Attachment 1 - N64498-17-R-5003 QA Final.docx

N64498-17-R-5003 Amendment 0001 Question and Answers Attachment 1

1. Is this a follow-on or new procurement?

a. New procurement, there is no incumbent.

2. Would the Government please provide information on any restrictions/requirements related to proposal presentation (e.g., font type/size, margins, graphics, colors)? (Section L is amended to add the following information)

a. The RFP has been amended.

3. For pricing purposes, would the Government please provide the anticipated start date for this contract?

a. Award date is anticipated for March 2018.

4. Please confirm if the Service Contract Act is applicable to this proposal. If so, please provide the appropriate wage determinations for the place of performance.

a. Service Contract Labor Standards (previously service contract act) is not applicable to this procurement.

5. Section B of the Solicitation provides an anticipated Level of Effort (LOE) of 397,200 man hours (Hours + OT Hours). Are all Offerors required to offer on the estimated LOE of 397,200 hours per the labor category distribution delineated in Section B?

a. All Offerors shall propose based on the provided LOE.

6. Regarding TABLE 1. LABOR CATEGORIES AND HOURS, would the Government please clarify if it intends for Offerors to staff four government site positions (Logistics Specialist, Drafter, Quality Assurance Specialist, and Administrative Assistant) on a half-time basis, or to provide support under these labor categories in government spaces on an intermittent basis?

a. To provide support under these labor categories in government spaces on an intermittent basis.

7. With the exception of the SUPPLY CHAIN ANALYST (Operations Analyst), all key personnel labor categories contain “target” or “minimum” experience requirements. Are the experience requirements associated with the Supply Chain Analyst labor category description considered mandatory or a target?

a. RFP has been amended. Engineers have minimum education requirements as they require an engineering degree.

8. Is it acceptable for offerors to present key personnel resumes in an Appendix to the Technical Proposal?

a. Yes. Résumés are not part of the page count, an appendix would be satisfactory for organizational purposes.

9. The first paragraph on page 87 of 99 states: “… This includes a full explanation of the techniques, disciplines, and procedures proposed to be followed.” The RFP does not specify where Offerors should respond to this requirement, and to do so for all aspects of the Management Approach section or for the full SOW under the Corporate Experience section would consume most of the 30 pages allowed for the Technical Proposal. Would the Government consider removing this requirement? Or would the Government please clarify the intent of the requirement? (For reference purposes, this sentence was previously questioned and addressed (by being removed) by NSWCPD for Solicitation No. N64498-16-R-5088 (Amendment 2 - Question 31 and Amendment 3 - Question 10).)

a. The RFP has been amended to remove this sentence.

10. Page 87 of 99 of the RFP states: “The technical proposal shall be page numbered, contain a table of contents, be organized in the following two (2) Sections (FACTORS), and shall address in detail the following information". Please confirm that the Table of Contents is excluded from page count.

a. The RFP has been amended to indicate the table of contents is not part of the page count.

11. Under Section 2: FACTOR 2 – PAST PERFORMANCE, is there a minimum or maximum number of past performance examples required/allowed?

a. No.

12. Within the list of evaluation factors on pages 86 and 93, FACTOR 2 – PAST PERFORMANCE is listed as a separate factor from FACTOR 1 - TECHNICAL. Is FACTOR 2 – PAST PERFORMANCE to be evaluated separately from FACTOR 1 - TECHNICAL and not considered a part of the "Technical Proposal" and therefore, not included in the 30 page limitation?

a. Past Performance is a separate evaluation factor, although it is part of the technical proposal. Past Performance information does count against the page count

13. While the instructions to offerors specify the Technical Proposal should be page numbered and have a table of contents, the instructions do not provide requirements for font and page size. Will the government provide specifications for page size, margins, font, paragraph text size, text size in graphics or tables, are 11x17 fold-out pages permissible?

a. RFP has been amended.

14. Is a small business, submitting as a prime contractor, exempt from submitting a Small Business Plan?

a. Yes, a small business submitting as a Prime does not need a small business subcontracting plan.

15. For the Application Engineer, Electrical/Power Control (Engineer, Electrical/Electronics), and Power Systems Engineer (Design Engineer) key labor categories, we request to know if a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering Technology from an accredited college or university would be acceptable?

a. A Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering Technology from an accredited college or university would be acceptable.

16. While reviewing the labor categories and comparing them to the position descriptions, there may a disconnect with three of the categories regarding location. The Labor Categories and Hours Table on page 5 indicates that the Engineering Technician (Mechanical) is Contractor Site, the Logistics Specialist is Government Site, and the Administrative Assistant is Government Site? The Non-Key Personnel Description on pages 25 – 27 indicates sites for all Labor Categories with the exception of these three categories. Is it to be assumed that the locations stated in Labor Categories and Hours Table for these three categories is to be utilized?

a. The RFP has been amended to include the sites.

17. Would the Government please confirm that hand carried submissions delivered to the Address in Block 7 will be accepted?

a. Hand carried proposals will be accepted if delivered IAW with the deadlines specified in the RFP

18. Would the Government please confirm that there is no page limitation for Factor 2- Past Performance?

a. This page limit for past performance is included in the technical volume.

19. As the Period of Performance for this contract is anticipated to be 5 years, would the Government allow offerors to submit past performance references for contracts completed or ongoing within the past 5 years?

a. Follow the current instructions for past performance submissions.

20. Section L describes the requirements of the Technical Proposal (Factor 1) such as: “Proposals shall clearly and fully demonstrate that the prospective Contractor has a thorough understanding of the technical requirements contained in Section C, of this solicitation. Statements such as "the Offeror understands"; "will comply with the statement of work"; "standard procedures will be employed"; "well known techniques will be used"; and “The technical proposal must provide details concerning what the Contractor will do and how it will be done. This includes a full explanation of the techniques, disciplines, and procedures proposed to be followed.” However, the subfactors of Section L are Personnel, Management Approach, Corporate Experience, and Subcontracting Commitment, none of which allow the offeror to “provide details concerning what the Contractor will do and how it will be done” in terms of a technical approach. Would the Government please clarify the Section L requirement for the Technical Proposal (Factor 1)?

a. Question should have been resolved above in question 9.

21. Task 4.4.6, “Shipboard Cargo/Weapons Handling System Analysis and Assessments” does not seem to be relevant to Code 42. Would the Government please confirm that this is a valid requirement?

a. The RFP has been amended to remove this section.

22. Clause 52.244-2(j) references “all subcontract and teaming agreements submitted with this proposal”. Would the Government please confirm that Subcontract or Teaming Agreements are not required to be submitted with this proposal?

a. The clause is stating that subcontracts and teaming agreements submitted with the proposal are exempt from section c and e of that clause.

23. Would the Government please clarify if the Small Business Subcontracting Plan required to be submitted in accordance with Clause HQ L-2-0009 should be submitted with the “Solicitation, Offer and Award Documents” or the “Cost Proposal”?

a. The subcontracting plan is part of the Cost proposal, as indicated under Factor 3.

24. Section J lists an Attachment 1, Financial Accounting Data Sheet(s). Attachment 1 was not provided with the RFP. Request the government provide Attachment 1.

a. Section J has been updated to remove the FAD sheet and replace it with these Q&As as Attachment 1. A FAD sheet is not applicable to this procurement.

25. We request clarification regarding the GAP software stated in the Key Application Engineer, Electrical/Power Control (Engineer, Electrical/Electronics) labor category experience requirements. Is it Woodward’s GAP™ Windows based software program - http://www.woodward.com/IndustrialTurbineSWGAP.aspx or the open-source software - http://www.gap-system.org/?

a. It is Woodward’s GAP™ Windows based software program http://www.woodward.com/IndustrialTurbineSWGAP.aspx

26. Does the Government intend for offerors to provide copies of subcontractor teaming agreements in the prime's proposal?

a. Full copy of teaming agreement not required, refer to Section L, Subcontract Management for instructions. Teaming agreements may be submitted as an attachment to your proposal (not counting against the page count) if you desire to do so.

27. To remove ambiguity, will the Government please define what is required for Section 2: Factor 2 - Past Performance, item 9 "Contract Deliverables"?

a. What work they will be providing under the effort.

28. The RFP does not specify a Period of Performance start date. So for pricing purposes, what Period of Performance should bidders use?

a. Answered above in question 3.

29. RFP SECTION 1: FACTOR 1 – TECHNICAL, SUBFACTOR 1D – SUBCONTRACTING COMMITMENT directs Offerors to provide, “information on the identity of the proposed small business subcontract, the amount, type and complexity of work to be subcontracted, and the nature of the commitment.” Please confirm that the “amount” of work to be subcontracted may be presented in terms of hours and percentages of total subcontracted dollars in the Technical Proposal?

a. Yes that is acceptable, although no reference to any cost should be in the Technical volume itself.

30. Would the Government please confirm that Offerors may submit a Cover Page, Table of Contents, Acronym List, and Proposal Cross-Reference for each Document (originals and the copies), which are not included in page limitations?

a. RFP has been amended to address.

31. Would the Government please confirm that Offeror’s documents are to be submitted in 3-ring binders (original and copies)?

a. RFP has been amended to address.

32. Would the Government please confirm that Offerors may use 8 point font in any table, chart, or graphic submitted as part of the proposal?

a. This is not allowable, follow the instructions set forth in the amended RFP.

33. For the labor category “Power Systems Engineer, Senior” would the Government please allow Offerors to propose either an Electrical Engineer or Mechanical Engineer? If yes, then request the Government amend the description to read “electrical or mechanical” for all “mechanical” references.

a. RFP has been amended to allow this.

34. Request the government extend the solicitation closing date two weeks

a. An extension is being provided as part of Amendment 0001.

35. For 4 of the Non-Key Personnel labor categories at the Government Site (Logistics Specialist, Drafter, Quality Assurance Analyst, Administrative Assistant) the expected direct labor hours per year is 960 each, which is equal to a Half FTE or a half full-time-equivalent. Since, each of these 4 Non-Key Personnel labor categories have very specific requirements and are required to work at the Government Site, hence will have to be fully dedicated to this program. Question(s): In that case, are the contractors expected to find other related and similar work for these 4 Non-Key Personnel at the Government Site to keep them gainfully employed for the other half time? Will the Government consider increasing the expected labor hours for these 4 Non-Key Personnel to Full-Time or 1920 hours per year, each?

a. This is the provided Level of Effort to propose against. No consideration is being made to expand the current estimated LOE.

36. For 2 of the Non-Key Personnel labor categories at the Government Site (Drafter, Quality Assurance Analyst) the expected direct labor hours per year is 960 each, which is equal to a Half FTE or a half full-time-equivalent. In addition, for these 2 Non-Key Personnel labor categories at the Government Site, there are 240 hours of expected Overtime, each. Usually Overtime hours are only applicable after 40-hours of work in that week. Question(s): Is it Government's expectation that even though these 2 Non-Key Personnel labor categories will be half-time, they are expected to work full-time for certain number of weeks every year? Can Government please clarify?

a. It is the Government's expectation that even though these 2 Non-Key Personnel labor categories not expected to be full time, there may be surges in requirements at certain times of performance which could require greater than 40 hours in a given week.

37. For the Application Engineer, Electrical/Power Control (Engineer, Electrical/Electronics), Key-Personnel labor category, the Minimum Education requirement is Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering. In addition, the Target Experience requirement is Five (5) years’ experience in the design, development and troubleshooting of control system programs and possess knowledge of Groups, Algorithms, and Programming (GAP) software programming and troubleshooting. For this Key Personnel category, the Government may benefit by expanding the pool of qualified personnel to also include Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering. Question(s): Will the Government consider expanding the Minimum Education requirement to also include Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering?

a. No

38. The Solicitation advises bidders that the eCRAFT System will be used for cost reporting and financial tracking. Section B, Table 1, Page 5 lists the labor categories to be used in bidder’s response. The Table includes an eCRAFT Title and Code for each labor category. The Solicitation includes a web address where the eCRAFT labor category descriptions can be viewed, and many of the eCRAFT codes (all those with 5 digit designators) invoke the Service Contract Act (designated by an SCA Category “yes”). The solicitation speaks to eCRAFT only as a reporting mechanism. Does the Government intend to invoke the wage determination requirements of the SCA for bidders where the eCRAFT codes indicate SCA to be applicable?

a. No, the Service Contract Labor Standards (Formerly SCA) is not applicable to this procurement. Ignore the eCRAFT reference to this.

39. Page 28, Section 13 states that “The Subject Matter Expert (SME) will be identified at time of award”. The solicitation does not include a Subject Matter Expert as a labor category or explicit instructions on this position. We request clarification on the SME position requirements.

a. The SME is a position in the Government organization that will be assigned to the contract (related to Procurement Contracting Officer), not a contractor provided position.

40. FAR 52.222-2 Payment for Overtime Premiums, specifies that overtime will be allowed under specific, exceptional circumstances. Overtime hours are assigned to each labor category in the solicitation, many of which are labor categories defined by the US Dept of Labor as eligible for overtime. Will the Navy confirm that the overtime hours required to be included in each bidder’s cost should be considered approved for overtime, as appropriate by labor category?

a. Overtime will be allowable for appropriate labor categories, if allocable and billed IAW any associated regulations. Actually overtime, as necessary, will be approved on a case by case basis.

41. Page 89, Section 2: Factor 2 – Past Performance – This section is silent on page limitations. Will the Government please confirm that Past Performance is included as part of the 30 page maximum within the Technical Volume?

a. Answered above in question 12.

42. On Page 91, Subcontracting Costs, Subcontractors are required to provide a cost proposal to the same level of detail as the Prime Offeror. Does this requirement apply to subcontractors that do not have an approved accounting system and will be receiving a T&M Labor Hour subcontract from the prime?

a. Yes, subcontractors need to provide proposals in enough detail to allow for the Government to do a thorough analysis.

43. Block 9 of the SF 33 requires offerors to submit an original and 2 copies of their proposal. This contradicts the submission requirements in Section L, page 85. Request the government clarify the submission requirements.

a. Follow the more detailed instructions in Section L.

44. The financial reporting appears to be redundant across three of the reporting requirements, Section 11 . ENTERPRISE-WIDE CONTRACTING MANPOWER REPORTING APPLICATION (ECMRA), Section 16 NSWCPD ELECTRONIC COST REPORTING AND FINANCIAL TRACKING (ECRAFT) SYSTEM, and HQ G-2-0009 SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING INVOICING (NAVSEA) (APR 2015). Each reporting requirement directs that for both Prime and Subcontractor costs, supporting documentation which details a cost breakdown by individual labor categories, rates, and hours (both straight time and overtime) invoiced; as well as, a cost breakdown of other direct costs (ODCs), materials, and travel be reported through a government website (ECMRA, ECRAFT or WAWF). Due to the redundancy of information between the three websites and the administrative efforts to fulfill these requirements, is it possible to have all the financial reporting requirements entered into one system? In addition, accomplishing these efforts would seem to require dedicated resources and a labor category such as a program analyst. Would the Government consider amending the RFP to reflect this additional staffing requirement?

a. It is not possible to consolidate the reporting requirements, the systems are all separate. The Government does not intend to add any staffing requirements at this time.

45. Section 10 PERSONNEL of the statement of work states the level of effort for the performance of the resultant contract is based on the hours per year as specified in section B. However, considering that Note B under Section B states this will be a multiple award contract utilizing task orders, would it be more appropriate to have the level of effort be established at the individual task order level?

a. The overall LOE is anticipated to be utilized at the stated rate. Task Orders will provide specific requirements as they are needed.

46. Will the Government allow graphics such as Organization Charts and Flow Charts.

a. The RFP has been amended to address this. Graphics are not encouraged, but also not unallowable.