Amendment_0001-Q&A_10-142.docx

Military and Family Life Counseling Solicitation

D17PS00077

Questions & Answers (Q&A) 10 through 142 October 2, 2017

The Government is providing responses to questions 10-142. Question 1 was posted to FBO.gov on September 5, 2017. Questions 2-9 were posted on September 8, 2017.

10. Question: "Section L.14 Subcontracting" Per your statements regarding subcontracting and small business goals can you please clarify the small business goal requirement for this RFP with regards to the total dollars subcontracted? Is there a proposed goal and/or percentage to be met? Please clarify.

Answer: It's up to the contractor to execute a solution that achieves the Government's overall small business subcontracting goal of 20% of total contract value inclusive of all costs. See RFP, Section M, Factor C - Subcontracting, Subfactor 1 - Subcontracting Plan.

11. Question: "MISC" Please describe the current integration/interfacing with the Military OneSource Program as it exists today.

Answer: The requirements for integration/interfacing with the Military OneSource program are defined in the PWS, Section C, paragraph 5.1 item #9 and paragraph 5.2 item #5.

12. Question: "Section L L.14" Can you please clarify the FAR 9.1 requirements for awarded vendors?

Answer: Section L.14, Volume III, addresses contractor responsibility which the Government determines in accordance with FAR 9.1. Please refer to FAR 9.1 for guidance.

13. Question: “MISC” Can you please share the name of the incumbent(s)?

Answer: There are two incumbent contractors who currently provide counseling services for the Military and Family Life Counseling (MFLC) program, under the following two contracts with the same period of performance of 8/15/2012-8/14/2018.

1. D12PC00479 - MHN Government Services, Inc., 2370 Kerner Blvd, San Rafael CA 95901-5546.

2. D12PC00480 - Magellan HealthCare, Inc., 14100 Magellan Plaza, Maryland Heights, MO 63043-4644.

14. Question: “MISC” Can you please share your satisfaction with your current providers(s) and if there are any service concerns or areas for improvement?

Answer: The Government regularly evaluates past performance; however it is not publicly accessible. There is some limited contractor past performance information that is publicly accessible on the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS).

15. Question: “MISC” Can you please share the current fixed daily and hourly rates?

Answer: No, financial information such as contractor daily and hourly rates are considered confidential/proprietary.

16. Question: “Section C 1.0" In PWS 1.0 Introduction, the RFP states that “It is mandatory that prior to contract award, all counselors shall be licensed or certified, properly credentialed, ready to perform on the start date of this contract, and be compliant with industry-accepted standards for the performance of non-medical counseling.” This requirement limits the competition of potential vendors pursuing the contract. The cost required to credential staff for more than 2,000 rotational assignments, surge and on-demand staff/community providers in all 50 states and 17 foreign countries is extraordinarily high. Furthermore, the requirement to have all counselors licensed or certified, properly credentialed, ready to perform prior to contract award mandates that Offerors will have to expend these dollars without knowing if they are one of the successful bidders which makes this burden unobtainable for most.

A. Would the Government consider amending the requirement to have all counselors “licensed or certified, properly credentialed, ready to perform on the start date of this contract, and be compliant with industry-accepted standards for the performance of non-medical counseling” prior to contract award? A recommendation would be to award the contract and extend the transition in timeframe from three months to six or nine months to allow the Awardees ample time to credential staff and community providers to fill the required counselor assignments required for the Military Family Life Counseling program. Such a requirement change would increase the number of vendors interested in pursuing this opportunity. Without a change, the language appears to favor the incumbents and would limit those interested in pursuing the Military and Family Life Counseling Services Program.

B. Does “prior to contract award” mean prior to the task order award date or the base IDIQ contract award date?"

Answer: A. The requirements of this program are described in the solicitation. The proposed change to the licensure and credentialing requirements will not meet the needs of the Government. B. The phrase “prior to contract award” means by IDIQ contract award date.

17. Question: “MISC” Can you please tell me if this is a new requirement? If not, who is the incumbent, and what is the contract number?

Answer: See the answer to question #13.

18. Question: "Section L, L.14, Program Management" Could the government please clarify paragraph 5 on page 13 of section L (discussing proposed labor categories for the PMO)? Is it necessary to describe all labor categories in the PMO or just the key personnel?

Answer: It is necessary to describe all labor categories for the program management team. The paragraph has been updated, and RFP Section L has been amended accordingly.

19. Question: "Section L, L.14, Price.” Section L, Price Proposal (page 19) states that “The Government shall consider softcopy versions of pricing information not using Excel to be deficient”. Is it acceptable to submit a price volume (MS Word or pdf) that includes requirements such as the professional compensation plan, comprehensive discussion of all proposed rates and price discussion of all prices/costs, escalation rates, etc.?

Answer: It is acceptable and preferable to submit textual information in the price proposal, such as, the professional compensation plan, or a comprehensive discussion of rates, etc., in MS WORD (not PDF). The requirement for Excel is for numerical pricing information such as labor rates, in order for the Government to validate the offeror's numerical calculations, and to facilitate the Government's numerical pricing analysis. Section L has been amended accordingly.

20. Question: "Section B, Pricing" Section B IDIQ Pricing_08282017. Can the Government please describe the difference between the location-specific rates and the “IDIQ Labor Category Consolidated Rate” on each of the CONUS/OCONUS/L-Cat tabs? For example, on the ‘CONUS MFLC ROTATIONAL” tab, what is the difference between the rates entered in rows 5 through 42, and the rates entered in row 44?

Answer: The consolidated rate is the rate that will be used to determine the actual pricing for the specific labor category for a specific period of performance. The consolidated rates for each labor category are linked into the IDIQ CLIN Pricing Tab. However, the individual rates at each location (for example rows 5 through 42 on the CONUS MFLC Rotational Tab) are for informational purposes only; in order to give the Government visibility as to the extent that the overall consolidated rate reflects the pricing at each individual location.

21. Question: "Section B, Pricing" Sec B IDIQ Pricing_08282017. Directions on each tab state that offerors shall “provide an escalation rate for each option year”, but there does not appear to be a cell to enter that information in. Where would the government like offerors to provide the escalation rate?

Answer: There is no specific cell in the spreadsheet for the escalation rate. Rather offerors are instructed to provide the consolidated rates for the base and all option periods, and those rates may show some or no escalation. In your narrative, discuss what the escalation rate is from year to year and provide some insight into the basis for that escalation.

22. Question: "Section L, L.14, Past Performance" Do we need to ask references to provide us an original and 7 copies of completed PPQ or will the Government accept the one original?

Answer: Offerors are required to submit only one original Past Performance Questionnaire in a sealed envelope. Copies are not necessary or desired.

23. Question: "Section L, L.14, Past Performance" Would the government consider accepting PPQs via email directly from each reference?

Answer: The Government will not consider accepting Past Performance Questionnaires via email from each reference. The sealed Questionnaires must be submitted by the offeror as part of its proposal submission.

24. Question: "Section C 4.2, NACI / CNACI" Section C, Paragraph 4.2, 7 states, “Contract personnel/providers who have previously received an acceptable NACI/CNACI check in the last five years shall provide proof to the prime Contractor prior to performing under this contract.” Will the Government consider removing this? This statement is incorrect as no person is allowed to hold/provide their own investigation results. This information (NACI/CNACI results) is only held by OPM, and only the government Security Officers who have an authorized SOI or SON number can verify this information. Any information a contractor may have is invalid unless it is received and verified from OPM through government channels by a government Security Officer.

Answer: No change to the solicitation.

25. Question: "Section L.14, Subcontracting" Subcontracting Plan, in the second to last paragraph on page 16 of 22, states that “The offeror shall clearly identify all subcontractors which are proposed to perform major or critical aspects of the requirement as defined by the offeror.” Similarly, Tab 2 – Subfactor 2 – Past Performance, in the second paragraph on page 18 of 22, states that “In addition, the offeror shall submit at least two descriptions of recent and relevant past performance projects for each proposed subcontractor expected to perform major or critical aspects of the requirement.” Can the Government provide additional clarity as to what constitutes “major or critical aspects of the requirement”? It could be argued that any subcontractor that provides counselors is performing a major or critical aspect of the requirement, but that appears to be an overly broad interpretation. Would the Government accept an interpretation that in order to be performing a “major or critical aspect of the requirement,” that a subcontractor must perform at least 10% of the total labor required by the solicitation?

26. Question: "Section L, L.6.1 - OCI" Reference the amendment for Responses to Questions 2-9 posted to Fedbizopps 9/7/2017. The Responses to Questions 2-9 document does not appear to have been posted.

Answer: The FBO posting was fixed on 9/7/2017 and the Q&A document is available.

27. Question: "Section L, L.6.1 - OCI" I noticed that there was a modification posted to FBO for RFP # D17PS00077 yesterday at 8:08 pm. It references an attachment with answers for Questions 2 through 9. I appreciate the very quick response; however, there does not appear to be an attachment. Can you please repost the attachment – or let me know if there is another place I need to look to find the file.

Answer: See answer to question 26.

28. Question: "Section L, L.6.1 - OCI" It appears there was an amendment issued at 8:08 pm 09/07/17; however, the attachment, Responses to Questions 2-9, was not attached to the amendment. Will the government update the amendment to include this attachment?

29. Question: "Section L, L.6.1 - OCI" I’m reviewing the Modification notice regarding the Military & Family Life Counseling Services. It looks like the Q&A document did not get uploaded into FBO. Was it inadvertently not attached?

30. Question: "Section L, L.6.1 - OCI" The response to Questions 2-9 are not showing as file to download on FBO. The Responses to Questions 2-9 Zipped file is have an Unauthorized or is not showing like the other files, is it possible to add the file as a word or Pdf?

31. Question: “MISC” Can you please tell me if this is a new requirement? If not, who is the incumbent, and what is the contract number?

32. Question: "Section L, L.14, Past Performance" Section L, Volume V, Tab 2 instructs the offeror to “provide descriptions of three recent and relevant past performance projects for the prime offeror.” Tab 3 states that the “offeror shall submit at least three questionnaire responses of past performance for the prime offeror, for the same references described in the Past Performance Descriptions.” Please confirm, consistent with subcontractor descriptions and questionnaires. Tab 2 instructions should be to provide descriptions of at least three recent and relevant past performance projects for the prime offeror.

Answer: Volume V Tab 2 requires the offeror to describe 3 past performance references for the prime offeror, and 2 references for each major subcontractor. Tab 3 requires the offeror to submit completed past performance questionnaires for each prime and subcontractor reference provided in Tab 2.

33. Question: "Section L, L.14, Past Performance" Section L, Volume V, defines recency as “within three years of the date of the Government’s posting of this RFP”. Since the awarded IDIQ will have a base and nine options, please allow contractors to provide past performance from programs over the last five (5) years.

34. Question: "Section L, L.14, Task Order Scalable Capacity " Section L, Volume II, Tab 2, Subfactor 1 states that: “No double counting of counselors is permitted in fulfilling the baseline and scalability capacity requirements for counselors.” Is this requirement only applicable within a specific spreadsheet? For example, there would be no conflict for a School-based CYB counselor to be a camp counselor during the summer period.

Answer: Offerors may double count Camp and On Demand counselors, because the Camp and On Demand assignments are generally shorter in duration and at variable times during the year. No other double counting is permitted. Section L has been amended accordingly.

35. Question: "Section L, L.14, Task Order Scalable Capacity " Section L, Volume II, Tab 2, Subfactor 1 states that: “No double counting of counselors is permitted in fulfilling the baseline and scalability capacity requirements for counselors.” Is this requirement applicable to the On-Demand spreadsheets? Since the typical On-Demand assignment is only a few days, an On-Demand counselor should be available to perform multiple assignments.

Answer: See answer to question 34.

36. Question: "Section L, L.14, Attachment 2" The Section L Attachment 2, CONUS Camp Worksheet shows an assignment of one CYB counselor in Pingree CO. We cannot find a Pingree location in Colorado. Is this supposed to be Pingree, North Dakota?

Answer: The camp assignment references Pingree Park, located in Bellvue, Colorado.

37. Question: "Section L, L.14, Task Order Scalable Capacity " The Section L Attachment 2, CONUS Camp Worksheet shows an assignment of two CYB counselors in Eglin AFB in Georgia. Please confirm this should be a Florida assignment.

Answer: Section L Attachment 1 - IDIQ Baseline Footprint, CONUS Camp Support worksheet, and Attachment 2 - Task Order Scalable Capacity, CONUS Camp Support worksheet, have been changed from Eglin AFB Georgia to Eglin AFB Florida. The count for Eglin AFB Florida is increased by 2 to a new total of 4 counselors. Attachments 1 and 2 have been amended accordingly.

38. Question: "Section L, L.14, Attachment 2" The Section L Attachment 2, CONUS Camp Worksheet shows an assignment of three CYB counselors in MD/VA, Maryland. Please clarify what location this refers to.

Answer: Section L Attachment 1 - IDIQ Baseline Footprint, CONUS Camp Support worksheet, and Attachment 2 - Task Order Scalable Capacity, CONUS Camp Support worksheet, have been changed from “Maryland, MD/VA, 3” to “Maryland, Non-specific Maryland Camp Locations, 3.” Attachments 1 and 2 have been amended accordingly.

39. Question: "Section L, L.14, Attachment 2" The Section L Attachment 2, CONUS Camp Worksheet shows an assignment of two CYB counselors in Niceville, North Carolina. We cannot find a Niceville location in North Carolina. Is this supposed to be Niceville, Florida?

Answer: Section L Attachment 1 - IDIQ Baseline Footprint, CONUS Camp Support worksheet, and Attachment 2 - Task Order Scalable Capacity, CONUS Camp Support worksheet, have been changed from “North Carolina, Niceville, 2”, to “Florida, Niceville, 2.” Attachments 1 and 2 have been amended accordingly.

40. Question: "Section L, L.14, Attachment 2" The Section L Attachment 2, CONUS Camp Worksheet shows an assignment of two CYB counselors in Front Royal, North Carolina. We cannot find a Front Royal location in North Carolina. Please clarify the location for this assignment.

Answer: Section L Attachment 1 - IDIQ Baseline Footprint, CONUS Camp Support worksheet, and Attachment 2 - Task Order Scalable Capacity, CONUS Camp Support worksheet, have been changed from “North Carolina, Fort Royal, 2”, to “Virginia, Front Royal, 2.” Attachments 1 and 2 have been amended accordingly.

41. Question: "Section L, L.14, Attachment 2" The Section L Attachment 2, CONUS On Demand Worksheet shows an assignment of one CYB counselor, and another Adult counselor in FLORIDA, Florida. Is this reference intended to be Florida City, Florida?

Answer: Section L Attachment 1 - IDIQ Baseline Footprint, CONUS On Demand worksheet, and Attachment 2 - Task Order Scalable Capacity, CONUS On Demand worksheet, have been changed from “Florida, Florida, 1”, to “Florida, Florida City 1.” Attachments 1 and 2 have been amended accordingly.

42. Question: "Section L, L.14, Attachment 2" The Section L Attachment 2, CONUS Rotational Worksheet shows an assignment of one Adult counselor at USAREC, Denver Battalion, in Texas. Is this intended to be USAREC, Denver Battalion, in Colorado?

Answer: Section L Attachment 1 - IDIQ Baseline Footprint, CONUS Rotational Assignments worksheet, and Attachment 2 - Task Order Scalable Capacity, CONUS Rotational Assignments worksheet, have been changed from “Texas, USAREC, Denver Battalion, 1”, to “Colorado, USAREC, Denver Battalion, 1”.” Attachments 1 and 2 have been amended accordingly.

43. Question: "Section L.14, Softcopies" Per the current RFP instructions, the offeror should submit 7 softcopies/DVDs for each Volume (i.e. 42 DVDs). Will the Government consider allowing 2 softcopies/DVDs total instead (1 softcopy that will contain Volume I-Volume V and 1 softcopy that will contain Volume VI – Price) for submission?

44. Question: "Section L, L.14, Page Limitations" Section L, Volume III, Tab 3 states that the offeror is to “submit here any updates to the Organizational Conflict of Interest Risk Mitigation Plan previously submitted in accordance with Section L.6.1.” Please confirm that the page limitations (15 pages) for this volume (per Section L.13.4.4.e) only include the Tab 1 Contractor Responsibility discussion/documentation, and the Tab 3 OCI Plan updates, and not the full OCI Plan submitted on September 11th.

Answer: See answer to question 133. The OCI plan is excluded from the page count. The solicitation has been amended accordingly.

Also per the RFP Section L.14, Volume III, Tab 3 - Organizational Conflict of Interest Risk Mitigation Plan, offerors shall submit updates to the Plan, and not the full OCI Plan submitted on September 11.

45. Question: "Section L, L.6.1 - OCI" Please confirm our understanding that the “list of each and every individual that has participated in the preparation of the proposal” is the list that is submitted with Volume III, Tab 3 – Organizational Conflict of Interest Risk Mitigation Plan of the proposal (updated as necessary from the list submitted on 11 September 2017 in response to Section L.6.1).

Answer: Confirmed. Additionally, offerors shall update this list to include any personnel changes from the list submitted on September 11.

46. Question: "Section L, L.13.4, Proposal Submission Formats" Will the Government consider an exception to the prohibition on PDF files for soft copy submission for those electronic (soft copy) documents that require signatures? This will facilitate incorporation of signatures on the submitted documents.

Answer: The Government will accept a PDF copy of a signed page; not a PDF copy of the entire document including the signed page; but a PDF copy of the signed page only. However the Government requires original signatures not electronic signatures.

47. Question: "Section L, L.14, Program Management" The RFP states, "The offeror shall detail the services, methods for obtaining and delivering the services, allocation of the offerors workforce, and other resources necessary to produce the services and a timeline for delivering the services to meet the needs of the installations." It is not clear what the Government means by "services" in the context of Program Management. Please define these services (e.g., MFLC Counselor Services, complementary management services to enable service delivery) so offerors understand the context for which it should detail its "allocation of the offerors workforce" and "resources necessary to produce the services and a timeline for delivering the services to meet the needs of the installations."

Answer: This subfactor addresses Program Management capabilities. The services are the Program Management services, and more broadly the Program Management capabilities, required to deliver the counseling services.

48. Question: "Section L, L.14, Program Management" Given the page limitation of 50 pages for Volume II, we request that key personnel resumes be excluded from the 50-page limit for the volume.

Answer: Resumes are excluded from the 50 page limit for Volume II. The solicitation has been amended accordingly.

49. Question: "Section L, L.14, Program Management" Does the Government intend bidders to submit the signed Section H.9 clause with the proposal? If so, will the Government accept the signed Section H.9 clause as an attachment to Volume II that is excluded from the 50 page limit for Volume II?

Answer: Section H.9 is not signed, but rather the names of the Key Personnel are filled in by the offeror. Offerors shall include the filled in Section H.9 clause as part of Volume II, and it will not count toward the 50 page count limit. The solicitation has been amended accordingly.

50. Question: "Section L, L. 14 Program Management & Section M.1 Program Management” Please confirm our understanding that the "in-depth staffing plan" referenced in Section L.14 for Subfactor 2 - Program Management and the "relevant staffing plan" referenced in Section M.1 for Subfactor 2 - Program Management Plan are limited to Key Personnel only.

Answer: The staffing plan is intended to cover the management team, that is, the team that provides comprehensive program management, as described in the first paragraph of the PWS Section C paragraph 7.2, including Key Personnel. The references to the staffing plan in Sections L and M in the solicitation have been amended accordingly

51. Question: "Section L.14, Travel Management Plan" We understand the requirements to permit the reimbursement for rental cars for OCONUS MFLC assignments. Please confirm our understanding.

Answer: For OCONUS, all travel expenses may be considered for reimbursement by the Government. Contractors shall utilize the most economical and efficient means of travel. RFP Sections B.9 Travel and H.11 Travel have been amended accordingly.

52. Question: "Section L.14, Travel Management Plan" Please confirm that travel to/from an airport at the start and end of an OCONUS MFLC assignment is a Government-reimbursable travel expense under this contract and not prohibited as “local travel” for OCONUS assignments.

Answer: It is confirmed that travel to/from an airport at the start and end of an OCONUS counselor assignment is a Government-reimbursable travel expense. It is regarded as a necessary component cost for the subsequent air travel, and is not prohibited.

53. Question: "Section L.14, Travel Management Plan" As the Government will be conducting a best value analysis that will include consideration of the effect of G&A rates on all aspects of the proposal, the requirement not to apply G&A to travel costs may result in unfair cost evaluations for CAS-covered entities, where travel costs are properly included within the allocation base in accordance with their disclosed accounting practices. Additionally, the exclusion of G&A from travel cost appears to be arbitrary and not supported by the FAR. We respectfully request that the Government remove the restriction on applying G&A to travel costs for this solicitation.

Answer: G&A on travel or ODCs is not allowable. Cost Accounting Standards do not apply to this solicitation for commercial services.

54. Question: "Section L, L.14, Assumptions, Conditions or Exceptions" Section L, Factor B, Tab 3 – Assumptions, Conditions or Exceptions for the Technical Proposal states, “If there are any technical assumptions, conditions or exceptions, they shall be contained under the last tab of Volume II." Please confirm that assumptions, conditions or exceptions are required in Tab 3, not Tab 4, of the submission.

Answer: Correct. Assumptions, Conditions or Exceptions for the Technical Proposal are required in Tab 3 not Tab 4. The solicitation has been amended accordingly.

55. Question: "Section L.14, Subcontracting" This section states: “Offerors are advised that the IRS considers counselors as “statutory employees”, and as such are not eligible to be considered as 1099 small businesses for the purposes of small business subcontracting.”

Is this statement an “advisement” or a solicitation/contract requirement? Some network counselors are often retired military and spouses who are not seeking an employer-employee relationship and, instead, have their own small business (e.g., sole-proprietor, LLC, or Subchapter S) under which they practice and receive 1099s for tax purposes? Some of these businesses would qualify for the socio-economic goals of the small business requirements. Does the solicitation and resulting contract prohibit counting these small businesses as part of the goals in the Small Business Subcontracting Plan? "

Answer: The Government confirms that the statement is an advisement (i.e., “offerors are advised that the IRS considers counselors as ‘statutory employees’…”) and not a contract requirement. The solicitation does not prohibit counting any particular small business entity where they qualify under the goals presented in the Small Business Subcontracting Plan.

56. Question: "Section L.14, Subcontracting" Will the Government cite to any legal authority from the IRS that requires the awardee to treat all non-employee MFLC counselors as “statutory employees” regardless of the varied facts and circumstances that may occur under performance of the award contract? Or, does this section simply advise that if the facts and circumstances of a particular counselor operating under his/her own small business meet the IRS test for a statutory employee, then the income paid to that counselor cannot be counted for purposes of the Small Business Subcontracting Plan, while other facts and circumstances not meeting that IRS test would allow the income to be counted for the Small Business Subcontracting Plan?

Answer: The Government confirms that the statement is an advisement (i.e., “offerors are advised that the IRS considers counselors as ‘statutory employees’…”). The Government does not make any assumptions regarding the outcome of Internal Revenue Service inquiries.

57. Question: "Section L, L.14, Past Performance" If an offeror submits only one or two recent and relevant past performance projects, would that render the offeror’s proposal unacceptable? If not, how would the lack of a second and/or third project be factored into a past performance rating?

Answer: See Section M.1 Factor D, Lack of Past Performance, as follows:

In the case of offerors for which there is no information on past contract performance or where past contract performance information is not available, the offeror may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on the factor of past performance (see FAR 15.305(a)(2)(iv).) In this case, the offeror’s past performance is unknown and assigned a performance confidence rating of “Neutral Confidence.”

58. Question: "Section L, L.14, Past Performance" Can the offeror submit a recent and relevant past performance project performed by an affiliate of the offeror if the offeror entity plans to use the affiliate’s same capabilities or subject matter experts (e.g., for building and maintaining a network of providers) under the MFLC contract that is described for the past performance project by the affiliate?

Answer: In order to use recent and relevant past performance of an affiliate, offerors must also demonstrate sufficient evidence of the affiliate's commitment to successful performance of the new MFLC contract, and that the affiliate has meaningful involvement in the performance of the new contract.

59. Question: "Section L, L.14 Subcontracting " Our understanding is the overall goal of 20% small business subcontracting dollars is based on the 20% of the total proposed contract value inclusive of all costs. For monthly reporting during the performance of the contract, please confirm the contractor should use the total monthly invoiced amount as basis.

This is a performance based requirement. It's up to the contractor to execute a solution that achieves the Government's overall small business subcontracting goal of 20% of total contract value inclusive of all costs.

60. Question: "Section B, IDIQ Pricing" Several of the tabs in the price spreadsheet do not match the IDIQ Baseline Footprint (Sec L - Attachment 1). For example, TAB "OCONUS CYB SHORT TERM (SURGE)" requests rates for Hawaii, yet there are no Baseline CYB-MFLC Surge Counselors specified for Hawaii in the Baseline Footprint. Another example is TAB "OCONUS CYB ROTATIONAL" does not request pricing for Belgium, yet Sec L - Attachment 1 requires one (1) CYB-MFLC rotational counselor in Belgium. Is it the Government's intent that the IDIQ Pricing spreadsheet includes all CONUS and OCONUS locations indicated in Sec L - Attachment 1 - IDIQ Baseline Footprint_08282017.xlsx?

Answer: The “Sec B - IDIQ Pricing” spreadsheet has been revised to match the locations in the “Sec L - Attachment 1 - IDIQ Baseline Footprint” spreadsheet. Changes to the “Sec B - IDIQ Pricing” Excel are as follows:

· “CONUS MFLC SHORT TERM SUPPORT” tab renamed “CONUS MFLC SHORT TERM (SURGE)”,

· “CONUS MFLC SHORT TERM (SURGE) tab - added Indiana and Oregon,

· “CONUS CYB SCHOOLS” tab - added Montana,

· “CONUS CYB SHORT TERM (SURGE)” tab - deleted Oregon and Virginia,

· “CONUS CYB ON DEMAND” tab - deleted South Dakota,

· “OCONUS MFLC SHORT TERM (SURGE)” tab - deleted Virgin Islands,

· “OCONUS CYB ROTATIONAL” tab - added Belgium,

· “OCONUS CYB SHORT TERM (SURGE)” tab - deleted Hawaii.

61. Question: "Section B.9, Travel" In Sections B.9 and H.11, the RFP states that Government consideration of reimbursement for mileage from the primary place of performance to the secondary place of performance applies to situations when travel is greater than 50 miles. Would the Government consider removing the mileage reimbursement exclusion for counselors' travel between places of performance (e.g. from one installation location to another)?

Answer: The Government will not consider removing the mileage reimbursement exclusion for counselor travel between places of performance.

62. Question: "Section B.9, Travel" We understand that the exclusion of local travel as a Government-reimbursable expense applies to mileage only for OCONUS counselors. Please confirm our understanding.

Answer: The exclusion of local travel as a Government-reimbursable expense for mileage applies to CONUS counselors only.

63. Question: "Section C.4.2, Demonstrated Qualifications" There are a number of CONUS military installations where the installation spans the border across two states (e.g., Ft. Campbell is located in Kentucky and Tennessee). Please confirm our understanding that for locations such as Ft. Campbell, a counselor licensed in either of the two states will meet the requirement.

Answer: The counselor must be licensed in the state in which the participant is receiving support.

64. Question: “Section C. 5.2 Counseling Requirements” The referenced item (i.e., number 10) is blank in the Section C document of the RFP. Please clarify if this is just a formatting error or if this line item was intentionally left blank and will be updated in a future version update.

Answer: Section C.5.2 item #10 has been amended to show that the item is RESERVED.

65. Question: “Section C.9.0 Reporting (item 7), page 24 of 24 and Section G.5.b, page 7 of 8” Please confirm the requirement in Section C.9.7 to upload the invoice (by close of business on the 15th of the month) to the "designated Government database" refers to Internet Payment Platform (IPP). This section is in conflict with Section G.5.b which states, contractor shall submit a draft invoice to the Government. The approach provided in Section G.5.b appears to be contrary to the purpose and intent of the Prompt Payment Act. By uploading to IPP per Section C, the Government has 30 days to review and approve the invoice for payment, in accordance with the Prompt Payment Act. Would the Government consider allowing the contractor to upload the invoice to IPP on the 15th of the month as stated in Section C.9.7? If the Government's intent is to review a draft invoice prior to upload to IPP, we request the Government establish a timeframe around their review effort allowing the contractor to be paid on a monthly basis.

Answer: The "designated Government database" in C.9 item #7 does not refer to IPP. Contractors shall submit invoices utilizing the method defined in Section G.5 Submission of Invoices - IPP. The Government does not have the ability to partially pay invoices, and review of draft invoices allows problem detection and resolution prior to IPP submittal.

66. Question: “Section G.5 Submission of Invoices – IPP, page 7 of 8” Section G. a., 5th bullet seems to require submission of supporting documentation/receipts for all charges with the monthly invoice. However in Section G.b. it states the Government may request supporting documentation at a later time. Please confirm supporting documentation / receipts for all charges is not required with initial invoice submission, and that the Government will request any required documentation as needed.

Answer: Section G.5, a. Invoice Format, fifth bullet, has been amended to require supporting documentation/receipts upon request by the Government. Contractors are not required to submit supporting documentation/receipts with their initial invoice submission.

67. Question: “Section G, G.5.d - Invoice Payment, page 8 of 8” The RFP states that payments under the Task Orders will be due 30 calendar days after the date of the actual receipt of a proper invoice. If the Government finds no defects in the initial draft invoice, will payment be due 30 days from the submittal date of the draft invoice?

Answer: As stated in G.5b. Invoice submission - the first paragraph last sentence, "Once the draft invoice is determined to be acceptable, the CO will notify the contractor to upload the invoice electronically as described below." Once the invoice is uploaded to IPP, at that time the 30 calendar day time frame starts.

68. Question: “Section H.11.b OCONUS, Travel, page 5 of 18” Section H.11.b. OCONUS Travel, infers that travel in support of assignments to a territory or possession of the United States is not considered OCONUS travel. Please confirm that OCONUS travel includes all locations outside the continental U.S.

Answer: Section H.11.b.2 has been amended as follows, “OCONUS travel under this contract/task order is defined as any travel outside of the continental United States.”

69. Question: "Section J, Attachment J-5 CYB-MFLC Consent Form" Our understanding is the contractor will provide the CYB-MFLC Consent Form (RFP attachment J-5 ) to the school's and the CDC's point of contact (POC) upon contract award and request that the POC distribute, collect and retain signed forms to indicate parental consent. The POC will make these forms available to the MFLC counselor to review and confirm parental consent. Where no signed form exists for a child, the POC will request that a parent sign the form prior to the MFLC conducting a face to face session with the child. Please confirm our understanding of the contractor's role will fulfill the 5.2 requirement in the QASP (RFP attachment J-12).

Answer: The parental consent entry in Attachment J-12 QASP is deleted and Attachment J-12 has been amended accordingly.

70. Question: “Section J Attachment J-10 Invoice Data Elements” We recommend renaming the "Composite Program Management" tab to "Program Management Travel" tab. We request the Government make this change to be consistent with the contents of the tab.

Answer: The tab in Attachment J-10 is changed from “Composite Program Mgmt” to “Program Mgmt Travel.”

71. Question: "Section L, Attachments, 1 & 2"

a) Request clarification concerning the requirement for certification Section L, Attachments 1 & 2. The program currently has two incumbents and the solicitation indicates there will be two awards. Executive Order 13495 requires an incoming contractor offer the Right of First Refusal to displaced workers. In reading the solicitation it appears the expectation is to be a successful bidder, a contractor must be able to fill all assignments at the time of award from its current bench strength as well as possess sizable scalable capacity. Is this the intent of the certification requirement?

(b) If this is the intended purpose, it would appear to unreasonably limit competition to the two incumbent contractors. Recommend the Government replace the unreasonable certification requirements with the more traditional approach of demonstrating a “capability and approach to recruit, retain, deploy/field, and sustain the workforce,” as was required in the 2010 solicitation.

Answer: The Government's requirement is that the successful offerors must be able to fill all assignments at the time of award, as well as possess sizable scalable capacity.

72. Question: "Section M, Factor D, Subfactor 1" Section M, Factor D, Subfactor 1 indicates the Government will “evaluate the degree which the offeror effectively demonstrates recent and relevant organizational experience, to deliver and sustain the required capacity and capability for adult (adult MFLC counseling), and child and youth behavioral (MFLC-CYB counseling) by trained, licensed, credentialed, and experienced counselors.” Since only the current incumbents provide MFLC counseling, this criteria unduly favors the incumbents since they are the only potential offerors with recent MFLC counseling experience. Recommend the Government remove the specific reference to the capacity and capability for MFLC counselors from the past performance relevance determination. Instead, will the Government consider similar language to that in the 2010 solicitation for this work, which required that offerors “exhibit recent and relevant past performance on contracts similar in nature and operational complexity to the MFLC program?”

Answer: The Government amended Section M, Factor D, Subfactor 1 to remove the specific references to MFLC counseling, and instead referenced generic, “…adult, and child and youth behavioral counseling by trained, licensed, credentialed, and experienced counselors for the duration of all counselor assignments.”

73. Question: "Section L, Attachment 1" Section L Attachment 1 requires the offeror to certify they are “able to provide from the time of contract award the required quantity of counselors, in all categories and at all locations, identified in the footprint.” This requirement appears to be unduly restrictive when the Government intends to make two awards and the current workload is shared between two incumbents. The Government has set significant qualification requirements for the counselors which limits the availability as a whole. A significant percentage of these counselors will be employed by the incumbents, limiting available pools for potential competitors. It is difficult to believe the existing incumbents are currently meeting the counselor requirements for the same footprint, with no unfilled assignments. Recommend the Government replace the unreasonable certification requirements with the more traditional approach of demonstrating a “capability and approach to recruit, retain, deploy/field, and sustain the workforce,” as was required in the 2010 solicitation.

Answer: See the answer to question #71.

74. Question: What level of support can be expected at DoD installations (commissary, base or post exchange, medical services)?

Answer: For CONUS deployments there is no access to services which are provided to military personnel (e.g. commissary, base or post exchange, medical services). For OCONUS deployments it varies by country and length of assignment.

75. Question: "Key Personnel" Does the government require Resumes for all Counselors or only for Key Personnel?

Answer: Resumes are only required for Key Personnel. See RFP Section L.14 Volume 2 Subfactor 2 - Program Management for guidance on resumes.

76. Question: "Section C, Credentials" Are counselors licensed or certified and credentials only at the US State level, or also with provider networks and insurance companies?

Answer: Section C.4.2.3 states: “Counselors shall be licensed or certified and properly credentialed to perform this requirement and shall be compliant with industry accepted standards for the performance of non-medical counseling.” Further, Section C.4.2.4 states: “For assignments in the 50 states, Counselors shall be licensed or certified in the state in which the participant is receiving services. For OCONUS assignments (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) counselors may be licensed or certified in any state, the District of Columbia, a U.S. territory or commonwealth.”

77. Question: "Section C, Credentials" Will counselors need or have to have their licensed or certified and credentials of the OCONUS assignment Host country? Or only United States credentials, license or certification?

Answer: Section C.4.2.4 states: “For assignments in the 50 states, Counselors shall be licensed or certified in the state in which the participant is receiving services. For OCONUS assignments (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) counselors may be licensed or certified in any state, the District of Columbia, a U.S. territory or commonwealth.”

78. Question: "Section C, Credentials" With the understanding that OCONUS accreditation for TES/TCS is an individual application, do all counselor positions qualify as TES/TCS? If not, may OCONUS counselors be Local National?

Answer: See Section H.27 on Technical Expert Status (TES)/ Troop Care Status (TCS).

1) Do all counselor positions qualify as TES/TCS - No only those identified by the Government.

2) May OCONUS counselors be Local Nationals - OCONUS counselors may not be Local Nationals unless they meet all requirements of the PWS to include U.S. citizenship and licensure.

79. Question: "Section M, Professional Compensation" Section M Evaluation of Compensation for Professional Employees states that “…proposals envisioning compensation levels lower than those of predecessor contractors for the same work will be evaluated on the basis of maintaining program continuity, uninterrupted high-quality work, and availability of required competent professional service employees. Offerors are cautioned that lowered compensation for essentially the same professional work may indicate lack of sound management judgment and lack of understanding of the requirement.” Does this suggest that salary ranges and examples of benefit packages will be provided to offerors?

Answer: See RFP paragraph L.14, Volume VI, Factor E: Price, Tab 2: IDIQ Price Proposal under Compensation for Professional Employees, “The offeror shall submit all information, including compensation plan, required in accordance with FAR Provision 52.222-46.”

The Government, in accordance with the language of the provision, will not be providing additional information including salary ranges and examples of benefit packages

80. Question: “Section B.9, Travel” Will travel for counseling coverage of CYS [sic] camps and any support in other than assigned post, camp or station be reimbursed in accordance with the GSA Federal Travel Regulations?

Answer: FTR applies for all travel approved by the Government in accordance with Sections B.9 Travel and H.11 Travel. Section H.11 has been updated accordingly.

81. Question: "Section C, 5.2 Counseling Requirements, Page 13 #10” Will the contractor or government supply name tags that are compliant with the government requirements? If contractor is to supply, is there a standard?

Answer: The contractor will be required to provide the name tags and will be provided the standard for the name tags after contract award. Section 5.2 item #11 has been amended accordingly.

82. Question: "Section C, 6.6.1 Scheduling, Page 24” Counselors hours shall be flexible. Will OT be available for counselors that work beyond 40 hours per week or those that are required to work on weekends and/or holidays?

Answer: Overtime will not be available. Counselors are required to work a highly flexible 40 hour work week.

83. Question: “Section B.9, Travel, Page 26, 7.3 Travel” No separate CLIN for CONUS travel expenses. Travel shall not be reimbursed for CONUS and this is inclusive of local travel mileage which shall not be reimbursed. Some states have areas where the majority of the population resides and not located within 50 miles of a needed base. Will travel mileage be reimbursed in those situations?

Answer: See Section L Attachment 3 Task Order Pricing spreadsheet. Each period of performance has CLIN xx18 for CONUS travel, and CLIN xx36 for OCONUS travel.

The travel reimbursement considerations remain as stated in Sections B.9 and H.11: “For CONUS, travel to the place of performance e.g. travel from the counselor’s residence to the place of performance, is excluded from reimbursement by the Government.” However, be advised that both sections provide for CONUS travel reimbursement for travel greater than 50 miles from the primary place of performance to a secondary location requested and approved in advance by the Government; which is not the situation that is described in the question."

84. Question: “Section C 6.0 Counselor Assignments” Throughout the Assignment Length that is established for Rotational Assignments, Surge Assignments, On-Demand Support or Camp Support, would the requirement be for full time support (i.e. 40 hours per week) by each Counselor for the duration of the assignment?

Answer: Most assignments are typically staffed using a flexible 40 hour work week. The requirement for on demand support would be for the duration of time requested which is typically less than 40 hours. However the government may accept a plan to use counselors that are in rotational positions to cover the On-Demand event as a secondary assignment location.

85. Question: “Section C 2.1 Eligibility” How many Participants are there under the MFLC Program on an annual basis?

Answer: The number of participants is confidential.

86. Question: "Section L, L.2" How many awards are expected?

Answer: Per Section M.1 BASIS FOR AWARD AND EVALUATION PROCESS, "The Government anticipates awarding two IDIQ contracts and two Day One Task Orders (one for each IDIQ contract)."

87. Question: "Section M.1, Basis for Award" If multi-award, what will the basis be for determining what Counseling Services are ordered from which Contractor/Vendor?

Answer: The Government anticipates awarding two IDIQ contracts and two Day One Task Orders (one for each IDIQ contract). The basis for determining the counseling services that are ordered under each Task Order is best value. Refer to Section M.1 - Basis for Award and Evaluation Process, and Section M.6 - Task Order Evaluation and Basis for Award.

88. Question: "Section C 4.2, All Counselors - Demonstrated Qualifications" Section 4.2.5 indicates that the total number of personnel requiring a Secret Clearance may be around 60 or more. Could you please identify which positions from Attachment J-X Footprint, correspond to the ~60 positions requiring Secret clearance? Specifically, which Support Locations?

Answer: Special Operations Command (SOCOM) assignments are currently the only assignments required to have a secret clearance, at the following locations:

· Camp Lejeune

· Camp Pendleton

· Cannon AFB

· Eglin AFB

· Fort Benning

· Fort Bragg

· Fort Campbell

· Fort Carson

· Hunter Army Airfield

· Hurlburt Field

· Joint Base Lewis-McChord

· Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek - Fort Story

· Kadena AB

· MacDill AFB

· MCB Hawaii

· Naval Base Coronado

· RAF Mildenhall

· Stennis Space Center

· Stuttgart, United States Army Garrison

89. Question: “Section C” Approximately how many Counselor Supervisors are required on an annual basis?

Answer: There is no requirement for a specific number of Counselor Supervisors. It is up to the offeror to determine how many Counselor Supervisors are needed to implement its solution.

90. Question: "Section C, Training" Does the MFLC Program have an existing Training Program, Process, Curriculum and Materials, that will be provided to Contractor for their use and reference?

Answer: The Contractor will be expected to develop and provide their own training program, process, curriculum and materials.

91. Question: "Section C 5.4, Educational Materials" What percentage of Educational Materials and Presentations will Contractor need to develop as compared to existing material that Contractor will need to modify?

Answer: See answer to question #90.

92. Question: Please provide current names of incumbent(s) if any, performing…