Attachment_03_Questions_Answers_2Feb22.pdf

USDA-FS Eastern Zone Staffing Support Services Solicitation #12445022Q0005

Questions & Answers as of 2 Feb 22:

1. Can you please provide some clarification information for these positions. These positions include Drafter/CAD Operator II, Maintenance Trades Helper, Admin. Assistant, Media Specialist III, Technical Writer III, Drafter/CAD Operator IV, Timber Sales Forester, Receptionist, Switchboard Operator, Janitorial, Engineering Technician VI, Forestry Technician, Grounds Maintenance Laborer, Environmental Technician, and Data Entry Operator I, and Customer Service Representative II. Are these positions individualized locations or does each location require these positions?

Answer: These are just examples of positions that have been placed under the current contract across many locations. There are a large number of potential locations. No single location uses all of the listed contracted positions.

2. Is this a new or follow-on contract? If a follow-on, who is/are the incumbent(s) and what is/are the contract #(s)?

Answer: This is a follow-on contract in which Leading Solutions is the incumbent. The contract number is AG-4568-C-17-0019.

3. Can you provide the previous/current contract value?

Answer: The current maximum contract ceiling is $5,250,000. $5M for the base + 4 option years, and $250K allocated to the current extension period from 1 Jan – 31 Mar 2022.

4. To efficiently provide staffing support to the USDA we would also like to request the contract length of each position and specific details of them allowed time to fill each position?

Answer: Specific positions/locations are unknown. Examples were provided based on historical data but this follow-on contract is greatly expanding in scope (dollar value and geographic areas supported).

5. Will this be a single award or multiple awards?

Answer: This is to establish a single-award IDIQ contract

6. Are there any staffing job titles that will require a drug test?

Answer: Drug testing has not been a requirement in previous Task Orders. Most services require personnel to undergo background checks and a security screening process before allowed unsorted routine access to USDA facilities or information systems.

7. For the Special Contract Requirements Section on page 25 of 39, can the Government provide an estimate of how many personnel may require the personal protective equipment each year? Such as: chain saw chaps, foot protection, hard hat, eye protection, and hearing protection.

Answer: Any required PPE would normally be provided by the Government. If there is an instance where contractors are required to provide PPE, that would be included in the Task Order as an additional cost. This section will be revised prior to issuance of the solicitation.

8. Will applicable area wage determinations be provided with the final solicitation?

Answer: Wage determinations will not be established at the IDIQ level. Each TO will be issued with the applicable wage determination based on TO issuance date and location of performance.

9. In order to provide the most accurate fringe/markup rate, we would need to price out each specific labor category by location?

Answer: Labor categories are not priced at the IDIQ level. Mark-up rates do not include base wage rates or H&W rates. Mark-up rates are a multiplier onto labor category minimum wage rates/H&W rates that apply to each TO.

10. The Wrap-Rate Detail table in the draft solicitation file, Volume II – Price, has each of the pricing elements except the holiday, vacation and sick hours. Should that be included with the buildup?

Answer: Holiday, vacation and sick hours needs to be part of the wrap-rate. The term, “all leave allowances” in the Pricing Exhibit is meant to address this.

11. Can you provide historical hours ordered under any predecessor contract(s)?

Answer: Information not readily available/verifiable.

12. Can you provide historical contract values for the previous 5 years?

Answer: Between 25 Jul 2017 and 31 Dec 2021, 127 TOs have been issued against the current IDIQ. Total current obligation value of all TOs is $4,300,789.84. Note that the geographic areas/locations supported is increasing under the current solicitation.

13. Is this contract for existing Full Time Equivalent (FTE) contract positions that the new contractor will be taking over or is it for project-specific positions that will be used on an as-needed basis?

Answer: Many of the Task orders are expected to continue under the new IDIQ but that is not definite until a requirement is submitted by the requiring activities.

14. In the Pricing Exhibit, can you elaborate the purpose of the Base Value? Can the dollar amount be changed, or should the vendors leave those intact and only fill out the All Inclusive Wrap Rate column?

Answer: Base Value is not to be changed. It is unknown dollar amount of task orders that would eb issued in any given state/territory for any given contract year. This is used as an estimate for evaluation purposes only and is to ensure vendor proposed wrap-rates are evaluated consistently.

15. What are the rates of the current vendors providing Staffing Support?

Answer: Current contract wrap-rates are not being provided.

16. Can we get copies of current contracts the USDA has with vendors currently providing Staffing Support services?

Answer: We are not planning to publicly release a copy of the current contract or task orders issued against this contract. Offerors are welcome to search for contract information (AG-4568-C-17-0019) available at https://www.usaspending.gov/

17. It occurred to me that we may be sending signed teaming agreements, surveys, and possibly other documents as part of our past performance submission. Right now, it appears only CPARs reviews may be exempt from the 2-page limit for each contract citation. Can you please make the additional documents exempt from the page limitation as well?

Answer: The Government believes that the maximum page count of 25 pages for the Past Performnce volume is sufficient. 2 pages per each of the 5 past performance references still allows for an additional 15 pages than can be used for information such as teaming agreements.

18. What should be included in the term "OVERHEAD” in the Wrap-Rate Detail table on page 31 of 40 under Volume II Price? Please clarify whether or not "OVERHEAD" includes our Fringe Benefit (ie, Sick, Vacation, Holiday, Health & Welfare) and our other Overhead. Or is it only for other overhead.

Answer: This contract has established fully burdened “wrap-rates” for each ordering period (inclusive of all labor burden other than applicable SCLS wage determination base rate and https://www.usaspending.gov/ health & welfare costs, overhead, G&A, and profit), and for each state/territory supported under the contract.

These fully burdened “wrap-rates” are added to the applicable area SCLS wage determination base rate and health & welfare rates in effect at the time each task order is placed.

(SCLS WD Base Rate + H&W rate) x Wrap-Rate = Task Order Hourly Rate used in calculation of Task Order amount.

19. Section 1.3 states the prospective offerors shall concurrently submit four separate documents:

a) Volume I - Past Performance

b) Volume II – Price

c) Completed SECTION F - REPRESENTATIONS & CERTIFICATIONS

Question a) What is the fourth document that the government requires bidders to submit?

Answer: Solicitation when issued will instruct Offerors to submit 3 attachments and not 4.

Question b) The government makes no mention of a technical proposal. Is one required for this procurement?

Answer: No.

20. Section 1.5 states the past performance volume shall not exceed more than 25 pages; section

2.1.2.1 states that each past performance shall not exceed 2 pages for a total of 5 past performance citations. Is the government able to clarify whether each citation can be no more than 5 pages long, or if the total number of pages cannot be more than 10?

Answer: There can be up to 5 past performance citations, and each cannot exceed 2 pages in length. The total Past Performance volume cannot exceed 25 pages. This allows additional pages for teaming agreements or other relevant information determined by each offeror.

21. Section 2.1.2.1 states to provide a list of no more than five (5) of the most relevant contracts performed for Federal agencies or other customers, having performance within three (3) years of the solicitation issuance date. Is there a minimum number of past performance citations that the government will accept for this proposal?

Answer: There is no minimum requirement.

22. Request the Government to confirm that whether we can have an Executive Summary/Cover Letter exclusive of the page count. If yes, Would the Government agree that the same be included in the Past Performance volume?

Answer: Executive Summary/Cover Letter could be included with the Past Performnce volume but will be included as part of the 25-page count.

23. Request the Government to please confirm that whether in the Wrap-Rate Detail table: the column 'OVERHEAD' includes our Fringe Benefit (i.e, Sick, Vacation, Holiday, Health & Welfare) and our other Overhead costs? OR it refers to only other overhead costs?

Answer: OVERHEAD was not intended to include sick, vacation, or holiday pay requirements for staffed positions under this contract. Some companies may be accounting for home office and contract management expenses as overhead while other account for expenses as G&A. A separate category has been added for sick, vacation, or holiday pay expenses for positions staffed under TOs. Minimum Health & Welfare costs identified in each TO wage determination are included in the TO pricing, in addition to minimum hourly rates identified in each TO.

24. OFFEROR SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS - SECTION 1.3. Per Section 1.3 para b (iii), it states that "Schedule of Items/Price Schedule" is located on pages 4 thru 8. However we are not able to find such detail in this Draft Solicitation released on Jan 03, 2022.

Answer: Will be revised/clarified when solicitation is issued.

25. Please clarify whether "Schedule of Items/Price Schedule" is the table which is present on Page 33 of 39, the one containing FICA, FUTA, SUTA, etc.?

26. OFFEROR SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS - SECTION 1.3. The Solicitation document does not list "Offer Submission Package" anywhere. Recommend paragraph 1.3 - b (ii) be removed.

27. Would the Government confirm that an offeror is required to submit 4 separate files (mentioned in para 1.3) including:

Volume I - Past Performance (Word/PDF), Volume II - Price (Word/PDF - this one contains SF1449, Schedule of Items/Price Schedule), Volume III - Attachment 2 - Pricing Exhibit (Excel file), and Volume IV - Reps & Certs (Word/PDF)?

Answer: Only 3 attachments will be required. Attachment 2 Pricing Exhibit will be included as a Volume II required item.

28. Section 1.1 states: "Emails should contain 3 separate attachments (Past Performance Volume, Price Volume, and Completed Representations and Certifications) in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format." Would the Government specify that whether the given Attachment 2 - Pricing Exhibit needs to be submitted as PDF and not Excel document?

Answer: Solicitation will read, “Past Performance and Representations and Certifications attachments shall be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format. Price Volume submission may be in Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, or Microsoft Excel format.”

29. On page 20 of the solicitation, insurance coverage is required for Aircraft Public and Passenger Liability. Please advise how often and under what circumstances contract employees would be subject to this provision.

Answer: No known instances. The following language has been added in the solicitation:

“(This can be priced as an Other Direct Cost (ODC) for any Task Order where aircraft are used in connection with performing the contract. There are no currently known instances where this would apply.)”

30. We advise issuing all task orders on a labor-hour basis. It is generally the most cost-effective approach for the government and can be easier to manage from the contractor and COR perspective.

Answer: Labor Hour task orders should be by exception, not the standard. The Contracting Officer must prepare a determination and findings that no other contract type is suitable when issuing a Labor Hour task order. This is not practical at the IDIQ contract level due to the wide variety of task order requirements this contract would support.

31. Please advise if HUBZone certified firms can receive a pricing preference.

Answer: No.