Sol_DOL-ETA-16-R-00092_Amd_000001.pdf

(x)

DOL-ETA-16-R-00092

x x copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted ; or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT

THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted , such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

x

Washington DC 20210

ETA OCM NATIONAL

Room N-4643 200 Constitution Ave, NW Office of Contracts Management US Department of Labor

06/29/2016000001

13. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO MODIFICATION OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS. IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required) is not extended.is extended, Items 8 and 15, and returning

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended , by one of the following methods: (a) By completing

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

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10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

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8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., street, county, State and ZIP Code)

7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6)CODE 6. ISSUED BY

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4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.3. EFFECTIVE DATE2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

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AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

06/29/2016

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority) appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not, is required to sign this document and return __________________ copies to the issuing office.

ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

1) Amendment 01 to the RFP is for the purpose of providing answers to all RFC questions received.

2) The due date for proposals is extended to August 05, 2016, Noon.

3) Offerors are highly encouraged to review the revised RFP carefully in response to the answers to the RFC questions provided here in Amendment 01.

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

15C. DATE SIGNED 16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 16C. DATE SIGNED

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

Evon M. Pollack

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 10-83)

Prescribed by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

NSN 7540-01-152-8070

Previous edition unusable

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9 A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect .

07/22/2016

RFP #: DOL-ETA-16-R-00092 Amendment # 01

VENDOR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR RFP- DOL-ETA-16-R-00092

Question 1

Is there a total funded value for each solicitation, or just one overall budget that the Single and Multiple Industry Intermediary bidders will compete for? Put another way, is there an individual contract not-to-exceed ceiling associated with these bids?

Answer 1

No there is not an individual contract not-to-exceed ceiling associated with these bids.

Question 2

Can any or all of the staff positions listed in the Pricing Table be shared or split between contract team members?

If so, how should a bidder represent labor costs where the contract role (for example, the Sales and Marketing Executive position and/or Subject Matter Expert) is shared between the prime contractor and a subcontractor or consultant? Can the subcontractor costs be billed under the prime contractor's proposed labor rate for that category or do all subcontractor costs have to be identified as an ODC?

Answer 2

Vendors can adjust the number of hours for each Labor Category, as long as the adjusted total number of hours for each year is less than or equal to 6,655. Subcontractor costs should be identified as an ODC.

Question 3

Could you please clarify the expected contents of Factor 3 of the technical approach: Staff Experience and Qualifications. This section has a 10 page limit that appears to primarily consist of Key Personnel resumes (two pages per resume - five key staff). The instructions also request a staffing chart along with organization structure information as it pertains to proposed staff and subcontract partners. Question - Can the key personnel resumes be included as attachments to provide additional space to describe the staffing plan and qualifications?

Answer 3

Resumes should not be included as attachments and are no longer required to be 2 pages long. The ten page limit stands.

Question 4

Can we include partner (employers, industry associations, community colleges, etc.) letters of commitment if they are not a funded subcontractor? Page 56 of the RFP describes these letters as being tied to subcontractors where on page 62, it appears to indicate any partnership role in the project (funded or not) should be established through a letter of commitment. Could you please clarify whether letters of commitment from unfunded partners will be accepted as attachments that do not count against the page limit?

Answer 4

Letters of commitment from unfunded partners can be included in the description of your organization’s proposal. However, those commitment letters will not be counted against your page limit.

Question 5

Could you please clarify Lines 9 and 10 of the Pricing Table? The instructions appear to indicate that any funds allocated to these line items must correspond to a reduction in certain labor hours described in Lines 1 - 8. If this indication is accurate, could you also please clarify which labor hours the Department is referring to?

From the RFP:

Line 9 * Industry Trade Partners Fees can substitute for certain labor hours.

Line 10 ** Subcontracts to Employers can substitute for certain Labor Categories Allowable for up to 60% of all costs.

Answer 5

“Industry Trade Partner Fees” are referring to labor costs that an applicant will need to subcontract to complete, such as a consultant fee. “Subcontracts to Employers” refer to those subcontracts made with employers to start or expand apprenticeship programs.

It should be noted that each single industry contract comes with $500,000 that the offeror will provide to employers to start or expand apprenticeship programs. The $500,000 will incentivize the development of apprenticeships, and it is expected that the contractor will gain commitments from employers of hiring and training 200 apprentices annually in exchange for the incentive funds.

Question 6

Also, is it possible to expand the number of hours for certain positions by transferring funds from the Industry Trade Partner fees or Employer Subcontractor line items?

Answer 6

This is not possible.

Question 7

Are bidders free to adjust or modify the number of hours in the Pricing Table that are assigned to each labor category

Answer 7

Yes, Vendors can adjust the Number of hours for each Labor Category, as long as the adjusted total number of hours for each year is less than or equal to 6,655.

Question 8

While pleased that the contract RFP refers to promoting Inclusion and Diversity in Apprenticeship in the General Program Requirements (pg 11) and has under the Task 3, pg 14, “to provide technical assistance to 10 local programs to on-board and support completion by underrepresented populations”, our concern is that the rest of the Tasks/Deliverables do not have tasks or deliverables around diversity and inclusion.

Diversity and Inclusion has been a strong priority of the DOL/OA that has been reflected throughout previous solicitations. The sponsors and employers served under Tasks 2, 4, 5 and 6 would lose out if they are not also provided support for their efforts to increase diversity and inclusion in their apprenticeship programs. We request that tasks to support diversity and inclusion be added to Tasks 2, 4, 5 and 6 and that the instructions for the Technical Approach for these tasks reflect this addition.

Answer 8

Diversity and Inclusion is a strong priority for DOL and OA and is reflected within this solicitation. The language will remain as written.

Support to increase diversity and underrepresented populations will be covered under a different contract.

See our website for further details: www.doleta.gov/oa/grants.cfm#PartnershipsInvestments

Question 9

Page 13 of the RFP indicates that, “Contractor shall conduct a minimum of 400 individual outreach efforts (e.g., sales calls, conference pitches, and email solicitations, etc.) to employers and other potential sponsors of Registered Apprenticeships to register new apprenticeship programs in selected SEA industry.” Does this mean 400 unique outreach efforts?

Answer 9

The contract includes a variety of ways to connect with employers to reach the 400 individual outreach efforts, which is a benchmark for successful completion of the contract. The contractor will need to provide verifiable documentation how they have reached the baseline of 400 outreach efforts.

Question 10

Or could individual employers participating in a group outreach each count as an individual outreach?

Answer 10

Yes, this example would count toward the overall goal.

http://www.doleta.gov/oa/grants.cfm#PartnershipsInvestments

Question 11

Page 11 of the RFP indicates that, “The offeror will be ultimately be rated upon their organization’s ability to develop Registered Apprenticeship in their selected SEAs Industry – resulting in a minimum of 450 newly registered apprentices annually.” Page 17 says, “The Contractor’s plan shall result in at least 200 Registered Apprentices annually working with employers and/or other sponsors of Registered Apprenticeships.” Is 450 or 200 Registered Apprentices annually the expectation? Or is there some other distinction?

Answer 11

It is a total of 450 apprentices.

Question 12

Can the full-time industry SME be a position that is split amongst two individuals or should this be one individual?

Answer 12

The full-time industry SME should be one individual.

Question 13

We would like to have the Sales and Marketing Executive position split amongst multiple individuals in multiple regions. We feel that this would provide for the greatest success in maximizing national scope and outreach to employers. Is this ok?

Answer 13

Yes this model would be acceptable.

Question 14

This Offeror has no history in PPRIS. Do we use Attachment J.1 (Past Performance Questionnaire and CPAR Rating Form) to gather references, or can we provide an evaluation on the form of our choice (so long as the reference is in relation to work that was at least six months in duration and as performed within the last three years)?

Answer 14

For Offerors that have no history in PPRIS, you are use Attachment J.1 (The Past Performance Questionnaire, and the CPAR Rating From). You cannot provide an evaluation form of your own choice.

Question 15

If other forms of performance evaluation are used, are those to be emailed directly to DOL or are they included as part of the submittal due on July 28, 2016?

Answer 15

Other performance evaluation forms cannot be used.

Question 16

Is there a preferred or recommended model/template for use as part of the Volume I – Technical response?

Answer 16

No.

Question 17

Please confirm if 48 CFR 16.601 (Time and Material Contacts) applies with respect to key terms and definitions of T&M contracts.

Answer 17

Correct.

Question 18

Do we have any flexibility on the pricing tables, in terms of hours listed? Per the document: “Labor categories need to most closely match the labor category descriptions in Pricing Tables”, but there is no mention of the hours.

Answer 18

See Question 7, and Answer 7.

Question 19

Not all of the positions requested appear as Labor Categories from the Pricing Tables on Wage Determination sheet provided. Is there another guide or wage schedule that you recommend for review?

Answer 19

The only Labor Category that Vendors need to consider for Wage Determination is the Secretary Labor Category.

Question 20

This contract will allow for accounting services price to be factored in. Would that be listed under Other Direct Costs?

Answer 20

If accounting services are needed they would fall under Other Direct Costs.

Question 21

How do we factor in overhead and fringe benefits for each position? Do they need to be included in hourly rate for each position (as in T&M contracts), or calculated as percentage of total labor cost? Could you provide any instructions/methodology related to these calculations?

Answer 21

They should be included in the hourly rate for each position.

Question 22

Is there a Federal guideline that indicates ceiling or maximum rates to be paid for different labor categories? While nothing is noted within in the solicitation that specifies the ETA appropriations ceiling rate of Executive Schedule II [$185,100 for 2016], it is supposed to apply to all awards including contracts paid for with ETA appropriated funds. Does this ceiling apply to this solicitation?

Answer 22

There is no Federal guideline that indicates ceiling or maximum rates to be paid for different labor categories.

Question 23

Page 55 of the RFP indicates that we should include three (3) to five (5) Relevant Project References, all completed within the last eight (8) years. Page 57 states, “References must be in relation to work that was at least six months in duration and was performed within the last three years.” Is there a reason why one section says within eight years and one says within three years? Is eight or three years the timeframe under which we should be pursuing references?

Answer 23

Project references are within the last 8 years.

Question 24

Does the $7.5 million size standard apply to registered non-profit contractors?

Answer 24

Yes, the $7.5 million size standard applies to non-profit contractors.

Question 25

If the $7.5 million size standard does apply to non-profits, if multiple non-profits apply for the grant as partners, does the size standard apply to all of them in the aggregate, the largest partner, each partner individually, or some other combination?

Answer 25

This will be a contract award and not a grant. The size standard will apply to the lead organization.

Question 26

All organizations within an offeror partnership should be providing apprenticeships within the same SEA if applying for a single-industry grant, correct?

Answer 26

Yes, correct. The partnership will be for a single SEA industry. Please note, however, this a contract solicitation and not a grant.

Question 27

Since we are combining several national organizations under one submission, does there have to be a single lead or could 2 organizations serve as co-leads with only one handling the financial and administrative requirements?

Answer 27

There must be a single lead. This single lead must also be registered in SAM (per Section L.4.1 of the solicitation) prior to contract award.

Question 28

The occupations targeted within the Information and Communications Technology professional discipline do not solely reside in the IT sector, but rather are cross cutting to all industry sectors. Since we will focus solely on IT apprenticeships, but will be working with companies that are in IT, healthcare, insurance, financial, retail, manufacturing, etc., should we be submitting to the single industry RFP or the multi-industry RFP or both?

Answer 28

USDOL cannot determine for you which contract you should apply.

Question 29

Is there a revenue size requirement of the submitting organization and if multiple organizations are making up a consortia, how should the combined revenue be stated?

Answer 29

The $7.5 million revenue size standard applies to the lead organization.

Question 30

For the roles described in the RFP, can there be multiple individuals who perform a similar role to gain greater efficiency and coverage. An example would be multiple Subject Matter Experts.

Answer 30

Yes.

Question 31

Please explain within the pricing tables, under special items, what is meant by industry trade partner fees and subcontracts to employers that can substitute for labor hours or labor categories?

Answer 31

“Industry Trade Partner Fees” are referring to labor costs that an applicant will need to subcontract to complete, such as a consultant fee.

“Subcontracts to Employers” refer to those subcontracts made with employers to start or expand apprenticeship programs.

It should be noted that each single industry contract comes with $500,000 that the offeror will provide to employers to start or expand apprenticeship programs. The $500,000 will incentivize the development of apprenticeships, and it is expected that the contractor will gain commitments from employers of hiring and training 200 apprentices annually in exchange for the incentive funds.

Question 32

If the offeror is already scheduled to deliver an approved DOL accelerator session for IT, can any payment for hours, travel or venue be reimbursed, should we be accepted as an intermediary?

Answer 32

No ApprenticeshipUSA Intermediary contracts have been awarded to date.

Question 33

Number of apprenticeships per year – is the goal to create 450 apprenticeships annually (page 11), with 200 of those coming from task 6, working with employers and/or other sponsors of the RA (pg 17)?

Answer 33

Yes.

Question 34

Can the 2 new national guidelines program standards in Task 3 be met by developing 2 competency based programs for Task 5 bullet 4.

Answer 34

At this time, these are separate tasks but the DOL reserves the right to modify contracts on case by case basis.

Question 35

While not key personnel, what role do you see the Web Developer playing in this contract?

Answer 35

The Web Developer would create industry focused apprenticeship resources for employers in the SEA industry on the contractor’s website. They may also create marketing materials and implement on-line invitations and registration for any SEAs events.

Question 36

With regards to Related Training Instruction hours, are a total of 144 hours required or recommended?

Answer 36

For each year of the apprenticeship, an apprentice will receive a recommended minimum of 144 hours of related classroom instruction.

Question 37

If 144 RTI hours are required, must they be classroom based? Or, can they be structured, applied learning within the working environment with an experienced industry expert providing instruction?

Answer 37

The minimum recommendation of 144 hours of Related Training and Instruction can be met in a variety of settings including classroom, on-line learning, in-house instruction from the company or in other settings. The recommended minimum of related instruction hours must be approved by an appropriate USDOL office or State Apprenticeship Agency.

Question 38

If the target industry is not adequately covered by NAISC codes, can the registration of apprenticeshipable occupations begin with Dictionary of Occupational Title (DOT) codes?

Answer 38

The Target Industries for purposes of this contract solicitation are: Advanced Manufacturing, Energy, Information Technology & Communications, Healthcare, Construction and Transportation. It is DOL’s belief that the occupations associated with these industries are adequately covered through the NAICS codes.

Question 39

Page 11 of the solicitation describes the Overarching Objective of Industry Intermediary Contracts to be “a minimum of 450 newly registered apprentices annually,” yet page 17 (under Task 6) specifies that the Contractor’s Plan should result in “at least 200 Registered Apprentices annually working with employers and/or other sponsors of Registered Apprenticeships.” Can you clarify this apparent contradiction?

Answer 39

The contract requires a minimum of 450 newly registered apprentices annually. In Task 6, Expansion of Existing Registered Apprenticeship programs and Initiation of New Registered Apprenticeship Programs, the Department provides $500,000 to the Contractor to provide one-time incentives to a minimum of 10 employers, joint labor management organizations, industry associations, (or other partners included in a multi-employer partnership) via a sub-contract to help defray the initial costs of establishing or expanding registered apprenticeship programs. 200 of the 450 apprentices would therefore be created by utilizing the $500,000 incentive to assist employers in hiring and training employers as described in Task 6.

Question 40

Is there flexibility within the contract to scale up numbers of Registered Apprentices per year to accommodate the time required for employer recruitment and apprenticeship registry within an industry that does not currently utilize the apprenticeship model?

Answer 40

The contractual requirement is to register 450 new apprentices per contract year. The Department reserves the right to modify contracts on a case by case basis.

Question 41

Is the expected average contract award $7.5 million per year or $7.5 million total over the 5-year time period?

Answer 41

Neither, there is no expected average contract award amount.

Question 42

With regards to Key Personnel and other staff, can we propose a different structure for performing the work under each contracted Task if we provide a single designated contact person for each role and have a small, committed management team performing the work?

Answer 42

The Department will consider the offeror’s proposed personnel structure for performing the work under each contracted task. However, the offeror must show exactly how the number of labor hours, tasks and associated costs will be executed to fulfill the contract.

Question 43

Can the contract funds be used for direct outreach to potential apprentices and development of career awareness?

Answer 43

The contract does not designate funds for outreach to potential apprentices or career awareness.

Question 44

Can you please elaborate on the role of the Analyst? Is this a program evaluator? Someone who analyzes program data or industry data? Despite being one of the required Key Personnel, there is no clarification of duties (other than whatever is specified in the Contractor’s SOW, which will be different for every bidder).

Answer 44

Analyst: Individual qualified by education (Bachelor’s level) and/or relevant experience (2 years with a degree and 4 years without a degree) to conduct, generally under close supervision, the primary tasks described in the Statement of Work.

The Analyst may offer support to any of the other Key Personnel in order to meet the criteria submitted by the contractor in the Statement of Work.

Question 45

There is a mention of third party evaluation with regards to Post-Secondary Credit and Industry Credentials. Is this a licensure body or college professional that can verify performance of targeted skill sets/knowledge for credentialing?

Answer 45

There are several organizations that provide third party evaluation for post-secondary credit, for example, the American Council on Education (ACE). ACE has provided third party evaluations for many of the employer members of the Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium (RACC).

Additionally a number of registered apprenticeship programs have aligned with industry recognized credentials as recognized by an industry association. Moreover, many employers have sought assistance with community colleges for apprentices to continue their education beyond the journeyperson level to associate’s or bachelor’s degrees.

Question 46

Is Relevant Corporate Experience (pg 57) referring to the Project References on page 59?

Answer 46

Yes, these are related. The project references required are a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5.

Question 47

For consistency, is the technical term for RTI “related technical instruction” or “related training instruction”?

Answer 47

For the purposes of this contract Related Technical Instruction and Related Training Instruction are both considered RTI and used interchangeably.

Question 48

Please clarify the page requirements in Section 3.0 of the Technical Capability narrative. Page 55 specifies two (2) pages per person. You also have to submit resumes for each person. Is this included in the 2 pages per person? We are also required to submit a personnel chart with a great deal of descriptive information. With only 10 pages allowed in Section 3.0, it’s unclear how to fit two pages of narrative per person, a combined personnel chart, and resumes.

Answer 48

The Staff Experience and Qualifications including resumes has a ten page limit total. Each resume is no longer required to be two pages.

Question 49

There are a number of apparent typographical errors in Section L.5.6. Instructions for Technical Proposal Response. Can additional questions for clarification regarding typos be submitted after 2:00pm on July 11, 2016?

Answer 49

There do not appear to be any typographical errors in this section. The July 11 2016 2:00PM deadline stands.

Question 50

What is the expected number of Registered Apprentices annually?

Answer 50

The Contractor’s plan shall result in at least 450 Registered Apprentices annually working with employers and/or other sponsors of Registered Apprenticeships.

Question 51

On p. 10, the language indicates that one grant will be awarded for each of the six industries named in this RFP 10. However, there are eight grants in competition in the single industry.

Answer 51

The six industries listed on page 10 (Advanced Manufacturing, Energy, Information Technology & Communications, Healthcare, Construction and Transportation) are the targeted SEAs industries. Under this solicitation up to eight contracts may be awarded.

Question 52

P. 14 of Single Industry; P. 13 of Multi-Industry: Establish 10 Local Registered Apprenticeship Programs with Employers: Can these programs also be receiving support through the American Apprenticeship Initiative?

Answer 52

Offerors will note that any work accomplished in cooperation with American Apprenticeship Initiative funding shall be beyond the scope of work of the grant, and in addition to the expected deliverables of the American Apprenticeship Initiative.

Question 53

Does each separate employer constitute a “program”, or would multiple employers implementing the same model in a geographic location be a single “program” for the 10 program requirement?

Answer 53

Offerors may consider a variety of ways to implement the 10 Program requirement. For example, 10 employers implementing the same model in a geographic location could count against the 10 Program requirement and would be adequate for meeting the requirement under Task 3.

Question 54

Page 12 (MI) and page 13 (SI): “contractors shall conduct a minimum of 400 individual outreach efforts.

Is this per year?

Answer 54

Yes, per year.

Question 55

The RFP requests references from prior work to fill out the CPAR form if the offeror does not have any PPIRS-RS references. Would existing CPAR forms completed and signed by references in 2015 qualify, as long as they meet other requirements described in the RFP?

Answer 55

Yes, as long as the CPARS forms comply with the Forms provided in Attachment J.1

Question 56

Is the Wage Determination Schedule intended to be used to only identify the wage requirements for the bolded classifications (secretary I and marketing analyst)?

Answer 56

See Question 19 and Answer 19.

Question 57

If there is a wage determination schedule required for other key personnel and regular personnel listed on the RFP, where would a proposed contractor locate that schedule?

Answer 57

No, a wage determination schedule is not required for any Key personnel. See Answer 19.

Question 58

What is the process if an offeror’s personnel wages are not the same as the wage determination?

Answer 58

The wage determination is a minimum wage, not the suggested wage.

Question 59

On page 16 of the RFP , under Task 5, bullet 2, the bidder is asked to engage expert workers to assist the OA competency contractor’s job analysis. Since these individuals are likely to be workers within the job title in question, it is unlikely that they will be the SME for the whole industry working on the contract.

Must contract funds be budgeted for this person, or is it the responsibility of the competency contractor to pay for the expert that the apprenticeship TA contractor identifies?

Answer 59

Expert workers under this bullet will not be compensated under this solicitation for purposes of assisting OA’s competency-based contractor. The contractor who will be granted this solicitation may be responsible for assisting OA’s competency-based contractor in identifying such experts.