Q A_Rev1.docx

Questions & Answers

Below are the questions and answers for CC17HQQ0012. Answers are in RED Italics.

1. I am wondering if an incumbent exists for the potential requirement: Assess Risks in Foreign Countries outlined under CC17HQQ0012. If so, could you please provide the following information?:

· Vendor Name? Economist Intelligence Unit

· Contract Number? TCC12HQC0001

· Value? OCC will not be releasing this information

· Date of Award? 10/01/2011

· Expiration Date? 09/30/2016

2. Is there an incumbent for this opportunity? Yes. If so, what is the award number? TCC12HQC0001.

3. Would vendors require a facility clearance? No. If so, what type? Not applicable.

4. For Section 4.0 (Vendor Assumptions), is it correct to assume all key personnel will require a security clearance? Security clearances are not required.

5. How are these services currently being performed? Under contract? In-house? Services were being performed under contract but the contract ended 09/30/2016.

6. If these requirements are currently being performed under a contract,

· Who is the Contractor? Economist Intelligence Unit

· What is the contract number? TCC12HQC0001

· When does the contract expire? 09/30/2016

· What is the current contract value? OCC will not be releasing this information

7. Why has this solicitation been released as a RFQ as opposed to a RFI or RFP? The OCC is soliciting quotes utilizing the procedures under FAR Part 13.

8. What company is currently under contract with OCC for the provision of a country risk assessment subscription service? Services were being performed under contract but the contract ended 09/30/2016. The company was Economist Intelligence Unit.

9. How long has OCC contracted for this type of service? The OCC has contracted for this type of services for over ten years.

10. Does the RFQ incorporate the changes to the OCC Comptroller Handbook for Country Risk Management as reflected in the February 2016 release of that document? Yes, the RFQ incorporates and reflects these changes.

11. The RFQ references various FAR clauses; however, it does not stipulate the FAR “Buy American” provisions. Why are the “Buy American” provisions excluded from this RFQ? This is for the acquisition of services, not the acquisition of supplies or the acquisition of services involving the furnishing of supplies.

12. The RFQ is associated with the NAICS code for “internet publishing and web portal” services; however, the content of the RFQ seems more akin to “management consulting” or “risk management.” Can you explain the rationale for selecting the identified NAICS? The NAICS code is consistent with the previous purchase of similar/identical services.

13. What OCC end-user organizations would be the ultimate recipients of the report products? OCC staff who work on foreign country risk assessment.

14. Why has OCC limited the number of subscriber accounts to five as opposed to a higher number? Five accounts are sufficient for the staff to access and analyze the report. Higher number of accounts are not necessary.

15. I see that our quote is due on October 18th, but is there a specific time on October 18th that it needs to be submitted? The “Response Date” is: Oct 18, 2016 3:00 pm Eastern.

16. I have read the solicitation and could not find a date by which the proposal has to be submitted. The information is available and is located under the “Response Date” section. The “Response Date” is: Oct 18, 2016 3:00 pm Eastern.

17. 3b on pg. 30 asks whether a full history of reports is retrievable. How far back and/or how many years of archived reports is required? There is no minimum requirement for archived reports. The vendor may discuss what it has available as part of its submission.

18. The RFQ indicates that the government will evaluate each vendors past performance on the basis of its breadth, depth and relevance to the work that will be required under the prospective contract. However, is there specific information required for the past performance such as contact name, contact information, period of performance, etc.? Contact name and contact information are not required. Period of performance may be discussed. Additionally, the OCC may utilize PPIRS and FAPIIS in its review of past performance.

19. The requirement stated on the current contract is for ‘emerging markets generally’, yet many of the 48 mandatory countries listed are not in fact emerging markets (UK, Japan, many others in Europe, etc.). Might it be fair to assume this contract has a few more countries and has a slightly different requirement on it as did the previous contract found in the Q&A? This contract has a few more countries (from 32 countries to 48 countries now). Even though there are additional countries, the information requirement is the same across countries – the information is being used to identify fundamental macroeconomic stresses in a country to assess risks in foreign countries that may affect the safety and soundness of foreign banking systems. The OCC is responsible for monitoring and assessing risks in all countries where U.S. banks have exposure – the list of countries provided in the SOW is the minimum requirement – ideally a vendor’s country coverage would cover all emerging market countries but we recognize that there are practical considerations to doing that so we specified a mandatory set of countries that include some developed countries.

20. Could you extend the response date by 3 to 5 business days? The response date is extended until October 31, 2016 at 3:00 pm Eastern.