A23 Attach 9 QA from Draft RFP.pdf

ATSS IDIQ-R Final RFP

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Question 1: L-5 Is it the Government’s intent for letters of commitment to be in both Volume IV-Small Business Participation Commitment Document and Volume VI-Subcontracting Plan? Instructions for both volumes state that letters of commitment are not included in the page count. Should we include the same letters of commitment in both volumes?

Answer 1: Offerors must provide information and supporting documents for their Small Business Participation Commitment document and their Subcontracting Plan separately.

Question 2: L-9 Volume IV: Factor C: Small Business Participation Commitment Document, Section 3 of the SBPCD, Small Business Participants. If offerors are required to submit Letters of Commitment for is subcontractors, does WHS have a preferred template or format?

Answer 2: No, there is not a preferred template for the letters of commitment.

Question 3: L-9 The table states, "Product(s)/Service(s) to be Provided. Offerors can only subcontract to the tasks listed below in accordance with the PWS." By doing so, will the listed Small Business participants will be restricted to delivery on only the PWS task areas listed in this table, or will they be allowed to deviate from it?

Answer 3: Changes need to be pre-approved by Contracting Officer. The products or services listed should be representative of the type of work contemplated to be performed by the named small business and should align with the PWS task areas. There are several task areas in the PWS; therefore, the small business can cover more than one task areas which allows for more variety in the products or services provided.

Question 4: L-9 Will the Government please confirm that it is not a requirement or expectation to propose or achieve a specific subcontracted percentage in each socio-economic category. The requirement is to propose and meet the Minimum Quantitative Requirement (MQR) of TBD%?

Answer 4: An offeror who proposes an MQR of 0% will be rated unacceptable. It is a requirement to identify firms’ socioeconomic categories as defined in FAR Part 19, and when accepted the SBPCD is a binding document. Offerors should base their MQR on their overall team strategy taking into account the number and categories of the team members planned to support the ATSS requirement.

Question 5: L-9 Please confirm that the small business participation requirement is only that it must be greater than 0%, including all option periods.

Answer 5: The SBPCD also includes the nature and type of work, identifies and names small businesses in the technical proposal and specifies the nature of the commitment such as a letter of commitment, or other binding agreement. The SBPCD will be incorporated into the contract and contractors will need to report to the Government their performance in meeting the MQR and the small business category % amounts identified. The SBPCD will be monitored by the Government. Failure to meet the MQR could result in contract termination for default.

Question 6: L-9 Volume IV: Factor C: Small Business Participation Commitment Document (SBPCD): For Cooperative Teaming Agreement (CTA) submissions, please confirm there should be only one SBPCD submitted for the CTA.

Answer 6: A Teaming Agreement proposal must be submitted in a single proposal response to the ATSS RFP; therefore, only one SBPCD and one Subcontracting plan is required. CTA submissions should provide their size status and if other than small, they will be required to also submit a small business subcontracting plan.

Question 7: L-9 P. 58, Volume IV: Factor C: Small Business Participation Commitment Document. Section 3 indicates that offerors demonstrate a substantive commitment to firms identified in the proposal including letters of commitment.

Will a signed Teaming Agreement be equivalent to a letter of commitment to meet this requirement?

Answer 7: A teaming agreement is a type of teaming arrangement consisting of a prime contractor and another company that acts as a subcontractor. Providing a copy of the signed teaming agreement which represents a binding agreement of the parties is similar to a letter of commitment which is also a binding agreement.

Question 8: L-9 Can we add subcontractors after IDIQ award in order to meet technical, performance and SB goals?

Answer 8: During the period of performance of the contract, prime contractors may need to add or delete subcontractors.

Prime contractor will need to consider the impact changes in subcontractors will have on its SBPCD MQR. If these subcontract changes negatively affects the prime’s MQR, it could negatively affect the firm’s ability to continue as an ATSS contract holder.

Question 9: L-9 Section 3 of L-9 Volume IV: Factor C states, "The SBPCD is an enforceable, contractual requirement which will be incorporated in the resultant IDIQ awarded contract. It will require periodic progress reporting by the contractor to facilitate Government monitoring of the prime contractor’s performance in meeting their MQR in the event of an award. Offerors are to propose semiannual reporting for their Minimum Quantitative Requirements above in accordance with Attachment #1, Small Business Participation Commitment Document." Is it the government's intent that the offeror will meet their MQR percentage ratios with every TO awarded? What are the implications if an offeror is not meeting those ratios in the semiannual reports?

Answer 9: The SBCPD and MQR is a binding commitment document which applies to the entire ATSS IDIQ. It is likely for some variation in MQR percentages and small business subcontracting dollars, which may affect an offeror’s ability to meet its MQR for a single task order. The Government will monitor each successful Offeror’s actual MQR performance closely. Failure to meet the MQR at the overall IDQ level could result in removal from the ATSS contract or limiting participation in ATSS task order competitions.

Question 10: L-9 Section 2 of L-9 Volume IV: Factor C states, “Minimum Quantitative Requirement (MQR) – Participation of Small Businesses: is the total contract value small businesses will perform under the contract. This is represented as a percentage amount of the total contract value, including options and is also shown in 2.1 as the total contract value (awarded) in dollars.” It further states that the “The SBPCD will be incorporated into any resulting contract(s) as specified below." Since Offerors are required to use the $1.5 billion dollar value as a basis for the MQR, how can awardees be held accountable for such large dollar values estimated for subcontractors?

Answer 10: The SBPCD and MQR includes a dollar amount and the associated percentage based on the entire contract amount (base and all options). The Government will apply the MQR percentage to individual task orders and the cumulative sum of all awarded task orders an individual ATSS contractor may receive. The Government does not anticipate awarding the total ATSS ceiling amount to just one ATSS contractor, but if this were to occur, the firm would have to meet its SBPCD MQR.

Question 11: L-9 VOLUME IV: Can the Government please provide small business goals, for all socio-economic categories?

Answer 11: Goals for the socio-economic categories will not be provided.

Question 12: L-12 Volume IV: Small Business Subcontracting Plan and Attachment 4: If a contractor has a Master Small Business Subcontracting Plan that has been approved by the cognizant DCMA is that acceptable?

Answer 12: Please use the template provided. The information from the Master Subcontract Plan can be used to complete the template.

Question 13: Section L.9 states “The SBPCD is an enforceable, contractual requirement which will be incorporated in the resultant IDIQ awarded contract.” L-12 states that “4. Offerors shall include evidence, such as binding letters of commitment subject only to contract award, of the Offeror’s ability to meet the subcontracting goals.” Given the fact that most teaming agreements do not contain proposed subcontracts and are simply “agreements to agree in the future”;

a. Would lack of firm commitments in a teaming agreement that do not map to the proposed SBPCD socio-economic goals affect Factor C?

b. If so, how would the evaluation manifest between “No Confidence” or “Unacceptable”?

Answer 13: a. Offerors set their own socio-economic dollar amounts and percentages in Section 2, Minimum Quantitative Requirement (MQR). An offeror’s lack of firm commitments in Section 3 Small Business Participants could affect Factor C, possibly rendering it unacceptable.

b. Evaluation of the SBPCD will be based on the offeror’s completion of entire SBPCD document which includes Sect. 2 the MQR – Participation of Small Businesses and Sect. 3 Small Business Participants, which contains business category, products/services provided, NAICS Code and Nature of Commitment.

If an offeror receives a rating of “No Confidence” under Factor B, Past Performance then the Offeror’s proposal will not be evaluated further and its SBPCD will not evaluated; ratings of the SBPCD will be either acceptable or unacceptable

Question 14: Since Joint Ventures are a separate legal entity, the JV needs its own facility clearance. However, wouldn’t the JV need its own past performance with its own DUNS and CAGE rather than rely upon the past performance of its constituent members which are separate legal entities with their own DUNS and CAGE?

Answer 14: Past performance from constituents or a JV will be considered.