Answers_to_Solicitation_Questions _Amendment_1_.pdf

AB-133F-15-0041 SOLICITATION AMENDMENT 1

SOLICITATION CHANGES/AMENDMENTS:

The following solicitation provision replaces the previous version in the RFP:

CAR 1352.215–70 PROPOSAL PREPARATION

(a) General Instructions. Proposals are expected to conform to solicitation provisions and be prepared in accordance with this section. To aid in evaluation, the proposal shall be clearly and concisely written, neatly presented, indexed (cross-indexed as appropriate), and logically assembled. All pages of each part shall be appropriately numbered and identified with the name of the offeror, the date of the offer, and the solicitation number.

Each volume shall be clearly marked by volume number and title.

(b) Overall Arrangement of Proposal.

(1) VOLUME I—BUSINESS PROPOSAL

(i) Volume I, Business Proposal, consists of the actual offer to enter into a contract to perform the desired work. It also includes required representations, certifications, and acknowledgments, if applicable; justifications for noncompetitive proposed subcontracts; identification of technical data to be withheld; and any other required administrative information.

(ii) Format and Content. Volume I, Business Proposal, shall include the following documents (in the order listed):

(A) Proposal Form:

(1) Use of the Form—The Proposal Form (Standard Form

1449), is to be executed fully and used as the cover sheet

(or first page) of Volume I. Include one (1) original signed copies of the form in the original Volume I.

(2) Acceptance Period — The acceptance period entered on the Proposal Form by the offeror shall not be less than that prescribed in the solicitation, which shall apply if no other period is offered.

(3) Signature Authority—The person signing the Proposal

Form must have the authority to commit the offeror to all of the provisions of the proposal, fully recognizing that the Government has the right, by terms of the Solicitation, to make an award without discussion if it so elects.

(B) Other documentation identified in Section (b)(1)(i) above. The offeror shall submit 1 original, 2 copies, or 1 electronic copy via email, of Volume I, marked as such.

(2) VOLUME II—TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

(i) General.

(A) Volume II, Technical Proposal, consists of the offeror’s proposal delineating its capabilities and how it intends to perform contract requirements. The Technical Proposal will be evaluated in accord with the criteria contained in 52.212-4, 1352.215-70, 1352.215-74, and 1352.215-75 as referenced in this section of the solicitation. The technical proposal at a minimum shall address: the minimum timeframes set forth in the statement of work; the offeror’s demonstrated retention rates in similar contracts and provide an explanation of how the retention rate was calculated; the benefits (i.e. health benefits, paid time off, education, etc.) and incentives (i.e.

bonuses or other tools) used to recruit and encourage future retention; and the proposed Labor Category(ies) for each of the

Sample Task Orders in Attachment D-4.

(B) In order that the Technical Proposal may be evaluated strictly on the merit of the material submitted, no contractual price information is to be included in Volume II.

However, the type and quantity of labor and materials associated with the Sample Task Orders is to be included in the Technical

Proposal, without any associated cost information.

(C) The Technical Proposal must be typed, single-spaced, with one inch margins, using times new roman font, 12 font and printed, unreduced in size, on 8½" by 11" paper, not exceeding

15 pages, single-sided, exclusive of resumes. Any pages in excess of 15 will be disregarded, and will not be included in the proposal evaluation. Failure of the offeror to comply with the page limitations, resulting in the excess pages not being evaluated, shall not constitute grounds for a protest.

(ii) Format and Content. Volume II, Technical Proposal, shall include the following contents:

(A) Table of Contents

(B) List of Tables and Figures

(C) Summary of Technical Proposal

(D) Technical Proposal

(E) Exceptions and Deviations. These major headings may be subdivided or supplemented by the offeror as appropriate.

(1) Summary. This section shall provide a summary that addresses each of the technical evaluation factors set out in Section F of the solicitation.

(2) Technical Proposal. The offeror shall clearly address each of the technical evaluation criteria in Section F of the solicitation, and, at a minimum, cover each subfactor.

(3) Exceptions and Deviations. This section shall identify and explain any exceptions or deviations taken to any part of the solicitation or conditional assumptions made with respect to the technical requirements of the solicitation. Offerors should note that taking exceptions to the Government’s requirements may indicate an unwillingness or inability to perform the contract, and the proposal may be evaluated as such.

(iii) Specific areas to be addressed:

1) Technical Proposal

Evaluation Subfactor A — Technical Expertise and Experience

Evaluation Subfactor B — Organizational and Management

Approach

2) Past Performance

Past Performance: Offeror shall provide past performance questionnaires (Section D, Attachment 3) to references that will provide responses directly to the Contracting Officer. The offeror shall provide a list of references with contact information so that the Contracting Officer is aware of past performance evaluation questionnaires released.

Past Performance questionnaires received directly from the offeror will not be considered. Your customers are requested to complete these questionnaires and submit them by FAX or email (preferred) directly to the contact referenced below. It is requested that all questionnaires be submitted by the closing date of this solicitation in order to ensure the information will be considered. Offerors should inform their references that they should make every attempt to submit the questionnaires to NOAA within the time period stated.

Email: sarah.waugh@noaa.gov (preferred)

Fax: 206-526-6025

(iv) The offeror shall submit 1 original, 2 copies, or 1 electronic copy via email, of Volume II, marked as such.

(3) VOLUME III-PRICE PROPOSAL

(i) General Each offeror’s price proposal must be based on the offeror’s own technical proposal, the Government’s specifications, and other contractual requirements. If the prices to be used are based on a published price list or catalog, the offeror shall so state, and provide a copy of the document with its price proposal. If the prices are to be based on established market prices, not otherwise published, or are prices applicable only to the proposed contract, the offeror shall so state.

(ii) Each price proposal shall include a fully-completed

Price Schedule, page 3 of solicitation.

(iii) The Government expects that this contract will be awarded based upon adequate price competition. However, in order to determine that offered prices are fair and reasonable, the Government reserves the right to request that the offeror provide cost breakdowns to support proposed prices.

(iv) The offeror shall submit 1 original, 2 copies, or 1 electronic copy via email, of Volume III, marked as such.

THE FOLLOWING CLAUSES ARE REMOVED FROM THE SOLICITATION:

FAR 52.222-44

FAR 52.225-3

THE FOLLOWING CLAUSES ARE ADDED TO THE SOLICITATION:

FAR 52.222-40

FAR 52.225-13

THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH REPLACES THE FIRST PARAGRAPH IN

D.1.8 WORK SCHEDULES

The Contractor shall work during the normal operating hours of the facility, which are a standard eight (8) hours per day, five

(5) days per week, Monday through Friday, unless otherwise authorized in the Task Order. Work schedules shall be in accordance with the Contractor’s company policy and the Fair

Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Work schedules will be in writing and coordinated with the Contractor’s management and NMFS

Project Leaders (to include telework agreements).

The PRICING SCHEDULE on Page 2 is revised as follows:

ITEM

NUMBER

SUPPLIES/SERVICES

UNIT QUANTITY IS ONE (1) FULLY BURDENED

LABOR HOUR FOR EACH ITEM

BASE

YEAR

OPTION

YEAR I

OPTION

YEAR II

OPTION

YEAR III

OPTION

YEAR IV

UNIT

PRICE

UNIT

PRICE

UNIT

PRICE

UNIT

PRICE

UNIT

PRICE

1 ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT I

2 ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT II

3 ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT III

4 ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT TECHNICIAN

5 ARCHIVES TECHNICIAN

6 BUSINESS ANALYST I

7 BUSINESS ANALYST II

8 BUSINESS SPECIALIST

9 CONFERENCE PLANNER I

10 CONFERENCE PLANNER II

11 CONFERENCE PLANNER III

12 CONSULTANT I

13 CONSULTANT II

14 CONSULTANT III

15 DATA ENTRY TECHNICIAN

16 DATA ANALYST

17 DATA SPECIALIST

18 DATA VALIDATOR

19 EDUCATION COORDINATOR I

20 EDUCATION COORDINATOR II

21 EDUCATION COORDINATOR III

22 FACILITATOR I

23 FACILITATOR II

24 FACILITATOR III

25 INFORMATION TECHNICIAN I

26 INFORMATION TECHNICIAN II

27 INFORMATION TECHNICIAN III

28 LIBRARY TECHNICIAN

29 MAIL ROOM TECHNICIAN

30 MEDIA SPECIALIST I

31 MEDIA SPECIALIST II

32 MEDIA SPECIALIST III

33 PROCEDURES SPECIALIST

34 PROGRAM MANAGER

35 PROJECT MANAGER

36 PROGRAM/MANAGEMENT ANALYST I

37 PROGRAM/MANAGEMENT ANALYST II

38 PROGRAM/MANAGEMENT ANALYST III

39 TECHNICAL WRITER/EDITOR I

40 TECHNICAL WRITER/EDITOR II

41 TECHNICAL WRITER/EDITOR III

TOTAL

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

The following questions were received; duplicate questions have been merged:

1. What are the incumbent contractors, contract numbers, and values? Were incumbents SDVOSB?

The two incumbent contracts were Blanket Purchase

Agreements with Cherokee Nation Government Solutions, AB-

133F-10-NC-2491 and Herrera Environmental Consultants, Inc., AB-133F-10-NC-2978. Each BPA had a contract ceiling of $5 million over four (4) years. Additional contract information is available on FPDS. The incumbents were not

SDVOSB.

2. What is the incumbent’s period of performance?

The period for placing new orders under the Blanket

Purchase Agreement has ended.

3. Based on the RFP section F Offeror instructions and evaluation criteria page 95 paragraph 2(i)(A) Technical Volume states: “consists of the offeror’s proposal delineating its capabilities on how it intends to perform contract requirements…The technical proposal at a minimum shall address:

the minimum timeframes set forth in the statement of work; the offeror’s demonstrated retention rates in similar contracts and provide an explanation of how the retention rate was calculated;

the benefits (i.e. health benefits, paid time off, education, etc.) and incentives (i.e. bonuses or other tools) used to recruit and encourage future retention; and the proposed Labor

Category(ies) for each of the Sample Task Orders in Attachment

D-4.” Are these to be the technical requirements, or are they based on the SOW Section D attachment of the RFP?

The proposal instructions in Section F set forth minimum content requirements of the proposal, and offerors are responsible for ensuring their technical proposals delineate how they intend to perform all contract requirements. The technical evaluation will then be conducted in accordance with the criteria contained in

52.212-4, 1352.215-70, 1352.215-74 and 1352.215-75.

4. Will an offeror be allowed to use its teammate’s past performance in the submission of the offeror’s proposal?

Yes, team member past performance may be submitted as part of an offeror’s proposal.

5. Please confirm the evaluation criteria in Section F.

Technical expertise is number 1, number 2 is organizational and management approach, number 3 is past performance, and number 4 is cost and pricing evaluation?

Yes. The following non-price evaluation factors are listed in descending order of importance: Technical Expertise and

Experience; Organizational and Management Approach; Past

Performance. The proposed prices will be evaluated separately.

6. Please provide FAR 52.222-42, "Statement of Equivalent

Rates for Federal Hires" data (applicable DOL Wage Determination labor category and $$)

Included in amendment, see below

7. Assuming the Service Contract Act (SCA) applies, please provide the appropriate DOL wage determination. Is there a specific reason the Government selected the Idaho determination and not California, Washington, or Oregon?

Please see Solicitation Section D-5, Page 68 and additional attachment to solicitation on FBO, which contain the applicable wage determinations for Idaho, Washington, California, and Oregon.

8. Will the successful offeror have to require the right of first refusal to incumbent employees?

Yes, see solicitation page 10, FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive

Items (MAR 2015, which incorporates the requirement of FAR

52.222-17, Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers (May 2014).

9. May proposals be emailed to you?

Yes, signed email proposals will be accepted, to sarah.waugh@noaa.gov. PDF files are preferred, but offerors are responsible for ensuring files are the appropriate size for transmission.

10. What positions (labor category and location) are currently staffed? How many incumbent employees and task orders were issued under the current contract for this requirement?

There are currently approximately half full-time and half part-time staffed positions. Labor categories have been modified for this requirement so there is not a direct correlation of previous task orders. Task order volume will vary depending on consolidation of similar requirements.

11. Please provide the anticipated quantity of hours/positions.

Anticipated hours will vary depending on program needs, which may include between 10,000-20,000 hours in the base year.

12. Is there a directly billable Project Manager (PM) position on this contract? Will item Number 33 and/or 34 of Labor

Categories on RFP page 3 be allowed to be used for management of the overall IDIQ contract or is there expected to be a company manager that does not bill directly to the contract?

Offerors are responsible for determining how they will accomplish the requirements of the statement of work, and including such information in the technical proposal.

15. What site is the Government CO located? What site(s) is the Government COR(s) located?

The Contracting Officer is located in Seattle, WA. COR’s will be designated after contract award, and may be located at any West Coast Region location.

16. Page 100 of the RFP requests we address a “local point of contact”. Our question is – local to what location?

Local point of contact refers to contractor availability to address day-to-day operations as needed at any location.

Offerors are responsible for determining how they will accomplish the requirements of the statement of work, and including this information in the technical proposal.

17. Is there a phase-in period?

No. Some orders under the incumbent BPAs extend through

September 2015, but the successful offeror under this IDIQ must be capable of staffing new task orders immediately.

18. Confirming that no resumes are required or requested in the proposal.

Correct. There are no resumes required at the base contract level for either key personnel or for the sample task orders. Key personnel, if necessary, will be determined at individual task order level.

19. Is Department of Veterans Affairs CVE certification requested for this procurement to ensure bidders are actual

SDVOSBs?

No. Offeror’s eligibility will be determined pursuant to

FAR 19.1403.

20. Is this a GSA schedule procurement? Should we include the

GSA administrative fee?

No, this procurement is not under the GSA schedule, so there should be no GSA administrative fee.

21. Are there differences between the MS Word Attachment 2-

Labor Category File and PDF Attachment A labor category file?

Those files were part of the presolicitation package, and are not applicable to the Solicitation or Amendment 1. The appropriate documents are under Solicitation 1

(Solicitation AB-133F-15-RP-0041, Attachment-Wage

Determinations, and Additional Instructions to Offerors) and this Amendment 1.

22. Are most positions to be funded under the future task orders full-time or part-time?

Task orders may be funded for full-time or part-time positions, depending on program needs. Under the incumbent contracts, approximately half of the positions are full-time, but this is not necessarily indicative of future program needs.

23. Will the contract be used for mostly project based assignments that may last for short durations? Could you provide an estimate as to the ratio of full-time vs short-term positions?

The anticipated needs of the program include both short and long-term projects within the limits of the overall contract ceiling value. There are currently approximately

24 long-term and 8 short-term staffed positions.

24. Can past performance questionnaires and pricing schedule be posted as separate documents on FBO?

The past performance questionnaire is attached as a separate document. The pricing schedule remains as is.

25. Are experience narratives required for the projects used as past performance submissions? If so, are they included in the 15 page limit? What is the page limit of the questionnaires?

Past Performance Questionnaires submitted directly by references do not count toward the 15 page limit. Offerors are responsible for completing the Part 1 of the Past

Performance Questionnaire, and including appropriate information in the technical proposal to assist in evaluation. The Questionnaires should be limited to the space provided in the form.

26. How many copies of the proposal are required? What binding and copy requirements are required for hard copy delivery?

If submitted by hard copy, offerors shall submit one original and two copies of each volume. There are no specific binding requirements. If submitted by email, offerors may submit one signed copy of each volume.

27. What point of contact and address should be used for hard copy proposal delivery by courier?

Sarah Waugh

Western Acquisition Division

7600 Sand Point Way NE, SOU 6

Building 1

Seattle, WA 98115-6349

28. What is the historical ratio of contractor site to

Government site place of performance ordered under the incumbent, and what is the estimated future ratio of contractor site to Government site place of performance to be ordered?

Offerors may assume that the majority of task orders will have a place of performance within the West Coast Region

NOAA offices, with limited performance at the contractor site.

29. Will Government IT equipment be supplied in support of positions performing work at the contractor’s location?

No, Government IT equipment is not anticipated to be supplied in support of work performed at the contractor’s location.

30. Do reps and certs need to be completed or may we simply state that information in CCRA and ORCA is up-to-date?

Please see Solicitation Page 51, FAR 52.212-3, Offeror

Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items.

Offers shall follow the instructions for representations in this provision as applicable. Offerors must be registered in System for Award Management (SAM) to be eligible for award.

31. Is Volume 1 the only volume you need a hard copy of?

If submitting by hard copy, please provide one original and two copies of each volume. If submitting by email, hard copies are not required, but vendors are responsible for ensuring file sizes are appropriate for transmittal by the due date and time. See revised CAR 1352.215-70 above.

32. How many past performance questionnaires are required/allowed?

Offerors are responsible for ensuring the Government has sufficient information to conduct a past performance evaluation on the prime and/or subcontractor vendors.

However, an offeror with no available past performance information will be rated as neutral.

33. Do the Table of Contents, List of Tables and Figures, and

Summary of Technical Proposal count towards the 15 page maximum?

Do we need a summary and what should be included in this summary? Will the Government remove requirements or increase the page limit?

Yes, in accordance with solicitation provision CAR

1352.215-70(b)(2), The Technical proposal as a whole is limited to 15 pages-single-sided. The Technical proposal shall include a Table of Contents, List of Tables and

Figures, Summary of Technical Proposal, Technical Proposal, and Exceptions and Deviations. The summary addresses each of the technical evaluation factors set out in Section F of the solicitation. The requirements and page limit remain the same.

34. In reference to Section D-Attachment 1 Statement of Work, “The Contractor shall furnish necessary personnel within ten

(10) business days of Task Order award.” Please allow 15 business days or revise the requirement when 52.222-17 applies.

The requirement will remain the same.

35. Does the Government require the offerors to complete the

CLINs on Page 2 or complete only the Pricing Schedule?

For proposal purposes, offerors should complete the CLINs on Page 2 based on the total unit pricing for each period.

Vendors shall also complete the Pricing Schedule on Page 3, as part of Volume III.

36. Will the Government please specify how the pricing schedule is to be submitted? Is it in Volume I Business, and if so, where? Or is it in a separate document?

Pricing shall be submitted as Volume III. See revised CAR

1352.215-70 above. The total price is the sum of the unit rates for each labor category.

37. Will the Government specify if Unit Quantify (1) is equal to one (1) hour of fully burdened rate?

Yes, unit quantity is one hour of fully burdened rate.

38. Are the rates provided for Unit Quantity One in pricing schedule a ceiling rate and “maximum” where the offeror can provide discounts on task orders or the actual rate to be used on all task orders? If they are ceiling rates, how can the

Government evaluate price without knowing discounts?

The rates are a ceiling rate where the offeror can provide discounts on task orders. Offerors should note, however, that price evaluation is based on the submitted price schedule and not future possible discounts. This ensures that the Government will, at the maximum, pay a fair and reasonable price if no discounts occur.

39. Is the Government evaluating overall/total price? Can the

Government be more specific in evaluation of price?

Because the contract is being issued as an IDIQ and an overall total price is not available, price will be evaluated based on the total dollar value of the unit prices of the labor categories, as set forth in the Pricing

Schedule.

40. Can the Government provide more detail on what requirements are would be requiring Aircraft public and passenger liability or vessel liability?

Aircraft and vessel liability are not applicable to this contract requirement.

41. Solicitation provision CAR 1352.215-70(b)(1) states the

Volume I includes “justifications for noncompetitive proposed subcontracts,” what is this requirement? Does the Government require information on an offeror’s proposed subcontractors?

Subcontracts included in an offeror’s proposal are not considered noncompetitive proposed subcontracts. Pursuant to CAR 1352.215-70(b)(2) Offerors are responsible for including information in Volume II, Technical Proposal that relates to “delineating its capabilities and how it intends to perform contract requirements,” so if a subcontractor is proposed as part of the Offeror’s approach, it should be included in the Technical Proposal. Subcontracts must follow Contract Clause FAR 52.244-2, Subcontracts and FAR

52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting.

42. Will the Government please detail what, in addition to the

SF 1449, is required for submission within the Volume I business proposal? Solicitation provision CAR 1352.215-70(b)(1)(ii)(B) refers to Section (A), Proposal Form.

The Volume I business proposal shall include the Proposal

Form, representations, certifications, and acknowledgements; if applicable; justifications for noncompetitive proposed subcontracts; identification of technical data to be withheld; and any other required administrative information. This includes information required by solicitation provisions.

See revised CAR 1352.215-70 above.

42. Will the Government revise the font requirement from Times

New Roman 12 font to Times New Roman 8 font? Is the font requirement applicable to charts, tables, and figures?

No, the font size requirement remains the same. The font requirement is applicable to all aspects of the proposal.

43. Will corporate past performance be evaluated in the aggregate in order to allow offerors who may not have the entire scope, magnitude, or complexity of the requirement under one individual contract to still be considered acceptable if experience can be demonstrated in total?

Offerors will be evaluated on demonstrated experience and background in performing as a prime contractor on Federal contracts similar in size and scope to the requirements of the solicitation. Offerors are responsible for providing sufficient information to allow the Government to make the assessment.

44. Are there any incumbent employees in job classifications covered by the Wage Determination currently paid more than the pay rates established in the Wage Determination?

That information is a personnel matter between individual contractor employees and their employers that the

Government does not track.

45. The pricing schedule lists 40 positions. Attachment-

Wage_Determinations-1.pdf has four (4) current wage determination schedules. There is no indication as to which of the four wage determination schedules are applicable to which of the 40 positions. Without that information what rates are bidders directed to apply to the positions?

Offerors are required to follow the applicable Wage

Determination for the location of the task order. Labor categories may be used at any of the locations set forth in the contract.

46. Can you clarify the following page marking discrepancies?

There seems to be a solicitation number discrepancy in Section D

Attachments, pages 28 through 68. These pages are labeled AB-

133F-14-RP-0158 in the header area. Of particular concern is the possible confusion on the part of our past performance survey recipients due to this discrepancy. Additionally, and of much lesser concern, the Statement of Work pages (29 through 36) are incorrectly identified as Attachment 2.

The discrepancies were an administrative error that does not affect the substance or requirements of the solicitation. They have been corrected.

47. What is the projected “Date of Award” start date (page 2 of the solicitation – Standard Form 1449)? Without a date certain we cannot accurately price Item 0001

The date of award will occur after proposals are evaluated and a source selection decision is finalized.

48. Does the Government require different pricing for different geographical areas or offsite rates? Will the contractor be allowed to make changes to the Fully Burdened Rate based on the location of the work to be performed when a Task Order is released?

No. Vendors shall submit one pricing sheet to cover the entire requirement, which will be the applicable maximum rate for all Task Orders.

49. Is the Government using Idaho as a sample Wage

Determination for the CLINS and Pricing Schedule?

No. The solicitation includes Wage Determinations for

Washington, Idaho, California, and Oregon.

50. Can the Government provide attachment D-4 and extend the due date to two weeks after D-4 is provided?

Attachment D-4 is located on pages 57-67 of the posted solicitation. The due date will not be extended.

51. On page 95, paragraph (A) Volume II, Technical Proposal, can the Government elaborate on what is meant by “the minimum time frames set forth in the statement of work?”

See Solicitation Section D-1, Statement of Work, section

D.1.3, D.1.7, and D.1.14.

52. Can the Government elaborate on what is meant by Section F, page 96, paragraph B, “However, the type and quantity of labor and materials associated with the Sample Task Orders is to be included in the Technical Proposal, without any associated cost information?”

Offerors’ Technical Proposal shall include the applicable labor category(ies) it would use to fill the sample task orders. The Technical Proposal shall not include any pricing information related to the sample task orders.

53. What is the page limit for Volume I, Business Proposal?

There is no page limit for Volume I, but its contents are limited to the information listed in CAR 1352.215-70 as revised, see above.

54. Page 29, D.1.3 Scope of Work states “The Contractor must be physically capable of recruiting through local area media and recruiting outlets in California, Washington, Oregon and Idaho.”

Can the Government clarify what is meant by “physically capable?”

Vendors must be capable of performing recruiting activities in the areas required by the Statement of Work.

55. Page 31, D.1.4 states “The Contractor shall submit a proposal for each task order requirement and shall submit resumes for all personnel…” Are resumes required if there are incumbents performing the work?

If the incumbents will be accepting the new task order, only those resumes will be required.

56. Page 31, D.1.5 states “If NOAA requires specific training, it will be specified in the individual task orders.” How will the costs associated with NOAA required training be handled?

Task orders with required training will be issued with a separate line item for reimbursement, with details set forth in the task order.

57. Page 34, D.1.14 Deliverable “Complete Security Requirement

1352.239-73,” what Contractor systems will be needed in performance of this contractor that will require DOC approval?

This has been amended to cite the correct CAR clause

1352.239-72. If an Offeror proposes use of a system that requires interconnection with a DOC network, it will need approval.

58. Page 58 Sample Task Order #1 includes “NWR receipt of the

“Defensive Driving Course” certificate.” Is this certificate obtained through government or contractor-supplied training?

How will costs associated with training be handled?

The contractor is responsible for providing candidates who meet the minimum qualifications set forth in the task order. The Government will not pay for training to meet the qualifications unless explicitly set forth in individual task orders.

59. Page 91 52.212-1(e) states that Offerors are encouraged to submit multiple offers presenting alternative terms and conditions or commercial items for satisfying the requirements of this solicitation. Does the Government want multiple offers?

If so, on what alternative conditions?

Offerors are responsible for determining how to submit offers and their content; however, given the scope of work of this RFP, alternative conditions may not be appropriate.

60. Page 92 52.212-1(h) states “Unless other provided in the

Schedule…” What does this refer to? Is this a GSA Schedule requirement?

No, this is not a GSA Schedule requirement. Schedule refers to the Schedule of supplies/services as part of SF

1449 (Pages 2-3).

61. The RFP states that the type and quantity of labor and materials associated with the Sample Task Orders must be included in Volume II. Are contractor provided material or equipment required for performance of Task Orders?

Offerors are responsible for determining if contractor-provided materials or equipment are appropriate based on the requirements of the Sample Task Orders.

62. Were the incumbent contractors allowed to adjust their rates beyond their original proposal?

Contractors are not allowed to adjust their rates after contract award unless 52.222-43 applies.

63. RFP Page 95 refers to “identification of technical data to be withheld.” What does this refer to?

This refers to technical data that may not be appropriate for inclusion in the Proposal. Offerors are responsible for determining this information; however, given the scope of work it is unlikely that this would occur.

64. Please clarify the type of contract. Is it Labor Hours or

Firm Fixed Price?

The base contract will be an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite

Quantity vehicle with task orders issued as Labor Hours, Time and Materials, Or Firm Fixed Price depending on the specific requirement.

65. CAR 1352.216-75 refers to Minimum and Maximum contract amounts. Please clarify if the maximum amount refers to annual ceiling or overall contract ceiling?

The ceiling is for the life of the contract.

66. How will conference planning expenses be tracked/reimbursed and how will ceilings be set?

Conference planning expenses would be tracked in accordance with the Task Order, which would include labor costs.

Additional reimbursable expenses would be set as appropriate for the specific Task Order.

67. Will the proposal due date be extended?

No, proposals remain due on April 7, 2015 at 2:00 PM PT.

In compliance with the Service Contract Act of 1965, as amended, and the regulations of the Secretary of Labor (29

CFR) Part 4, this clause identifies the classes of service employees expected to be employed and states the wage an fringe benefits payable to each if they were employed by DOC subject to the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 5341 or 5332. This statement is for information only; it is not a wage determination.

Labor Category Federal Grade Equivalency

1 ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT I GS-4

2 ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT II GS-5

3 ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT III GS-6

4 ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT TECHNICIAN GS-4

5 ARCHIVES TECHNICIAN GS-8

6 BUSINESS ANALYST I GS-7

7 BUSINESS ANALYST II GS-9

8 BUSINESS SPECIALIST GS-11

9 CONFERENCE PLANNER I GS-4

10 CONFERENCE PLANNER II GS-5

11 CONFERENCE PLANNER III GS-6

12 CONSULTANT I GS-7

13 CONSULTANT II GS-9

14 CONSULTANT III GS-12

15 DATA ENTRY TECHNICIAN GS-3

16 DATA ANALYST GS-5

17 DATA SPECIALIST GS-6

18 DATA VALIDATOR GS-5

19 EDUCATION COORDINATOR I GS-5

20 EDUCATION COORDINATOR II GS-7

21 EDUCATION COORDINATOR III GS-9

22 FACILITATOR I GS-7

23 FACILITATOR II GS-9

24 FACILITATOR III GS-12

25 INFORMATION TECHNICIAN I GS-5

26 INFORMATION TECHNICIAN II GS-7

27 LIBRARY TECHNICIAN GS-8

28 MAIL ROOM TECHNICIAN GS-3

29 MEDIA SPECIALIST I GS-4

30 MEDIA SPECIALIST II GS-5

31 MEDIA SPECIALIST III GS-6

32 PROCEDURES SPECIALIST GS-7

33 PROGRAM MANAGER GS-11

34 PROJECT MANAGER GS-11

35 PROGRAM/MANAGEMENT ANALYST I GS-7

36 PROGRAM/MANAGEMENT ANALYST II GS-9

37 PROGRAM/MANAGEMENT ANALYST III GS-11

38 TECHNICAL WRITER/EDITOR I GS-7

39 TECHNICAL WRITER/EDITOR II GS-9

40 TECHNICAL WRITER/EDITOR III GS-11