95332423R00020001_US (1) CO Signed.pdf

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT 1. CONTRACT ID CODE

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

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

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 10-83)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

FACILITY CODE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers is extended, is not 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:

(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 telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT 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 your desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter 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)

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

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

CHECK ONE 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.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

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

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not, is required to sign this document and return copies to the issuing office.

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.

15C. DATE SIGNED

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

16C. DATE SIGNED

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

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

PAGE OF PAGES

6. ISSUED BY CODE

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

CODE

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

NSN 7540-01-152-8070

Previous edition unusable

Request for Proposal (RFP)

Questions & Responses (Q&R)

RFP Number: 95332423R0002

Title of Requirement: Integrated Technical Advisory Consultant Services for Fast Track Compact Development

Item # Document Name/Page/Paragraph Question/Response

RFP/p.59/Section L.2 Proposal Content. (2) Technical Proposal

Contractor Question:

MCC asks that the Volume II be structured as: A. Corporate Experience. B. Betterment Promises, C. Key and Non-Key Personnel, D. Quality Control Plan. There is no mention that the bidders need to present the bidding entity (lead firm, partners, subcontractors, etc.). Should the bidding entity be presented under “A. Corporate Experience” or in an Annex?

Government Response:

“The Offeror” is considered the bidding / proposing entity.

RFP/p.61/ L.2.4.A through: L.2.4.B. B. Togo Task Order Cost/Price Proposal:

MCC has not provided any projected level of effort nor ODCs to provide a common basis for the pricing of the Togo Task Order. This may make it difficult to compare the various proposals. Can MCC provide the proposed level of effort and projected ODCs for the Togo Task Order?

Please refer to Table 2. In the Excel File Titled: Attachment J.1.

Solicitation/Page 59/Section L2 (1) D Solicitation/Page 60/Section L2.1.D

Please confirm small business offerors are not required to submit a small business sub-contracting plan.

One of two binary outcomes apply to each offeror; either the offeror, pursuant to FAR 52.219-1(c) represents itself and classifies as a Small Business Concern for the respective NAICS for this acquisition and thus a small business sub-contracting plan submittal is not required; OR the Offeror does not represents itself and classify as a Small Business Concern for the respective NAICS for this acquisition and thus a small business sub-contracting plan submittal is required.

Solicitation/Page 64/Section M.3 Factor 2

Please confirm that in the Technical Proposal, under “Betterment Priorities” this section will be scored as the Togo TO response.

Togo Evaluation Factors are labeled in Section M.

Solicitation/Page 60/L.2.2B

We kindly request that MCC provide a template for the “Betterment Priorities” that must be demonstrated as listings in a table format and submitted as an Adobe Acrobat attachment.

There is no template. Section L describes what is required.

Solicitation/Page 60/L.2.2B

Please confirm that Betterment Priorities annex is not to be included in the 20-page limit for this section.

Confirmed.

Solicitation/Page 60/L.2.2C

Please confirm that resumes can be submitted as an annex to the Technical Proposal and that these do not count against the 20-page limit.

Correct.

Solicitation/Page 61/L.2.2D

Please confirm whether the QA/QC should include the corporate security plan for global operations or for Togo specifically.

Quality Control Plan (QCP) is for Togo specifically at the task order level.

Solicitation/Page 61/L.2.2D

Please confirm whether offerors may submit a QA/QC plan and the corporate security plan as an attachment.

There are no restrictions prohibiting this and there are no page limitations for the QA/QC.

Solicitation/Page 61/L.2.3A

Please confirm whether offerors may submit Past Performance References for a proposed major subcontractor.

See L.2.3.A last sentence.

Solicitation

Please confirm the anticipated award date for this mechanism.

No date is published / currently available. Anticipated award is: The 1st Quarter of Fiscal Year 2024.

Solicitation/Page 61/L.2.3A

In our experience, the compact assignments are under two million in contract value. We kindly request that MCC consider PPRs that are less than this requirement.

This remains unchanged.

Solicitation

We kindly request that MCC extend the deadline for the procurement to September 16, 2023, or to at least 4 weeks by which the Answers to Questions are released to interested offerors.

Due Date for submission is extended to Tuesday September 19, 2023, 11:00 am eastern time.

Solicitation/Page 64/Section M.1

Can MCC confirm whether the IDIQ ceiling of $37,800,000 is for both awards or each award will be $37,800,000?

MCC may award up to two IDIQ contracts and each will have a ceiling amount of $37,800,000.00.

Attachment J1/Tab 3

Can MCC confirm that for the Togo Pricing Proposal, offerors are to submit a price proposal that includes

a) a plug figure for all ODCs of $393,200 (Year 1) and $393,200 (Year 2) and b) proposed labor of the offeror’s choosing but not to exceed 7,572 hours (Year 1) and 6,098 hours (Year 2)?

Government Response: Correct.

Document Name: SF 1449

Page Number: 1 of 66

Paragraph: Block 8

Contractor Question:

Considering the complexity of the requirements and that there is a federal holiday during the proposal period, would MCC kindly consider extending the deadline to September 15, 2023?

See response to number 13.

Document Name: Solicitation

Page Number: 61 of 66

Paragraph: L.2.4.A through: L.2.4.B

Contractor Question:

For the cost proposal, there is no mention of a budget narrative. Can MCC confirm if provision of a budget narrative is permitted to support the proposed IDIQ and Task Order budget?

Yes, offerors are encouraged to explain the basis of their pricing i.e. how it was calculated & derived, the underlying assumptions(s) behind it. There is no page limit on Price Proposal.

Document Name: Attachment J.5

Page Number:

Paragraph:

Contractor Question:

Could MCC please confirm that we are able to submit the Past Performance Matrix integrated into the proposal volume as a PDF document as long as we follow the same format as is provided in the Excel attachment J.5. This will enable offerors to more easily adhere to the 2-page limit per past performance.

This is acceptable to MCC.

Page Number: 60

Paragraph: L.2.1.D

Contractor Question:

In relation to the requirement (D) of Volume (I), Small Business Sub-Contracting Plan (SBSC), can MCC share any goals it would like the contractor to achieve or consider in developing the plan?

There are no specific goals for this acquisition; MCC generally follows the Federal Government-Wide Goals, which are published by the United States Small Business Administration.

Paragraph: L.2.1.C

MCC states that “Signed copies of all RFP Amendments must also be provided with Offerors' submission.”

Can MCC please confirm that the offeror can sign the cover page or first page of such amendment(s) and submit the signed cover page only along with its offer?

Yes.

Page Number: N/A

Paragraph: N/A

Contractor Question:

Can MCC confirm that it is willing to accept proposals that include fixed-price-milestone elements at the task order level – either through submission of fixed-price budgets or by including amounts for fixed-price milestones within the T&M ODC budget?

Not for the Togo Task Order maybe for future task orders depending on the statement of work.

Document Name: Solicitation and Attachment J.1 (Table 2)

Page Number: N/A

Paragraph: N/A

Contractor Question:

If MCC would be open to fixed-price-milestone elements in proposal submissions at the task-order level, would MCC permit these FFP elements as substitutes for labor, allowing the offeror to adjust the labor and ODC assumptions (provided by MCC in Attachment J.1, Table 2) accordingly?

See 21 above.

Page Number: N/A

Paragraph: N/A

Contractor Question:

Can MCC confirm that the IDIQ SOW requests the offeror’s support for only the Compact Development and Compact Mobilization Prior to Entry-Into-Force phases?

Page Number: 10

Paragraph: 1

Contractor Question:

Can MCC confirm what is meant by “The contractor shall (1) support MCC’s work on due diligence, and implementation mobilization OR (2) support MCC’s partners in program design”?

Government Response:

Under the IDIQ call orders may be issued to conduct due diligence of material presented by MCC’s partners under the direction of, and primarily for the benefit of, MCC. Alternatively, a call order may be issued to support a country development a Compact proposal, using 609g Compact preparation funding, where one of MCC’s partner countries is the principal beneficiary of the work.

Document Name: Solicitation

Page Number: 10

Paragraph: Compact Development and Mobilization prior to Entry-Into-Force section

Contractor Question:

Can MCC confirm #1 (Compact Development and Mobilization Prior to Entry-Into-Force) covers MCC’s output in the Compact Development process and that the offeror is to support MCC to complete this output?

Correct

Page Number: 10

Paragraph: Project or Component Design section

Contractor Question:

Can MCC confirm the offeror’s role in supporting #2 (Project or Component Design)? Initial read would indicate this would be covered under Compact Development. However, it is included separately here and then not included separately in the “E. Tasks” section that follows (which splits tasking into “General Tasks,” “Compact Development,”, and “Compact Mobilization Prior to Entry-into-Force”).

Government Response:

Under the IDIQ call orders may be issued to conduct due diligence of material presented by MCC’s partners under the direction of, and primarily for the benefit of, MCC. Alternatively, a call order may be

Page Number: 22 and 23

Paragraph: H.2.1, H.4, H 5

Contractor Question:

For both key personnel positions and non-key labor levels, qualifications are stated in terms of bachelor’s degree and years of experience. Could MCC provide number of years’ experience requirement equivalencies for candidates with a Master’s degree?

Government Response:

The Government, at its sole discretion, may consider substitutions and/or requests for deviation from any of the following personnel qualifications (e.g., experience in lieu of education), if to do so would be in the best interest of the Government at the order level.

The Technical Proposal is broken into Corporate Experience, Betterment Promises, Key and Non-Key Personnel, and Quality Control Plan. Given that the solicitation document requires response at the IDIQ level and the Togo task order level, can MCC confirm the following is a correct interpretation of the requirements of the solicitation response:

Page Number: 59

Paragraph: L.2

Corporate Experience – IDIQ level Betterment Promises – IDIQ level (and applicable to all future Task Orders) Key and Non-Key Personnel – Both IDIQ and Togo level Quality Control Plan and Corporate Security Plan– IDIQ level (and applicable to all future Task Orders) Small Business Sub-Contracting Plan – IDIQ level (and applicable to all future Task Orders)

Government Response:

The evaluation factors for an IDIQ award are:

Factor 1: Corporate Experience.

Factor 2: Betterment Promises.

Factor 3: Key and Non-Key Personnel.

Factor 4: Past Performance.

Factor 5: Price.

The evaluation factors for task order award are:

Factor 6: Togo Technical Proposal:

A. Resumes for proposed Key Personnel and Non-Key Personnel Matrix:

B. Quality Control Plan (QCP).

Factor 7: Togo Price Proposal.

The Small Business Sub-Contracting Plan (SBSP) is intentionally not included in Section M of the RFP and compliance or non-compliance with Section L.2.1.D will be documented; there will be no formal evaluation of any SBSP.

Page Number: 60

Paragraph: L.2.2.A through L.2.2.C, Part (B)

Contractor Question:

Under (B), Betterment Promises, it explicitly states that this part of the response should be submitted as an Adobe Acrobat attachment. Can MCC confirm the Betterment Promise table is okay to include within the body of the main response (L.2.2.A through L.2.2.C) as the solicitation structure indicates?

Yes, this is acceptable.

Paragraph: L.2.2.A through L.2.2.C, Part (B)

Contractor Question:

Would MCC accept a narrative section within the technical proposal of a maximum of two pages to further explain and elaborate on the Betterment Promises table?

Government Response:

The twenty page limitation specified at: L.2.2.A through: L.2.2.C, has been increased to up to twenty-two

(22) pages.

31 Document Name: Solicitation

Paragraph: L.2.2.A through L.2.2.C, Part (C)

Contractor Question:

Would MCC consider excluding key personnel CVs from the 20 page limit from L.2.2.A through L.2.2.C?

Yes, resumes for Key and Non-Key Personnel can be excluded from the 22 page limitation.

Page Number: 6

Paragraph: B.3

Contractor Question:

Can MCC confirm expectations for a target total budget for the Togo task order under the IDIQ?

No. Commercial services pricing is set and established by the competitive marketplace itself.

Document Name: Solicitation

Page Number: 62

Paragraph: L.3.4 Proposal Formatting

Contractor Question:

Can MCC confirm that text boxes can also be 10-point font as is permitted for other supporting content (tables, charts, and graphs)?

Yes, this is acceptable.

Page Number: 61

Paragraph: L.2.4.A through L.2.4.B, Paragraph B

Contractor Question:

Can MCC please confirm that the 3% rate escalation referenced is only applicable to direct labor rates and excludes indirect rates?

Document Name: Attachment J.1

Page Number: Table 2

Paragraph: N/A

Contractor Question:

Can MCC please confirm that the total labor hour figures included in row 31 are the target LOE hours for the Togo call order by year?

Document Name: Attachment J.1

Page Number: Table 2

Paragraph: N/A

Contractor Question:

Can MCC confirm that offerors should use line 33 in Attachment J.1 to apply G&A to the total “ODC Estimated Travel Costs Sub-total” amounts in cells D32 and E32?

Document Name: Attachment J.1

Page Number: Table 1.2 Labor Rate Breakdown

Paragraph:

Contractor Question:

Can MCC please confirm that columns D-F are provided to reflect rate build-up and that the offeror can adjust this table based on its specific rate structure and approach to building rates?

38 RFP/SF 1449 Contractor Question:

Will MCC consider extending the deadline for proposal submittal?

RFP/page 21/Section H.1/…”and we often require our partners to take difficult actions to further diversify and inclusion in their work….”

Please elaborate on what “difficult actions” MCC might require partners to take?

The “difficult actions” will depend on country context. In past Compacts these include, but are not limited to, The passage of the Legal Capacity of Married Persons Act of 2006 in Lesotho as a condition for Compact signing.

The Morocco compact included a land reform and titling project and as part of developing the processes for defining land rights and titling, MCC/MCA required partners to take into account women’s rights to the land and to include them in the land titling process despite institutional and cultural bias against this.

RFP/page 22/ Section H.3 Position Descriptions [Non-Key Personnel] …”Legal Experts: Subject Matter Experts in sector policy and regulation.

Must have legal degree or license”.

SME’s in sector policy and regulation can come from a variety of backgrounds that do not necessarily require a legal degree or license. Will MCC modify this requirement to read “Must have legal degree, license, or other relevant degree”?

41 RFP/page 22/Section H.4 Labor Levels..“Administrative/Project Support: up to 2 years of experience supporting projects related to the scope of the requirement”

Are bidders allowed to proposal a more senior level to the “Administrative Staff” labor category, if experience beyond two years is required to accomplish project support?

No.

RFP/page 22/Section H.4 Labor Levels “Level III:

Will have a bachelor's degree or equivalent and up to 15 years of experience….”

Is it MCC’s intent to limit the experience level of individuals supporting this IDIQ to 15 years? We have typically seen MCC set a minimum of 15 years on Level III individuals, as opposed to setting a maximum limit.

Section H.4 Labor Levels – all levels should read up to the number of years stated, with “or more” added.

There is no maximum limit on years of experience.

RFP/page 26/Paragraph B…”The following are requirements for a PSC or contractor employee who works under this contract and requires access to any of the following…: MCC Headquarters, MCCNet, Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU), Foreign Government Information (FGI) or any other designated sensitive information (such as classified national security information and Controlled Unclassified Information under 32 CFR Part 2002)…… a. Such an individual must be:

i. A U.S. citizen or have Permanent Resident Status in the U.S….”

Please confirm that bidders may propose staff at the IDIQ level who are not US Citizens or do not have Permanent Resident status in the US, as long as these staff are only used on task orders that do not require the access described under MCC 52.204-70.

RFP/page 60/Paragraph L.2.1(C) ”SF 1449: The Offeror shall complete all sections of the SF1449, which require a contractor response; i.e., Block # 17a of

Please provide further clarification of what the Contractor is to provide for Section B. Section B as presented in the RFP does not include a schedule of rates table. Are bidders to create a Section B IDIQ Rate table separately from the requirement to provide Attachment J.1?

the SF1449 cover page; Section B - Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs, including the schedule of rates table…”

There is no separate requirement for Offerors to create a section b, in addition to J.1.

Table 1 of Attachment J.1 will be incorporated into Section B of any resultant IDIQ Award(s).

Table 2 of Attachment J.1 will be incorporated into Section B of any resultant Task Order Award(s).

RFP/60/L.2.2 (B) “Betterment Promises”

Section L.2.2.B states that the Betterment Promises “listing shall be in table format…and shall be submitted as an Adobe Acrobat attachment.” Would MCC prefer that we include this table as part of an Appendix in the Technical Proposal? Or would you rather have us submit as a separate attachment altogether in our email?

It can be incorporated into your Volume II or in an Adobe Acrobat attachment.

RFP/page 61/Paragraph L.2.4 (A) “IDIQ Labor Categories & Rate Pricing…”

Contractor Question:

Please provide additional clarification on the Labor Rate pricing:

(1) Are bidders to provide separate labor rates for the prime offeror and individual subcontractors?

(2) Assuming the prime offeror is to provide separate labor rates for subcontractors, are subcontractors allowed to submit their labor rate breakdown into direct and indirect cost components, and their audit/NICRA information, under separate cover to MCC in order to maintain confidentiality?

Yes and Yes.

RFP/Attachment J.1/Table 1.2 Labor Rate Breakdown

Contractor Question:

Please confirm that offerors are to modify this table to show the labor rate breakdown for each year of the IDIQ.

Yes, this can be tailored to the Offeror’s unique price/cost structure.

J.6 Togo SOW

Constraints analysis: we understand that constraints analysis was procured by MCC under the Economic Analysis BPA, including for Togo. Will this Togo have constraints analysis requirements or will this work be done by the Constraints Analysis BPA awardee?

Government Response:

The consultant for Togo will be coming on board approximately mid-way through our planned 24-month process. The Constraints Analysis has been completed.

49 Section L.2

Contractor Question:

Can you please clarify whether foreign firms are required to submit a small business subcontracting plan?

As per the FAR, we understand foreign firms are exempt?

See number 3 above.

Section L.2.1.B

Are copies of SAM registration required for subcontractors?

No, as MCC does not have contract privy with sub-contractors.

Section L.2.3.A

a. Can past performance examples include ongoing projects, highlighting the work already completed?

b. Many MCC-funded projects have multiple team members in a consortium, and not all of the team members have a $2M share of the project. Is it acceptable to show a past performance reference for a project which had a total value of $2M+?

Section M.1

Given that there are two potential awards, how will future awards after Togo be procured between the two awardees—will there be Task Order bids or will they be assigned by MCC?

Government Response:

Request for Task Oder Proposals (RToPs) will be issued to all IDIQ holders in accordance with fair opportunity competitive procedures. IDIQ holders will compete with each-other for all Task Orders.

There will be no unilateral assignment by the Government when ordering.

Section L.3.4

Typically MCC proposals require Times New Roman font. Can you please confirm this quotation should be in Calibri Light Font as per section L.3.4?

Section M.3

Can you please clarify the difference between the Corporate experience and Past Performance evaluation factors?

1. Corporate experience is about the type and amount of work previously performed

2. Past performance relates to quality and how well a contractor performed

Corporate experience and Past Performance are two (2) ways of assessing the Offeror’s Quality of Services. The primary difference is that Corporate Experience is significantly more broader and can encompass decade(es) if applicable; however: Past Performance is limited only to within the past five (5) years.

General

Is MCC able to estimate the potential number of concurrent Fast track assignments?

There will typically be at least 1-2 country assignments each year, which is expected to then gradually increase each year.

Would MCC consider extending the proposal submission deadline by three weeks to September 26, 2023? This extension would allow bidders adequate time to prepare a more informed and competitive proposal.

Can MCC clarify if the Integrated Technical Advisory Consultant Services for Fast Track Compact Development is only for compacts on a fast-track development?

Yes. The countries are typically selected annually and thus far, the only selected country is: Togo.

Can MCC confirm that for compacts not on a fast-track development, another consultancy will provide technical services to MCC? If so, can MCC confirm that the separate consultancy will not conflict with this fast-track consultancy?

Government Response:

MCC will conduct acquisition planning for non-fast track compact development requirements once those requirements are identified and will solicit as appropriate. There are no known conflicts identified at this time.

In Section C (D), Page 10, the first paragraph

“The contractor shall (1) support MCC's work on due diligence, and implementation mobilization OR (2) support MCC's partners in program design”. Can MCC clarify the following:

a. Will another one of MCC's consultants review the contractor supporting MCC’s partners in program design?

b. If so, can MCC clarify if there is the possibility of a conflict of interest between this contract and the Compact Development Technical Support Services contract (RFP no. 95332423Q0061)?

Government Response:

Under the IDIQ call orders may be issued to conduct due diligence of material presented by MCC’s partners under the direction of, and primarily for the benefit of, MCC. Alternatively, a call order may be

a. Yes, this is the goal of the due diligence work.

b. No conflict is anticipated

Section C (D), Page 11, General Tasks

The contractor shall “support travel, missions and reverse missions….” Would MCC clarify the following:

▪ Does this contract have a large administrative support and travel management component?

▪ Does the contractor have to book tickets for country counterparts to visit the US or other places?

▪ Does the contractor need to provide travel agency-type support to MCC as well? Please provide additional details.

No, the offeror is only required to arrange travel for its personnel and subcontractors supporting the statement of work.

Section C (E), Page 11, Compact Development states that the contractor shall provide technical support to MCC.

In what form will this support be? For example, is the contractor expected to do the constraints analysis?

Which constraints analysis methodology should the contractor prepare for (this impacts our staffing and resourcing)?

Government Response:

The support will take the form of: under the IDIQ call orders may be issued to conduct due diligence of material presented by MCC’s partners under the direction of, and primarily for the benefit of, MCC.

Alternatively, a call order may be issued to support a country development a Compact proposal, using 609g Compact preparation funding, where one of MCC’s partner countries is the principal beneficiary of the work.

The consultant for Togo will be coming on board approximately mid-way through our planned 24-month process. The Constraints Analysis has been completed. It may be that in future assignments the consultant may be asked to support this process.

MCC’s constraints analysis can be found on our website (https://www.mcc.gov/resources/story/story-cdg-chapter-3-guidelines-for-constraints-to-economic-growth-analysis).

Section C (E), Page 11-13.

Throughout the Compact Development tasks, the RFP says the contractor shall review, assess, refine, etc.

This suggests that there are already documents to review and assess, and this contractor is not expected to do the foundational work to create the reports and analyses. Please confirm.

Confirmed for the initial Call Order for Togo.

Section C (E), Page 12, Project Definition states that the estimation of project costs is the responsibility of the contractor. Can MCC confirm that for fast-track compact development, a feasibility study or similar study will be made available to the contractor, so the contractor reviews and confirms or updates the project cost estimate and there is no need to build the cost model from the start?

Section C (E), Page 13, Compact Mobilization Prior to Entry-Into-Force, states that the contractor shall support the development of a compact wide environmental and social management system (ESMS). Will MCC provide the cost estimate for ESMPs, which are typically estimated during the feasibility study step?

Togo Task Order

Can MCC confirm that for the Togo Task Order, MCC wants Offerors to provide only the following information:

▪ Resume for the proposed Team Leader

▪ Team matrix including a breakdown of subcontractors and consultants and an explanation of how the team has previously worked together.

▪ Quality Control Plan specific to Togo

▪ Price proposal using the IDIQ proposed rates.

This is correct.

Togo Task Order

Can MCC confirm that it would like only one Quality Control Plan (QCP) for the Togo Task Order, not two QCPs (one for the Togo Task Order, one for the IDIQ proposal)?

See 8 above.

Cost Proposal

For Offerors submitting Section K Representation, Certifications, and Other Statements, can MCC clarify if it should be included within the Administrative Proposal (Volume I)?

Government Response:

Yes, confirmed, these fall under SF 1449, thus any applicable representations, Certifications, and Other Statements not previously completed by the offeror online would need to be completed and provided with the administrative proposal submission.

For Togo Task Order Cost/Price Proposal, can Offeror offer discounts to the proposed IDIQ labor rates?

For the Togo Task Order, can MCC clarify if DBA insurance is included in the Other Direct Costs-Travel estimate, or should Offerors include these costs in another location?

DBA is included in the Other Direct Costs Travel Estimate.

The tables in Section B, Pages 4 and 5 indicate that the contract type is time and materials. However, Section B.2 on page 6 indicates that task orders under this IDIQ may be “Time and Materials (T&M), Firm Fixed Price (FFP), and or Other Direct Costs basis.” Can MCC clarify what contract types are expected under this IDIQ?

Government Response:

Task Order(s) will be issued with Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) on a Time & Materials (T&M), Firm Fixed Price (FFP) and or Other Direct Costs (ODC) basis.

Section L.2.2 (C), page 60

The Togo Task Order is 24 to 36 months, but page 7 and the J.1 Budget Template only indicate 24 months. Can MCC clarify which duration is correct?

MCC anticipates that the 1st task order will need two (2) years of contractor performance.

Section L.2.1(C). SF 1449, page 60

The Offeror shall complete all sections of the SF1449, which require a contractor response, i.e., Block # 17a of the SF1449 cover page; Section B - Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs, including the schedule of rates table.” However, Section L.2.4(A) on page 61 states that the tables on pages 4 and 5 (Section B) “do not need to be completed.” Can MCC confirm that pricing information does not need to be included in SF1449 and that it should only be included in the price proposal?

Section L.2.1(C), page 60

SF 1449 mentions the schedule of rates table, representations and certifications, and attachments listed in Section J. Can MCC confirm that these sections should be included within the appropriate volumes of the proposal and should not be included within the SF1449 portion of the proposal?

Government Response:

The Section B Schedule of Labor rates Table is derived from the Offeror’s J.1 and will be incorporated into any resultant IDIQ awards and Task Order Award.

The Cover Page of the SF 1449 must be dated and signed by the Offeror and the complete SF 1449 must be provided; RFP Amendments must be dated and signed by the Offeror and the complete Amendment(s) must be provided.

All representations, assertions and attestations not completed electronically on the SAM.GOV website but are however: applicable/relevant to the RFP, shall be completed manually and provided to the Government and constitute a part of the Offeror’s SF 1449 submission pursuant to: L.2.1.C.

Only attachment #’s J.1 and J.5 require all contractors’ response at the time of proposal submission and these completed attachments can be provided with their respective submission instructions pursuant to Section L of the RFP and need not be included a second time with the SF 1449 submission.

Attachment # J.3 will only be requested from the prospective awardee(s) if you are selected for an IDIQ and or Task Order award. So all offeror’s should not complete this at the time of proposal submission.

J.1 budget template, Togo Tab, Row 33

Indirect costs (G&A) can be charged on ODCs for the Togo Task Order. For the IDIQ overall, can MCC confirm that indirect costs can be charged on ODCs consistent with the Offeror’s NICRA?

J.1 budget template, Togo Tab

Can MCC confirm if a line should be added for non-travel ODCs that are in addition to the travel plug figures provided?

This should NOT be added.

J.1 budget template, Togo Tab

Indicates not to exceed (NTE) hours for each year. Can MCC confirm that Offerors should budget the total hours prescribed (7,572 for year 1 and 6,098 for year 2)?

RFP. Page 23, H.5.

Under qualifications, it is stated that the Team Leader must be full -time staff of the lead (principal) firm.

For some countries or thematic areas, a subcontractor will be primarily responsible for providing the experts and performing the services, under oversight from the lead (principal) firm and Program Manager. In these situations, it is practical for the Team Leader to be staff of the sub-contractor. Can MCC review and amend this requirement?

Government Response:

Amended: Must be an employee of the lead (principal) firm or the sub-contractor with authority to make decisions, direct and engage resources to fulfill the statement of work tasks.

RFP. Page 64, M.1 & page 66, M.5.

It is stated, “The Government intends to award up to two (2) IDIQ type contracts”.

It is not stipulated whether successful contractor must submit an offer for each subsequent Task Order (although it was noted during the pre-proposal meeting that contractors will not be obligated to offer on every TO). Having up to two awardees will effectively obligate the contractor to make offers for every Task Order, which considering the global remit, linguistic expectations, and breadth of services could be challenging. Can this be clarified by MCC?

It is not stipulated whether successful contractor must submit an offer for each subsequent Task Order.

Can MCC confirm that awardees are not obligated to offer on every Task Order, please?

Government Response:

Awardees will not be obligated to respond to all RTOPs, however, we request all offerors’ to provide a reason(s) why they specifically might not participate so this can be considered by MCC.

RFP Page 61, Section L.3.3

As the submission due date of responses is the day after a major U.S. holiday, and the end of summer vacations; we respectfully request that the submission date be extended from September 5, 2023 to September 22, 2023.

RFP Attachment J. , Table 2.

Please confirm that only the proposed Task Order for Togo should be priced.

Table 1, Table 1.2 and Table 2 in Attachment # J.1 are all to be completed and priced by Offerors’.

Request for Proposals/Page 60/L.2.2.B Betterment Promises.

Can the government provide a further definition and/or an example of a Betterment Promise and/or area of the RFP where a Betterment Promise would be well received?

Government Response:

MCC encourages vendors to look at previous similar MCC contract(s) for similar services and to compare those relative to this acquisition, in order to get a baseline framework of the differences between those two (2) datasets and then make use of the publicly available information on the concept of Betterment Promises.

Request for Proposals/Page 61/L.2.2.D & Page 65/M.3/Factor 6 Togo Technical Proposal: B.

Can the government provide further guidance on the expectations for the content of the corporate security plan?

The RFP specifies all requirements.

Page 38, 52.216-18 Ordering

The Ordering clause indicates that the ordering period is 29-DEC-2023 through 28-DEC-2028. Please confirm that the contract period of performance is consistent with these dates and that rate years reflected in Attachment J.1 follow annual progression starting December 29th. Note that clause F.1 Place and Period of Performance (p 14) reflects a performance period beginning from the date of award.

Government Response:

The IDIQ Ordering period is five calendar years after IDIQ Award, which is currently anticipated to be: 29- DEC-2023 through 28-DEC-2028. The actual IDIQ Ordering period is Date of IDIQ Contract Award + five

(5) calendar years.

Page 22, H.4 Labor Levels

The clause indicates that each level is defined by a bachelor’s degree and years of experience. Please confirm that an advanced degree can be translated into an equivalent years of experience (e.g. a master’s degree is equivalent to three years of experience).

Government Response:

The Government, at its sole discretion, may consider substitutions and/or requests for deviation from any of the following personnel qualifications (e.g., experience in lieu of education), if to do so would be in the best interest of the Government, at the order level.

Page 22, H.4 Labor Levels

The clause indicates a “Local Experts” labor level. That labor level does not appear in Attachment J.1.

Please clarify how Local Experts are envisioned to be reflected in the proposed labor rates.

Per Section H.1: To better advance our shared development objectives and to live up to our Corporate Values, MCC espouses team diversity – including within MCC staff teams, MCC consultants, and our partners – to help us model the inclusive behavior we wish to see in our partners and to have richer discussions and decisions in the context of project development and implementation. Team design and organization that reduces travel requirements or potential impacts of future travel restrictions is preferred. We further note that MCC projects have strong diversity and inclusion dimensions (women, youth, and marginalized groups) and that we often require our partners to take difficult actions to further diversity and inclusion in their work and we as MCC must demonstrate our commitment to the same through the deployment of diverse teams; and (2) that diverse teams, with a range of backgrounds, tend to make better decisions because they are less likely to be subject to group think. For these business reasons MCC encourages bidders to assemble diverse teams of qualified individuals.

Page 22-23, H.5 Togo Task Order #1: Key Personnel: Team Leader

The clause indicates that the proposed individual must be a full-time staff of the lead firm. Does MCC expect that position will be priced on a full-time basis for the duration of the task order? If not, please remove the “full-time” qualification requirement. The qualification provisions additionally indicate that the position must be retained by the lead firm which is not individual qualification and inconsistent with the firms Betterment Promises. Please consider removing the requirement.

The word full time is hereby replaced with employee, see also response to number 77.

Page 59, L.2 Proposal Content

The Administrative Proposal includes a requirement for a small business subcontracting plan. Please confirm that a small business offeror is exempt from presenting a subcontracting plan.

See 3 above.

Page 59, L.2 Proposal Content

The Technical Proposal outline does not require a response specific to Task Order #1. Should the offeror present a plan within the Technical Proposal to support the initial Task Order including a technical approach that aligns with M.3 Evaluation Factor 6 and a staffing plan which will be reflected in the J.1 Task Order pricing?

See 28 above.

Pages 60-61, L.2.2.D Quality Control Plan

In addition to a Quality Assurance and Control, the offer is to provide a corporate security plan. Please clarify how a security plan is expected to integrate with the scope of work and what specific considerations should be addressed (e.g., should the security plan focus on travel security).

Yes, the focus should be travel security.

Page 11, Section C., E - Tasks

The target timeline from Board selection to Board approval is 24 months. Is there any fast-tracking milestone estimate from Board approval to entry into force?

The goal is 12 months from Board Approval.

Solicitation/Contract/Order for Commercial Items

B.3 IDIQ MIN/MAX CEILING CONSTRAINTS &

OTHER PRICING SCHEDULE PARAMETERS / 1ST

paragraph – Minimum Obligation

We recognize the significant value of proposing specific professionals as per Personnel requirements of Section H. However, the very broad minimum/maximum obligation of 2,500 USD to 37,800,000 USD makes it very challenging for us to commit availability of proposed Personnel. The workload planning of such highly demanded professionals requires a more accurate commitment otherwise it becomes difficult to secure their availability. Under which conditions and criteria will Task Orders be awarded? Is there is way for us to anticipate a more precise Task Orders price value awards over the five (5) years span of the IDIQ so to secure availability of our proposed Personnel?

Government Response:

The current best projection available for future task orders, is the current Togo Task Order. Future Task Order(s) requirements are expected to be issued according to the Request for Task Order Proposal (RToP) process and will have similar evaluation criterion as the current Togo Task Order. MCC currently anticipates issuing 1-2 new task orders each calendar year as a rough order of magnitude estimate.

B.3 IDIQ MIN/MAX CEILING CONSTRAINTS &

OTHER PRICING DCHEDULE PARAMETERS

Could the firm provide additional labor categories in its offer?

The Other Technical Specialist category should be sufficient.

Conflicts of Interest

By providing services under this contract, will the Contractor firm be precluded from bidding on the Program Implementation Due Diligence Contract procured by MCC that may follow-on ?

H.4 Labor Levels

Could the firm provide additional labor levels in its offer?

6. Offer Due Date / Local Time

So to allow us to submit our best proposal, we require additional time. Could you extend the Offer Due Date to September 15th, 2023?

M.2 EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

It doesn’t come clear the evaluation relationship, if any, between the IDIQ proposal and the Task Order No.1 – Togo proposal. We understand that the Task Order No.1 – Togo bids evaluation will be performed only amongst the previously evaluated and retained IDIQ Bidders. We also understand that the IDIQ evaluation score will have no impact over the Task Order No.1 – Togo bids evaluation. These two (2) proposals are evaluated separately with no combined scoring considered and being a selected IDIQ Contractor is a prerequisite condition for being considered for Task Order No.1 – Togo award.

Is our understanding correct?

Government Response:

The government will establish a competitive range from Evaluations Factors 1 – 5 of all Offerors.

Each offeror will be assigned an overall adjectival rating.

Offerors whose overall adjectival rating that is Satisfactory or above will further be evaluated for Togo Factors 6-7.

Those proposals not included in the competitive range will receive no further consideration and will be notified of this in accordance with FAR Section 15.503.

Offerors who made the competitive range will be assigned an overall adjectival rating for Togo.

MCC will combine both (IDIQ and Togo) overall ratings to determine final overall adjectival rating.

Solicitation/Contract/Order for Commercial Items

M.3 EVALUATION FACTORS

Although the Evaluation Factors are presented in a descending order of importance, there are no scoring weighting established. Could you provide your evaluation scoring structure and weighting?

Government Response:

M.2 Evaluation Methodology is hereby replaced as follows: The Government will assess the nature, degree and extent to which the Offerors' proposal conforms to the requirements stipulated in the RFP, by assigning adjectival ratings and a final overall adjectival rating.

Attachment J.6 – Statement of Work (Task Order No.1: Togo)

It is stated that: The objectives are to develop a Compact within 24 months (roughly from Board selection to Board approval which is estimated to be December 2024) that address MCC’s investment criteria:… Could MCC provide an indication of when the Task Order #1 – Togo is to kick off?

Performance of the Task Order award may begin as soon as it is awarded.

Factor 5: Price

Due to recent volatility in inflation, and due to the contract duration, is it possible that the escalation be linked to an inflation index, such as those prepared by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics?

The government will address this at the order level, if required.

No specific section

Would the MCC accept an express limit of liability (limited to the actual professional fees) for each party?

In addition, would indirect liability be excluded. These caps would not apply in cases of gross negligence, illegal activity, etc.

Government Response:

In accordance with FAR 52.212.-4 (p) Limitation of liability. Except as otherwise provided by an express warranty, the Contractor will not be liable to the Government for consequential damages resulting from any defect or deficiencies in accepted items.

101 Section L Maximum file sizes per email through Outlook is 20 MB.

102 Section L Past Performance Template J.5 is updated.

103 Section M.4 M.4 Determination of Competitive Range is hereby updated as follows:

In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Section 15.306, paragraph (c), the following establishes which offerors are in the competitive range for the purpose of conducting discussions regarding the subject solicitation. This determination is made on the basis of the ratings of each proposal against all evaluation criteria specified in the solicitation. [The competitive range is comprised of all of the most highly rated proposals, unless the range is further reduced for purposes of efficiency. See FAR

15.306 (c)(1) and (2).]

The Government will evaluate proposals and determine which were the most highly rated and eligible for inclusion in the competitive range relying on the merits of each offer. The merits of each offer will be determined on the basis of: (1) The quality of the technical proposal based on the ratings of each proposal against all evaluation criteria. (2) The proposed cost/prices. Those proposals not included in the competitive range will receive no further consideration and will be notified of this in accordance with FAR Section 15.503.

The government will establish a competitive range from Evaluations Factors 1 – 5 of all Offerors.

Each offeror will be assigned an overall adjectival rating.

Offerors whose overall adjectival rating that is Satisfactory or above will further be evaluated for Togo Factors 6-7.

Those proposals not included in the competitive range will receive no further consideration and will be notified of this in accordance with FAR Section 15.503.

Offerors who made the competitive range will be assigned an overall adjectival rating for Togo.

MCC will combine both (IDIQ and Togo) overall ratings to determine final overall adjectival rating.