DTFH61-10-R-00028 Questions.docx

1. Section L.8 states “The pricing proposal, staff resumes, subcontractor information, covers, table of contents, letters of commitment, the Executive Summary and the past performance material is in addition to the page limits for technical presentations.” Section L.14 states “Volume I - the combined total page count shall not exceed 300 pages” but Volume I includes the Executive Summary, Resumes, and past performance. Are these sections exempt from the 300-page limitation for Volume I?

Answer: Yes

2. Page 55 indicates that Section K should be in Volume II while page 56 indicates that it should NOT be included in Volume II. Please confirm which volume this should be placed in.

Answer: Volume I

3. Page 55 indicates that a completed and signed Standard Form 33 should be in Volume II while page 56 indicates that it should NOT be included in Volume II. Please confirm which volume this should be placed in Answer: Volume I

4. Please clarify the difference between the 15 contract/subcontract past performance descriptions required in Part III of Volume I and the 10 contract/subcontract experience descriptions required in Part IV of Volume I. Are the 15 contract/subcontract past performance descriptions to be included in Part III intended to match up with the projects for which we include Completed Past Performance Questionnaires? If so, does that mean that we should actually have 15 Completed Past Performance Questionnaires (for both the prime and major subs combined) instead of the total of five requested on page 64?

Answer: These are separate requirements that are somewhat linked, but you should provide 15 descriptions and 5 Past Performance Questionnaires

5. P55 and SF33. Instructions are unclear regarding the physical proposal deliverables: 1 original hardcopy, 14 hard copies and 14 CDs? Please clarify or confirm.

Answer: Requirements are 1 hard copy only and 14 CD’s.

6. P56. Instructions are unclear where to put Section K. On this page it says:

“The offeror may place its completed Representations and Certifications (Section K) in Volume II” and the subsequent paragraph says “DO NOT place… Section K… in Volume II.”

Please clarify where Section K should be placed.

Answer: Volume II

7. P68 – Section 5(b) asks for a “statement of work and work plan”. Since there is not an actual task order and target numbers are provided it is difficult to provide an SOW for something. Can this requirement be deleted Answer: YES

8. P68 – Section 5(e) references Attachment 5. We are unable to locate this attachment. Please clarify.

Answer: See Attachment E

9. P70 – Small business subcontracting plan – This is requested on P69. Should respondents follow the instructions here or on P69.

Answer: PG. 69

10. Does FHWA have a preference for how Offerors refer to the Task Areas? The RFP uses different descriptions. For example, C.4 Scope denotes each of the 11 task areas with a lower-case letter from “a” through “k”. C.7 Task Areas denotes each of the task areas with subsection numbering from C.7.1 through C. 7.10. L.8 Notice to Offerors denotes the task areas with an upper-case letter from “A” to “K”.

Answer: A-K

11. L.8 Notice to Offerors states that “resumes of all key personnel are required, and may not exceed 3 pages for each person proposed” whereas L.14 Format for Written Proposal states “Part I – no limit on the number of pages that any particular resume may contain.” Could you please clarify whether there are page limitations for resumes – for both Key Personnel and Other than Key Personnel?

Answer: 3 Page Limit

12. The RFP contains conflicting instructions on the required page sizes, font point size and type, and margins in L.9 Award on Initial Offers (page 53), L.14 Format for Written Proposal (page 57), and L.16 Authorized Official and Submission of Proposal (page 71). For example:

· Page 53 requires a font size “not less than 10 points”, whereas page 57 requires “12 point font or larger” not less than 10 points

· Page 57 requires a page size “no greater than 8 ½ inches by 17 inches” (for both regular and fold-out pages – which is not a standard page size), whereas page 53 requires “8 1/2 by 11-inch paper, except foldouts… which shall not exceed 11 by 17 inches.” Page 71 allows only “letter-sized paper.” 8 ½ by 17 inches

13. L.14 Format for Written Proposal and L.16 Authorized Official and Submission of Proposal contain conflicting instructions regarding binding requirements. For example, L.14 states: “All materials comprising Volume I shall be bound together” and later “Volume II shall be bound separately from Volume I” (page 56). However, L.16 states “The original proposal should be within a single binder containing the entire proposal (pricing and technical)” (page 71). Could you please clarify binding requirements for Volumes I and II?

Answer: Separately

14. L.14 Format for Written Proposal: The labor categories provided in the non-task-specific labor category table (pgs. 58 – 59) are not consistent with the labor categories in the task-specific labor category tables (pgs. 60 – 63). Could you please clarify which labor categories should be used by the Offeror, for example, when submitting resumes and providing cost information?

Answer: All Labor Categories Listed

15. Regarding L.14 Format for Written Proposal, the subsection relating to “Resumes for Other than Key Personnel” states that “resumes shall be submitted for each of the remaining proposed labor category [sic] as identified in [sic] except that no resume is required for any administrative support.” Per the above question, could you please clarify whether resumes should be submitted to cover all of the labor categories in all the tables? Further, could you please indicate whether a minimum or maximum number of resumes is required for each labor category?

Answer: Provide resumes for categories you are providing

16. Section B states that the issuance of task orders will be on a CPFF and FP basis. Could you please clarify that the fixed price will be equivalent to fixed rates including escalation or the total fixed price by deliverable?

Answer: Fixed Price by deliverables

17. Paragraph (2) in section L.14 indicates that Volume I should contain three parts (i.e., “Staffing, Subcontracting”; “Relevant Technical Capabilities and Approach”; and “Past Performance”). Further down in the paragraph, there is language about a Part IV, which is very similar to the Part III language. Is there truly a Part IV required for Volume I? If so, please clarify exactly what should be provided in Part IV and how that differs from what is to be provided in Part III.

Answer: Please disregard part IV

18. The RFP (L.14, page 69, under instructions for Volume II) states a requirement for submission of the Subcontracting Plan as part of Volume I. Is this correct? The subcontracting plan may include cost/price information, which ordinarily is not included in the technical volume.

Answer: A Subcontract Plan should not include cost and price data, and only include your goals on subcontracting to any and all small business categories

19. In Attachment E (Cost-Price Template), the “Data” tab provides for entry of only 4 years of data; should there be a fifth column added to account for the fifth year of the period of performance?

Answer: Yes

20. On page 66, there is the following provision:

“g. Start-up Activities - For the first-year budget summary for Competency Area/Task 4.2.2 Start-Up Activities, a subsidiary budget summary showing only, and all of, the offeror’s proposed costs and fee for any “Start-Up Task Order” desired by the offeror; or, as an alternative to submitting that subsidiary budget summary for the Competency Area/Task 4.2.2 Start-Up Activities, submit a certification that the offeror is not requesting a Start-Up Task Order and that the offeror will recover start-up costs, if at all, only through the application of the offeror’s approved indirect cost rates” We cannot find anywhere else in the RFP a reference to “Area/Task 4.2.2 Start-up Activities.” Should start-up costs be included/addressed in the cost/price proposal?

Answer: Please disregard the above; we do not anticipate that there would be a need for this item

21. Reference Section C.7 TASK AREAS, E. Conflict Resolution, Facilitation, Mediation of Environmental Disputes (page 11 of 75):

Task Orders may be issued to include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Assessing conflict situations

1. Identifying and using appropriate collaborative or conflict resolution processes

1. Facilitators conflict resolution on transportation projects)

1. Conducting training on collaborative problem solving techniques

1. Integration of transportation and watershed planning processes

1. Economic analysis of storm water treatment options

1. Water quality assessment methodologies

1. Water quality treatment system evaluation

1. Water quality treatment costs Question: The last 5 bullets of this list appear to be duplicates from and more relevant to Task Area B. Highways and Water Resources (page 8 of 75). We assume these were included here in error and do not need to be addressed in this section. Please confirm.

Answer: these are duplicates please disregard under this section.