J.17 Answers to vendor Questions.pdf

Answers to Questions

RFQ# AOCSSB26Q0038

Reference Page, Section, Paragraph

Quoter’s Question Government’s Response Is SOW Changed?

Is Section L changed?

Is Section M changed?

Instructions to Quoters, page 6, 2nd paragraph.

Then Statement of work, pages 1-

On page 6th M1 basis for award, under instructions to quoters it is denoted “the government will make an award to the vendor whose quote represents the best value to the Government. Yet under G5 it is denoted that the Government intends to select 2-vendors to manage their uniform program. Is the governments intent to award to the vendor with the best value or just 2-vendors regardless of the 2nd vendors value?

The Government will award to two vendors that are both best value compared to all other quotations.

No No No

Basis for award, page 6

Statement of work C.5, pages 2-16

If the Government intends to award to 2-vendors regardless of one offering a better value, does this include if one of the vendors is not able to meet all the technical requirements in the RFQ, especially those items under section C.5. denoted “Shall” Provide?

If the Government determines it is in their best interest to award to two vendors and one is unable to meet all the requirements in C.5. denoted “Shall” does the Government realize the implications that this decision will unfairly burdening the vendor who meets all required denoted criteria? Note to meet all the specified as required criteria detailed in C.5. it will require the vendor to absorb an extraordinary amount of non-reimbursable overhead to include:

writing very complicated custom designed software to meet the myriad of denoted needs under C.5., purchasing hundreds of try-on samples, committing to dozens of different fitting dates per jurisdiction (included all hours to cover shift workers), recruiting and staffing the uniform room as well as supplying said room with hundreds of try-on uniforms and the electronic equipment required to place orders. Note any waver in these denoted “Shall” criteria is unfairly burdening the vendor whose commits to meet the governments denoted requirements.

The Government will award to two vendors that are both best value compared to all other quotations.

If a vendor is unable to meet all the requirements in C.5, they will not be eligible for award, if only one vendor meets all requirements, then the Government will award one BPA and not have two vendors.

No No No

Blanket Purchase agreement G.5, page 2

Note too, under G.5 where it states at the sole discretion, any agency may for reasonable reasons (“broad discretion”) may change vendors, if this were to occur, will the 1-vendor who will be losing jurisdictions still need to staff and service the uniform room, manage the software as denoted and perform all the denoted fittings even though they may have only a small number of employees who they would be servicing?

The vendor will still need to comply with all SOW requirements, a jurisdiction buying from the other vendor is meant to be as an ad-hoc occurrence in the event that an order cannot be properly fulfilled by the jurisdiction’s assigned vendor at the time.

J.5 / C.5.1.1

Attachment J.5 requires quoting specific brand and style numbers, while SOW Section C.5.1.1 encourages U.S.-produced items. Can the Government confirm whether equivalent items that meet or exceed specifications may be proposed, either at the quotation stage or post-award?

No substitutions are allowed, in the event that new items that are not on the BPA Price List are needed post award, the Government prefers U.S produced items.

C.3

The BPA allows the Government to shift ordering between vendors. Can the Government provide estimated or historical ordering distribution to support pricing assumptions?

See J.5 pricing sheet, the Estimated Quantity column represents the annual quantities for each vendor.

C.5.4.1

The SOW requires an AOC-specific catalog. Can the Government confirm whether additional items not listed in Attachment J.5 may be offered and ordered under the BPA?

Yes, they can, see C.5.5.5, and there is a post award process for that, however, all items in the current J.5 Price Sheet attachment in this RFQ shall be available to order from each vendor.

L.3.4 / J.5

The RFQ requires confirmation that all brand and style numbers in Attachment J.5 will be provided. How should contractors address items that are discontinued or unavailable?

All items in J.5 Price Sheet are available. No No No

C.6.4.1

SOW Section C.6.4.1 allows substitution of items that meet or exceed specifications. Can the Government clarify whether this flexibility applies during evaluation or only after award?

It only applies post award, for the purposes of evaluation, no substitution is allowed.

No No No

Page 5, Section B

Please provide historical annual ordering quantities by garment category/item for the current or previous uniform BPA.

See J.5 pricing sheet, the Estimated Quantity column represents the annual quantities for each vendor.

No No No

Page 5, Section B

Please provide the approximate historical annual spend under the current or prior BPA(s).

See J.5 pricing sheet, the Estimated Quantity column represents the annual quantities for each vendor.

Page 5, Section B

Please provide the approximate number of active uniformed employees assigned to each jurisdiction/division.

See C.2. No No No

Page 5, Section B

Please clarify whether new employee allotments are funded separately from annual employee allotments.

New employee allotments are not funded separately from existing employees.

No No No

Page 5, Section B

Please clarify whether unused employee allotments carry over into subsequent fiscal years.

Unused allotments do not carry over into the next Fiscal Year. The funds availability expires the 30th of each fiscal year.

The allotments are not invoiced in advance. The allotment is provided to each employee as the budget for their AOC Uniform items.

No No No

Attachment J.16

Please identify the most frequently ordered garment categories/items historically under this BPA.

AOC polo shirt, short sleeves, and long sleeves No No No

Page 8, 52.247-34

F.o.b.

Destination

Please clarify the standard order fulfillment and distribution process for employee uniform orders, including whether orders are consolidated by department/location or individually distributed through approved receiving points.

C.5.4.1.1. An employee’s order items must be packaged together (i.e. hat, uniform shirt, pants, jacket assuming all items have been personalized and ready for distribution) for ease of distribution. It is recommended that the orders of employees in the same organization be shipped together.

The uniform orders are shipped to the ordering location, to the attention of the Uniform POC or employee supervisor. Per the statement of work, “Consolidated Jurisdiction/Office Shipments The Contractor shall consolidate and ship all employee orders associated with the same jurisdiction or office together, whether in one shipment or multiple shipments, as required.

C.5.4.1.2. Individual Employee Package Requirements Within each consolidated shipment, the Contractor shall:

• Ensure each employee’s order is individually grouped and wrapped.

• Clearly label the exterior of each package with the employee’s name.

• Place the packing slip inside the individual package.

C.5.4.1.3. Example: If six AOC employees within the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (AOC-CAO) have placed orders, the Contractor shall consolidate those six individual employee packages into a single shipment (or multiple shipments as needed) addressed to the AOC-CAO designated point of contact (POC).”

Page 8, 52.247-34

F.o.b.

Destination

Please clarify the required turnaround time from order placement to delivery for standard orders.

We expect a 10-business-day period for delivery from the manufacturer, 10 business days for the embroidery, and 4 days for delivery.

No No No

Page 10-11, AOC52.223-

8 Vehicle and Delivery Inspection

Please clarify whether rush or emergency order fulfillment requirements exist under this BPA.

Rush or emergency orders may occur under this

BPA.

No No No

Page 5, Section B

Please confirm whether contractors are expected to maintain dedicated inventory stock for AOC uniform items or if standard manufacturer/distributor fulfillment timelines are acceptable.

Standard manufacturer/distributor fulfillment timelines are acceptable. It is incumbent on the vendor partner to identify manufacturer/distributor delays to COR and the ordering supervisor, so that adjustments or notification to the employee can be made.

No No No

Page 8, 52.247-34

F.o.b.

Destination

Please clarify whether partial shipments are acceptable when certain items are temporarily unavailable or backordered.

Partial shipments are acceptable. No No No

Page 8, 52.247-34

F.o.b.

Destination

Please clarify whether contractors are permitted to utilize drop shipment fulfillment directly from manufacturers/distributor s.

Drop shipments from the manufacturer are allowed, however the items must have the embroidery of the name, logos, etc must be in place in accordance with the standards in the SOW. Embroidery must be consistent.

No No No

Attachment J.16

Please confirm whether equivalent manufacturer garment substitutions are permitted when approved items become discontinued or unavailable.

Yes, garment substitutions are permitted.

Notification to the Uniform Committee Chair, and COR is required. Substitutions should meet as closely as possible the same specifications as the original garment.

No No No

Page 15, 52.211-5

Please clarify the approval process for proposed substitute garment items.

The vendor partner can provide the proposed substitution with the technical specifications, such as GSM via email transmission to the

Material Requirement s

Uniform Committee Chair, and COR. The proposed substitution specifications should include an image of the substituting garment.

The Uniform Committee Chair will advise the Uniform Committee members of the substitution.

Upon email confirmation from the Uniform Committee Chair or the COR, the substitution can be made in the online catalog, removing the discontinued garment and replacing with the substitute garment.

Attachment J.16

Please confirm whether all garments listed in Attachment J.16 are anticipated to remain active throughout the BPA term.

Yes, the majority of the items are expected to remain active. We expect the majority of the changes to occur due to discontinuation of items by the manufacturer. The jurisdictions may propose an amendment to their list of approved items. For example, one jurisdiction may require additional items than those currently listed.

No No No

Attachment J.16

Please clarify whether any additional garment categories may be added during the BPA period.

Yes, additional garment categories may be required. Any garment requested by the AOC agency must be sent (email) to the Uniform Committee Chair for submission to the Uniform Committee for a vote. Once the Uniform Committee approves a garment it may be added to the catalogue, and to the uniform items for the specific jurisdictions and office requesting the item. For example, painters, horticulturist, electricians all have different requirements for their uniform, thus only the approved items for each jurisdiction or office will be available to the associated jurisdiction employee.

No No No

Attachment J.15 & J.16

Please confirm whether all alterations, hemming, tailoring, embroidery, and patch applications are expected to be included within the quoted unit pricing.

C.5.5.1. Yes, all embroidery and patch applications are expected to be included within the quoted unit pricing.

Employees are encouraged to visit the on-site uniform room to try on to ensure the appropriate size, and fit is determined prior to ordering. Hemming requirement is defined in the SOW.

“Contractor shall be responsible for making all pant length alterations as necessary at no additional cost to the Architect of the Capitol or individual employee.”

Attachment J.15

Will AOC provide digitized artwork/vector files, including approved logo specifications, patch artwork, thread colors, sizing, and placement requirements for each jurisdiction/division?

Yes, digitized artwork will be provided. The specifications of the size, location, and font have been provided in the statement of work.

No No No

Attachment J.15 & J.16

Please confirm whether all embroidery, patch production, digitizing, and customization costs are expected to be fully incorporated into the unit pricing for each garment item.

Yes. No No No

Attachment J.15

Please clarify whether sample approvals will be required prior to full production implementation.

Providing at least 1 sample of the proposed new items to the Uniform Committee chair, and/or presentation by the vendor at a Uniform Committee meeting, is preferred. This enables voting members to inspect the product prior to voting on its inclusion in the AOC catalog.

No No No

Attachment J.15

Please confirm whether all organizational patches shown in Attachment J.15 remain current and approved for production use.

Yes. No No No

Attachment J.15

Please clarify whether any jurisdiction logos or patches are anticipated to change during the BPA term.

There is no current anticipation that the logos or patches will change.

No No No

Page 10, AOC52.223-

7 Special Security Clearance and Inspection

Procedures

Please clarify the average processing timeframe for contractor personnel badging/security approvals.

About 2 to 3 weeks. No No No

Page 10-11, AOC52.223-

8 Vehicle and Delivery Inspection

Please confirm whether recurring contractor delivery personnel may utilize ongoing access credentials once approved.

Contractor delivery personnel are not generally issued access credentials unless they are working on-site.

No No No

Page 10-11, AOC52.223-

8 Vehicle and Delivery Inspection

Please clarify whether temporary/substitute delivery drivers require separate advance approval processing.

Temporary/substitute delivery drivers will undergo the same entry security screening when entering the Capitol. The uniformed room personnel may be issued an AOC identification badge after undergoing screening.

Page 10-11, AOC52.223-

Please clarify whether all deliveries for all jurisdictions are required to process through the Off-

Yes. However, if the vendor wishes, they can have their on-site Uniform Representative bring

8 Vehicle and Delivery Inspection

Site Delivery Center (OSDC). uniforms to the Uniform room on-site and distribute from the uniform room location.

Page 5, Section B

Please confirm whether jurisdiction/vendor assignments may rotate annually between awarded BPA vendors.

Yes, they will rotate annually, C.3 states this. No No No

Page 5, Section B

Please clarify whether awarded vendors are expected to support all jurisdiction categories listed in the solicitation regardless of initial assignment.

Yes. No No No

Page 16, 52.217-9

Option to Extend the Term of the Contract

Please confirm whether pricing may be adjusted at each option year renewal based on manufacturer/distributor pricing increases.

Generally, no, all prices shall remain unchanged for the entire 5 years of the BPA. The Government may allow for adjustments as a post-award matter on an as-needed basis, but shall take into account the BPA’s current prices for any allowance of an increase.

Page 16, 52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the

Contract

Please clarify whether economic price adjustment requests will be considered during option year renewals.

Generally, no, all prices shall remain unchanged for the entire 5 years of the BPA. The Government may allow for adjustments as a post award matter on an as needed basis, but shall take into account the BPA’s current prices for any allowance of an increase.

No No No

Page 10, AOC52.211-

2 Approval of Substitute Contractor

Personnel

Please clarify whether labor-hour fitting room services will be ordered separately from garment purchases.

Yes. No No No

Page 79-80, Section M

Please clarify whether subcontractor/manufactur er experience may be utilized in demonstrating relevant corporate experience and operational capability.

No, all Corporate Experience shall be of the Prime contractor submitting the Quotation.

No No No

Page 79-80, Section M

Please clarify whether past performance references involving large-scale commercial or institutional uniform programs are acceptable if federal BPA experience is limited.

Yes, as long as it was similar to the SOW of this

RFQ.

No No No

Page 79-80, Section M

Please clarify whether the Government anticipates awarding based primarily on technical capability, operational management approach, pricing, or overall best value considerations.

See Section M. No No No

Page 5 &

Page 79-80, Section B and Section M

Please confirm whether the Government anticipates maintaining approximately two BPA awardees throughout the full BPA term.

Yes, that is in the best interest of the Government, however, if a vendor performs poorly, the Government may not exercise that vendor’s option years, and the BPA will effectively turn into a single award BPA, with one vendor.