S140004_Preproposal_Conf_032614.docx

AG-8544-S-14-0004 – Shoshone National Forest Integrated Resources Data Collection IDIQ Amendment 0002 General Info:

· This contract is for Integrated Resource Data Collection on the Shoshone National Forest. It is an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract with a Base year and two one-year options to one or more awardees.

· Quantities are estimates only

· B.1 & B 2 Information on submitting prices

· You must provide prices on all items.

· Solicitation for Services - require the mobilization costs to be included in the line items.

· Your maximum prices must be competitive.

· Task orders will be issued in accordance with Section G.1 and will be competed between the awardees of the solicitation.

· Scope of project covers Service work.

· Task orders will advise you of the work to be performed.

· Service – Service Contract Act Wage rates apply for non-professional hires.

· 52.219-14 requires you to perform at least 50% of work by Contractor or employees – see clause for actual details.

· Quotes are due April 14, 2014 by 4:00 pm. Instructions for quoting – Section L – require three originals of your technical proposal and one original of your price proposal. Due to the size and requirement to submit 3 copies, faxes and emails will not be accepted.

· Refer to section K – must return completed certifications with your price proposal. Section M provides the technical proposal evaluation factors you need to address in your technical proposal. Return Experience Questionnaire with your technical proposal.

· Clarification on Section M Factor 3-Sustainable Procurement Program. This is a new required factor for all USDA procurements. Therefore the offeror must address this factor; however, it is much less important than Factor 1 – Technical Capability and Factor 2 – Past Performance.

Amendment 0001 – contained changes to Section M.

Replaced FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation – Commercial Items Added Factor 3- Sustainable Procurement Program Deleted Sections M.3.5 through M.3.6 and Added M.3.5 through M.3.8.

Sustainable Procurement Program because it is a newer requirement needs to be addressed in the proposal; however, it will be of less importance than technical and past performance.

Amendment 0002 – will contain the following changes with any notes, questions and answers, and attendees from the teleconference meeting.

Offeror must acknowledge each amendment by signing the SF30s Amendment to the Solicitation and submitting them with their proposal. The SF30s do not count towards the maximum pages.

DELETE SECTIONS L.4 AND L.4.1 IN THEIR ENTIRETY:

L.4 FAR 52.215-5 FACSIMILE PROPOSALS (OCT 1997)

(a) Definition. "Facsimile proposal," as used in this provision, means a proposal, revision or modification of a proposal, or withdrawal of a proposal that is transmitted to and received by the Government via facsimile machine.

(b) Offerors may submit facsimile proposals as responses to this solicitation. Facsimile proposals are subject to the same rules as paper proposals.

(c) The telephone number of receiving facsimile equipment is: ATTN: Debbra Stulc

FAX#: (307) 578-5112

(d) If any portion of a facsimile proposal received by the Contracting Officer is unreadable to the degree that conformance to the essential requirements of the solicitation cannot be ascertained from the document--

(1) The Contracting Officer immediately shall notify the offeror and permit the offeror to resubmit the proposal.

(2) The method and time for resubmission shall be prescribed by the Contracting Officer after consultation with the offeror; and

(3) The resubmission shall be considered as if it were received at the date and time of the original unreadable submission for the purpose of determining timelines, provided the offeror complies with the time and format requirements for resubmission prescribed by the Contracting Officer.

(e) The Government reserves the right to make award solely on the facsimile proposal. However, if requested to do so by the Contracting Officer, the apparently successful offeror promptly shall submit the complete original signed proposal.

(End of Provision)

L.4.1 – ADDENDUM TO 52.215-5 – EMAIL QUOTES.

Receipt of proposals cannot be guaranteed due to size of documents, gateway limitations, and traffic. Therefore, Emailed proposals will be acknowledged with a return acknowledgement.

AND REPLACE WITH THE FOLLOWING:

L.4 FACSIMILE AND EMAIL PROPOSALS:

Neither facsimile nor email proposals will be accepted; submit your proposal in accordance with Section L.3.

DELETE SECTION M.3.3.1 IN ITS ENTIRETY:

M.3.3.1 Past Performance:

The proposal must address past performance. Offerors shall submit the following information as part of their proposal for both the Offeror and proposed major subcontractors. Offerors should provide only the information listed below. General performance information will be received from references provided in “(a)” below.

(a) A list of all applicable contracts and subcontracts completed during the past three (3) years and all contracts and subcontracts currently in process. The list should include, but is not limited to, contracts and subcontracts similar in nature and complexity to that required by this solicitation. Contracts listed should include those entered into by the Federal Government, agencies of state and local governments, and commercial customers. Offerors that are newly formed entities, without prior contracts as an entity, should list contracts and subcontracts completed by all key personnel. Include the following information for each contract and subcontract:

1) Name of contracting activity

2) Contract Number

3) Contract Type

4) Total contract value

5) Completion date, or stage of completion if still in process

6) Contract work

7) Contracting Officer

8) Program manager

9) Second contact person

10) Administrative Contracting Officer, if different from Contracting Officer

11) List of major subcontractors

NOTE: For 7, 8, 9 and 10 provide Name, Address, Telephone and FAX number.

An “Owner/Client Past Performance Survey” is a method to provide references for previous work; and is included for your use. Submit to your past Owner – Client references to complete and direct them to return their responses to the Contracting Officer noted on the Survey. Offerors may also submit copies of any other past performance evaluations regardless of format.

At the option of the Offeror, this listing of performance references may be provided prior to the offer due date (Reference Block 8 of the Solicitation, Offer and Award form). However, listings must be provided NO LATER than the offer due date/time.

(b) The Offeror shall provide information on problems encountered on the contracts and subcontracts identified in a) above and corrective actions taken to resolve those problems.

(c) The Offeror may describe any quality awards or certifications that indicate the offeror possesses a high quality process for providing the products and services required. Describe when the award or certification was bestowed. If the award is over three years old, present evidence that the qualifications still apply.

(d) Performance information will be used as an evaluation factor against which offerors’ relative rankings will be compared to assure best value to the Government. Evaluation of past performance will allow the Government to determine whether the Offeror consistently delivered quality services in a timely manner. References other than those identified by the offeror, may be contacted by the Government, with the information received used in the responsibility determination and in evaluation of the offeror’s past performance.

(e) The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has authorized Federal agencies to collect past performance information under OMP clearance number 9000-0142. Both, this information provided in the proposal, and Government records will be used to evaluate the Offeror’s past performance; however, references other than those listed may also be contacted.

AND REPLACE WITH THE FOLLOWING:

M.3.3.1 Past Performance:

The proposal must address past performance. Offerors shall submit the following information as part of their proposal for both the Offeror and proposed major subcontractors. Offerors should provide only the information listed below. General performance information will be received from references provided in “(a)” below.

(a) A list of all applicable contracts and subcontracts completed during the past three (3) years and all contracts and subcontracts currently in process. The list should include, but is not limited to, contracts and subcontracts similar in nature and complexity to that required by this solicitation. Contracts listed should include those entered into by the Federal Government, agencies of state and local governments, and commercial customers. Offerors that are newly formed entities, without prior contracts as an entity, should list contracts and subcontracts completed by all key personnel. Include the following information for each contract and subcontract:

1) Name of contracting activity

2) Contract Number

3) Contract Type

4) Total contract value

5) Completion date, or stage of completion if still in process

6) Contract work

7) Contracting Officer

8) Program manager

9) Second contact person

10) Administrative Contracting Officer, if different from Contracting Officer

11) List of major subcontractors

NOTE: For 7, 8, 9 and 10 provide Name, Address, Telephone and FAX number.

Offerors may submit copies of any other past performance evaluations regardless of format.

(b) The Offeror shall provide information on problems encountered on the contracts and subcontracts identified in a) above and corrective actions taken to resolve those problems.

(c) The Offeror may describe any quality awards or certifications that indicate the offeror possesses a high quality process for providing the products and services required. Describe when the award or certification was bestowed. If the award is over three years old, present evidence that the qualifications still apply.

(d) Performance information will be used as an evaluation factor against which offerors’ relative rankings will be compared to assure best value to the Government. Evaluation of past performance will allow the Government to determine whether the Offeror consistently delivered quality services in a timely manner. References other than those identified by the offeror, may be contacted by the Government, with the information received used in the responsibility determination and in evaluation of the offeror’s past performance.

(e) The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has authorized Federal agencies to collect past performance information under OMP clearance number 9000-0142. Both, this information provided in the proposal, and Government records will be used to evaluate the Offeror’s past performance; however, references other than those listed may also be contacted.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q. Page 1, Section B.2. What is meant by “Unit prices prevail”? – A. The unit price stated on the Schedule of Items is the price that is used for evaluation for pricing; if you made a mathematical error on your calculation then we will use the unit price times the estimated quantity for the total price of the line item.

Q. Page 3. Section B.2. How does the level of difficulty in Task Nos. 1 and 2 relate to that of Tasks 3, 4, and 5? The latter tasks do not have a level of difficulty listed. What should we assume? This question also applies to the Optional Years.

A. See Section C.1.6 and LEVELS OF DIFFICULTY ITEM CATEGORY (Page 25) and C.1.6.1.

Q. Page 27. Section C.1.8.5. Is Rosgen level 3 training genuinely necessary to perform the rather basic stream survey fieldwork specified in the solicitation? Can an equivalent or greater level of education, training, and experience be substituted?

A. The intent of this qualification is to ensure that individuals have the experience and training necessary to properly identify bankfull. This qualification is required.

Q. Page 27. Section C.1.8.5. Is the use of Trimble brand GPS hardware and software genuinely necessary? May we substitute equipment of equal or superior quality and specification, provided the contract deliverables are provided in the specified formats (e.g. shapefiles)?

A. The intended utility of this software was to allow for differential correction of GPS data to ensure that the precision was sub-meter. It is also a tool for smoothing the data lines and converting the data into shapefiles. If this can be accomplished through other means and still meets the precision, smoothing, and shapefile creation requirements, substitutions will be acceptable. Proponents will need to identify the substitution and demonstrate the equivalency.

Q. Page 94. Exhibit F, General Field Data form. What is the intended use of this form? Is it required that this form be completed for all sampling sites for all resources (range, wildlife, riparian, hydrology)?

A. Exhibit F pertains only to the Rangeland data collection. It will be completed for each sampling location.

Q. Page 140. The PERMANENT TRANSECT CLUSTER SUMMARY form includes 3 transect columns. Does this mean the Parker 3 Step procedure is to be performed for 3 transects at each “Transect” site?

A. No.

Q. Page 141. Can the same 100’ transect alignments be used for the Parker 3 step, Cover Frequency and the Sample Point Transect assessments?

A. Yes. They need to be.

Q. Page 241, Section L.3.1.6. The text states that proposals should be not more than 50 pages in length.

a) Does that page count apply to Volume I and Volume II individually, or to the total of both together?

A. Volume I - Technical proposal can be no more than 50 pages. It does include the Experience Questionnaire

b) Does the 50 page total include those pages from the Solicitation that must be filled out or signed and submitted (i.e. pages 3-21, all of Section K, signature page 218, the Experience Questionnaire, etc) which together amount to more than 40 pages?

A. L.3.1.1 (b) includes the SF-1449, Schedule of items and Section K. Volume II is limited to 60 pages.

Q. Page 242. Section L.4.1. It is indicated that a confirmation of email proposal submittal will be provided, but it is not stated explicitly that email submission of proposals is permitted.

a) Is email submission of a proposal in response to this solicitation permitted?

A. Due to the size of the anticipated proposals L.4 and L.4.1 will be deleted in their entirety and replaced with the following statement “Neither facsimile or email proposals will be accept; submit your proposal in accordance with Section L.3.”

b) If so, and what is the procedure? Is there a preferred file format? Are their file size limits or other considerations?

A. N/A

c) Are submissions via FTP or other electronic transfers permitted?

A. N/A

Q. Page 244. Section M.1. What is the relative weight assigned to each of the three evaluation criteria? The text states that criteria 1 & 2 are equally weighted, and that together they are larger than 3. Is that 26%, 26%, 48%? Or 45%, 45%, 10%? Or …?

A. See Amendment 0001 to the solicitation AG-8544-S-14-0004.

As amended the factors are as such: Factor 1 – Technical Capability and Factor 2 – Past Performance are of equal importance. Factor 3 – Sustainable Procurement Program is of less importance than Factor 1 and Factor 2. When combined Factors 1, 2, and 3 are more important than price.

There is no weighted assignment of the factors. The critical factor in making any cost/technical tradeoff is not the spread between the technical scores but, rather, the significance of that difference. The significance of the spread of scores will be determined on the basis of what the difference might mean in terms of performance and what it would cost the Government to take advantage of it. Award may not necessarily be made for technical capabilities that would appear to exceed those needed for the successful performance of the work. The Government reserves the right to make cost/technical trade-offs that are in the best interest and advantageous to the Government.

Q. Page 248. Section M.3.3.1. The text states that an Owner/Client Past Performance Survey form is provided, but it is not to be found in the solicitation document.

a) Is this reference survey form required?

A. The solicitation will be amended to delete the following paragraphs in their entirety:

“An “Owner/Client Past Performance Survey” is a method to provide references for previous work; and is included for your use. Submit to your past Owner – Client references to complete and direct them to return their responses to the Contracting Officer noted on the Survey. Offeror may also submit copies of any other past performance evaluations regardless of format.”

At the option of the Offeror, this listing of performance references may be provided prior to the offer due date (Reference Block 8 of the Solicitation, Offer and Award form). However, listings must be provided NO LATER than the offer due date/time.”

And replace with “Offeror may submit copies of any other past performance evaluations regardless of form.”

b) If so, from where may we obtain it?

A. N/A

c) How many of the listed references need to complete the reference survey?

A. See Section M.3.3.1 for submitting information regarding past performance.

Q. Section K requires certification of the firm’s status with respect to service disabled veteran owned, woman owned small business, etc. Will preference for award of contracts under this solicitation be given for those categories?

A. See FAR Clause 52.219-6 (Page 78) this is a total small business set-a-side. FAR Clause 52.212-3 (page 222) is to be used to determine your company’s eligibility to meet this requirement.

Q. Under the contracts awarded under this solicitation, is there a limit to the percentage of the work that may be sub-contracted?

A. See clause 52.219-14 Limitation on subcontracting. (Page 78)

Q. Has the Shoshone NF procured similar services for any of the item categories in the past and, if so, will you please provide the name(s) of the firms that performed those services?

A. The information you are requesting can be found on Federal Business Opportunities website https://www.fbo.gov/. You may search by resource area and Forest. It will provide information as to the awardee and award amount.

For the MIM, the Crew Leader must have had either a one week formal MIM training, or have completed MIM for at least one field season under the supervision of someone who had completed the MIM training.

The SBA, for most industries, defines a "small business" either in terms of the average number of employees over the past 12 months, or average annual receipts over the past three years. In addition, SBA defines a U.S. small business as a concern that:

· Is organized for profit

· Has a place of business in the US

· Operates primarily within the U.S. or makes a significant contribution to the U.S. economy through payment of taxes or use of American products, materials or labor

· Is independently owned and operated

· Is not dominant in its field on a national basis The business may be a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or any other legal form. In determining what constitutes a small business, the definition will vary to reflect industry differences, such as size standards.

SBA would have to make the determination if a University meets the small business criteria.

LIST OF ATTENDEES

Page | 9