Attachment_A_Compiliation_of_questions_received_by_Feb_11_2013_Final1.pdf

DOC52PAPT1200047

QUESTIONS RECEIVED BY FEBRUARY 11, 2013 NO LATER THAN 5 P.M. LOCAL

TIME OF THE CONTRACTING OFFICER

ATTACHMENT A

1. Can you provide me with the due date for the proposal response for solicitation

DOC52PAPT1200047 that was posted on FBO on 2/1/2013?

Ans: Amendment 0002 posted February 22, 2013 extended the proposal due date from March 4, 2013 no later than (NLT) 2 PM to March 21, 2013 NLT 2 PM local time of the Contracting

Officer. To provide review time of Q&As, Amendment 0003 is extending the due date for proposals to Thursday, March 28, 2013 NLT 2 PM local time of the Contracting Officer, Alexandria VA.

2. Will there be a site visit for this opportunity?

Ans: No, there will be no site visit. In lieu of a site visit, please see the link provided in Section

L.5 “Video of Work Processes”. A link providing an updated video with a closed caption feature was provided per Amendment 0001 on February 12, 2013.

3. What would be the due time (HH:SS) to submit our proposal?

Ans: Proposals should be submitted no later than 2:00 P.M. local time of the Contracting

Officer, located in Alexandria, VA. Please see answer to Question #1.

4. Will there be a site visit for this opportunity?

Ans: See answer to Question #2.

5. Schedule B. What are the corresponding hours for the activities identified? CLIN 5 – are the estimated annual hours provided for each labor category?

Ans: The hours of operations will correspond to the needs of the office. It may change over the course of this contract. See revised Section B incorporated by Amendment 0003. See revised

RFP.

6. C.2.2 Copying. What equipment and material is the contractor expected to provide?

Ans: Offerors are responsible for all costs associated with contractor furnished equipment (i.e.

toner cartridges, paper, equipment maintenance etc.). In addition, Offerors are to provide any office supplies that are necessary for the completion of §C.2.2 with the exception of mailing envelopes, labels, and folders that will be provided by the Government. The Government will also be responsible for costs associated with government furnished equipment.

7. L.4 – Inquiries. Following the link provided to the USPTO site, I don’t’ see a place for answers to questions. If you click on the POSS solicitation on the USPTO site, it takes you back to FBO. Where on the USPTO site will the answers to questions be posted?

Ans: Answers to questions will be posted to http://www.uspto.gov/about/vendor_info/current_acquisitions/index.jsp as stated in the last paragraph under Section L.15.1 “Proposal Submission” which state that all changes, questions, and answers will be posted to this location. Answers will also be posted as an amendment in the

Federal Business Opportunities under the subject solicitation. See Amendment 0003.

8. L.8 – Joint Venture Proposals. What’s the rationale for not accepting JV Proposals? In doing so, you are eliminating those Small Businesses that have SBA approved Mentor

Protégé agreements and the corresponding JV’s in place.

Ans: The USPTO has determined that joint venture contractor arrangements are not in the best interest of the Government. Offerors are encouraged to seek teaming opportunities and therefore, does not limit competition.

9. L.5 – Video of Work Processes. The video appears to be defective. The audio is garbled – can’t understand most of it.

Ans: Based on several reviews of the associated video, no defects have been detected. However, it has been updated with a version that contains “closed caption” by Amendment 0001.

10. Attachment 7 - Please provide the quantities to be provided for the GFE items listed.

Ans: The quantities of furnished GFE will be based on the successful offeror’s proposal and solution. The government will provide the amount of GFE necessary to perform the requirement in this solicitation.

11. Also, is there an automated mail processing (sorting, postage applying, etc…) capability for inbound/outbound mail? If so, what brand/model machines (s) are there?

Ans: There is no automated mail processing system in place. Currently, the work is performed manually. Postage is not applicable to this solicitation.

12. Are there any security screening or scanning requirements for the mail?

Ans: The Mail Center contract is responsible for mail safety. Security screening or scanning is not applicable to this Solicitation.

13. Reference CLIN1

a. There is no quantity for Reference Refilling. Please provide volumes for this task.

Ans: The anticipated volume is zero. If the need arises, the work will need to be done under

CLIN1 at the same pricing as File Maintenance.

http://www.uspto.gov/about/vendor_info/current_acquisitions/index.jsp

b. What services in this CLIN apply to the Unit Price Staff Hour line and which labor category should we use to compute the hourly rate to be entered here?

Ans: The CLIN should be priced per document not Staff Hour. A revised Section B is incorporated by Amendment 0003. See revised RFP.

14. Reference CLIN3

a. No volume information is provided for incoming mail? Please provide volume for incoming mail.

Ans: 360,000 is an estimated yearly volume for incoming mail for CLIN3. Please see revised

Section B incorporated by Amendment 0003. See revised RFP.

b. No hours are provided for the Staff Hours unit, which labor category should we use to compute the hourly rate to be entered here? Please provide hours and labor category.

Ans: See answer to Question 13B.

15. Reference CLIN5

a. Why are the estimated annual hours shown as 2,080 since the maximum hours that can be worked taken into considering holidays is only 2,000 hours per year?

Ans: The staff hours and labor categories under CLIN 5 are revised taking into consideration holidays identified in Section F.2 of the RFP. The hours and labor categories provided are for informational purposes only and the offerors should take into consideration such things as holidays, government’s closing, etc. See revised Section B incorporated by Amendment 0003.

See revised RFP.

b. No quantities are provided for labor categories. Since this support is provided “as required” are we just to provide an hourly rate for these labor categories?

Ans: Yes, offerors are to provide an hourly rate per year for each proposed labor category.

c. It would be helpful to know what the historical usage of this labor has been as well.

Please provide this information.

Ans: The requirement has been revised from the current incumbent’s contract and may be subject to further change based on fluctuations in usage by the USPTO. By “historical usage,” if you are referring to the labor rates used by the incumbent contractor during the period of performance of the contract, this is considered information that is proprietary to the incumbent contractor.

d. Typist I and II are no longer in the DOL wage directory, should we substitute Word

Processors? Please provide desired labor categories to be used in place of Typist I and II.

Ans: It is the responsibility of each offeror to determine the labor category necessary in meeting the contract requirement. FAR Clause 52.222-42 “Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal

Hires” is included in the solicitation for information purpose only. It identifies the classes of service employees expected to be employed under the contract if they were employed by the contracting agency.

e. Should the Data Entry Clerk proposed be a Level I or Level II?

Ans: Please see answer to Question 15D.

f. Should a labor category be included for a Driver and General Clerk I?

Ans: It is the responsibility of each offerors to determine the necessary labor category.

g. How are Supervisors billed under this CLIN?

Ans: Supervisors should be billed under CLIN 13 Project Management Staff – Patents.

h. Is the contractor limited to these labor categories or may we propose alternatives?

Ans: Yes, you may propose alternatives. Also, see answer to Question #14D.

i. Is there ever a requirement to work overtime in this CLIN?

Ans: In regards to CLIN 0005, there is no overtime. However, the office hours varies per

Business Unit from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hours are subject to change based on the needs of the business areas without prior notification. It is the responsibility of the offeror to provide sufficient staff to cover the hours needed by each Business Unit.

16. Reference CLIN6a and SOW C.2.6.1.

a. Only 2,080 hours are specified here however the SOW requires the Customer Service Window to be staffed daily from 8:30am until midnight? Please provided direction concerning this SOW and labor requirement.

Ans: It will be the offerors’ responsibility to propose the number of hours to cover the 8:30 a.m.

until midnight hours as reference to CLIN6a. This CLIN has been revised to include suggested hours and labor categories. Also, see answer to Question #15a.

17. Reference CLIN 10

a. Are we to provide a price per application or a price per Staff Hour?

Ans: CLIN 10 is to be priced per application. Please see revised Section B provided under

Amendment 0003.

18. Reference CLIN 12

a. No quantity is provided.

Ans: This is to be fixed priced on a monthly basis. Please refer to Section C.2.12 “Courier

Support”.

b. Is the driver’s labor cost to be included in this CLIN?

Ans: CLIN 12 should include all cost associated with Courier Support.

19. Reference CLIN 13:

a. No quantity is provided. Please provide a quantity.

Ans: This is to be fixed priced on a monthly basis. Please refer to Section C.2.13 “Project

Management”.

20. Reference SOW page 7, C.2. A reference is made to conducting “legal” reviews of patent contents. Can you expand on what type of legal reviews are required and the qualifications of staff members needed for this service?

Ans: Offerors are to refer to Attachment 3 – Formality Review Manual on the legal review of patent contents. It is the offeror’s responsibility to determine the performance of C.2.

21. Also reference page 52, section I.8 shows employee classes for Legal Examiners and

Legal Document Review Clerks?

Ans: Section I.8 52.222-42 Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires provides labor categories and proposed wages as it relates to the Federal Government. However, this information as stated is for Information Purposes Only. Also, see answer to 15d.

22. Reference CLIN1, SOW Page 9, C.2.1 (f) and (k). Please confirm the contractor is compensated for housekeeping and maintenance of the search rooms based upon the Staff

Hour rate provided in the Schedule B.

Ans: CLIN 1 is to be priced per document. Offerors are asked to submit a firm fixed-price proposal that encompasses all associated costs and performance risks.

23. General. Please provide the physical address of all buildings and the floor number of mail stops serviced by this contract. This information is needed to determine the mileage and delivery schedules.

Ans: Please see the attached hyper link for physical addresses for USPTO Alexandria

Headquarters http://ptoweb.uspto.gov/oas/resources/buildings.htm

Randolph Square Building (Shirlington) in Arlington, VA http://ptoweb.uspto.gov/oas/resources/buildings.htm

2800 South Randolph Street

Arlington, VA 22206

24. General: Can you also furnish a copy of the existing messenger schedules?

Ans: No, however, please refer to Section C.2.3 for deliveries and pickups.

25. Reference CLIN2, SOW C.2.2. How many copy machines is the contractor required to furnish?

Ans: Section B provided estimated quantities and Section C provided turnaround times. Offeror should propose equipment and materials to fulfill the requirements based upon meeting the performance metrics. Proposed equipment and material is the responsibility of the offeror.

26. What is the size of the area provided to the contractor to establish the copy center needed to support this contract?

Ans: The current space is approximately 1800 s/f. The length of the wall space for the copier is

16 ft x 7 in. To prevent violation of any fire codes and 508 Compliance, the depth of the copier space is 6 ft x 3 in. Also, see answer to Question 25.

27. Reference CLIN3, SOW page 14-15, C.2.3.

a. Are there specific delivery times established for these messenger deliveries?

Ans: No, there are no specific times. Pickup should occur once in the morning and once in the afternoon in accordance with Section C, CLIN C.2.3. It is the responsibility of the offeror to determine pickup times.

b. Is free parking available at each of the specified locations?

Ans: Currently, free parking is provided in the garage at the Randolph Square Building

(Shirlington) in Arlington, VA. However, this is subject to change without notice. Free parking is not available at the USPTO Alexandria Headquarter. Parking is the responsibility of the offeror. Parking for employees who official duty station is USPTO Alexandria Headquarters is considered “commuting expense” and can’t be charged as an Other Direct Cost (ODC).

However, if it is offered as a benefit, it must be included in the offeror’s overhead. If the free parking at the Randolph Square Building is discontinued, this could not be charged as an ODC as well.

28. Reference CLIN3, SOW page 14-15, C.2.3. Should messenger service be priced under

CLIN12?

Ans: No. It should be priced under CLIN 3.

29. Reference CLIN5, SOW page 19-20, C.2.5. It is unclear what services provided here may also be provided under other CLINs, for example mail processing described here is also provided for in CLIN3 and CLIN6.

Ans: We do not understand your question. If you are referring to overlapping of duties, CLINs

3, 5, and 6 are separate tasks.

30. Can you provide the estimated or historical number of hours worked by each labor category?

Ans: See answer to Question #15c.

31. Reference CLIN 12, SOW page 32, C.2.12.

a. How many and what size of vehicles are required?

Ans: The proposed number and size of the vehicles for use is the responsibility of the offeror.

b. Is free overnight parking available for all contractor required vehicles?

Ans: Currently overnight parking is available at Randolph Square Building (Shirlington)

Arlington, VA which is subject to change without notice. Parking is the responsibility of the offeror. Also, see answer to #27b.

32. Reference CLIN13, SOW page 32-33, C.2.13. It is unclear if the Supervisory staff other than the Project Manager and Operations manager is to be included in CLIN 13 or

CLIN5? Please clarify.

Ans: Please see answer to Question #15g.

33. Reference Section L, page 81, third paragraph. If a contractor is not able to submit five relevant references and provides the certification specified here, how will this impact their evaluation? Please confirm this will not be cause to reject the offer.

Ans: Under Section L.15.4 “Past Performance”, top of page 82, last sentence states “Those offerors who have NO past performance history will be given a Past Performance rating of neutral.

34. I am interested in the above solicitation. Could you please tell me the closing date and time?

Ans: Please see answer to Questions 1 & 3.

35. I went through the online profile for this opportunity and through the scope of work and I was unable to locate a confirmed deadline for response submission. Can you assist me with a due date?

Ans: Please see answer to Question 1.

36. I was wondering if the dates in the proposal Section L.10 were just for planning?

Ans: No, this is the final solicitation as stated in the description box in FedBizOpps.

37. Seek clarification for the submission of past performance references for proposed subcontractors and whether those references may be included in the required five references.

Ans: Of the five past performance references to be submitted, at least two (2) of the five (5) required past performance contract references must be from the offeror in the capacity of a prime contractor. Submission of past performance references for subcontractors may be submitted by an offeror who performed in the capacity of a subcontractor or by an offeror’s proposed teaming partner. If offeor is submitting past performance from subcontractors, a signed teaming agreement must be submitted. See Section L.15.4.

38. This requirement is difficult for small businesses to meet while still qualifying as a small business, which may severely limit the field of competition.

Ans: Section L.15.4 requests that past performance references be for contracts whose value is equal to or greater than $1,000,000 per year over the life of the contract. A threshold of $1 million or more per year is substantially lower than the estimated contract life of Patent Office

Support Services (POSS) procurement and reasonable in relation to this being a total small business set aside. Section L.15.4 also states “This evidence shall consist of a description and list of five (5) contract references (see paragraph a.2 below) within a three (3) year period from release date of the Request for Proposal that meet the currency and relevancy criteria as described below. For all references, contracts’ value must be at $1,000,000 or more per year over the life of the contract. References provided shall pertain to the proposing corporate organization (prime contractor).”

39. Section C.2.1 FILE MAINTENANCE, Page 10, Artifact Files: …”The Contractor receives reports that list the applications in the OIPE File room that are in status 20 or higher and that need to be pulled and sent to the TC file room or the Files Repository”.

Question: Where does the reports to be received by the Contractor originate from? Are they generated automatically and sent to the Project Manager via email or through the

PALM system?

Ans: The reports are located on the USPTO Intranet. Contractor will have access to those reports upon award.

40. Section, C.2.2 COPYING, Page 12, Technology Center Copying: …”The Contractor is to provide the equipment and material to make these copies”.

a. Question: Please provide a listing of the copiers that are currently in use on this contract, including the make, model number, and current location within each USPTO facility.

Ans: Copying is performed in the Remsen Building. Any equipment provided by the incumbent may be considered proprietary information to the incumbent’s solution. Also, see answers to

Questions #6, #25, #26.

b. Question: Please provide data on the total page count copied annually as well as the total number of pages copied (impressions). This information will be critical to ensure that the duplication technology is properly sized for the work load to be processed.

Ans: No historical data is available by page count. Please refer to Section B.2.

41. Section C.2.3 DOCUMENT RECEIPT AND MAIL, Page 14,

a. Question: At what times during the day does mail get delivered to the TC Mailroom in the Remsen Building Concourse level?

Ans: The approximate pickup and delivery times are between 10 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Mail pick-up and delivery is performed by a separate vendor. These times are subject to change.

b. Question: At what time does the mail dispatch to the USPS in the afternoon? In other words, what time does the USPS pick up the mail every afternoon?

Ans: See answer to 41a. Mail pick-up and delivery is performed by a separate vendor.

42. Section C.2.3 DOCUMENT RECEIPT AND MAIL, Page 14,

a. Question: What is the volume of incoming and outgoing mail that is handled under this contract on an annual basis?

Ans: See answer to Question #15. For the estimated quantities of incoming mail under this requirement, please see answer to Question 14. Also, see Section B for the estimated quantities for outgoing mail. Please see Amendment 0003 for the incorporation of revised Section B.

b. Question: Is incoming mail subject to accountable mail tracking (as appropriate) through the use of any automated barcoding technology?

Ans: No, this is not applicable to this requirement. This is a function of the mail center contract.

c. Question: How is the incoming mail sorted – manually or through the use of automated sorting technology?

Ans: See answer to Question 11.

43. Section C.2.4 PRINT WORKING FILE, Page 19, (b) “The Contractor may be required to deliver the shredding bins to a designated location when pickup by the shredding contractor if scheduled”.

Questions:

a. Are these bins wheeled or will a hand truck be required?

Ans: The shredding bins are wheeled and provided under a separate contract.

b. Will the USPTO provide the hand truck if needed?

Ans: Currently, hand trucks are not needed. However, if the need arises, USPTO will provide hand trucks. See answer to Question #43a.

c. How often does the

Ans: We are unable to answer. This is an incomplete question.

44. Section C.2.6 INCOMING MAIL PROCESSING, Page 20, (c) “Several times each workday, mail is delivered to the OPAP open/sort area by the USPTO mail center”.

Question: Please provide the mail delivery schedule (times throughout each day).

Ans: Mail is delivered to OPAP Open/Sort once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Mail delivery time varies. Please see the answer to 41b.

45. Section C.2.7 FEE COLLECTION, Page 23, (2) “At the end of each workday, the contractor is required to generate from RAM a printout of that day’s work which will be used to reconcile that day’s transactions.”

a. Question: When the contractor is entering the various payment information from each application, does the system immediately perform the associated financial transaction such as charge the credit card or complete the ACH transfer or is there another process that is required to be handled by the contractor for the funds to be deposited into the USPTO account? If so, please explain.

Ans: Please refer to Attachment 1 of the solicitation – Ram Fee Document on the processing of all financial transactions.

b. Question: How are check payments handled?

Ans: See answer to Question 45a.

c. Does the contractor prepare deposits, endorse the backs with a stamp?

d. How are these handled?

46. Section C.2.9 PCT 371 NATIONAL STAGE DATA ENTRY AND MAILING, Page 29,

(a) “The government will complete the inspection within two (2) business days. If the government does not complete the inspection within two (2) business days, the contrator should initiate creation of the official notice.”

Question: How often does the government fail to complete the required task within the 2 day window?

Ans: We have never failed to complete inspection with 2 business days. However, we have already implemented the alternative process for inspection in accordance with Section C.2.9.B.

47. Section, C.2.12 COURIER SUPPORT, Page 32,

a. Question: What are the types of vehicles are currently used to support this contract?

Please provide make and model number of each vehicle?

Ans: These vehicles are provided by the incumbent contractor. This information is unavailable and it may be considered proprietary to the incumbent contractor’s solution. Also, see answer to

Question #31.

b. Question: How much mileage is accumulated on an annual basis, per vehicle (make and model)?

Ans: Vehicles are provided by the incumbent contractor, and this information is not available to the government.

c. Question: Is parking provided for each contractor provided vehicle free of charge and at what location?

Ans: See answers to Questions #27 and #31B.

48. Section PALM System, Page Various, At several places throughout the document there are references made to “if the PALM system is not available” or “for possible PALM problems”. Please provide an explanation of the nature of the system failures, the frequency in which they occur, the average amount of downtime that occurs during each outage, etc.

Ans: PALM System downtime during USPTO operational hours is unusual. PALM is not tracked as a separate system but does provide critical services to many USPTO critical systems that are tracked. Critical system availability was 99.16% in 2012.

49. Attachment 7, GFE Listing:

a. Please expand upon this listing to provide make, model number, and location of each provided equipment unit.

Ans: See answer to Question #10.

b. Are mail carts provided?

Ans: Yes.

50. Reference: RFP Section B, CLIN 1, RFP Section C.2.1 Artifact Files (a) - File

Maintenance, and Attachment 7 – Government Furnished Equipment

“Each Artifact File contains a machine readable bar code label containing the application serial number and the appropriate alpha suffixes.”

Question: Are the label printers listed in Attachment 7 bar code label printers?

Justification: To support a clear, concise understanding of the POSS Requirements.

51. Reference: RFP Section B, CLIN 1, RFP Section C.2.1 Artifact Files (a) - File

Maintenance, and Attachment 7 – Government Furnished Equipment

“Each Artifact File contains a machine readable bar code label containing the application serial number and the appropriate alpha suffixes.”

Question: Does the government supply bar code readers?

52. Reference: RFP Section B, CLIN 2 and RFP Section C.2.2 Copying

“The Government will provide space in the Remsen building at USPTO's Alexandria campus for contractor personnel and equipment in support of this requirement.”

Question: Does the government also require high volume printing in the Shirlington, VA location?

Ans: No.

53. Reference: RFP Section B, CLIN 3 and RFP Section C.2.3 Document Receipt and Mail

“The contractor shall sort all incoming mail, deliver it to designated locations, and place it in the appropriate mail boxes or other areas.”

Question: Is the contractor required to supply the “mail carts and dollies” to facilitate this?

Ans: See answers to Question #43b and #49b.

54. Reference: RFP Section B Fee Collection, CLINs 7a and 7b; C.2.7(b) - Other

“As appropriate, the contractor will back out previously paid fees and/or will process refunds to applicants or their attorneys, agents and/or representatives.”

A. Question: The Government indicates that on CLIN 7b there is a refund process. On

CLIN 7a the government indicates there are zero refunds processed. Will the government confirm that on CLIN 7a there are not expected any refunds to be processed?

Ans: Refunds will be processed under CLIN 7b.

55. Reference: RFP Section B, CLIN 8 and RFP Section C.2.8 - Formality Review

“The Office plans to move to a text based application processing system. One (1) goal of the system is to automate as much of the formalities review process as practical. During the life of the contract, the application format, software, and procedures used for formalities review may change significantly.”

A. Question: We request that the Government provide any type of estimated timelines for planning purposes.

Ans: The government will provide adequate lead time before implementing any new application system or change in requirement for this process.

56. Reference: RFP Section B, CLIN 8 and RFP Section C.2.8 - Formality Review

“The contractor will review the documents for correct signature, title, application number, and proper language. The contractor will record authorizations in PALM and send notices for defective requests.

The USPTO may add additional patent offices to this document sharing arrangement.

The contractor will review and process responses to notices and various other correspondence. If the application fails to meet the requirements within required time periods, the contractor will process the abandonment or termination of the application.”

Question: Will the government provide historical data or government estimates on the quantity of applications annually reviewed by the formality review section?

Justification: The government states that the contractor will review applications for completeness and compliance. Schedule B CLIN 8 shows zero estimated quantity of applications.

Ans: Please see answer to Question #15c. CLIN 8a of Section B is revised and the change is incorporated by Amendment 0003. See revised RFP.

57. Reference: RFP Section C.2.8(e) - Formality Review

“The Office expects increased participation in the electronic notification process so the volume of work mailed in paper may decline over the life of the contract. The USPTO may change the mailing processes and integrate this mailing into an automated centralized mailing system that would allow the Office to obtain discounts on postage and other benefits.”

Question: Will the Government provide more details regarding the planning of this move such as timelines, estimated changes in quantities and volumes of mail?

Ans: The government will provide adequate lead time for changes in the process or before implementing any new work requirement under this Solicitation.

58. Reference: RFP Section C.2.8.1(a) - Initial Formality Review of New Utility, Plant, Reissue or Re-Examination Design, and Provisional Applications

“The government currently processes reissue and re-examination applications but may turn this work over to the contractor during the life of this contract.”

Question: Will the Government provide more details regarding the planning of this move such as timelines, estimated changes in quantities, and estimated areas of reduction/increase?

Ans: See answer to Question 57.

59. Reference: RFP Section B, CLIN 11, RFP Section C.2.11 PCT Printing and Mailing, and Attachment 5.b Sequence Listing CD Burning

“The contractor will also make electronic copies (e.g. CD) for some international organizations or for certain electronic files such as biological sequence listings

(Attachment 5.2).”

Question: Does the government supply blank CDs?

60. Reference: RFP Section B Courier Support, CLIN 12 and Section C.2.12 – Courier

Support

“To support file retrieval and delivery and movement of other documents and fees, the contractor must provide courier service between the USPTO buildings in Shirlington and Alexandria, this may include adding delivery locations near the USPTO campus, but not in USPTO leased space. The courier service will have unlimited pickups and deliveries and must occur at each location a minimum of once each morning and once each afternoon. Other pickups/deliveries must occur as needed to meet the requirements of this statement of work. Additional times and/or USPTO locations may be requested by the COTR.”

Question: The Government indicates that the contractor must provide courier service between USPTO building in Shirlington and Alexandra, and this may include addition locations near USPTO. The Government also states that this will have unlimited pickup and deliveries, as well as the “as needed” aspect. However, Schedule B indicates zero quantities’ of actions on this CLIN. Will the government provide historical data on courier support activity for assessment by bidders?

Ans: This service is being provided by the incumbent contractor as stated in the requirement above and the data is not required under the current contract nor is the data available to us. This information may be considered proprietary by the incumbent.

61. Reference: RFP Section B, CLIN 13 and RFP Section C.2.13(b) Project Management

“The Project Manager and Operations Manager shall be the primary point of contact for the Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR).”

a. Question: Will the Project Manager, Operations Manager, and support staff be provided on-site offices?

Ans: All direct charged personnel under this requirement shall receive office space with the exception of the courier. We are not providing space for overhead support personnel, etc.

62. Reference: RFP Section B – CLIN 14 – Transition Costs; and RFP Section F.3 – Period of Performance

“F.3 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

Base Period: July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2014

Option Period 1: July 1, 2014 – June 30, 2015

Option Period 2: July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016

Option Period 3: July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017

Option Period 4: July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018”

A. Question: Will the Government please define an expected duration for the Transition

Period.

Justification: The Government has provided a CLIN for Transition Costs (CLIN 14) but in the Performance Periods, presented in RFP Paragraph F.3, there is no indication of the

Government's expected length of the Transition Period.

Ans: The Government estimates a 30 to 45 day transition period. However, it the offeror’s responsibility to propose the amount of time needed for transition.

63. Reference: RFP Section C.2.3(s) Document Receipt and Mail

“The contractor is required to plan his work to account for possible PALM problems and to accomplish required turnaround times despite high volumes of work normally encountered just before and immediately after "count Monday." Note: See Attachment 6 for definition “count Monday.”

A. Question: This requirement implies that PALM problems will regularly occur during execution of this contract. The Government asks the contractor to plan around these unplanned possible down times despite high volumes. Will the Government provide metrics on historical PALM outages to allow for requested forward planning?

Justification: To support a clear understanding of the size and complexity of this effort.

Ans: See answer to Question 48.

64. Reference: RFP Section C.2.5(a) General Support

“Receptionists will work 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.”

A. Question: The Solicitation Schedule B only indicates a minimal – one man year – amount of assessed hours. Will the government please provide more granularity regarding the contractor place of work, type of work, and quantity of work based on government collected historical data?

Justification: To support a clear understanding of labor resource requirements.

Ans: See answer to Question 5. Type, place, and quantity of work are based upon each organization listed under Section C.2.5(a) and (b).

65. Reference: RFP Section C.2.6 (b) Incoming Mail Processing

“The contractor shall retrieve and process documents printed on the fax printing government furnished equipment.”

A. Question: The Government state that the fax printing equipment related to this CLIN is

Government Furnished Equipment (GFE). The government fails to address if the paper and toner cartridges for this equipment are GSF or contractor provided. Will the government clarify if the toner and paper for the fax printers under this CLIN are GSF or contractor provided?

Justification: To support a clear understanding of contractor-required equipment and supplies.

Ans: The USPTO provides toner and paper for all GFE.

66. Reference: RFP Section C.2.6(d) Incoming Mail Processing

“The contractor will identify specific types of computer media containing Computer

Readable Form (CRF) of biotechnological sequences listings in new applications and follow-on documents and deliver them to the (CRF) processing staff. The contractor should keep a log recording the application number, effective receipt date, and date delivered to the CRF processing staff. In the future, the government plans to load additional types of documents to USPTO systems instead of creating artifact files. The contractor may receive new procedures to identify and direct such electronic media or load them to a USPTO system. The contractor will identify and load CRF files on CD for PCT applications into the POWER system prior to forwarding to the CRF processing staff.”

A. Question: The Government describes the process of dealing with specific type of computer media related to the applications and follow-on documents. Will the Government provide (1) historical information concerning the quantity of items and the resultant creation of Artifact files; and (2) information on when during the life of the contract the artifact file creation will be reduced?

Ans: See answers to Questions #15c and #55.

67. Reference: RFP Sections C.2.7 – Fee Collection: Other

“C.2.7 FEE COLLECTION (CLIN 7: Base year, Option Year 1, Option Year 2, Option Year 3, and Option Year 4).

(a) New Applications

b. Other (CLIN 7b: Base Year, Option Year 1, Option Year 2, Option Year 3, and

Option Year 4)”

A. Question: The RFP appears to have a change in paragraph numbering at this point. In addition, the “Other” paragraph notes that it is CLIN 7b. We note that although Section B does contain a CLIN 7a, it is not reflected in the SOW language. Will the government review the C.2.7 requirement to ensure correct paragraph numbering, as well as confirm the accuracy of CLIN numbering for the “Other” paragraph?

Justification: Supports justification of costing reasonableness and completeness

Ans: Section C.2.7 is renumbered and the change is incorporated by Amendment 0003. See

Revised RFP.

68. Reference: RFP Section C.2.7(a) New Applications and RFP Section C.2.7(b) Other

“The contractor will utilize personal computers to post application fees to the RAM financial system.”

“As required by the Government, the contractor will utilize government provided personal computers to post to the RAM financial system various fees received in the USPTO and not associated with the initial receipt and processing of a patent application (e.g., petition fees, extension of time fees, issue fees).

A. Question: We request that the Government clarify the definitions of (1) personal computer; and (2) Government provided personal computer, and indicate whether this equipment is considered GFE?

Ans: The terms personal computer and Government provided personal computer are interchangeable. This is GFE. This change has been incorporated by Amendment 0003. See revised RFP.

69. Reference: RFP Sections C.2.13(c) and C.2.13(d) – Project Management

“The contractor shall provide a management structure that may include managers, supervisors, and team leads sufficient to supervise and lead the production personnel.

The production management personnel shall be on-site during the day-time business hours worked by their personnel. Contractor personnel working under the general clerical support CLIN will typically receive day-to-day direction from an authorized government representative.”

“The contractor’s management team will be responsible for measuring quality and timeliness and ensuring that the production timeliness and quality requirements are met. The management team will be responsible for workflow and responding to government requests to process work.”

A. Question: To clarify project management roles and responsibilities, would the

Government consider changing the last sentence in paragraph C.2.9(c) as follows:

“Contractor personnel working under the General Clerical Support CLIN (CLIN 5) will typically receive day-to-day guidance from an authorized government representative after coordination with the contractor management team.”

Justification: Normally under Service Contracts the Government does not provide contractor supervision. The wording in requirement C.2.9(c) indicates that the

Government will provide such direction without coordination with contractor management, team leads, etc. Then, in requirement C.2.9(d), the contractor management team is held responsible for timeliness, quality and workflow but may not have insight into

CLIN 5 (general clerical support) priorities because the Government is providing direction.

Ans: The change has been incorporated by Amendment 0003. See revised RFP.

70. Reference: RFP Section I.6 and I.6 – Contract Clauses

“L.6 52.217-8 OPTION TO EXTEND SERVICES (Nov 1999)

L.7 52.217-9 OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT (Mar 2000)”

A. Question: These clauses should be I.6 and I.7

Justification: To verify a clear understanding of the Contract Clauses.

Ans: Yes, clauses 52.217-8 and 52.217-9 should be I.6 and I.7 respectively. The revision is incorporated by Amendment 0003. Please see revised RFP.

71. Reference: RFP Section H.4.(d) INSURANCE COVERAGE - “Aircraft Public and

Passenger Liability

“When aircraft are used in connection with performing the contract, the Contractor shall have aircraft public and passenger liability insurance. Coverage shall be at least $200,000 per person and $500,000 per occurrence for bodily injury, other than passenger liability, and $200,000 per occurrence for property damage. Coverage for passenger liability bodily injury shall be at least $200,000 multiplied by the number of seats or passengers, whichever is greater.”

A. Question: This requirement implies that the Contractor is required to operate aircraft and ferry passengers. Will the Government consider changing this clause to be required only when Commercial Air Transportation is used?

Justification: To verify a clear understanding of the Insurance Requirements.

Ans: This is standard insurance clause and applies when applicable. See Far Clause 28.307-2.

This clause will not be changed.

72. Reference: RFP Section L.15.2 – General Instructions for the Preparation of Proposals, Third Sentence

“The type for all documents submitted (excluding charts and graphs which may be submitted as foldouts to the proposal) shall be black, shall not exceed 12 characters per linear inch or exceed 6 (six) lines per vertical inch and shall be at least ten (10) point.”

A. Question: Please clarify this statement regarding the use of color in graphic illustrations, including logos.

Justification: Color graphics usually help to ‘break-up’ the text for aesthetics.

Ans: Black or color graphic illustrations may be used. This change has been incorporated by

Amendment 0003. Please see revised RFP.

73. Reference: RFP Section L.15.2 – General Instructions for the Preparation of Proposals

A. Question: Understanding that our response consists of two (2) Volumes, will the

Government consider providing Titles for the Volumes, such as Volume 1 – Technical

Proposal and Volume 2 – Price Proposal?

Justification: This addition will support our proposal development process

Ans: Paragraph L.15.2 adequately describes the format for the volumes. Offerors may label volume 1 as “Volume 1 – Technical Proposal” and volume 2 as “Volume 2 – Price Proposal.”

74. Reference: RFP Section L.15.2 – General Instructions for the Preparation of Proposals

“Volume 2: (1 original and three (3) copies; two (2) CD ROM copies in Microsoft Excel)

- Price Proposal - A completed Section B of the RFP, entitled Supplies/ Services and

Prices”, with supporting detail

- A signed RFP cover page, along with signed cover pages of all Amendments to the

RFP

- A completed Section K “Representations and Certifications” or reference that current reps and certs are on Systems Award Management System (SAMS) (a component of the proposal)””

a. Question: Since the signed RFP Cover Page, along with the RFP Amendments will require signatures of the corporation, will the Government consider allowing us to submit these documents in .pdf format?

Justification: To support corporate security of officers’ signatures who may commit the company.

Ans: .pdf format is acceptable for the CD ROM contents. However, the price proposal is required in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. However, original signatures are needed for all hardcopies. This change has been incorporated by Amendment 0003. See revised RFP.

75. Reference: RFP Section L.15.3.5 Key Personnel

“Each resume should be accompanied by a letter of commitment letter shall not exceed 3 pages”

a. Question: Is the Letter of Commitment included in the three (3) page count for each

Key Personnel resumes?

Justification: Assure compliance with page limitations.

76. Reference: RFP Section B – CLINS 5 and 6a

A. Question: We ask that the Government consider changing the guidance in Section B associated with the two referenced CLINs, using the following suggestions:

Microsoft Excel has a formula for determining number of workdays in a year and thus the number of actual available hours. This formula is:

= NETWORKDAYS(start date, end date).

Using this formula, the number of work days and thus actual available hours are as follows. (Note: This formula takes into account when the weekends occur during the year.)

The calculations below indicate a contract year from 01 July through 30 June of the following year as directed in the RFP.

Period Work Days Available Hours

Base Year 261 2,088

Option Year 1 261 2,088

Option Year 2 262 2,096

Option Year 3 261 2,088

Option Year 4 260 2,080

Justification: The Section B document for the Final RFP indicates that the Government wants bidders to propose 2080 annual hours in CLINs 5 and 6a. This would equate to bidding 52 weeks at 40 hours per week (52x40=2080). However, no year has 52 weeks. A

365 day year equates to 52.17 weeks (52 weeks plus one day) and leap years at 366 days equate to 52.28 weeks (52 weeks plus 2 days). In a fixed price environment, a bidder who is required to bid only 2080 hours, but yet must pay his employees for the actual available hours in a year, could be forced to sacrifice proposed profit for as much as 40 hours pay for all employees over the life of this contract. This places an unwarranted burden on the successful bidder.

Ans: No, §B will not be changed. See answers to Questions #15a and #16.

77. Reference: RFP Section L.15.4.a.1 – Past Performance (Volume 1, Section 2), Second

Sentence

“For all contract references to have a value of $1M or more per year over the life of the contract.”

a. Question: Will the Government consider a more direct method that requires one of the five (5) contract references have an annual value of $10M - $15M and delete the requirement of $1M per year?

Justification: Selecting a contract value of $10M - $15M per year on a single past performance reference more closely aligns with the requirement and eliminates any debate on the offers ability in regards to size and scope.

78. Sections B &C, Would the USPTO provide, for each CLIN the primary work location(s) – excluding those CLINs where moving between locations is required (i.e.

Courier Services)?

Ans: Please see below:

(Alexandria and Shirlington location)

CLIN 1 – File Maintenance

CLIN 5 – General Clerical Support

CLIN 12- Courier Support

CLIN 13 – Project Management Staff - Patents

(Alexandria – Concourse level of Remsen Building)

CLIN 2 – Copying

CLIN 3 – Document Receipt & Mailing

CLIN 4 – Print Working File

CLIN 6 - Central Fax (*This location is subject to change.)

(Alexandria – Randolph Building)

CLIN 6a – Customer Service Window

(Shirlington location on both 6th and 7th floor)

CLIN 6 – Incoming Mail Processing

CLIN 7a-b- Fee Collection

CLIN 8a-b – Formality Review

CLIN 9 - PCT 371 BIB Data Entry and Mailing

CLIN 10 - PCT International BIB Data Entry

CLIN 11 - PCT Printing and Mailing

79. Attachment 7, Would the USPTO provide any more detail regarding GFE than that provided in the attachment file

“Attachment_7_Government_Furnished_Equipment_List.pdf”?

Ans: See answer to Question 10.

80. Schedule B, pg. 2 & Section C.2.1, pgs. 9-10, paragraphs (h)-(k), Section C.2.1 File

Maintenance (CLIN 1) includes PCT File Room activities (pg. 9-10, paragraphs (h)-(k)), but it does not appear under CLIN 1 on Schedule B. Would USPTO provide estimated quantities for PCT File Room activities?

Ans: All the maintenance of the files were merged into Artifacts Retrieval & Re-filed under

CLIN 0001. Please see the estimated volumes for CLIN 0001.

81. Section C.2.3, pg, 15, paragraph (e), C.2.3. (e) states that the contractor will “scan the document using government furnished equipment.” Does the GFE used to produce PDFs reside on the USPTO network and allow for electronic transmission of the PDF files?

Ans: Yes. Please refer to Section C.2.3(e).

82. Section C.2.3., pg. 16, paragraph (g), In C.2.3. (g), it states that office actions may need to be returned to “Government” and/or “Government Representative.” We understand this to refer to the originator of the office action, thus requiring the action to be returned to their office or examiner mailbox. Is this correct?

Ans: No. Please refer to Section C.2.3(g).

83. Section C.2.3., pg. 17, paragraph (n), C.2.3. (n) states that “the contractor must insure that these documents are processed in sufficient time for the Mail Center…” Would the

USPTO clarify how the contractor determines what is “sufficient time”? Is there a specific cutoff time or does it vary with daily volume fluctuations requiring regular collaboration with Mail Center staff?

Ans: “Sufficient Time” refers to mailroom pick up time. The daily volumes fluctuate during count and non-count week. Also, please see answers to Questions #41a.

84. Section C.2.5., pg. 20, paragraph (b) & Schedule B, pg. 3, Schedule B estimates 2,080 hours per year for CLIN 5, which approximates to one (1) staff position, yet C.2.5 (b) indicates that at least three (3) staff personnel would be required. Is this one (1) staff position whose requirements change day-to-day, as suggested by C.2.13(c) on page 33, or are there more resources required? Please clarify.

Ans: A total of 17 General Clerk Support Staff is needed under Section C.2.5 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Hours are subject to change based on the needs of the business areas without prior notification. Also, see answer to Question #15a. This change has been incorporated into Amendment 0003. Please see revised RFP.

85. Section C.2.7b, pg. 24, paragraph (4),

a. Would the government provide clarification suggesting how contractor would reconcile

EFS Web auto fee collections versus fees posted to RAM, as required by C.2.7.b(4)?

b. Are there reports available in each system to compare against one another in serial number order?

86. Section C.2.8.2., pg. 28, paragraph (f), Would USPTO provide clarification regarding the extent to which “other application documents” need to be reviewed to determine if there is proper language provided for these authorizations?

Ans: “Other application documents” refer to documents that are equivalent to the SB/69 in which authorizes or grant permission to USPTO to capture European Patent Office (EPO) requests.

87. Section D.1, pg. 34, Our understanding is that D.1 is primarily intended to provide requirements for correspondence between the contractor’s program office and the USPTO, such as management reports, and does not apply to day-to-day work products for which requirements are specified in the Statement of Work. Is this correct?

88. Is the Incumbent eligible to bid since this is a small business set aside?

Ans: The USPTO will not comment on a particular firm’s eligibility to participate in this procurement. Any size determinations that are in question or challenged will be forwarded to the

Small Business Administration (SBA) who is responsible for determining size standards.

89. Will this Solicitation be subject to FAR 7.305 – Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers

Under Service Contracts - and the current incumbent contractor…