95332424R00030001 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.docx

The purpose of this amendment 0001 is to respond to questions that were submitted by the due date, to make updates to the original RFP 95332424R0003, and to attach updated attachment J.1. Pre-formatted Price Proposal Rev. 1.RFP 95332424R0003

Amendment 0001 Questions and Answers

Thank you for this immense interest in our requirement. Please see our responses to your questions below. Appropriate changes have also been made to the government’s requirement and to the J.1. Pre-formatted Price Proposal Rev. 1 (OP 5 removed). Please read carefully the updated information to develop your proposal. We’ll look forward to reviewing your proposals.

1. Is the due date of 30 May for Phase 1 only?

Yes, however the government is extending the due date to June 7, 2024, at 5:00pm ET.

2. Can the Government please confirm if offerors will receive a 1-2 week notice prior to the due date of phase 2?

Based on the assessment of their Corporate Capabilities on Phase 1, the government will notify the offerors who are selected for Phase 2. The tentative due date for Phase 2 will be Friday, 12 July 2024 at 5:00pm ET.

3. Does the Government anticipate surge support? If so, how much notice will be given to the contractor?

Surge support is possible, but currently there is no expectation of a surge support. If such support is needed in the future, the same requirements will apply as stated on RFP section C.3.1 Candidate Resumes.

4. Can the Government confirm if the rates in the Attachment J.1 are to be used as ceiling rates for the direct labor?

The government does not intend on imposing or suggesting any ceiling rates. Please disregard any previous attachment and refer only to the new attachment titled, “Attachment J.1 Pre-formatted Price Proposal Rev. 1.xlsx” to propose your own price.

5. Since this is a single-award IDIQ, how much notice will be given for task order requests?

MCC’s PALT for single-award IDIQ orders is 90 days. Except for the very first order which will likely coincide around the same time as the IDIQ award, MCC will strive to notify the contractor of any subsequent task order(s) with at least a 30-day notification.

6. Can you please confirm the incumbent name and contract number?

Name: Dynamic-Pro, Inc.

IDIQ No.: 95332418D0018

7. Is the solicitation strictly for 8(a) set aside? Or can WOSBs or Small Businesses respond to the solicitation?

This requirement is strictly limited only to 8(a) small businesses.

8. RFP section C.3.1 of the RFP says, “Upon the notification of a vacancy and the level of position by the Government, the Contractor is expected to provide the resumes of multiple highly qualified candidates within ten (10) business days for the Government's consideration.” RFP section C.3.2 of the RFP says, “The Contractor is expected to provide resumes of multiple candidates within 5 business days from the date of identification for a vacancy or a new requirement.” QUESTION: Will the government please confirm if the contractor is expected to provide resumes of multiple candidates within 5 or 10 business days of being notified of a vacancy?

Thank you for identifying this discrepancy. These two sections were meant to be distinct. The RFP section C.3.1 is meant to discuss the resumes of new PSCs whereas C.3.2. is meant to discuss the retention of the PSCs. For C.3.1, the government expects to review multiple highly qualified candidates resumes within ten (10) business days of being notified of a vacancy. For C.3.2, the government expects no more than five (5) business days to finalize the transition of those MCC-selected PSCs to the new contract and to be able to maintain them. This has been corrected accordingly.

9. Please confirm that the government requires a Price Narrative volume.

For Phase 1, the government expect to see only the Corporate Capabilities in accordance with RFP section L.3.4 Phase 1: Corporate Capabilities.

The Price Proposal shall be included as a part of Phase 2, and it must be submitted separately from the offeror’s technical proposal.

10. Section M, page 63, of the RFP says, “Any proposal evaluated as less than satisfactory in any non-price factors and subfactors, except for the optional subfactor, shall be ineligible for award.” QUESTION: There is no subfactor identified as “optional” in the RFP. Will the government please identify the optional subfactor?

Thank you for identifying this discrepancy. The optional subfactor was removed prior to publication of this RFP. There is no optional subfactor. This has been corrected accordingly.

11. For the Phase 1 response, may we include a cover page and a table of contents that does not count against the 4-page limit?

No, the government will only review the first four pages of all Phase 1 submissions. Please submit your response in accordance with RFP section L.3.4 Phase 1: Corporate Capabilities.

12. Will the government consider offerors whose experience is with software similar to Oracle Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM), such as PRISM?

Yes, we understand that not every contracting professional has Oracle CLM experience. Therefore, the government will consider candidates with other system experience. In addition, we expect all candidates to be technologically savvy enough to quickly learn new systems.

13. RFP section L.3.4, page 59 of the RFP, says, “The Resumes shall be signed and include three (3) or more Past Performance Reference information.” QUESTION: Will the government clarify what is meant in this instance by “past performance reference information?” Is the intention that professional references (name and contact information of supervisors) accompany each resume or that the references be government customer (CO/COR/Program Manager/Technical Lead) contact information?

Yes, the government’s intention is to review at least three professional references (name and contact information) for each proposed candidate. This has been revised from” Past Performance Reference Information” to “Professional Reference Information.”

14. RFP section L.3.5, Phase 2, Part B: Retention of Staff, says, “The Offeror's presentation shall demonstrate the ability to retain both the existing incumbent PSCs under contract 95332418D0018 and the new PSCs recruited to the contract.” However, Phase 2, Part C: Resumes, Past Performance References, and Commitment Letters of Key Personnel requires offerors submit Letters of Commitment (LOC) for presumably the same positions. QUESTION: As the government’s primary intent seems to be to retain incumbent personnel, and only one offeror will most likely be able to present LOCs for incumbent personnel at the time of proposal submission, the requirement to include LOCs seems to contradict the government’s staffing desires and to favor the incumbent team. Will the government clarify if there are any specific positions not currently staffed by the incumbent and require that offerors provide LOCs only for those positions, as offerors will also be evaluated on their capability and track record of retaining incumbents?

Based on this question, the Letters of Commitment for incumbent personnel is no longer requested if the offeror proposes any incumbent CGM personnel. The LOCs will be suggested for the current, incumbent personnel and only be required for non-incumbent personnel proposed under this requirement. This has been corrected accordingly.

15. Under section B.8 Schedule a pricing table is included, however, the attachment sent with the RFP is a different pricing construct J.1. Please confirm the correct pricing information between the two examples.

Please disregard any previous attachment and refer only to the new attachment titled, “Attachment J.1 Pre-formatted Price Proposal Rev. 1.xlsx” to propose your own price.

16. RFP section C.2 SCOPE & OBJECTIVE lists 17 FTE of Contractor resources. Does the government expect the headcount to remain the same throughout performance? Please describe any anticipated changes in this area.

Not necessarily. Based on our needs, the headcount may change throughout the performance period, Currently, the need is for 17 PSCs, but this may change at any time based solely on the government’s assessment.

17. Section F.1 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE identifies the location for the PSCs to work and indicates the importance of the employee-to-employee relationship, there is a reference in this clause, and in the requested pricing for telework/remote, therefore, should we anticipate some resources can be remote?

The current MCC Return to Work Policy allows our PSCs to be fully remote with the COR’s approval. However, based on the agency’s assessment and needs, this policy may change. Offerors may assume that all PSCs are currently permitted to work fully remote from their home with the caveat that this is not a permanent guarantee.

18. Section F.1 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE identifies the location for the PSCs to work. Is a hybrid work environment utilized, if so, how is that constructed?

See Question 17. Currently, all CGM PSCs are permitted to fully remote work. If this policy changes in the future, the PSCs would be expected to report to the MCC HQ in Washington, DC at least some of the time.

19. RFP Section L.3.4 Phase 2, Part D: Past Performance, indicates the need for the offerer to provide 3 examples of past performance and uses a set of requirements common to Federal contracts. When utilizing a teaming partner as a major subcontractor should we include a letter of commitment from the partner if we are including one of their projects as one of the 3 examples of past performance?

Yes, commitment letters from all the offeror’s subcontractors and partners are required. This has been corrected accordingly.

20. If a letter of commitment from the Teaming Partner is provided, please confirm that it is excluded from the page count.

Any commitment letters from the teaming subcontractors or partners must be submitted as a part of Phase 2, Part C. There is no page limit for Phase 2, Part C.

21. As an 8(a) we would like to request the opportunity to cite commercial past performance that will look different to a Federal contract, please confirm commercial experience is acceptable.

The government will consider all examples of relevant work that are similar in size, scope, and complexity of this requirement, including commercial work. See also Question 93.

22. RFP L.3.4 Phase 3: Oral Presentation. is providing services as a team with another partner, to best represent the capabilities of the combined team we request that the partner be permitted to be included as one of the three representatives delivering the oral presentation. Comment by Lee, Andrew E (AF/CGM): @Obeng-Duro, Mami A (AF/CGM) Delete the contractor name

In case of a joint venture, where a new entity will be formed, you may include the partner as you would become one joint entity. Please note that per L.3.4 Phase 3: Oral Presentation, we can only accommodate up to three participants, one of whom must be the proposed Senior Contract Specialist III (Site Lead). Subcontractors are not permitted to attend.

23. Is the cover letter required under “MCC 52.204-72 Cover Letter Requirements and Identification of Points of Contact (NOV 2019)” excluded from the page count for Phase 1: Corporate Capabilities, Phase 2: Technical Approach and Price and Phase 3: Oral Presentation?

See Question 11. The cover letter is included as a part of the four maximum pages. For Phase 2, the cover letter is not requested as it would have been submitted in Phase 1.

24. MCC 52.204-72 Cover Letter Requirements and Identification of Points of Contact states to provide the DUNS number, is the unique entity identifier (UEI) acceptable in place of the DUNS?

Yes, the UEI is required, DUNS is no longer acceptable. This has been corrected accordingly.

25. Are offerors to return a signed SF 1449?

Yes, offerors are required to sign and return the SF 1449 as a part of Phase 1. This is not counted towards the page limit. This has been corrected accordingly.

26. If so, would the government provide a version that can be signed. As the current version in adobe says, "This document has been signed and cannot be edited."

The SF 1449 document can be printed, signed and scanned.

27. Are offerors to populate SF 1449 Section B Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs or will that be populated at award?

No, offerors are not requested to populate or submit the SF-1449 Section B Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs. At Phase 2, those advised offerors are invited to submit their price proposal. Based on the proposal and any subsequent negotiations, the Section B will be populated by the government at award.

28. Will the government provide an estimate timeframe following the down select notification from Phase 1 to the time when the Phase 2 response will be due.

The government plans to provide at least a five business-day notice. Tentatively, the Phase 2 due date has been extended. See Question 2.

29. Will the government clarify where they are to provide "A directory identifying the file names and contents of all submission files…"

To ensure that the government accounts for the offeror’s complete submission package, we ask offerors to provide a directory—a table of content—of all the documents submitted. However, as there is only one document permitted for Phase 1 (“Corporate Capabilities”), a directory is not requested for Phase 1. A directory is only requested for Phase 2.

The directory shall include the names and the general contents of all submissions. This document shall be a simple one- or two-page document without substantive technical or price information. This document will not count towards any page limitation.

30. Is the "directory identifying the file names and contents of all submission files" the same as "identify all enclosures included in the quote/proposal"?

Yes, that is correct. Please note that per Question 29, a directory is only requested for Phase 2.

31. Will the government confirm that a picture of a graphic meets the criteria for the statement "All supporting data, such as graphic representations, graphs, figures, tables, and spreadsheets, shall be in a format capable of being highlighted, copied, and pasted into another application using Microsoft Office 2010 or later software."

Yes, if the picture itself is capable of being readily selected, copied, and pasted in Microsoft Office 2010 or later software.

32. Should the offeror respond "N/A" Not Applicable to the following statement if none of the items are applicable - "(6) any active debarment or suspension actions by the Federal government or certain FAR representations, such as FAR 52.204-26 Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services—Representation, FAR 52.209-2 Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations—Representation, and FAR 52.209-11 Representation by Corporations Regarding Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction under Any Federal Law, that may complicate or prohibit the Government from considering the Offeror for an award".

Yes, a confirmation that the offerors does not have any active debarment or suspension by noting “N/A” is requested.

33. Is a Cover Page and Table of Contents/Agenda excluded from the page count for Phase I and Phase II.

For Phase 1, the Cover Letter is included as a part of the 4-page limitation. See Question 11. A Directory, or a “Table of Contents” or “Agenda,” is not requested for Phase 1. The government will only review first four pages of the Phase 1 submission. See Question 23.

For Phase 2, a Cover Letter is not requested as it would have been submitted in Phase 1. A Directory is required per RFP paragraph L.3.2(b). There is no page limit in Phase 2 Part C. See Question 29.

34. Will the government clarify what information is needed for the Past Performance Reference information to address the requirement, "The Resumes shall be signed and include three (3) or more Past Performance Reference information."

See answer to Question 13.

35. Will the government clarify if the resume needs to be signed or if a signed Letter of Commitment is sufficient, "The Resumes shall be signed and include three (3) or more Past Performance Reference information."

To validate their resumes as true and honest, the resumes must be signed. To confirm their commitment to this requirement, the commitment letters must also be signed.

36. Will the government identify recognized national and regional salary surveys they will accept. “Supporting information shall include data, such as recognized national and regional compensation surveys and relevant studies of professional, public and private organizations, which were used in establishing the total compensation structure. “

No. We expect firms with recruiting knowledge and/or experience to bid on this requirement. We expect the offerors will know and offer the fair market value of highly qualified contracting professionals.

37. Will the government confirm that the signed Cover Letter can/should be submitted as a separate pdf document from the Corporate Capability document (Word document)?

The signed Cover Letter may be submitted as a separate PDF document or as a part of the complete Phase 1 Word document, including Corporate Capabilities. (It is possible to submit a signed Word document. If this is difficult to navigate or the offeror prefers the PDF format, the Cover Letter may be submitted as a separate PDF document from the Corporate Capabilities Word document. See RFP paragraph L.3.1(f).

38. This question is being asked due to the statement "the Adobe PDF file format may be permitted only for signed documents, such as Cover Letters, Commitment Letters, and Resumes." Will the government confirm that the Cover Letter submitted in a pdf format will be included in the page count for the Phase 1 Corporate Capabilities response.

See answer to Question 23.

39. Will the government provide a copy of the Organization chart on Page 9 that shows the Labor Category level for each resource?

Those in light blue boxes are the CGM PSCs that the contractor will be responsible for.

40. Would the government provide the number of staff that will be needed for each Labor Category?

Senior Contract Specialist I – Currently None Senior Contract Specialist II – 15 PSCs Senior Contract Specialist III, Site Lead – 1 PSC Procurement Assistant III – 1 PSC

41. Would the government clarify the number of resumes to provide for the Senior Contract Specialist Level II? Phase 2, Part C states, “... four (4) Resumes and Commitment Letters of prospective candidates at the Senior Contract Specialist Level II.” Subfactor 3 states, “The Offeror shall provide five (5) Resumes of prospective candidates at the Senior Contract Specialist Level II.”

Thank you for identifying this discrepancy. The government seeks to review one (1) resume at the Senior Contract Specialist Level III (Site Lead) and four (4) resumes at the Senior Contract Specialist Level II. Please note that this will be requested as a part of Phase 2 submission, not Phase 1. This has been corrected accordingly.

42. Would the government confirm the Phase 1 due date is May 30, 2024?

See answer to Question 1.

43. Would the government clarify the number of days following a vacancy that resumes need to be provided? “All pre-qualified candidate resumes shall be forwarded directly to the COR, PM, and the CO in a timely manner to minimize the duration of open vacancies. Upon the notification of a vacancy and the level of position by the Government, the Contractor is expected to provide the resumes of multiple highly qualified candidates within ten (10) business days for the Government's consideration.” “The Contractor shall be able to recruit and retain highly qualified PSCs under this contract. In addition to the COR, PM, and the CO of this contract, the CGM Managing Director and the Deputy Managing Director reserve the right to review and approve the resumes of all PSCs under this contract through an interview process and/or reference checks as requested by the Government. The Contractor is expected to provide resumes of multiple candidates within 5 business days from the date of identification for a vacancy or a new requirement.”

See answer to Question 8.

44. Are all the positions shown on the org chart currently filled with Contract FTEs?

No, the organization chart is filled with FTEs (marked in blue) and PSCs (marked in green). Not all the positions are currently filled. See Question 40.

45. Does the government anticipate current contractors to be rebadged if possible?

No, the current CGM PSCs will not need to undergo a new background security check or to be rebadged.

46. Will all contract employees need to be near or onsite in Washington, DC?

The current MCC policy allows PSCs to work fully remotely with the COR’s approval. Currently, there is no need for the PSCs to be located near or onsite in Washington, DC. However, if the policy changes, we will have to explore candidates who are near and can be onsite in Washington, DC. Nonetheless, there is no expectation that this remote work policy for PSC will change at the time of this solicitation. CGM currently employs some PSCs who live and work outside of the DMV area. See Question 17.

47. Is there an expectation of having a program/project manager onsite, or could you work from a contractor's location?

The government expects the Senior Contract Specialist III to serve as the Site Lead. This would be akin to a program/project manager among other duties. This position is not required to be at the MCC HQ at this time. See Question 17.

If any of the PSCs wishes to be present at the MCC HQ in Washington, DC or have a hybrid arrangement (some days at the HQ and some days at home), the government can accommodate such arrangement.

48. Can you have multiple people deliver oral presentations?

Per RFQ section L.3.4 Phase 3: Oral Presentation, the offeror may invite up to three attendees to deliver the oral presentation, one of whom must be the proposed Senior Contract Specialist III (Site Lead). See Question 22.

49. In the prior solicitation, MCC had a pricing table that included pricing for retention incentives; however, B.8 and the Excel file are not structured to show retention incentives. Page 60, Phase 2: Part E: Price makes it clear that the Excel file format cannot be changed. Please clarify the intent of B.7 and the ability of offerors to revise B.8 to address retention incentives.

Offerors are not requested to populate or submit the SF-1449 Section B Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs. See Question 27. The deletion of the retention incentives was intentional. The government wanted to defer to the offerors to propose their own retention strategies, which for some may be retention incentives. The offeror’s retention strategies shall be clearly described as a part of Phase 2, Part B: Retention of Staff, subsection c. Internal retention strategies and incentive plans. Offerors should also highlight these points during the Phase 3: Oral Presentation. Offerors shall submit their basic pay rate, excluding any incentives or other add-ins, in the attachment J.1. Pre-formatted Price Proposal Rev. 1. Rather, the incentive calculation must be detailed and clearly explained as a part of the Phase 2, Part E: Price proposal with the total price calculated in the accompanying supporting price document(s). Upon award, the government will enter the complete pricing detail into the contract as appropriate.

50. The introduction and text in C.2.1 describe assistance in addition to acquisition, while C.2 only mentions acquisition support. Later in C.2.2 and C.3.1, financial assistance is discussed. Should C.2 include acquisition and financial assistance support?

The primary purpose of this contract is for the acquisition support with secondary purpose being the federal assistance support. Nevertheless, yes, C.2 should also refer to federal assistance support. This has been corrected accordingly.

51. On page 8, the count for contractor-staffed PSC is 17, with varying positions and levels detailed by operational and non-operational teams. It is clear that the Senior Specialist III site lead and Procurement Assistant (PA) III are both one (1) each for the non-operational team. It is unclear from the CGM organizational chart (because it is hard to read) what the breakdown is of all other CS and PA positions and levels for the remaining 15 contractor-staffed positions across the three operational teams. On page 12, C.4 states "A mixture of the following eight (8) labor categories are required during the performance of the contract." Please clarify the breakdown (mixture) of the current staff for the operational teams by CS I, CS II, Senior CS I, Senior CS II and PA I, and PA II.

See answer to Question 39.

52. Does MCC have recorded videos/available trainings that are provided to contractor staff on the Oracle CLM?

There are some now-outdated resources to train our PSCs on the use of the Oracle CLM. To best understand the system, CGM will provide on-the-job training. MCC also expects the Senior Contract Specialist III (Site Lead) upon her/his training of the system to provide training to other PSCs in accordance with RFP section C.4.5 bullet point 36(b). All PSCs must be technologically savvy enough to quickly learn new systems.

53. In the "maximum error rate", what is considered a "violation"? Given that people can choose to leave, retire, etc., it does not appear to be within the control of the contractor to prevent two or more departures in a year. Please clarify what a violation would be that is within the contractor's control.

The contractor will be expected to have the capability to recruit and maintain highly qualified PSCs under this contract with low expectation of turnover. The government will solely exercise reasonable determination, but any departure can be deemed as a violation. Generally speaking, the government may consider permitting departure based on an extraordinary circumstance. In recent years from 2018 – 2024 the turnover rate has been the following: Comment by Lee, Andrew E (AF/CGM): @Washington - Clavijo, Cierra D (AF/CGM) Do you have information on the turnover rate for the last five years for those who left MCC? Comment by Washington - Clavijo, Cierra D (AF/CGM): @Lee, Andrew E (AF/CGM) We have had 1 separation in 2018 , 1 in 2021, and 1 in 2023. I can covert into percentages or just state as is.

· 2018: 0.2%

· 2019: 0.1%

· 2020: 0.18%

· 2021: 0.10%

· 2022: 0%

· 2023: 0.16%

· 2024: 0%

54. Please further describe the current state of telework versus onsite requirements for PSCs. For example, does MCC have a minimum number of days in the office per week or per pay period, and if so, how many days?

See answer to Question 17.

55. Please confirm that the two business days requirement is for the task order awards and not the IDIQ award.

Yes, the two business days requirement is for the task order award.

56. Industry uses the terms cover letter and cover page. This section requires a cover letter. Please confirm that a cover page is acceptable in addition to the cover letter and that neither counts against the four-page limit.

Only a cover letter is required for Phase 1 submission. An offeror may choose to submit a cover page. Both documents will count towards the four-page limit. See Question 11.

57. The advisory process can save government and industry time and money when executed properly. To do so, industry would need at least two weeks between the advisory notification and when Phase 2 submissions are due. Otherwise, industry must be working on their Phase 2 submissions while awaiting the advisory notification. Please confirm that at least two weeks will be available to offerors from advisory notice to when Phase 2 submissions are due. Currently, the proposed schedule does not appear to accommodate this while giving MCC sufficient review time.

We understand the willingness of the offerors to propose strong proposals. The government has extended the Phase 2 due date. See Question 2.

58. Please confirm that a cover slide is not included in the 30-page slide limit.

The cover slide would be included in the page limit. The government will only review and consider the information contained in the first 30 pages of the submitted PPT file. Any ancillary pages, such as cover slide and table of content, can be added at the end beyond the first 30 pages. The government will not evaluate these pages beyond the 30th page.

59. Please confirm that resumes should not be for existing MCC PSC staff, but for new candidates not currently supporting MCC. RPF Section C.3.1 is meant to discuss the resumes of new PSCs whereas Section C.3.2 is meant to discuss the retention of PSCs. The resume should be for new candidates and not current supporting MCC PSCs.

The offeror may choose to present new candidates not currently supporting MCC, incumbent personnel currently support MCC, or a combination of both. Offerors must submit resumes for all five of the proposed personnel, one of which must be Senior Contract Specialist III (Site Lead). As a Letter of Commitment may be difficult to obtain for the incumbent personnel, such letter is not required for the incumbent personnel only. See Question 14.

60. Page 59 states "The Offeror shall provide one (1) Resume and Commitment Letter of a prospective candidate at the Senior Contract Specialist III (Site Lead) and four (4) Resumes and Commitment Letters of prospective candidates at the Senior Contract Specialist Level II". Page 64 states ""the Offeror shall provide one (1) Resume and Commitment Letter of a prospective candidate at the Senior Contract Specialist III (Site Lead). The Offeror shall provide five (5) Resumes of prospective candidates at the Senior Contract Specialist Level II who satisfy the required education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities in Federal contracting as it relates to subsection C.4.4."" Please clarify if it is four (4) or five (5) Level II CS resumes required to be submitted. "

See answer to Question 41.

61. The top of page 60 mentions similar in size, however this is an IDIQ competition versus a task order competition. Can MCC remove "size" from consideration given the challenges of an IDIQ value versus actually awarded contract, task order or call values?

Even if the contract, task order, or call may not be similar in dollar value, MCC will consider those past performance examples with no fewer than 13 contracting professional personnel as “similar in size.” This has been corrected accordingly. See Question 93.

62. In the case of a JV versus a prime/sub, please confirm that the other two speakers beyond the Senior Contract Specialist III can be from the JV members.

Yes. See answer to Question 22.

63. Because there will be questions about logistics, please confirm that offerors advancing to Phase III may ask additional questions at a later date regarding specifics about the oral presentations.

Offerors with the most highly rated proposals from Phase 2 will be invited to give an oral presentation for Phase 3. During that time offerors will be notified of the date, time, and precise location of the oral presentation (See RFP Section L.3.4 Oral Presentation). During this coordination, offerors will be able to ask questions regarding logistics regarding the oral presentations.

64. The paragraph that begins with "The 45-minute Presentation" contains requirements for the presentation that do not align with requirements for Phase 2 Technical slide submissions on page 59. For example, "fulfill the performance objectives, relevant risk management strategies, innovative solutions..." are not requirements of the slide deck and are not discussed in Section M either. Please align Phase 2 and Phase 3 requirements to ensure that offerors presentations are aligned to MCC expectations for the slide submission.

The “performance objectives” refer to the government’s requirements per this RFP. The “relevant risk management strategies” are noted in RFP section M.5 “The potential risk to the Government, such as the technical, schedule, and performance risks, based on the Offeror's evaluated technical capability and past performance, may also be evaluated,” and this would be considered as a part of Factor 1, if assessed. If the offeror identifies any risks, we expect the offeror to present their risk management/mitigation strategies. Regarding “innovative solutions,” the government is always looking for new and innovative ways to work that renders benefits to the government. Innovative and effective ideas could be rewarded with additional award consideration as exceeding the government’s basic needs as written in the RFP. Some updates have been made accordingly.

65. "The statement in M.1, "The Government reserves the right to award without establishing a competitive range, conducting a negotiation, or holding a discussion." seems in direct opposition to the definitive language in M.6, i.e., "The Government shall evaluate all proposals and determined which proposals are the most highly rated and eligible for inclusion in the competitive range relying on the merits of each offer...Those proposals not included in the competitive range will receive no further award consideration and will be notified of this..." Please clarify.

Thank you for identifying this discrepancy. The government may establish a competitive range if we deem it to be in our best interest. This has been corrected accordingly.

66. Page 5 of the solicitation states this is a five-year contract, however the pricing template is for six years + a 6-month option. Can the government please clarify the length of the contract?

Thank you for identifying this discrepancy. This contract is intended as 1 Base Year + 4 Option Year Periods + FAR 52.217-8 Extension. The J.1 Pre-formatted Price Proposal has been corrected accordingly. Please use this updated attachment. Any proposed price for OP 5 will be disregarded.

67. Section L.3.4, Part E, Price states that the offeror is to provide a written explanation if they deviate from the labor categories, labor mix, and hours stated in Section B. Can the government please provide the FTE count and labor mix for the resultant task order?

The government will no longer permit changes to the government’s labor categories. Please review the updated organizational chart. See Question 39. This has been corrected accordingly.

68. The pre-formatted pricing spreadsheet shows Overtime lines for the Procurement Assistant Levels I, II, and III. Can the government provide the number of overtime hours expected to be issued?

The government cannot predict an exact amount of overtime hours for Procurement Assistant (PA). Historically, the PA will incur overtime only during the end of the fiscal year (around September) as needed. The offerors should not estimate the overtime hours to build into their total price proposal. Instead, the government will estimate a set figure for all offerors and calculate using each offeror’s proposed (and negotiated, if applicable) overtime rates to conduct our price evaluation.

69. Section L states we are to provide 5 resumes (1 for the SCS III and 4 for the SCS II). However, Section M states we are to provide 6 resumes (1 for the CS III and 5 for the SCS II). Can the Government please confirm the number of resumes to be provided?

See answer to Question 41.

70. Reference Section L, page 59, Section Part C: Resumes. The requirement states “The Resumes shall be signed and include three (3) or more Past Performance Reference information.” Can the Government please clarify what they mean by “Past Performance Reference information” with regards to a candidate resume? Is it to provide 3 personal references for the Government to call? Or is it to provide information on their previous 3 relevant jobs?

See answer to Question 13.

71. If it is to provide information on three previous jobs, this requirement will unintentionally eliminate qualified candidates who meet the requirements but may have longevity at only 1 or 2 jobs. Can the Government please revise this requirement to state “The Resumes shall be signed and include a chronological account of the candidate's relevant work experience.”?

The government’s expectation is for three or more professional references for each proposed candidate from any jobs. They may be from each previous job or all from one previous job.

72. Phase 2, Part C: Resumes, Past Performance References, and Commitment Letters of Key Personnel, pg. 59. The instructions for resumes state: “The Resumes shall be signed and include three (3) or more Past Performance Reference information.” Can the MCC please confirm this means three reference checks are required for each resume?

Yes. See answer to Question 13.

73. Phase 2, Part C: Resumes, Past Performance References, and Commitment Letters of Key Personnel, pg. 59. If the contractor submits resumes of personnel working under the current and previous MCC Acquisition Support contract for more than 2 years, will MCC consider waiving the requirement for 3 past performance references? If not, will the MCC consider allowing MCC’s CGM government employees to be contacted to conduct reference checks for these individuals?

Three personal references must be provided even for current and past CGM personnel (FTEs or PSCs). The government will accept MCC CGM government employees as their references.

74. Phase 2, Part E: Price, pg. 60. The instructions state: “Offerors shall submit a total compensation plan that sets forth proposed salaries and fringe benefits for professional employees working on this contract.” Given the final burdened rates are provided in attachment J.1, is MCC requesting the breakdown of rates as shown on pg. 6, paragraph B.8 Schedule to be included for information purposes to demonstrate the contractor’s assumptions when building our rates to meet the predetermined pricing?

See answer to Question 4.

75. L.2 General Information for Preparation of Proposals, pg. 57/58. The instruction states: “Data previously submitted or presumed to be known, e.g., previous projects performed for Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), as a part of the Technical evaluation factor unless such information is provided by the Offeror.” Would MCC clarify this statement?

Offerors that have previously performed projects in the past with Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) will not be factored by the government in our evaluation unless the offeror presents the information in their proposal. Simply put, the government will not assume anything that’s not written in the offeror’s proposal.

76. C.7 QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP) AND PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

STANDARDS, pg. 29. The 4th Performance indicator, states, “Contractor is able to identify and pre-screen at least one, preferably multiple, resume(s) of highly qualified candidates within five (5) days of notice of vacancy and the position level by the Government.”

Would MCC verify the number of days because on pg. 11, in paragraph C.3.1, it states, “Upon the notification of a vacancy and the level of position by the Government, the Contractor is expected to provide the resumes of multiple highly qualified candidates within ten (10) business days for the Government's consideration.”

See answer to Question 8.

77. M.1 BASIS FOR AWARD, pg. 63. Solicitation states, “Any proposal evaluated as less than satisfactory in any non-price factors and subfactors, except for the optional subfactor, shall be ineligible for award.” Does MCC intend to add an optional subfactor in Section M.2?

See answer to Question 10.

78. When will performance begin?

The new contract performance period will begin sometime between August 2024 and January 2025 depending on the timing of the new award execution and the obligation balance on the existing task order.

79. Section L.2 on Pages 56-57 states the following: “Data previously submitted or presumed to be known, e.g., previous projects performed for Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), as a part of the Technical evaluation factor unless such information is provided by the Offeror.” However, this sentence appears to be missing a critical determinative statement. Please clarify that previously submitted data will not be included as part of the evaluation unless provided in the offeror’s proposal(s).

Yes, See answer to Question 76.

80. Section L.3.1 states that Adobe PDF is only permitted for signed documents, “such as the Cover Letter.” Please clarify if the entirety of the four-page Phase I Corporate Capabilities submission can be in PDF format or if that directive only applies to the 1-2 pages allocated to the Cover Letter, which would result in two documents being submitted.

See answer to Question 37.

81. Is MCC’s current telework posture for government employees and contractors utilizing a hybrid, fully remote, or fully in-person work policy?

See answer to Question 17.

82. If MCC’s current telework posture is hybrid, how many days are government employees and contractors required to be on site?

See answer to Question 17.

83. Section L.3.4 Phase 2, on page 60, states that Past Performance “shall have been performed…. within the past three years of the date of this solicitation.” Which solicitation date will be used for this parameter, the solicitation due date or the solicitation release date?

The solicitation release date will be used as a parameter.

84. How many vendors will be selected to continue beyond Phase I?

This will depend on how many of the received Phase 1 proposals are determined to meet the evaluation criteria for Phase 1. The government does not have a predetermined number of offerors to advise beyond Phase 1.

85. When will vendors selected to continue beyond Phase I be notified?

See answer to Question 28.

86. How many vendors will be selected to continue beyond Phase II?

This will depend on how many of the received Phase 2 proposals are determined to meet the evaluation criteria for phase 2. The government does not have a predetermined number of offerors to advise beyond Phase 2.

87. Considering the timing of the orals falls across a weekend and the 4th of July holiday week, will the government modify its timetable to the following week (beginning July 8th) for oral presentations?

The tentative schedule for Phase 3: Oral Presentations will now be around 29 July 2024 to 16 August 2024.

88. What are the specific security clearance levels required for the personnel involved in this contract?

Currently, the PSCs are expected to be able to obtain and hold a Public Trust or equivalent security clearance from the MCC DIS Office. See RFP section C.3.2.

89. Will the Government consider extending the page count for Phase I?

No, the page count will not be extended. The intent of this is to allow the government to quickly evaluate an offeror’s corporate capabilities in accordance with RFP section L.3.4 Phase 1: Corporate Capabilities and section M.4 Factor 2, so we may advise offerors on the next steps, which will be lengthier and more involved therefore more costly for the offerors to develop.

90. Are the title page and table of contents included in the 4-page requirement for Phase I response?

See answers to Questions 11 and 33.

91. Reference: Section M, Factor 2, Corporate Capabilities. The Government will evaluate the summary of work experience of similar size, scope, and complexity to that which will be performed under the prospective contract contemplated by this solicitation, assessing the likelihood that the Offeror's relevant experience will minimize the risks to the Government of unsuccessful performance. Will the Government define or specify criteria or parameters for the "size, scope, and complexity" of an offeror's work experience?

Similar size: A federal or commercial contract, order, or call supporting at least 13 federal contracting and/or grants professionals worth at least $3M per year. See Question 61.

Similar scope: Hiring and retaining at least 13 federal contracting and/or grants professional personnel.

Similar complexity: Hiring and retaining at least 13 contracting and/or grants professional personnel of various education, experience, and skill levels

This has been corrected accordingly.

92. Reference Evaluation Criteria L.3.4 Phase 3: Oral Presentation. In order to set up for the oral presentation, should each Offeror expect to bring their own laptop with their presentations loaded, or a flash drive or CD to run on the Government's hardware at the presentation? If each Offeror must bring their own laptop, should offerors expect to connect via a USB port or a different connection?

Offerors will be prohibited from physically connecting their laptop to the government’s IT infrastructure and A/V equipment. Offerors will be prohibited from using external drives, flash drives, or CDs. Instead, MCC will load the offeror’s PPT file as submitted as a part of their Phase 2 proposal. This has been corrected accordingly.

93. Reference Evaluation Criteria L.3.4 Phase 3: Oral Presentation. The instructions state, in part: "The 45-minute Questions by MCC may cover every aspect of the Offeror's corporate capabilities, technical approach, and price. It will also include five technical questions (about 10 minutes) about the FAR and the use of Microsoft Office products to demonstrate the Offeror's understanding and ability to adequately pre-screen their candidates." Which Microsoft Office products are expected to be in scope for this demonstration?

To assess the contractor’s ability to adequately pre-screen their candidates, not only their contracting or federal assistance knowledge, but also their common technology use skills, MCC will ask questions on using Microsoft Word and Excel.

94. Will offerors need to access specific Microsoft Office products to respond to these questions or address them orally without the use of any technology for demonstration?

The government may share our screen to clarify/expand on our questions. Presenters (offerors) will be asked to answer our questions orally. There will be no demo requested.

95. Reference J.2 "Past Performance Project Matrix, Excel File.” Should Quoters provide the past performance examples separately in Attachment J.2 or should they be included as tables in a Word document?

There is no J.2 Past Performance Project Matrix, Excel File. All contents of Phase 2, including Past Performance, shall be submitted as a 30-page Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation. See RFP section L.3.4 Phase 2: Technical Approach and Price.

96. Reference F.1 Place of Performance. Can the Government confirm which positions will be required to work at the government site, if so, approximately how many hours per week?

See answers to Questions 17 and 18.

97. Will the government allow the contractors to telework? If so, approximately how many hours per week?

See answers to Question 17 and 18.

98. Reference Section L.3.5 instructions for oral presentation. The instructions state, in part: “The 45-minute Presentation by the Offeror shall demonstrate their subject matter expertise by discussing their technical understanding of and their ability to satisfy the Government's requirements alongside their 30-slide PowerPoint Presentation. The presentation shall address how the Offeror proposes to fulfill the performance objectives of this requirement.” This suggests that offerors are to address their understanding of requirements in addition to the capabilities called for in the instructions for Phase 2 Parts A through D. What part of the Phase 2 proposal should address technical understanding?

This does not suggest that the government is seeking the presenters (offerors) to separately address their technical understanding of our requirement. The presenters would demonstrate a good technical understanding of the requirement by providing thorough and satisfactory technical approaches and ideas for Parts A through D. See answer to Question 64.

99. "The PSCs may be required to file an annual Financial Disclosure Form (OGE 450) by the Government ethics official to check any financial conflicts of interest." Has the incumbent staff filed the OGE 450?

Yes, and they are expected to file annually.

100. This section states that the place of performance is on the MCC site. Can the government confirm that all positions are on site with no remote work possibilities? At this time, what percentage of the incumbent has been authorized to telework? Currently, all of the contractor PSCs work from home, which facilitates recruitment and retention. Will the Government allow this to continue under the new contract?

See answers to Questions 17 and 18.

101. "11-point Times New Roman or Calibri font text in all documents, such as visual representations with texts, graphs, figures, tables, spreadsheets, etc. (with the exception of the PowerPoint presentation as noted in the following bullet)." Could graphs, figures, tables, etc. be smaller at 10-point?

For consistency, no, smaller fonts will not be acceptable.

102. "Corporate Capabilities not exceed 4-Pages including Cover Page". MCC requirements include: Cover Page with required information; a summary of work experience for projects that are similar in nature, scope, complexity, and difficulty; experience in Recruiting/Retention; familiarity with the FAR/2CFR 200. To provide MCC with a valuable response to the requirements for Phase 1 for the down select, requesting a limit of at least 8-pages?

The four-page limit will not be extended. Please draft your Phase 1 thoughtfully and concisely to capture the requested information and to highlight your capabilities. See Question 91.

103. With the limitations noted, will the government allow "public transit subsidy or parking expenses to be billed to this contract" as a separate billable line item? If so, will the pricing template be revised to reflect this ODC?

As all PSCs are currently permitted for remote work, we expect minimal to no public transit or parking costs under this contract. However, as the remote work policy may change in the future, offerors should build in a fixed rate of $3,600.00 per PSC per year. This has been corrected accordingly.

104. This…