Response A - TECHNICAL Q R - Final.xls
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- Solicitation number
- DJMS-10-R-0022
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Response A - TECHNICAL Q R - FINAL
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| USMS-DISTRICT MAP.pdf | ||
| AMENDMENT A004.pdf | ||
| 4th Circuit - Price Summary - REVISED 5-13-10.xls | XLS spreadsheet | |
| CSO HANDGUN QUALIFICATION COURSE.pdf | ||
| PRICE SUMMARY SHEETS - A003.zip | ZIP file | |
| A003.pdf | ||
| SECTION J - ATTACHMENTS - REVISED - AMENDMENT A001.zip | ZIP file | |
| DJMS-10-R-0022 Amendment A001_5-6-2010.zip | ZIP file | |
| Response B - BUSINESS Q R - Final.xls | XLS spreadsheet | |
| Response C - BUSINESS Q R_CBA_Pricing - Final.xls | XLS spreadsheet | |
| DJMS-10-R-0022 Amendment-A001_05062010.pdf | ||
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TECH
| Questions | Reference Section | Reference Topic | USMS Response | ||
| 1 | Para H13. H1N1 flue or other contagious outbreaks. Should such outbreaks occur, would items such as N95 masks, hand sanitizer, etc, be reimbursable? | H-13 | Bloodborne Pathogens | Any costs will be the responsibility of the Contractor. | |
| 2 | In order to perform these investigations professionally, especially when local management staff may have conflicts involved in the situation, a contractor must provide trained, professional investigative staff to conduct these investigations. Please provide offerors with information concerning the frequency and scope of these investigation requests, so that offerors may include realistic costs for this important requirement in their prices quoted. | H-16 | CSO Standards | Offerors should only propose on the the information provided in the solicitation. | |
| 3 | Do any of the provided posts require special security clearances such as Confidential or Secret? If yes, please identify. | CSO Standards | No. | ||
| 4 | Is the contractor held harmless if, since the CSO is forbidden from monitoring cellblock activity, an inmate commits self-harm or is assaulted? | CSO Standards | The Contractor is not required to provide any cellblock monitoring services. The government cannot legally indemnify a contractor for the acts of it employees. | ||
| 5 | provides “Be able to read, write, and speak the English language fluently and any other language determined to be necessary by the U.S. Marshal of the district were the services are to be performed.” Please identify specific languages other than English that may be required within the Circuits. | C-11 (4 | CSO Standards | Other than English, none. | |
| 6 | Is the contractor responsible for providing all paper forms listed in attachments used in the course of the CSO’s duties or are they provided by the government? | J | Forms | Forms will be provided by USMS to be completed as designated in the contract by the contractor. | |
| 7 | It would appear that the government is claiming property rights for all uniforms. However, there are situations where the government will not be reimbursing the contractor for uniforms (refer to paragraphs b-2 and b-3). | ||||
| Question: Under what authority does the government claim this right to claim contractor property that was not bought by the government? | C-47, paragraph C-21-b-4 | Government Furnished Property | The Government retains rights to contractor purhased property only if it is a replacement for Government issued property due to contracotr loss or is purchased as a direct charge to the Government. | ||
| 8 | Will the Government provide office space for the Contract Manager and Site Supervisors? | Government Furnished Property | No | ||
| 9 | Will the USMS provide an Internet access or phone line at each site to enable the contractor to have its employees use computerized timesheet systems? If not, will the contractor be allowed to provide laptops at the sites with broadband cards? | Government Furnished Property | The Government is not required nor is it obligated to provide computers and/or internet/e-mail access. Laptops with aircards are permissable provided they are not introduced into secured areas. | ||
| 10 | Does the USMS require the contractor to provide any equipment or uniform elements that were NOT listed on pages C-45 through C-48? | Government Furnished Property | No. | ||
| 11 | Since Section C-21(b)(4) indicates that the “uniforms are considered Government property and must remain with the Government,” does the USMS provide space at each facility to store uniforms? If not, where does the Government anticipate storing the uniforms? | C-21 | Government Furnished Property | The Government does not provide space at all sites. Care and custody of uniforms is the contractors' responsibility. This provision does not precluded uniforms from being taken off site. | |
| 12 | In light of the Las Vegas courthouse shooting incident, please clarify the definition of “Federal property” and how far that property line extends. | Government Furnished Property | The successful contractor will be provided clarifications as required on a District or facility basis. | ||
| 13 | Are there any locations where contractors will not be permitted to install a phone line? If so, could the Government provide phone lines in these locations? | Government Furnished Property | The Government will work with the contractor to resolve any such issues if they arise. | ||
| 14 | Para H-4 Insurance. This paragraph mentions vehicle insurance; are any vehicles required to be provided? Are vehicles used by site supervisors and/or overhead managers required to be insured at rates indicated? | H-4 | Insurance | All Government vehicles are self insured, all other vehicles used require insurance comensurate with state and local regulations. | |
| 15 | Para H-5 Licenses. Are any licenses, such as individual guard permits required, or only State/Local Company Licenses? Since all personnel are “deputized”, would this preclude individual “guard” licenses? | H-5 | Licenses | Contractor is required to have any applicable license that authorizes them to hire and perform armed guard services. The contract conveys authority to carry weapons while performing contractual duties. | |
| 16 | Para C-14 discusses physical screening process. C-16 discusses government background investigations. How long on average does it take to review medical documentation and conduct federal background investigation to place a “new” CSO on duty? | C-14 | Medical/BI | If there are no issues in either the background or medical, the average is 40 days from when the package is received. | |
| 17 | Are new hire drug screens and random drug screening required? If so, what percentage of staff require random screenings? | C-14 | Medical/BI | Drug screening is not required. | |
| 18 | The USMS provides direction as to the requirements of the medical qualification program, but does not provide offerors with any guidance regarding the number and scope of “follow-up consultations” to expect. The US Dept. of Labor has ruled repeatedly that these follow-ups are “job-requirements”, and must be paid for by the contractor. Offerors need this information to be able to include realistic costs to cover the substantial expense of these exams, and the staffing required to administer the program; there is significant risk of performance difficulties if the staffing and funding for the consultations is not included in pricing. This is a large cost factor for contractors. In the last contract year, in eight judicial circuits (contracts), this offeror was required by the USMS to provide over 1,000 medical follow-up consultations for CSOs, with an average cost to the contractor of $180 per consultation. | ||||
| Please provide offerors with data that accurately describes the quantity and scope of the medical follow-up consultations required by the USMS on a regular basis, including the number and types of follow-up consultations routinely required. | C-14 | Medical/BI | Follow-up consultation is generally driven by the physical condition of the applicant or incumbent and the completeness of the medical information provided on the CSO-229. It is the Government's experience that the majority of follow-up consultation requests are due to the latter. The follow-up requests are often the result of FOH's review of the information gathered from the CSO on the CSO-229 (past and current medical conditions which require additional information; abnormal EKG results, lab results, or hearing or vision test results). Screening and quality assurance of the applicant or incumbent's medical information for completeness can minimize such requests. The Government does not track follow-up information. There is no prescribed number of follow-up exams required. The need for follow-up exams is determined by Federal Occupational Health (FOH). On a case-by-case basis, consultation between FOH and OCS will determine when to terminate an application process for an applicant's failure to satisfy the medical requirements as requested. | ||
| 19 | Since its implementation in 2001, the current CSO Medical Standards policy, and the resulting disqualification of CSOs for medical reasons, has been a source of contention with CSOs and their unions. Many lawsuits have been filed against the contractors because they are the employers. Defense of these suits by contractors has sometimes been successful, and sometimes led to large and small settlements with the defendants. In all cases, legal fees are substantial. Overall, millions of dollars have been spent by contractors defending and settling these legal cases by CSOs. The USMS does not indemnify contractors from any of these costs. These actions by CSOs, usually under the ADA, continue to be filed every year. | ||||
| This offeror has paid out legal costs and settlements from these cases, and, based on reserves, expect to pay out additional funds to close all current cases. In order to allow offerors to realistically price their proposals, please provide the data from which it will be possible to accurately estimate a realistic cost for the legal actions arising from CSO medical disqualifications by the USMS. | C-14 | Medical/BI | The Government currently has four active lawsuits relating to the CSO medical qualification process. The USMS has been a party to 35 lawsuits since 2001 in connection with the CSO medical standards - the vast majority of which have been dismissed. The USMS has no basis to evaluate what these lawsuits have costs companies in terms of monetary expenditures, nor can the USMS vouch for the monetary figures cited by the company which asked this question. An offeror must take litigation risks, as well as all other contingencies, into account when it submits its pricing proposal. It's important to note, however, that due to a recent revsion to the CSO hearings standard, it is anticipated that significantly fewer CSOs will be medically disqualified due to failure to meet hearing standards. Most of the CSO medical litigation has involved hearings. | ||
| 20 | Are new background investigations required for any incumbent personnel who transfer to the new contractor? | C-16 | Medical/BI | New background investigations are not needed for incumbent CSOs unless it is time for their 5-year periodic re-investigation. | |
| 21 | provides in relevant part “In the event a CSO applicant is currently working or has worked as a law enforcement officer within 30 days of applying for a CSO position with the Contractor, the Chief, Office of Court Security may grant the Contractor an interim approval to allow the individual to perform immediately.” What is the length for processing an interim background approval? How often are the interim approvals granted? | C-16 (b)(3 | Medical/BI | In cases where applicants are within the 30-day window, interim approvals can be granted within a few days of the request and after Federal Occupational Health's (FOH) interim medical approval. Interims are approved regularly based upon the District's circumstances. | |
| 22 | The solicitation states that pre-employment Criminal checks are performed by the Government as part of the suitability check. Are annual criminal history checks through the FBI Criminal Justice Information System conducted on all LCSOs AND CSOs with particular attention to the violation of Domestic Violence Laws that would prohibit them from carrying a firearm? | Pg C-13 , sec C-7(a). | Medical/BI | Criminal checks are conducted during the pre-employment check and during the periodic reinvestigation. Domestic violence incidents are handled as they occur and are reported to the USMS. | |
| 23 | The solicitation states that there is a minimum age of 21 and no age limit for CSOs on this requirement. It also states that CSO must be able to withstand the physical demands of the job. What method does the USMS apply to verify that CSOs are physically capable? Would the USMS consider requiring a Physical Fitness Test standard, modified to meet actual fitness requirements of a CSO position? | Pg C-17, sec C-11(2). | Medical/BI | No physical tests or assessments are conducted to determine a CSO's physical capabilities. The only determination is made by visual observation and supervision while the CSO is on duty as well as their medical qualification process. | |
| 24 | The solicitation requires that Form 229 be submitted for the FOH within 30 days of a physical exam. How long does the FOH have to review the form and process applicants? | Pg C-28, sec C-14(c) (3). | Medical/BI | If the CSO-229 is complete and accurate with all the supporting documentation supplied, and there are no requests for additional supplemental medical information, the FOH should process a medical review for an applicant in 2 to 3 weeks. | |
| 25 | Section C-14(a)(4) – Please confirm that the Government will reimburse both the initial medical exam (at the rate detailed in the Start-Up cost) and the Basic Rate for payment of time needed to take the exam, when the Government requires a CSO to undergo a medical exam per section C-14(a)(2), in addition to the annual exam. | C-14 | Medical/BI | The Government will not reimburse the Contractor for out-of-cylce medical exams for CSOs deemed to be in a medically insufficient state or for the time required to undergo the exam. | |
| 26 | Section C-16 – Are the background requirements and procedures terms of this section applicable to CSOs, LCSOs, Site Supervisors and Contract Managers? | C-16 | Medical/BI | The terms of Section C-16 apply to CSOs, LCSOs, and Site Supervisors. It does not apply to the Contract Manager. | |
| 27 | Reference Section C-7(b). Please clarify whether any recurring background investigations will be required (i.e. annually, bi-annually, etc.) in addition to the initial for positions other than Key Personnel. | C-7 | Medical/BI | Periodic reinvestigations will be conducted for all CSOs and LCSOs every five years. This will not apply to the Site Supervisors. | |
| 28 | Reference Section B-1(b)(2), Start-up Costs and Sections C-7 and C-16. If background investigations will be performed annually, will this cost be included in the annual start up cost or will it be included in overhead? | B-1 (b)(2 | Medical/BI | Background investigations are not conducted annually. | |
| 29 | Do all current personnel meet the screening, medical and training requirements? If not, will they be grandfathered into the new contract? | Medical/BI | All current CSOs and LCSOs either currently meet the all of the hiring requirements or are scheduled to attend the required orientation. The existing Site Supervisors will have a background investigation conducted to meet the hiring requirements, but will not have attend orientation or meet the medical qualifications. | ||
| 30 | If incumbent personnel who do not currently meet the medical/training/screening requirements must undergo background screening, training and medical testing, please provide a listing of the number of personnel, per district, who will need to undergo these screening and training requirements under the new contract. | Medical/BI | SAME AS LINE 29 | ||
| 31 | Is the time for USMS to process new applicants still 60 to 90 days? If not, please indicate how long the approval process takes. | Medical/BI | The Government authorizes and utilizes interim appointments to qualified applicants if they meet the minimum background and medical clearances. An interim appointment can be made within 48 hours after receiving a complete candidate package if he is granted an interim medical clearance and the minimum background clearances have been conducted. The Government's goal is to complete the process within 30-60 days. However, the process may be prolonged because of background requirements stipulated by the Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD-12). Delays are also caused when the Contractor submits an unqualified applicant, requiring a more extensive background investigation; an incomplete package; an applicant with significant medical conditions; or unacceptable fingerprint cards that are returned by the Office of Personnel Management. Screening the applicant's package and conducting a more thorough pre-investigation for completeness and suitability before submitting the package can reduce some delays. | ||
| 32 | Please provide a list of USMS approved physicians for each city. | Medical/BI | The USMS does not maintain this information. | ||
| 33 | Will incumbents require new medical exams if they have passed one less than a year prior to contract award? | Medical/BI | Incumbent CSOs are not required to have a new medical exam at the beginning of a new contract, but they are required to have their annual medical exam as scheduled, either on their birthday or anniversary of employment . | ||
| 34 | If a CSO applicant has an in scope SSBI (Single Scope Background Investigation) may that investigation be used in lieu of submittal of a SF85P? | Medical/BI | The SSBI may not be used in place of the CSO background investigation. However, if the USMS receives a copy of the SSBI and the SF-85P, we can use the SSBI's report of investigation to reduce the time necessary to complete the background investigation. | ||
| 35 | Please explain why an SF 86 Questionnaire is now required along with the SF 85P form for personnel, when none of the positions require government clearances. Also, the SF 86 form is not addressed in Section C-16. | C-16 | Medical/BI | Requirement for an SF-86 is being deleted from the solicitation. | |
| 36 | It is stated in Section C-14 (4) that “Contractor entitlement of costs incurred in the conduct of individual CSO medical examinations will be expressly limited to basic examination cost, as detailed in the Start-up Cost authorizations and will not apply to any follow-up consultation resulting from the Government’s review.” In order to properly estimate the contractor costs for follow-up examinations, will the USMS please provide the number of medical follow-up’s resulting from the Government’s review for FY09 for each circuit separately? | C-14 | Medical/BI | SAME AS LINE 18. | |
| 37 | Once the USMS receives all the required forms and an applicant has completed the required medical checks, how long, on average, has the USMS background investigation historically taken? | Medical/BI | SAME AS LINE 16. | ||
| 38 | Section H-9 states that the government will not bear the cost of processing background checks on new hires during the Transition period unless the contractor can show that an offer to the incumbent CSO was refused. If there is an existing vacancy with no incumbent CSO to refuse an offer, will the government bear the cost of processing the background check? | H-9 | Medical/BI | The government will pay for costs associated with the background investigations for applicants to fill existing vacancies. | |
| 39 | The CSO Medical Standards and Procedures requirements are described in Section C-14 of the RFP; and the provision require the CSO Contractor to assume responsibility for the implementation of the program, including qualifying a large number of physicians under the terms of the program; and ensuring that no CSO performs duties unless they are medically qualified. In the RFP, the USMS provides direction as the requirements of the medical qualification program, but does not provide offerors with any guidance regarding the number and scope of “follow-up consultations” that the USMS will require of CSOs. The Department of Labor has ruled repeatedly that these follow-ups are “job requirements” and must be paid for by the contractor. Offerors need this information to be able to include realistic costs to cover the substantial expense of these exams and the staffing required to administer the program. There is significant risk of performance difficulties if the staffing and funding for the consultations is not included in the pricing. |
| Please provide offerors with data that accurately describes the quantity and scope of the medical follow-up consultation required by USMS on a regular basis, including the number and types of follow-up consultations routinely required. | C-14 | Medical/BI | Follow-up consultation is generally driven by the physical condition of the applicant or incumbent and the completeness of the medical information provided on the CSO-229. It is the Government's experience that the majority of follow-up consultation requests are due to the latter. The follow-up requests are often the result of FOH's review of the information gathered from the CSO on the CSO-229 (past and current medical conditions which require additional information; abnormal EKG results, lab results, or hearing or vision test results). Screening and quality assurance of the applicant or incumbent's medical information for completeness can minimize such requests. The Government does not track follow-up information. There is no prescribed number of follow-up exams required. The need for follow-up exams is determined by FOH. On a case-by-case basis, consultation between FOH and OCS will determine when to terminate an application process for an applicant's failure to satisfy the medical requirements as requested. | ||
| 40 | Since its implementation in 2001, the current CSO Medical Standards policy, and the resulting disqualifications of CSOs for medical reasons has been a source of contention with CSOs and their unions. Lawsuits have been filed against the USMS and the contractors are also named as defendants in each suit as they are the employers. These actions by CSOs, usually under the ADA, continue to be filed every year. In order to allow offerors to realistically price their proposals, please provide data from which it will be possible to accurately estimate a realistic cost for legal actions arising from CSO medical disqualifications by the USMS. | Medical/BI | The Government currently has four active lawsuits relating to the CSO medical qualification process. The USMS has been a party to 35 lawsuits since 2001 in connection with the CSO medical standards - the vast majority of which have been dismissed. The USMS has no basis to evaluate what these lawsuits have costs companies in terms of monetary expenditures, nor can the USMS vouch for the monetary figures cited by the company which asked this question. An offeror must take litigation risks, as well as all other contingencies, into account when it submits its pricing proposal. It's important to note, however, that due to a recent revsion to the CSO hearings standard, it is anticipated that significantly fewer CSOs will be medically disqualified due to failure to meet hearing standards. Most of the CSO medical litigation has involved hearings. | ||
| 41 | Para C-24(4). This paragraph states that the contractor may not bill overtime rates for weapons qualifications, medical physicals, annual training or orientation. Does it follow then, that all these activities are billable under the basic hourly rates? | C-24 | Overtime | Yes. These items will be billed under the basic hourly rate. | |
| 42 | In accordance with C-26 (a) CSOs are required to carry the contractor’s identification card. Are CSOs required to have registration cards as issued by a state regulatory agency? | C | Personnel | CSO are required to have a valid state driver's license. | |
| 43 | Shift Differentials. CBAs in general require payment of shift differential from 1800-0600. The Pricing Sheets indicate which sites are 24 hour/5 day operations; however what are the normal operating hours of the courts for LCSO/CSO shifts for non-24/5 sites? | C-3 | Personnel | Court hours differ from one U.S. Courthouse to another. | |
| 44 | Para C3(b)(1) on page C-4 states Site Supervisors must maintain quality control and shall be required, at the discretion of the government, to visit court facilities where CSOs are assigned. It also states that such travel is reimbursable. | C-3 | Personnel | The government will only reimburse Site Supervisor travel expenses when the travel is requested by the USMS or as directed in the contract. Travel expenses include POV mileage, lodging, meals and incidental expenses, and airfare. | |
| 45 | Do Site Supervisors ONLY travel when requested by the government? | C-3 | Personnel | Site Supervisors may travel whenever the company deems it necessary. However, the government will only reimburse Site Supervisor travel expenses when the travel is requested by the USMS or as directed in the contract. Travel expenses include POV mileage, lodging, meals and incidental expenses, and airfare. | |
| 46 | Or, are they expected to routinely visit sites in their “territory” as established by the various pricing groups? | C-3 | Personnel | SAME AS LINE 45 | |
| 47 | Would such reimbursement include either POC mileage at the JTR rate, plus lodging if necessary and per diem? | C-3 | Personnel | SAME AS LINE 45 | |
| 48 | Can a rental car be used and reimbursed? | C-3 | Personnel | Rental expenses will not be reimbursed. The government will only reimburse mileage as stated in the Federal Travel Regulations. | |
| 49 | Is it permissible for either site supervisors or LCSOs to utilize government fax machines to submit records of presence information for payroll purposes? | C-3 | Personnel | The government will not provide additional phone lines and fax machines to the site supervisor or LCSOs for company business. However, existing lines may be used at the discretion of the USMS district or HQ management. | |
| 50 | Is email use by government computer system authorized at any location? | C-3 | Personnel | No, E-mail access is the responsibity of the Contractor. | |
| 51 | Presuming site supervisors would have company cell phones, is there any requirement to equip each court location with a “duty cell phone” for use in contacting the site supervisor if necessary? Or, are landlines available at these facilities. | C-3 | Personnel | Site "duty cell phones" will not be issued by the government. Necessary posts will be equipped with phone lines. | |
| 52 | In situations where supervision or quality control action is needed at other court facilities in the district, will government approve travel and travel expenses for Site Supervisors? | C-3 | Personnel | SAME AS LINE 45 | |
| 53 | Will the USMS provide the Site Supervisors with office space in any of the Government facilities at which they are responsible for CSO quality control? | C-3 | Personnel | No | |
| 54 | Will the Government allow the CSOs and LCSOs to do supervision paperwork, such as payroll and time keeping reports, medical follow-up forms, EEOC reporting, and inventory, during billable time on-site? | C-3 | Personnel | Yes. A part of the LCSOs daily duties are the administrative duties associated with collecting, compiling, and reporting time, attendance, and other personnel documents to the site supervisor. When an LCSO is absent, the Contractor may designate an individual or a CSO, to act as and perform the responsibilities of the LCSO. | |
| 55 | Will the government allow the use of government phones lines and fax machines by the Site Supervisors and LCSOs for official company business related to the CSO program, such as transmitting timekeeping, medical forms, discipline reports, and quality reports to the home office? | C-3 | Personnel | The government will not provide additional phone lines and fax machines to the site supervisor or LCSOs for company business. However, existing lines may be used at the discretion of the USMS district or HQ management. Otherwise, the Contractor is responsible for providing all necessary admininstrative requirements, including office space, for all administrative and managerial level employees. | |
| 56 | Is the time required for the new CSO to attend this training billable to USMS? | C-3 | Personnel | Question is not clear | |
| 57 | provides in relevant part “Ensure all contractor employees perform all duties and requirements of this contract…” | ||||
| Are there minimum requirements for the Contract Manager to visit any of the judicial facilities in the circuit they are managing? | C-3 (a)(1)(v) | Personnel | No. | ||
| 58 | provides in relevant part “For facilities designed to operate on a 24-hour basis, the Contractor must provide three LCSOs, one to cover each of the three shifts in a work day.” Are LCSOs required on weekends and/or holidays at these specific facilities? | C-3 (c)(1 | Personnel | No. LCSOs are required to man posts with the added administrative duty of collecting, compiling, and reporting time, attendance, and other personnel documents to the site supervisor. Those duties should be performed during weekdays for weekday and weekend CSOs. | |
| 59 | provides in relevant part “the Government, through the local US Marshal, shall deputize all CSOs performing under this contract with a limited special deputation.” Does this section apply to SSOs/LCSOs performing services as specified in Section C-3(e) entitled “Lead Special Security Officers and Special Security Officers” and as referenced in Section C-1(a)? Will the local US Marshal deputize SSOs/LSSOs? | C-4 (a) | Personnel | The USMS will not deputize SSO/LSSOs functioning under an Interagency Agreement (IAA) performing duties outside the direction of the USMS - (ie. US Attorney's Offices and Court of Veterans Appeals, etc.). | |
| 60 | These sheets indicate total FT/Shared positions; however, to determine break time payable (for the relief officer); do all FT and Shared positions work each day? | C-5 | Personnel | All FT CSOs must work 5 days within a workweek. The shared CSOs are required to work 20 hours within the workweek. To increase their flexibility and reduce additional labor and overtime costs, the USMS recommends that all shared CSOs work 5 days within the workweek. | |
| 61 | Please clarify if the incumbent CSO and LCSO force satisfies all the requirements provided in the RFQ. | Personnel | Incumbent LCSOs and CSOs meet the requirements for their positions. However, medical exams are currently due annually and must be completed one year from the previous medical exam. | ||
| 62 | Please clarify if there is a minimum amount of inspections to be conducted per year by the Site Supervisors of all court facilities within his or her district. | Personnel | There is no minimum number of site visits required of the site supervisors. The need and frequency for site visits are determined by the USMS. | ||
| 63 | Please clarify the requirement of the SSO and LSSO positions. Please clarify Contractor’s responsibility for supplying these positions. Can the Government provide how many SSO and LSSO positions are currently being provided per Circuit? | Personnel | The LSSO and SSOs' training requirements are the same as the LCSO and CSOs' training requirements. The only difference between the two categories is the duty locations. The Contractor is responsible for staffing the LSSOs and SSOs who are operating on the USMS contract the same as the LCSOs and CSOs. Current staffing numbers will not be released at this point for security reasons. | ||
| 64 | Please clarify the Contractor’s responsibility in regards to the Interagency Agreements with the USMS in regards to staffing, contract management, invoicing, etc. | Personnel | The Contractor is responsible for providing applicants to the requesting agency to fill SSO vacancies. All other administrative duties are to be coordinated with the COTR at the respective agency's facility. | ||
| 65 | Does the Government have any preference to where the Contract Manager is to be located for each Circuit? | Personnel | No. | ||
| 66 | Section C, Page C-5, Number (3): States Site Supervisors are not subject to uniform and medical requirements. Are they subject to weapons qualification? | Personnel | Site Supervisors are not issued firearms by the USMS and are not required to meet firearms proficiency. | ||
| 67 | Is the site supervisor billable? And is the site supervisor’s overtime billable? | Personnel | The site supervisor's regular hours are billable. | ||
| 68 | Will the site supervisor be required to carry a Government-issued weapon and qualify with that weapon? | Personnel | SAME AS LINE 67 | ||
| 69 | Are the LSSOs/SSOs held to the same standards and criteria as LCSOs and CSOs (i.e., training, medical, pay, etc.)? | Personnel | LSSOs and SSOs are required to meet all qualifications and standards as LCSOs and CSOs if they are operating under the contract between the USMS and the company. | ||
| 70 | It appears that the U.S. Marshals would deputize SSOs/LSSOs under the terms of the RFP, but we want to confirm this because if they did not it would cause armed guard licensing complications. | C-4 | Personnel | The USMS will not deputize SSOs functioning under an Interagency Agreement. | |
| 71 | How many COTRS are there in each District? | Personnel | Most districts have one COTR and some have two. | ||
| 72 | Para C-10(b) If a CSO is required to perform services away from permanent assignment location for several consecutive days, will the payments made by the government include overnight lodging? (Presuming in this instance that at least 50 miles one way distance exists between permanent location and temporary assignment location) | C-10 | Post Assignments | Travel requirements shall be compensated in accordance with the Government Travel Regulations. | |
| 73 | Post Relief. Can a shared position CSO while not on duty as a CSO provide the required relief breaks (both 15 minute and lunch) for FT CSOs? (Presuming that these hours would not be billable but included in the overall billing rate as overhead hours.) | C-5 | Post Assignments | No. | |
| 74 | Do the shared CSOs perform break services as part of their normal duties? | C-5 | Post Assignments | Shared CSO positions shall only receive one paid 15-minute break when working a partial day. | |
| 75 | Para C-6(d) states that when a CSO position becomes vacant that the contractor shall transfer a CSO from an existing position to fill the vacancy. Wouldn’t this create another vacancy? Please clarify. | C-6(d) | Post Assignments | See revised Section C. | |
| 76 | Para C-8(c) If a CSO is required to work overtime assignment, request clarification on statement that payment would only occur after an employee has worked 40 hours. For example if a CSO is regularly scheduled to work 8 hours per day, M-F, and is required to work an overtime assignment on a Wednesday of 12 hours vice 8, at that point the officer would only have worked 28 hours upon completion of the assignment; if the employee then worked his normal shifts on Thursday and Friday, part of the regular Friday shift would result in the contractor paying OT. In this situation could the contractor bill the additional 4 hours? | C-8 | Post Assignments | The Government shall not reimburse at the overtime rate unless the CSO has worked a minimum of 40-hours for the week. | |
| 77 | Para H-9(a) states contractor liable during transition to pay $1895 for background investigations. In reviewing seniority lists, if the predecessor’s staffing is less at a site than the authorized/required LCSO/CSO staffing levels, are new hire background investigations to bring staffing levels to 100% going to be charged to the new contractor? | H-9 | Post Assignments | Yes, during the contract transition phase only. See Section C-28. | |
| 78 | The solicitation requires the contractor to provide ‘adequate relief and continuous coverage for all post assignments’. At the same time, the USMS dictates the number of approved positions (including shared positions) and retains authority over the processing of employee packages and medicals. Therefore, a contractor could be held to full post coverage without approved staff to cover such requirements, leaving overtime as the sole solution. Is the Government willing to allow contractors to pre-approve a small percentage of personnel so that a reserve force could be created which would speed up the process of bringing new personnel onto the contract? If not, is the Government willing to authorize overtime where new employee packages take more than 30 days for approval? | Pg C-12, sec C-5(b). | Post Assignments | No preapproved reserve forces are permitted. The Government will authorize overtime as stated in Section C-5(a)(3). | |
| 79 | Are there posts that have been or could be designated as “self-relief posts” where guards can rotate to take their lunch but still maintain the post? If so, can the Government identify these posts? | C | Post Assignments | There are no posts designated as "self-relief." | |
| 80 | Please clarify if Lead Court Security Officers and Rovers are able to provide relief to the CSO force? | C | Post Assignments | Yes. | |
| 81 | Several of the CBAs outline a shift differential to the CSO pay for those who work 3rd shift. Can the Government provide the number of personnel required to work 3rd shift at the 24/7 staffed sites? | C | Post Assignments | Three CSO's total. One CSO per 8-hour shift. | |
| 82 | Reference Section C-5 (b) – If a full-time CSO shall be paid 8 hours per day with two 15-minutes (paid) breaks and one unpaid 30-minutes meal break, this means that a full time CSO is on site 8.5 hours and of this time 30-minutes (the meal break) are unpaid. | C-5 | Post Assignments | Correct. The 30-minute meal break is unpaid. | |
| 83 | Is the additional half hour guard mount? | C-5 | Post Assignments | No. The additional 30-minutes is meal break. | |
| 84 | If so, is the additional half hour incurred all before the start of the shift or is it split in 15-minutes before & 15-minutes after the shift? | C-5 | Post Assignments | No. See #83. | |
| 85 | Please confirm that all 8 hours payable to CSOs are billable at the Base Rate. | C-5 | Post Assignments | Yes. | |
| 86 | Will LCSOs be required to be paid 8 hours per day to include two 15 minutes paid breaks and one 30 minutes unpaid meal? | C-5 | Post Assignments | Yes. | |
| 87 | If so, an LCSO is on site 8.5 hours and of this time 30-minutes are unpaid. Is the additional half hour guard mount? | C-5 | Post Assignments | No. See #83. | |
| 88 | If so, is the additional half hour incurred all before the start of the shift or is it split in 15-minutes before & 15-minutes after the shift? | C-5 | Post Assignments | No. See #83. | |
| 89 | Please confirm that the LCSO is a self relieving position (does not require to be relieved by another LCSO during his/her breaks). | C-5 | Post Assignments | Correct. | |
| 90 | Can LCSOs relieve the CSOs when they (CSOs) are on break? | C-5 | Post Assignments | Yes. | |
| 91 | Since relief must be provided during the two 15-minute breaks and the 30-minute meal break for full-time CSOs and during the one 15-minute break for Shared Position CSOs, are relief hours billable at the Base Rates or should this cost be included within the Base Rates? | C-5 | Post Assignments | See Section C-5, (b) - Post Relief | |
| 92 | Since the bidders do not have shift schedules and cannot therefore accurately estimate the number of hours by site that must be priced at shift differential rates, please provide hours by shift for all sites. If this information is not available, please indicate how bidders are to include/recover shift differential costs in their pricing. | C-5 | Post Assignments | This information is not available at this time. For evaluation purposes, night differential hours are not included in the price evaluation. For those 24 hour sites, we will make an adjustment of the labor hours for those facilities affected by the night differential. | |
| 93 | Does USMS require the contractor to have reserve force to respond to additional or emergency service requests or does it intend the shared positions to fill this role? | Post Assignments | Shared positions fill this role. Reserve forces are not permitted. | ||
| 94 | If the LCSO temporarily moves into the site supervisor position due to vacation, illness, etc., can that LCSO’s performance be billed at the site supervisor rate? | C | Post Assignments | Yes. | |
| 95 | If the CSO temporarily moves into the LCSO position due to vacation, illness, etc., can that CSO’s performance be billed at the LCSO rate? | C | Post Assignments | Yes. | |
| 96 | If the courthouse is open more than 8 hours a day, but less than 24 hours, can the contractor bill for those extra hours the LSCO works while the courthouse is open? Follow-up question: if directed for the courthouse to be open for more than 8 hours, is the contractor required to provide an LCSO? | C | Post Assignments | In non-24 hour facilities, the Government requires 1 LCSO per facility who will be paid the LCSO basic rate. The LCSO will not be paid the OT rate until the LCSO exceeds 40 hours for that work week. Follow up: No, not required to provide an LCSO. | |
| 97 | Please define a “20 hour schedule work week.” (How are the 20 hours calculated?) (Can the 20 hours be worked the first part of the week by one CSO and the second half of the week be worked by a second CSO?) | C | Post Assignments | The 20 hour work week is in reference to shared time by the CSO, and the 20 hours are to be scheduled for the flexibility of the Government to provide security coverage and not for the convenience of individual CSOs. | |
| 98 | Because of the radical change in the ratio with this required scenario, if an incumbent terminates will the Government pay all costs for personnel replacement as long as the 21-day rule for replacement personnel notification is met? | C | Post Assignments | No, the Government will not pay these costs. | |
| 99 | Given the Global War On Terrorism climate, is an individual is called to active duty will the Government pay start-up costs associated with filling a temporary CSO position if the called-up individual has been in the position for 18 months or less? | C | Post Assignments | No. | |
| 100 | Many of the CBAs provide for a shift differential for CSOs/LCSOs working evening/early morning shifts. Since the solicitation does not provide a schedule, it is currently impossible to take the shift differential into consideration when preparing our price proposal. Will the USMS please provide guidance as to the percentage of positions that are assigned to overnight duty at the facilities noted as 24 hour facilities? | C | Post Assignments | This information is not available at this time. For evaluation purposes, night differential hours are not included in the price evaluation. For those 24 hour sites, we will make an adjustment of the labor hours for those facilities affected by the night differential. | |
| 101 | Attachment 1c does not seem to reflect the new requirement of 3:1 shared time posts. Will this requirement be phased in over time as is suggested by the pricing sheets or is it required in the new contracts upon award? | 1c | Post Assignments | This will be phased in as determined by the Government. | |
| 102 | Since many CBAs include night shift differential payments, will the Government provide the number of night differential hours per site? | C | Post Assignments | This information is not available at this time. For evaluation purposes, night differential hours are not included in the price evaluation. For those 24 hour sites, we will make an adjustment of the labor hours for those facilities affected by the night differential. | |
| 103 | Can the Government provide a list of how many, if any, vacant positions there are in each circuit and their locations? | Post Assignments | No, current vacancy staffing levels is a security matter and not to be disclosed. Staffing levels are required to be met by the Contractor. The Contractor must fully staff the specified CSO positions by the official commencement date of their contract. | ||
| 104 | Are there any anticipated major expansions involving enhancements to the contract that the Government is aware of at this time that would cause a substantial change in the numbers of CSOs required? For example, are there any known program enhancements, pilot programs or districts with facilities going to 24-hour coverage? | C | Post Assignments | Offerors should only propose on the the information provided in the solicitation. | |
| 105 | What is the average time that it is currently taking to fill a vacancy following submission of a replacement candidate to the USMS and FOH for review? | C | Post Assignments | If there are no issues in either the background or medical, the average is 40 days from when the package is received. | |
| 106 | Price Summary Sheets for the various Circuits identify a number of 24 hour facilities. Many of the Collective Bargaining Agreements require a shift differential be paid on hours worked between 1800 and 0600 hours daily. There does not appear to be any information or methodology included in the Solicitation that would allow an offeror to determine the number of hours of CSO/SSO and LCSO/LSSO services that would occur between 1800 and 0600. Question: Request the Government provide the number of productive hours per facility that will be performed between 1800 and 0600, or provide sufficient information to enable the offerors to calculate these hours? | B | Post Assignments | This information is not available at this time. For evaluation purposes, night differential hours are not included in the price evaluation. For those 24 hour sites, we will make an adjustment of the labor hours for those facilities affected by the night differential. | |
| 107 | The provided CBAs list several positions not defined in the RFQ such as Senior Lead Court Security Officers; Lead Court Security Officer 1, and 2; and Court Security Officer 1, 2, and 3. Please clarify if the pay rates provided for these positions in the CBAs are to be used when calculating the bill rates for the provided cost sheets. If yes, can the USMS define these positions and provide the associated hours and posts. | Post Assignments | The Government identifies positions only as CSO, LCSO. A CBA is an agreement between the contractor and the union. Data is provided for informational purposes only. USMS does not attest to the complete accuracy of the data provided by the incumbent contractor. | ||
| 108 | Ref. CBA between Akal Security Inc. & Vermont FCOA. The CBA applies the Shift Differential between the hours of 1600 (4PM) and 0600, in the updated wage/benefit schedule, while Section 7.9 of the CBA states the shift differential is payable between 6PM & 6AM. Please confirm the Shift Differential is payable between 6PM and 6AM, and not between 4 PM and 6AM. | Post Assignments | A CBA is an agreement between the contractor and the union. Data is provided for informational purposes only. USMS does not attest to the complete accuracy of the data provided by the incumbent contractor. | ||
| 109 | Section J- Attachment 1(B) - The seniority lists show that several districts only have one LCSO. Is a CSO designated to act as an LCSO when the only LCSO available is on leave/absent? | C | Post Assignments | Yes. When an LCSO is absent, the Contractor may designate an individual or a CSO, to act as and perform the responsibilities of the LCSO. | |
| 110 | Several CBAs show wage rates that include night time differentials. In order to accurately provide a bid for each Circuit, can the Government provide a breakdown by Circuit of the shift differentials required throughout the CSO program? | H | Post Assignments | The Government is unable to provide this information at this time. | |
| 111 | Please indicate by circuit the number of positions added in the past twelve months as program enhancements? | H | Post Assignments | Offerors should only propose on the the information provided in the solicitation. | |
| 112 | It appears from review of several circuits that staffing levels are not 100%: a. During the transition period, will “start up” expenses be reimbursed? | H-9 | Start-Up | The start-up costs for existing vacancies will be provided to the contractor at the beginning of the contract term. | |
| 113 | Is contractor correct in assuming they can invoice the USMS the actual start-up costs at beginning of each term of the contract? | Start-Up | The Contractor may invoice the USMS for start-up costs as costs are incurred. | ||
| 114 | Will the government please provide the average turnover of positions filled for less than 18 months for which the contractor was liable for the start-up costs (as described in SOW C-6(b)(1)) for the last five years for each circuit individually? | Start-Up | The Government does not maintain records of the number of applicants whose start-up costs are borne by the Contractor. | ||
| 115 | Who conducts CSO Orientation (Phase 1) on the site? Is it the government or the contractor? C-20(a). | C | Training | The Government. | |
| 116 | Para C-13 discusses training. It appears that graduation from a law enforcement academy or equivalent is sufficient new hire training; however, is the contractor also required to provide initial training for forms usage, initial weapons qualification, post orders, etc? If provided would this training be billable under annual training? | C-13 | Training | Yes, the Contractor is required to provide initial weapons qualification. Costs are part of annual start-up costs. | |
| 117 | Is the above training (forms/post orders) covered in Phase 1 training? | C-13 | Training | No. This is part of the initial On-the-Job training provided by the contractor . | |
| 118 | Page 24 para C-13 addresses training; it mentions that the contractor is reimbursed at the contract hourly rate for training time for the 8 hour refresher training period; for new hires, is an initial firearms qualification test administered and is the time (and how much time) is permitted for this qualification and is it a reimbursable item? | C-13 | Training | Yes, all CSOs must pass weapons qualification. Costs are part of the annual start-up costs. | |
| 119 | Minimum CSO Training Standards are described in Section C-13 of the RFP. However, requirements for CSO Basic Training are not provided. What are the training topics, duration, frequency, and location(s) for the CSO Basic Training requirement? | C-13 | Training | There is no CSO basic training. Phase I is provided by the government at the local level, Phase II Orientation is provided by the government at Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), and the 8 hour annual training is provided by the Contractor. | |
| 120 | Para C-20 discusses mandatory attendance at District Orientation and CSO Orientation. Phase 2 hours are reimbursable, however, no mention of reimbursement for Phase 1 is provided in the RFP. Is Phase 1 reimbursable? | C-20(b) | Training | Training hours are billable. No over-time costs are billable. | |
| 121 | If not, how many hours are in Phase 1? | C-20 | Training | Minimum of 2 1/2 hours. | |
| 122 | Please confirm that incumbent CSOs will not be required to attend the mandatory In-District Orientation and USMS CSO Orientation. | C-20 (b), In-District Orientation (Phase I) | Training | Incumbent CSOs may be required to attend Phase I and Phase II Orientation at the discretion of the government. |
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