QAs.pdf

93310024Q0018 Employees Development Needs Assessments Questions and Answers #1

General

1. Please confirm if this is new requirement or is there an incumbent currently providing these services? If this is not a new effort, please provide the incumbent contract details.

This is a brand-new requirement.

2. What is the budget range for this requirement?

FMCS cannot provide this information.

3. Is there a cost ceiling on this project other than that of the dollar limits for a small business set aside?

FMCS cannot provide this information.

4. Are there any addendums available for this proposal?

One amendment was posted on SAM.gov on 8/5/2024 to correct the combo synopsis/solicitation document to clarify that this is solely a Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Set-Aside.

5. Please clarify the set-aside status.

This is a WOSB Set-Aside. An amendment was posted on SAM.gov on 8/5/2024 to clarify this.

6. Please clarify if the three different sections of the proposal (Technical, Past Performance and Price) should be submitted as three separate volumes or combined.

Vendors may submit separate volumes or a single document.

7. If the offeror does not have a prior contract, but administered directly relevant federal contracts for a different company, will the government consider that experience in its determination of relevant past performance and references?

Yes. Per Attachment 1, equivalent experience may be accepted by FMCS.

8. In addition to providing past performance questionnaires for three references, may offerors also provide a brief Past Performance narrative?

Vendors may provide a Past Performance narrative, but Past Performance ratings will only be based on received Past Performance Questionnaires.

9. Can vendors break out pricing for deliverables since some are considered nice to have and some are important (required) as described in Section 6 Deliverables of the RFP?

No. The fixed price should include pricing for all Deliverables the vendor is able to provide. As stated in the Statement of Work, Vendors who are able to provide Deliverables listed as “Important” or “Nice to have” will received higher Technical Acceptability ratings.

10. Please clarify if the proposed Price must be broken out into CLINs.

Per Attachment 2 – vendors should provide “a single fixed price to accomplish all the tasks specified in the SOW.”

Technical

11. Are there any data on the current employee Knowledge skills and Ability? if yes could access be provided?

There is currently no data available.

12. Is there an analysis of the current training delivery, sequence structure and modalities that FMCS can provide?

No analysis exists beyond providing data on current/previously offered internal trainings as well as the modalities and attendance at external trainings via SF182 submissions.

13. In section 2.0 Purpose, the total number of employees is 205 and the total number of positions is 59. Are those 59 unique positions or are there a smaller number of unique positions and 59 denotes minor differences among the unique positions? Please elaborate.

Of the 59 positions, some are of the same series; however, even those of the same series have unique position descriptions, some minor while many are very unique to a position.

14. Will 59 KSAs need to be developed or only a subgroup of the 59, and if only a subgroup how many?

59 unique KSAs (60 including the mediator position, which is the bulk of our staff)

15. Is the mapping of the 205 people for the 59 positions current and up-to-date or will it be prior to the project start?

All personnel information, including positions within the organizational structure and position descriptions, are kept current.

16. Under section 5.1 Data Collection, it states that the “contractor shall collect data on the knowledge, skills and abilities of all current FMCS employees through various methods…” What are the job-relevant KSAs based on —for example are there detailed / up-to-date job descriptions that the KSAs will be drawn from? Otherwise, what other source material is available that defines the KSAs needed for successful completion of the particular role? Please elaborate.

A combination of position descriptions, government series designations, and performance elements/standards.

17. For section 5.3 Recommendations for a Path Forward: how detailed of a training strategy are you requiring for this? For example, it can be as detailed as mapping courses from your Learning Management System, and other (external) course options to the various KSAs for each of the job roles, and/or the creation of individual development plans per person. Or it could be as general as identifying common denominator low spots across the overall population that should be the focus of training along with appropriate context.

Can you please provide guidance on how detailed of a training strategy you are looking for?

a. Recommendation on how to prioritize training based upon identified gaps in KSAs (what and who gets trained and to what degree).

b. Recommendations for learning pathways for each of the 59 positions within the agency that, after closing identified gaps, provides for employee growth opportunities aligned to the agency’s strategic goals.

c. Identifying and recommend training materials/content/learning objectives aligned with recommendations in bullet b.

18. Section 5.3 states that the training strategy should focus on recommending training needs to ensure that all employee KSAs are aligned with agency strategic goals. Are the strategic goals in place and well defined or is that something that will require the needs analysis partner’s help (defining the goals)?

Strategic goals for 2022-2026 are in place and well-defined, including a specific goal that “prioritize[s] lifelong learning in support of agency mission and individual professional development”

19. When will Contractor be granted access to employee systems data? For example, processes for evaluation, employee career paths, grades, salaries, etc.

Contractors who already have completed and active background investigations at the Tier 1 low risk level (formerly NACI) background investigation will be given immediate access to all data once confirmed by FMCS. Contractors who do not already have an active clearance must wait until FMCS completes their background investigation, which can take up to ninety (90) days. While the investigation is being conducted, these contractors will be given limited access to various documents to begin work.

20. Since the project is remote, how will employees be encouraged to participate in the process?

Processes, such as interviews, sandboxes, shadowing, etc. can be conducted via Zoom and/or Teams where agency staff are familiar as a means of communication, collaboration and training/learning.

21. In the past, we’ve themed our assessments, will this one be themed? For example, ‘My Success is your Success’ or, ‘We are in this Together.’

Although not necessary or required, we love themes and would love to brainstorm on a perfect fit!

22. Generally, questionnaires are given to all employees and other data is collected via a stratified random sampling. Will such an approach be used for this project?

Assumption is that, at minimum, a triangulation of data collection will be carried out.

The methodologies/tools are to be determined/recommended by the contractor and approved by the agency project manager/contracting officer representative.

23. To ensure continuous improvement and to measure progress, will the needs assessment be conducted annually or is this a one and done project?

This is undetermined at this time and is dependent upon outcome of assessment.

24. Please clarify if leadership positions, such as supervisors, managers, and directors, will be assessed. This has a bearing on the assessment tools utilized.

Supervisors, managers and directors will be assessed.

25. The SOW lists 205 employees. What are the expectations for managing attrition if employees are released or hired during the contract period? Will new employees need to be assessed?

Determination can be made dependent upon when an employee is onboarded compared to completion of deliverables (data collection)

26. Needs assessments can be very broad and need to be tailored to the organization. Please clarify what categories the needs assessment should prioritize. Is conflict resolution the primary area? This has a bearing on the type of assessment tool(s) selected and priced.

Each position should have equal emphasis for the needs assessment as every non-mediator has a significant goal in supporting the agency’s mission and goals.

27. Is the contractor restricted in what type of assessment platform to utilize? For example, will government employees be able to access third party cloud-based platforms?

Any third-party cloud-based platforms must meet Federal IT security requirements

28. Is 100% participation of employees an expectation of this contract? If so, what role will supervisors play in accountability for participation?

100% participation is expected and supervisors, managers and directors will ensure accountability.