick Leave represents another 4000 hours.

Combined, this represents an additional 5-6 FTE that are subject to SCLS H&W. How are temporary absences being addressed today or is this a new standard/requirement?

The Contractor indirect rate should account for this. If any Contractor personnel are gone for more than two days, it is the Contractor's responsibility to be able to account for this aspect. It is not a new requirement.

35 Table J-3.0, PRS

(b) Staffing

Table requires that all positions be temporarily staffed within 2 business days. Can the government elaborate on what would require temporary staffing?

Is this for employment vacancies only? Or does it include vacation, illness, COVID, quarantine, FMLA, bereavement? If the intent is to fill vacation, illness, etc., that implies cost considerations for floating labor.

Question addressed in Indexes 33 and 34.

Attachment A - Page 14

36 Table J-3.0, PRS

(b) Staffing

Table requires that all positions be temporarily staffed within 2 business days. Is it safe to conclude that we cannot address this PRS by distributing assignments among the staff to provide coverage?

Question addressed in Index 33.

37 Table J-3.0, PRS

(b) Staffing, Table requires that all positions be temporarily staffed within 2 business days. Since this requirement introduces substantial cost risk that varies with the incumbent length of service and resulting vacation allotment, can the government provide incumbent tenure data?

This data is provided on page L-3-2. This data by position is not available to the Government.

38 Table J-3.0, PRS

(b) Staffing

Table requires that all positions be temporarily staffed within 2 business days. Since the staffing is already filled-in within the cost Form PB, where would NASA like to see the temporary backfill hours?

Question addressed in Index 34.

39 Table J-3.0, PRS

(b) Staffing

Table requires that all positions be temporarily staffed within 2 business days. For example: If an employee had an unplanned absence due to illness that stretched into an unexpected third day, would the third day represent a $2000 PRS penalty?

Yes, the AQL would result in a deduction unless waived by the Government.

40 Attachment J-3, PRS

If the prior contract had similar requirements and an associated deduction schedule, will the Government provide some metrics that quantify the number of Unacceptable Quality Level events that resulted in Deductions?

Generally, NASA does not release information related to the performance of its Contractors.

41 Attachment J-3, PRS

What has been the average number of deductions per year? Question addressed in Index 40.

42 Table J-3.0, PRS

(b) Staffing

Since MAF has a significantly smaller staff and creating backups and floaters is proportionately higher, is the PRS applied the same at MAF or is consideration made?

The PRS will be applied consistently irrespective of performance location(s).

Attachment A - Page 15

43 Table J-3.0, PRS deductions

Competitively bid, Administrative Services contracts like CASS generally have a very low profit margin.

Under a FFP bid, the awardee is assuming all of the cost risk. A deduction of only 1% is significant. As written, the awardee takes the additional unknown risk of substantial fee reduction with less than Exceptional performance. In other words – less than exceptional performance (90-100%) results in the contract holder being substantially impacted financially. Less than an 80% score has 5x the penalty not counting the other deductions per incident for <100% performance.

The risk is compounded with the subjective nature of the PRS quality assessment methods: Overall competence and availability of Contractor personnel, quality and timeliness of services / products, collaboration and proactive communications;

recognition of and improvement in critical problem areas.

The purpose of the PRS deductions are to help ensure a consistent level of Excellent performance for each evaluation period and has been commonly implemented on other firm-fixed-price contracts awarded by NASA/MSFC.

The Government desires that the selected Contractor maintain an EXCELLENT level of performance.

44 Table J-3.0, PRS deductions

Will the government review the PRS and consider whether the deductions and methodologies are appropriate, balanced, and proportional for a FFP contract and if an incentive fee arrangement will achieve the goal more effectively per FAR 16.202-1?

All contract options were considered. The use of PRS deductions is considered appropriate for a firm-fixed-price (FFP) contract.

45 Table J-3.0, PRS deductions

The risk is further increased and complicated by the unknown contents of the Customer Surveys since it is not defined in the RFP.

The COR Customer Survey to be utilized during contract performance is included as Attachment J- 6.

Attachment A - Page 16

Attachment J-4, IDIQ Rate and Price Schedules

Does this RFP require us to fill in Attachment J-4 separately as a fully burdened labor category rates for different labor categories outlined for the IDIQ portion of the work? Or is simply providing these rates in the spreadsheet as required enough?

In accordance with Section L, Volume III - Contract Instructions, the offeror shall complete and return all contract fill-in sections noted in paragraph (c)(3) as well as all other Sections B-K pages as instructed.

Attachment J-4, IDIQ Rate and Price Schedules

Please confirm Offerors are not required to complete and submit Attachment J-4 with proposal submission.

Question addressed in Index 46.

Attachment J-4, IDIQ Rate and Pricing Schedule

Attachment L-1, Excel Pricing Model

Question: The J.4 IDIQ Rate and Pricing Schedule only allows the offer to enter one rate per labor category per period. With two distinct places of performance (New Orleans, Louisiana and Huntsville, Alabama) which have different locality and SCA WD requirements, shouldn’t the table provide the ability to enter rates by location? If not, does the Government expect Offeror’s to blend their firm fixed price rates for both locations into one FFP rate? If the answer is yes, will the Pricing Model Tab PC be modified to show this blend calculation and formulation of a single FFP rate per category covering both places of performance?

An update of Attachment J-4, IDIQ Rate and Price Schedules, is considered unnecessary. Table J-4-1, IDIQ Fully Burdened Labor Rates (Inclusive of Profit), currently indicates work location by labor category. These labor categories are Secretary II (MAF), Secretary III (MAF), and Secretary/Administrative Specialist Combination

(MAF).

Labor categories with a (MAF) designation will be staffed at Michoud Assembly Facility, in accordance with Section F, MSFC 52.237-91, Place of Performance.

(Note: Positions without a parenthetical are

MSFC.)

Attachment A - Page 17

Attachment J-6, COR Survey Instrument

Will the government provide the Customer Survey so we may better understand the assessment methods and the related cost risk?

The COR Customer Survey to be utilized during contract performance is included as Attachment J- 6.

To eliminate confusion, Attachment J-6 listed in Section J, List of Attachments, on page J-1 will be changed from J-6, COR Survey Instrument, to J-6, COR Customer Survey, to match the actual attachment title.

See forthcoming Amendment 002 change at Section J, List of Attachments, on page J-1 and Attachment J-6.

Attachment J-8, Wage Determinations

Attachment L-1, Excel Pricing Model

Given that except for the PM who is a bona fide professional exempt employee, all other labor categories @ MFSC must be subject to SCLA / SCA WD in order to not flout DOL regulations that sets the minimum vacation hours based on length of service - 2 weeks for < 10 Years, 3 weeks > 10 Years

- 20 Years and 4 weeks > 20 Years.

What is the length of tenure for these employees for us to determine the minimum vacation that must be paid to these employees besides sick pay to provide the most competitive pricing? Similarly the same information for all employees @ MAF must be paid vacation as per 2 weeks for < 8 Years, 3 weeks > 8 Years - 15 Years and 4 weeks > 15 Years?

Questions addressed in Indexes 23 and 37.

Attachment A - Page 18

Attachment J-8, Wage Determinations

If the Government requires overtime through no fault of its own for personnel on the FFP task order, will the Government support an overtime rate for a potential task order for overtime?

The need for overtime is not anticipated for this contract. The value of any task orders awarded will be negotiated in accordance with the terms of the contract and Service Contract Labor Standard requirements as applicable to the utilization of overtime.

Attachment J-11, Minimum Required Staffing Levels

Is industry allowed to submit below the Minimum Required Staffing Levels threshold? If so, will a justification be required and should it be in the pricing narrative?

No. All offeror prices are predicated on the provision of the staffing levels as delineated in Attachment J-11, Minimum Required Staffing Levels (Work Year Equivalent) as also pre-populated into the Excel Pricing Model template.

Failure to provide the levels as specified may result in the proposal being determined unacceptable.

Attachment J- 11, Minimum Required Staffing Levels

Attachment L-1, Excel Pricing Model

Will the government be conducting a price reasonableness review to ensure that proposals submitted abide by the requirements set forth in Attachment J-11? If so, please provide the parameters around this evaluation process.

In accordance with Section M, Basis For Award – Far Part 15 Price Performance Tradeoff Without Technical Factor, and Factor I - Price Evaluation Price Performance Tradeoff, the Government will perform a price analysis of all responsive proposals received. See Index 52 in relation to each proposal satisfying Section J, Attachment J-11 requirements.

Attachment J- 11, Minimum Required Staffing Levels

Discussion: Attachment J-11 only provides WYEs by labor category per contract period. It does not provide a breakout between places of performance.

The Government has listed two distinct places of performance. Question: Will the Government update the Attachment J-11 to break out the WYE per location?

Question addressed in Index 48.

Attachment J- 11, Minimum Required Staffing Levels

Is the staffing mix provided in Attachment J-11 required to be compliant, or can the offeror provide an alternate staffing mix (labor categories) that is in line with the minimum required staffing levels?

Offerors shall utilize the staffing mix and levels as provided in the solicitation. An alternate staffing mix is acceptable as long as the minimums stated in J-11 are maintained.

Attachment A - Page 19

Attachment J-12, Labor Category Descriptions

Have the presented SCA WD Labor Categories been vetted for appropriateness based on their actual PWS duties?

Question addressed in Index 23.

52.212-3 Offeror Representation and Certifications— Commercial Items Alternate I

May we include appropriate legends for the restriction on disclosure and use of data (in accordance with information provided on page K-9 of the Solicitation) in the header/footer of each page as applicable in addition to the offeror’s name, solicitation number, and date?

Yes, for Volume I (Price volume) and Volume II (Past Performance volume) only. Volume III (Contract) shall not contain such legend. Refer to NFS 1852.215-81 for information relative to margin restrictions.

52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors— Commercial Items

Discussion: Section K paragraph (d) Offer expiration date states, “Proposals in response to this solicitation will be valid for the number of days specified on the solicitation cover sheet (unless a different period is proposed by the offeror).” The Instructions to Offerors states, “Period for acceptance of offers. The offeror agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm for 30 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers, unless another time period is specified in an addendum to the solicitation.” Question: The RFP Cover Sheet does not provide a validity period. Will the government confirm the validity period is 30 days from proposal closing date (submission).

In accordance with FAR Part 52.212-1(c), Offerors agree to hold their offers firm for 30 calendar days unless another period is specified in an addendum to the solicitation.

Refer to Volume III - Contract Instructions, paragraph (c)(3), Offeror Fill-ins Table addendum on page L-25 which states, "*Addendum: In accordance with FAR 52.212-1(c), offers submitted in response to this solicitation shall remain in effect not less than 365 days after the date specified for receipt by the Government."

Therefore, proposals shall reflect a validity period not less than 365 days.

1852.215-81 Proposal Page Limitations (b)(2)

Will the Government allow submitting this in Adobe PDF instead of MS-Word? All the Fill-Ins are in Adobe and can be easily populated with the requisite information as most if not all Federal Agencies do -submission of the proposal as Adobe PDF?

The solicitation will be re-released in its entirety in Microsoft Office format. Please refer to 1852.215- 81, Proposal Page Limitations (b)(2), for proposal submission requirements.

Attachment A - Page 20

1852.215-81 Proposal Page Limitations (b)(4)

Can offerors include a title/cover page as the first page of the volumes for Factors I and II numbered as page “1”? If so, would the Government allow deviation from the font type and size requirement for this page for aesthetic value on the title/cover page?

In accordance with paragraph (b)(4) of the referenced provision, offerors shall, "Establish a page numbering convention for all volumes except for the contract volume which shall be numbered as provided for in the solicitation. Additionally, each volume page, with the exception of the contract volume, shall be identified with the offeror’s name (company logo may utilize other than Times New Roman 12-point font within existing margin restrictions), solicitation number, and date."

A title cover page is allowable within the parameters of 1852.215-81(b)(4). Please note that a cover page used for Factor II, Past Performance Volume, will count against the 50-page maximum.

Additionally, in accordance with paragraph (b)(6)(F) of the referenced provision, non-compliant text will not be evaluated.

1852.215-81 Proposal Page Limitations

Item (2) on page L-9 of the proposal instructions instructs offerors to submit proposals in Microsoft Office 2016 or later formats. Are proposals prepared using Microsoft Office 365 (i.e., “Microsoft Word for Microsoft Office 365 MSO”) acceptable?

Yes, any Microsoft Office format (2016 or later) is acceptable.

Attachment A - Page 21

1852.215-81 Proposal Page Limitations (F)

Will the government allow 10pt font in tables to enhance readability for the Past Performance Contracts Summary Matrix and Mission Services WYE Assignment Matrix?

No. Per paragraph (F), "Font style shall be Times New Roman and the font size shall be twelve (12) -point for all text, including text used in charts, tables, figures, illustrations, or other embedded objects (e.g., pictures or screenshots). Offerors should exercise caution when inserting charts, tables, figures, illustrations, or other embedded objects to ensure that all text complies with the stated guidelines. Non-compliant text will not be evaluated; however, any remaining content will be evaluated. All text shall use normal kerning (i.e., spacing between individual characters). All lines shall be single spaced. All blank lines shall have a 12-point font size."

52.212-3 Offeror Representation And Certifications— Commercial Items Alternate I

1852.215-81 Proposal Page Limitations

Can the legend for the restriction on disclosure and use of data (in accordance with information provided on page K-9 of the Solicitation) be outside of the 1 inch margin and/or in a smaller font size?

Yes, as this information is not intended to be evaluated.

1852.245-80 Government Property Management Information

Is the offeror to provide the date of its last Government property control system analysis?

If the offeror does not have a certified property control system, is one required for this proposal or contract?

Yes. This information is required by NFS 1852.245-80, paragraph (b). Offerors that do not have a certified property system are not required to obtain one for this effort. Offerors should familiarize themselves with the property requirements delineated in the applicable clauses contained within the solicitation.

Attachment A - Page 22

Factor I-Price Volume Instructions, General Instructions (c)(3)

Para states “The CASS II phase-in effort ($50K maximum price) will be performed under a separate purchase order. The proposed price shall be populated in the provided purchase order and the provided purchase order included in its entirety as part of the contract volume submission. (see Volume II - Contract Instructions for additional information).

– Volume II does not contain any instructions for the Phase In…should this reference Volume III?

The reference to Volume II should be Volume III.

See forthcoming Amendment 002 changes at Factor I - Price Volume Instructions (c)(3) on page L-16.

Factor I - Price Volume Instructions

Since Section 1 and Section 2 may be provided as either MS-Word or Adobe Acrobat, and Section 3 - To be provided as an Excel Sheet, how can all of them be provided as a single document - Volume I unless the Section 3 is provided as an Excel Attachment? Alternatively may I please suggest and request that only Section 1 and Section 2 be provided as One MS-Word Document / Adobe PDF and the MS-Excel file be uploaded as a separate spreadsheet for ease of review and preparing the document?

The Excel Pricing Model (Section 3 of Volume I, Price) should be provided separately in its native MS-Excel format.

Factor I-Price Volume Instructions, General Instructions (c)(3)

This section says, “The proposed price shall be populated in the provided purchase order”, but there is no Section B in the Task Order documents. Where should Contractors provide the pricing for this TO?

The proposed value of the Phase-in purchase order shall be populated in Blocks 24 and 26 of the SF 1449, as well as in clause 1852.216-78, Firm Fixed Price (i.e., page PO-11).

Factor I - Price Volume Instructions(d)(2)

What is the purpose of requesting indirect rates, G&A, and profit information on an FFP bid and how this is to be considered/evaluated?

Population of direct labor, indirect rate, G&A, and profit facilitate the build up of the fully burdened labor rate for each labor category, for each year of performance. In accordance with Factor I - Price Evaluation Price Performance Tradeoff, Excel Pricing Model data may be utilized in future wage determination adjustments under FAR Clause 52.222-41, Service Contract Labor Standards.

Attachment A - Page 23

Factor I - Price Volume Instructions(d)(2)

The solicitation states, “Offerors and any proposed subcontractor(s) shall submit one copy of their audited financial statements and accompanying notes for the last three fiscal years (for small businesses, Small Business Administration (SBA) submittals, as well as unaudited financial statements are acceptable).” For any confidentiality concerns, will the Government accept submission of required financial statements from Subcontractors directly?

The solicitation will be amended to delete the requirement for submission of subcontractor financial statements.

See forthcoming Amendment 002 change at Factor I - Price Volume Instructions (d)(2) on page L-17.

Factor I - Price Volume Instructions (2)

Narrative - Being a small HUBZone firm without any audited financial statements (never required to do so), unable to provide or understand the need for - Offerors shall also provide a summary of financial ratios, including quick ratio, current ratio, summary of working capital, and debt to equity ratio, for the three most recently completed fiscal years. What are these and is it really necessary to provide these for this FFP contract?

Quick ratio is used to determine how well the firm's current liabilities can be satisfied by the firm's current assets less inventory.

Current ratio is the ratio of current assets to current liabilities.

Summary of working capital is the difference between a company's current assets, such as cash, accounts receivable (customers' unpaid bills) and inventories of raw materials and finished goods, and its current liabilities, such as accounts payable.

Debt to equity ratio is measures the relative shares of debt and owner's equity used to finance the operations of the firm. Depending on the source, this ratio may be expressed either as a decimal or a percentage.

These ratios are common to all businesses, including small businesses, and are helping in making the determination of responsibility using the general standards delineated at FAR 9.104-1, particularly Item (a) regarding adequacy of the firm's financial resources.

Attachment A - Page 24

Factor I - Price Volume Instructions (3)

Since this is a FFP HZSA contract with all risk taken by the Contractor and not a Cost Type Contract where all risk is taken by the Government, is it please possible to simply requirement in terms of price submission by just requiring uploading of the spreadsheet - Section 3 instead of requiring to provide Section 1 and Section 2? Of course during price realism / evaluation should the Government conduct one, these information maybe requested / provided should the Government opine that the price / rates outlined in the spreadsheet are too low / unreal.

No. The information required is considered to be minimal. Additionally, in accordance with FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items, paragraph (g), the Government intends to evaluate offers and award a contract without discussions.

Factor I - Price Volume Instructions (d)(ii)

With regard to the requisite audited financial statements, established and/or available credit, funding requirements, limitation of liabilities, and a summary of financial ratios, should these be submitted for the members of a JV as well as for the JV itself? Does the answer change if the JV has no performance to date?

Per paragraph (d)(ii), "Offerors shall disclose and fully recognize any business relationships between itself, any proposed subcontractor(s), and any other company that has the potential to influence or impact the offeror's performance under this solicitation. Any discounts and/or favored treatments because of a business relationship, by virtue of an agreement or otherwise, shall be disclosed and explained."

Financial statements should be submitted for individual members of a Joint Venture if the Joint Venture has no performance to date.

Attachment A - Page 25

73 Factor I - Price Volume (3)(v)

Multiple references to include the following at the top of page L-19:

“(v) Tab PB - Computation of Fixed Price Labor by PWS. This tab is used to calculate the fully burdened labor dollars using the provided Work Year Equivalents (WYEs) multiplied by the proposed fully burdened labor rates (provided in Tab PC) and the productive factor generated from the available hours for each contract period.”

WYE appears to be the same as the often used “Full Time Equivalent” or “FTE”. Would offerors be correct in that assumption?

No. The term "Full Time Equivalent" is used to denote Government civil service personnel while the term "Work Year Equivalent" is used to denote Contractor personnel.

Factor II - Past Performance Volume Instructions

For the past performance reference, would CPARS be acceptable?

In accordance with paragraph (b) on L-19, "The offeror’s past performance references shall be limited to no more than five described contracts and/or subcontracts, including those of any proposed subcontractors. At least two past performance references should be for the offeror.

With respect to proposed subcontractors, the offeror should give priority to major subcontractors." These descriptions contained within the page limited Past Performance volume will allow for an evaluation of relevancy for each reference. Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) and Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) data, along with other data available to the Government, will be utilized to validate how the firm performed on the described contracts and/or subcontracts.

Attachment A - Page 26

Factor II - Past Performance Instructions

Will the past performance of the principal or owner of a company be considered as an acceptable past performance if they had authority over the referenced contract? Will the past performance of key personnel be considered?

No. The offeror's Past Performance volume shall describe up to five referenced contracts and/or subcontracts performed by the offeror and/or its subcontractors. Reference of performance as described would not be considered.

1852.215-81…