OPS_IV_RFP_Questions_Answers_-_Updated.pdf

Attachment No. 1

Question

Number

RFP Section Question Answer

1 General Please identify the incumbent contractor(s) for this requirement, and incumbent contract number(s).

DTFH61-11-D-00011 – HIS Global

DTFH61-11-D-00012 – Cambridge Systematics

DTFH61-11-D-00013 – Macrosys

DTFH61-11-D-00014 – Battelle

DTFH61-11-D-00015 – Leidos

DTFH61-12-D-00034 - Battelle

DTFH61-12-D-00035 – Booz Allen Hamilton

DTFH61-12-D-00036 – Cambridge Systematics

DTFH61-12-D-00037 – Iteris

DTFH61-12-D-00038 – Leidos

DTFH61-12-D-00039 – VHB

DTFH61-12-D-00040 – Battelle

DTFH61-12-D-00041 – Booz Allen Hamilton

DTFH61-12-D-00042 – Cambridge Systematics

DTFH61-12-D-00043 – Iteris

DTFH61-12-D-00044 – Kittelson & Associates

DTFH61-12-D-00045 – Leidos

DTFH61-12-D-00046 – Battelle

DTFH61-12-D-00047 – Booz Allen Hamilton

DTFH61-12-D-00048 – Cambridge Systematics

DTFH61-12-D-00049 – Kittelson & Associates

DTFH61-12-D-00050 - Leidos

2 General Under the existing contract, HOP has been releasing Task Order

RFPs with a requirement to respond with a detailed proposal in 7 days. Given the requirement to respond to 90% of task order

RFPs, this practice makes providing a quality response extremely difficult, especially when several RFPs are released in rapid succession. Is this going to continue under this contract?

The length of time given to propose will depend on the complexity of the requirement and date services are needed to begin. Less complex service or orders may be solicited for 7 days or less.

3 General Please confirm that, according to the Terms and Conditions of

Contract DTFH6111D00019 and DTFH6111D00018 titled, “Intelligent Transportation System Technical Support,” that employees of these incumbent contractors and their subcontractors did not receive unfair advanced notification of the

The FHWA can confirm that it has excluded contract holders under DTFH6111D00019 and

DTFH6111D00018 from all acquisition planning related to this procurement.

contents and nature of the procurement prior to the release of the pre-solicitation notice.

If you cannot confirm the above, please confirm that all individuals receiving this information are ineligible to participate in this RFP?

4 General Does participation as a Prime or Subcontractor and award of the subsequent follow-on contract to DTFH6111D00019 and

DTFH6111D00018 for “Technical Support Services for the

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office,” released as RFP for Contract DTFH6116R00003, create a

COI/LOFC infringement and would result in disqualification from award of this current procurement?

The offerors under DTFH6116R00003 - for

“Technical Support Services for the Intelligent

Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program

Office,” will not be disqualified from TSS but will not be able to propose on the currents OPS solicitation.

Due to the acquisition planning task under that

TSS requirement, there would be a direct conflict of interest in RFP No.

DTFH6116R00007.

5 General There are several references in the RFP that imply a need for onsite or local support. These include language indicating that this contract might be used, in part, for "clerical and administrative support for implementing programs and projects;

language indicating, "the location of work performed under this contract will be specified in each task order;" and requirements related to on-site work hours and holiday. Is there an expectation of the successful contractors maintaining local offices or having to provide ongoing on-site support, and should that be addressed in our proposal?

All work is to be performed at the contractor’s facility. Therefore, maintaining local offices is not expected or required.

6 SF 33 Form 33, Block 9 indicates 1 copy of the proposal. Page 70, paragraph L.4 states Volume I will be “provided in the form of one CD”. Page 71 states that Volume II “shall be provided in the form of one CD”. Page 75, paragraph L.5 states “Proposals shall be reproduced on letter-sized paper”. Are paper copies to the proposal to be submitted in addition to the CDs or are the proposal documents to be submitted on CDs only?

Proposals shall be submitted on CD’s only. The format of electronic pages should be letter-sized documents.

7 SF 33 Due to the expansive scope of this project, will the Government extend the Proposal Response due date an additional 2 weeks?

No. Not at this time.

8 Section B.2 Per RFP, "Inclusion of indirect burden amounts or fee on material costs, including travel expenses, is not allowable." Part

31 of the FAR considers G&A to be an allowable cost on

T&M/FFP contracts. Would the Government reconsider this position and allow Offerors to include G&A on ODC/travel estimates if such costs are part Offerors approved accounting practices and CAS Disclosure Statement? Should separate pricing be included, if these costs are allowed or should the contractor presume that such costs would be included in the

Government's per year Travel and Equipment/Materials estimates?

No, since the IDIQ has fixed price and time & material pricing, indirect burdened amounts or fees do not apply. However, indirect burdens such as a material handling fee would apply if substantial materials were expected to be stored and maintained by the contractor. Therefore, the pricing will not be updated.

The Government position remains the same.

9 Section C RFP Pages 13 and 14 list several areas of cross cutting support functions under Theme 3. Should these support functions be related to all theme areas?

Those cross cutting functions could be applied across all Themes; some functions could possibly be applied more than others.

10 Section C There is supplementary text starting in the first full paragraph on

Page 13 that describes HOP activities related to TIGER, PNRS, FAST Act, ITS JPO, and FHWA HOP R&D. Please confirm for purposes of preparing the Volume I Technical Proposal whether these services should be addressed within a specific Program

Theme (it is listed as part of Program Theme 3 but this appears to be out of place), or if it is overarching across all Program

Themes.

The first full paragraph on Page 13 that describes HOP activities related to TIGER, PNRS, FAST Act, ITS JPO, and FHWA HOP

R&D could be applied across all Themes.

11 Section C.5 Section C.5 of this RFP contemplates a monthly progress report containing an account of the work performed under each task order. However, it also states that a separate progress report must be submitted to the task manager for each task order.

Please clarify whether a single progress report is sufficient or whether separate reports for each task order will be required.

See Section C.5 Progress Reports -

You may send task order specific progress reports to the GTM and an overall Contract roll up to the COR.

12 Section C.6 Minimum Standards and Capabilities, bullet #2 – For the technical support on short notice (within 3 days), is the

Government asking for technical support of a proposed TOPR within 3 days or technical support without a TOPR? If it is without a TOPR, how will the technical support request be communicated? Will it be a sole source effort?

The technical support request will be communicated with a TOPR.

13 Section F.1 This paragraph states that “in no event shall the total contract performance period exceed five years without written

Yes, task orders will be issued in Year 5.

authorization from the CO”. Will task orders be issued in year 5 that have a period of performance in year 6? If so, will the

Government consider revising Attachment J-1 to add year 6 to cover the Offeror’s increased labor rates?

Year 5 rates will be used or Year 6 rates will be negotiated at the task order level.

14 Section G.1 Section G.3 states that offerors “must submit documentation of all travel costs.” Will FHWA please confirm that any required documentation will be in accordance with FAR 31.205-46, Travel Costs, and the Federal Travel Regulations?

Yes, that is correct.

15 Section G.7 Government Task Manager (GTM) – This paragraph is marked

“reserved” and there is no other mention of the GTM in the RFP with the exception of paragraph C.5 Progress Reports that requires progress reports be sent to the GTM. Will GTMs be involved in the task order activities or is the reference in C.5 an error?

This section is reserved for language to be added at a later date. Approved language is not available at this time.

Anticipate including at time of award.

16 Section

G.15-G.16

Sections G.15 and G.16 require general public liability and vehicular liability insurance. Many subcontractors, including individual consultants, small businesses, educational institutions, and nonprofits, may have difficulty complying with these insurance requirements. Will FHWA allow Contractors to have discretion over the types and amounts of insurance to require of its subcontractors?

The Contractor is responsible for their subcontractors, for their actions, claims, losses, damage, etc.

See G.16 (a) - The Contractor shall be liable for, and shall indemnify and hold harmless the

Government against all actions or claims for loss of or damage to property or the injury or death of persons, resulting from the fault, negligence, or wrongful act or omission of the Contractor, its agents, or its employees.

The Government does not require insurance from subcontractors, as we do not have contracts with subs and therefore have no discretion over the types and amounts of insurance subs maintain.

17 Section G.16 Section G.16 (e) requires the Contractor to furnish a copy of the insurance policies to the CO. Due to the voluminous nature of such policies, please confirm that an insurance certificate evidencing the required coverage will be acceptable in lieu of full copies of the policies.

Yes, that is acceptable

18 Section H.14 Many university and nonprofit subcontractors may have difficulty complying with the requirements of the Dissemination of Contract Information clause in H.14 and FAR 1252.242-72.

Would FHWA consider adding language stating that subcontractors that are educational institutions will be subject to the TAR clause 1252.242-70 Dissemination of Information—

Educational Institutions (OCT 1994) in lieu of H.14 and

1252.242-72?

No. The TAR clauses only apply when the

Educational Institution (EI) is the prime contractor.

These clauses cannot be added to a contract where the prime is not an EI.

Section H.15 Can the Government please clarify what is defined as “related work” in clause H.15 on page 62 of the RFP? Specifically:

Related work means: Any subsequent work being solicited for or performed against another contract that was the result of work performed by the prime contractor. Example: The contractor drafts a statement of work, which was later used to solicit proposals.

Organizational Conflict of Interest and Limitation on Future

Contracting, prohibits the prime from competing on “all related work during the performance of the order and for a period of 3 years after the end date of this order….” In past IDIQs, the limitation on future contracting language applied in situations where the prime has access to confidential information and/or would have a competitive advantage due to its work under the applicable IDIQ. Is FHWA willing to consider adding language to this section to limit the restriction on future contracting to situations when the information is not publicly available and could give a competitive advantage to the Contractor?

As H.15 states, “as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5.

Therefore, the Contractor is expressly prohibited from competing on all related work during the performance of the order and for a period of 3 years from the end date of this order as a prime

Contractor, Subcontractor or Consultant”

This remains as stated.

Can FHWA clarify whether the Organizational Conflict of

Interest and Limitation on Future Contracting clause in H.15 applies to subcontractors as well? If so, would FHWA consider waiving this requirement for certain subcontractors who may have more limited roles and may not have access to confidential or proprietary information which would give them a competitive advantage, or granting an exception for educational institutions and nonprofits?

No change or exception will be made at this time.

a. Is "related work" limited to future competitions where a

Contractor has an actual or potential OCI as defined in FAR 9.5, and does this mean that a Contractor will not be allowed to submit a mitigation plan to the appropriate Contracting Officer for review and approval in order to be allowed to conduct such work on the contract for which the actual or potential OCI might occur?

Related work is relevant to both current and future work. If you suspect an OCI may exist, you can submit a mitigation plan.

20 Section I The solicitation includes FAR 52.222-41 - Service Contract

Labor Standards (MAY 2014) and 52.222-43 - Fair Labor

Standards Act And Service Contract Labor Standards-Price

Adjustment (Multiple Year And Option Contracts) (MAY 2014).

We respectfully requests that FHWA incorporate the applicable

Wage Determinations for this solicitation or alternatively confirm that the Service Contract Labor Standards Act does not apply to this procurement.

This information will be removed from the

Solicitation.

21 Section I How many contracts do the Government intent to award for this

IDIQ?

Multiple – Please see Section I – FAR 52.216-1

Type of Contract

22 Section I Will FHWA permit offerors to incorporate the FAR/TAR alternate clauses prescribed for Educational Institutions (EI) in its subcontract agreements with EIs? The EI-prescribed clauses are designed to address, among other things, EI’s inability to accept restrictions on publication of information that could trigger export control requirements that impede the dissemination of research results in the academic community, and EI’s ability to assert copyright in any data rights first produced in its performance of a contract for basic or applied research, and EI’s unique accounting/audit procedures.

The awardees are required to flow down clauses to their subcontractors that are within the contract. As such, the Government will not extend different rights under the contract to the subcontractors. The alternate clauses, per the

FAR and TAR, for EIs apply when the

Government is contracting directly with an EI.

Granting additional, by the contractor, rights to the subcontractor not allowed under the terms of the contract could result in a breach of contract.

This is matter for the prime contractor to work out with its subcontractors. The prime will be held to the requirements and clauses listed in the contract and task orders.

23 Section I Is our assumption correct that Contractors may use their business judgment in determining modifications to FAR flow down provisions for University subcontractors when said provisions are not applicable, are inconsistent with local or state regulations governing universities, or are otherwise inconsistent with

University norms/policies?

Please see Question 21.

24 Page 52, Section I

FAR 52.216-18 Ordering (OCT 1995) states that orders may be issued from March 2016 through March 2021. Given the proposal due date is March 25, will FHWA please update the ordering period as appropriate?

This information will be updated at the time of award. Orders will be issued up to 5 years after time of award.

25 Section I Section 52.216-19 ORDER LIMITATIONS (OCT 1995) has the following language, (a) Minimum order. When the Government requires supplies or services covered by this contract in an amount of less than $10,000, the Government is not obligated to purchase, nor is the Contractor obligated to furnish, those supplies or services under the contract. Can you clarify the meaning of this requirement?

The Contractor is not required to perform services under a Task Order less than $10,000.

26 Exhibit J.1 Is it appropriate to add additional subcategory lines on

Attachment J.1 to reflect the use of Editors and/or Graduate

Students, both of which are referenced in the job category description, but currently excluded from the sample J.1 table contained within the RFP?

No, it is not appropriate to add additional subcategory lines on Attachment J.1 to reflect the use of Editors and/or Graduate Students.

Please propose using the Attachment, as it was issued in the RFP.

27 Exhibit J.1 Please confirm that the Labor Category Description as provided for Computer Support equates to the category Computer

Programmer.

That is correct. The “Computer Support” category equates to the category “Computer

Programmer.” This will be updated in the amendment.

28 Exhibit J.1 Can a staff person’s years of experience be substituted for master’s degree requirements in distinguishing between senior, mid, junior?

Yes. It may be substituted for General Staff, but may not be substituted for Key Personnel.

29 Exhibit J.1 Does FHWA want to see separate rates (Labor chart) from our subcontractors/consultants, or is only one set of hourly labor rates (Labor chart) expected? Will rates in the Labor Chart be established in the contract as maximum rates or fixed billing rates?”

No. Please provide blended rates. See FAR

52.232-7- Payments Under Time & Materials and Labor-Hour Contracts for details.

30 Exhibit J.1 There are labor category’s listed in the Attachment J.1 labor rate chart that are missing from the Attachment J.1 labor category descriptions. Similarly, there are labor categories identified in the labor category descriptions that are missing in the labor rate chart. Will FHWA be issuing revisions to Attachment J.1?

This has been addressed and fixed in

Amendment no. 1. All categories on the chart and descriptions will match, accordingly.

31 Exhibit J.1 “Each Senior Professional/Technical Staff (SP/T) shall have at a minimum a Master’s degree in transportation operations, transportation systems or advanced transportation technology.”

This requirement appears to be quite restrictive. Are senior professionals with advanced degrees in engineering, supply

Yes and the relevance of the advanced degree and experience will be considered in total when determining qualifications.

chain, business – topics related and applied to transportation – eligible to bid under this category?

32 Exhibit J.1 Please confirm that the General Support Staff Labor Category

Description also includes, “Provide high-level administrative support by conducting research, preparing reports, handling information requests, and performing clerical functions.”

Yes, it does. Please refer back to Exhibit J.1, for the description.

33 Exhibit J.1 What contract award date should the Offerors use to determine the proposed rates for years 1 through 5?

Offerors should plan on an effective date of no later than October 1, 2016.

34 Exhibit J.1 Should the Offeror propose a separate composite labor rate for each of the Program Themes?

No. Please propose blended rates, per FAR

52.232-7- Payments Under Time & Materials and Labor-Hour Contracts

35 Exhibit J.1 The solicitation requires the Offerors to provide a list of key employees for each Program Theme. Are the proposed key employees for a particular Program Theme limited to only performing work related to their assigned theme, or can they work on other themes?

There are no restrictions as to what themes Key

Personnel can or are able to work under.

36 Exhibit J.1 Is the Offeror allowed to use subcontractor employees as key employees for the Program Themes? If so, are there any limitations?

No. All Key Personnel must be employed by the

Prime Contractor.

37 Exhibit J.1 If the Offeror has more than one set of indirect rate pools

(contractor facility vs government facility) that would apply to the work to be performed under a resulting contract, should the

Offeror submit a separate completed Attachment J-1 for each indirect rate pool that would be used or should the Offeror modify Attachment J-1 to add lines for each labor category to show labor rates by location of performance if indirect rates vary?

All work is to be completed off-site; this information will be updated with the amendment. As such, there should only be one rate pool.

38 Exhibit J.1 Should the Offeror submit one fully burdened labor rate for each labor category, which includes the Offeror’s employee labor, subcontractor employee labor and consultant labor?

Refer back to earlier question on rates.

39 Exhibit J.1 Would FHWA consider adding Junior-Level

Professional/Technical Staff LCATs, Mid-Level

Professional/Technical Staff, and an additional LCAT for Senior

Professional/Technical Staff to the Labor Chart as non-Key personnel? In our assessment, a significant portion of task order support under the prior operations contract was accomplished

No labor categories/levels will be added at this time.

under these roles.

40 Exhibit J.1 Attachment J.1 is only requesting proposed hourly rates by labor category. What other spreadsheets are required? Regarding

Section L.8, Please clarify what calculations the Government needs to verify from the Offeror’s price proposal spreadsheet.

If the Contractor is using blended rates, it is assumed a calculation may be utilized in a spreadsheet. The Government requires the ability to see the equation used to arrive at the rate proposed.

41 Exhibit J.1 Should graduate students be included as separate rows in the table presented in Attachment J.1 or should they be blended into the Labor categories defined for Technician, Computer

Programmer, Technical Writer, and General Support Staff?

(Attachment J-1, Labor Category Descriptions, Page 4)

Please refer back to earlier question on rates.

42 J.2 What do you foresee the budget to entail, in regards to equipment and materials?

At this time the Government anticipates

$180,000 in Other Direct Costs, per year, for the life of the Contract.

At this time, the estimated amount for materials encompasses all possibilities that we envisage could occur. However, the materials are expected to be equipment and or supplies necessary to carry out the objective of the contract on a task by task basis. This also includes travel.

It is not anticipated that awardees will have to store/maintain inventories or purchase bulk commodities/supplies.

Those necessary to conduct the activities in the statement of work.

43 J.2 Should the prime submit a blended rate for each labor category or individual rates from each firm?

Should the Offeror submit one blended rate for each category of labor? Should the blended rate include subcontractors

Only one fully burdened labor rate is expected per labor category. The way that rate is calculated depends on the pricing/accounting practices of each offeror.

44 Exhibit J.4 Since the proposed levels of effort are unclear, for Attachment

J.4 (Subcontracting Plan), please confirm that it is acceptable to leave the $ value blank or TBD and include only target goal percentages for items a‐j.

Percentages are acceptable for items a-j.

45 Exhibit J.4 The table in Attachment J.4 that presents the subcontracting plan includes a column for an estimated dollar amount. Should we only submit our Master Subcontracting Plan and not J.4, or should we complete J.4 and leave estimates for costs blank since hours are not being bid? (Attachment J4)

Complete Exhibit J.4 and Master Subcontracting

Plan. See above answer for percentages, concerning Exhibit J.4

46 Exhibit J.4 In the event that a contractor does not have formal approval of a

Master Subcontracting Plan, is it acceptable to submit a project-specific subcontracting plan for this project?

Per FAR, large businesses are required to submit subcontracting plans.

47 Section L.3 Is the document limited only to 8.5 x 11 inch paper size, or can select pages be supplied as 11”x 17”? If so, must the 11”x 17” page be counted as 2 letter-size pages?

Any pages sized above 8.5 x 11 are not acceptable and may not be evaluated. Please see

Section M.2.

48 Section I How many contracts does the Government intent to award for this IDIQ?

Multiple – Please see Section I – FAR 52.216-1

Type of Contract

49 Section L.3 Do the page limitations for the technical books include a) the cover page, b) the table of contents, list of figures, and list of tables, and c) the acronym list?

Page limit includes all documents, tables, lists, etc.

50 Section L.3 Please confirm that the font size for graphics and tables can be less than 12 pt provided the text is clearly readable.

See Section L.3 (d).

51 Section L.3 The format requirements specify 12 point type and do not appear to make an exception for tables and diagrams (see p. 70). The instructions mention “Footnotes, legends, or labels associated with tables or diagrams and other information that is ancillary to the main text”, may be presented in a font size smaller than 12-point font. May tables and artwork be in a font smaller than 12 point?

Yes, that is acceptable.

52 Section L.4 Proposal Content and Configuration (IDIQ) implies a separate

Part I and Part II of Volume I. On page 71 under Volume I –

Technical Merit Proposal, the first paragraph states that “Parts I and II shall be bound together.” Are Parts I and II of Volume I to be submitted as a single file or separate files?

Please provide separate files contained within one CD

53 Section L.4 Regarding section L page 70. No, there is a separate page limit for resumes, Volume I part II has a 60 page limit

The 60 page limit is excessive when not including resumes. Are the resumes supposed to be included in the page count and this is an error?

which are 2 pages per resume. Resumes are not counted towards the total page limit.

54 Section L.4 RFP Section L.4., page 70, states “the two-page resumes are not included in the 60 page limit for Volume I, Part II – Staff

Proposal/Resumes.” We interpret this to mean an unlimited number of two pages resumes may be submitted without concern for the total number of pages. Please clarify.

There is no specific limit for resumes. However, resumes are only required for Key Personnel.

For all other staff, it is only required that each individual proposed demonstrates relevant experience, education, and expertise. See page

72, Part II

55 Section L.3 Are 11x17 pages permitted for charts, tables, and figures? If permitted, will the 11x17 sheet be counted two pages?

Please use only 8 ½ x 11 – See L.3 Proposal

Format (a) & (b).

56 Section L.4 In RFP Section L.4, Volume I, Part II, the Government has asked for a Master Staffing Matrix to include “the offerors organizations structure, hierarchies, roles, responsibilities, and lines of communications between team members.” Can this information be provided outside of the actual matrix?

Please provide as Section L.4, Volume I, Part II describes.

57 Section L.4 Part V has a 10 page limit for the five project descriptions. Are additional pages allowed to provide an introduction to the project descriptions?

No, there are no additional pages allowed, please keep the limit to 10 pages, as Part V indicates.

58 Section L.4 Section L.4, Volume II, Part I-Cost/Price Information:

Subparagraph (a) states that “The Government’s required labor categories and direct material costs are included in Section J for all Offerors as input to the cost/price proposal preparation.

Offerors are directed to use the provided estimates therein when preparing their price proposal”. In addition, subparagraph (b) (2) requires the Offeror to provide the estimated number of hours of each position to meet the full performance objectives of this contract. Section J does not provide direct material costs or any other estimates. Does the Government plan to provide this information at a later date? If so, request clarification on how it should be used in developing the Offeror’s proposal. Is the

Offeror required to provide the estimated number of hours of each position, or will the Staffing Matrix suffice. Without a specific statement of work or Government IGE, the Offeror

This information has been removed; please see the amendment no. 1.

would not be able to provide an accurate estimate of the number of hours.

59 Section L.4 RFP Section L.4, Volume II, Part I (b)(1) states, “…original signed copy”, RFP Section L.5 refers to an “original proposal”, and Section L.8 states “Each offer shall submit the number of documents specified in L.” Please confirm that only one CD of each Volume is required for submission and a hard copy is not required. If only a CD submittal is a required, how can we best provide original signatures to comply with procurement procedures?

See above for proposal submittal answers.

Electronic signatures are acceptable.

60 Section L.4 Can you clarify what is intended by “numbered” in the sentence on Page 73 that states: “a resume shall be submitted for all key personnel and must be organized and numbered? Resumes shall clearly match the topic area in which the staff member will be utilized…” Does “numbered” refer to the Program Theme numbering, page numbering, or just a sequential number for key personnel?

The page numbering style has not been specified. Therefore, it is at the Contractors discretion, as to how to number the proposal.

61 Section L.4 Page 73 states that “offerors shall provide a Master Staffing

Matrix, which denotes those key personnel and the staffing levels proposed, and capabilities/credentials for all labor categories in

Attachment J.1.” There’s a slight discrepancy in this sentence because right above that statement it says that key personnel only consist of the Program Manager and Senior Professionals for each program area, not each labor category in Attachment J.1.

Does the Government want to see qualifications for non-key personnel in the staffing plan (Technicians, Computer

Programmers, Technical Writers, and General Support Staff)?

Resumes and qualifications are only required for

Key Personnel, which are Program

Managers/Senior Professionals.

62 Section L.4 Is our assumption correct that the reference in Volume II Part 1

(b)(2) which asks Consultants to include estimated hours for each position in J.1 is not applicable (until the Task Order contract stage is reached)? (Note: Separately, M.2(c) states that the

Government will apply the Offeror’s proposed fully burdened fixed-prices/rates to the Government have estimated quantities of use over the life of the contract as estimated in the IGCE; this appears to eliminate the need for Contractors to estimate a mix of hours by position in their response to the RFP.)

You are required to submit fully loaded/burdened labor rates.

Your labor rates will be evaluated based on M.2, by comparing those rates to the IGCE, in order to complete a price realism analysis.

63 Section L.4 Offerors shall provide a Master Staffing Matrix, which denotes those Key Personnel and the staffing levels proposed, and capabilities/credentials. Please clarify what is intended/required for “staffing levels.”

Please see page 72, Part 2 for staffing approach description.

64 Section L.4 L.4 p 73 indicates we must provide a Master Staffing Matrix that includes offeror’s organization structure, hierarchies, and lines of communication. May we provide our organizational structure, hierarchies and lines of communication in an Organizational

Chart?

No, please provide as instructed.

65 Section L.4 The second full paragraph on the page states that “The master staffing matrix shall also include the offerors organizational structure, hierarchies, roles, responsibilities and lines of communication between team members.” This will make for a very complex master staffing matrix. Were these requirements intended for the master staffing matrix or to be discussed within the Part II – Staffing Proposal/Resumes section of the proposal?

No, the intention was as stated.

66 Section L.4 Please confirm that Volume I, Part II: Staffing Proposal/Resumes should be outlined per Section M, i.e. the organizational structure/capability and hierarchies, roles, responsibilities, and lines of communication between team members shall not all be contained within the master staffing matrix.

The RFP states that it shall all be provided within the Master Staffing Matrix, per page 73, Part II.

67 Section L.4 Will the Government negatively evaluate an individual being proposed in more than one Key Personnel position?

We anticipate one from each theme, but it does not prohibit the contractor to propose a key personnel that has the knowledge and capability to perform multiple themes.

68 Section L.4 Business and Cost/Price Part I (a) – This section states “Price proposals must adhere to the pricing structure established in

Section J.” Attachment J.1 presents a labor chart that offerors need to complete to present their proposed hourly rates by RFP labor category. Is this the pricing structure being referenced?

That is correct. Please use Attachment J.1.

69 Section L.4 Part II Subcontractors/Consultants, paragraph (b) requires names and positions of [subcontractor] personnel who will work on the project. Given that the solicitation is for an IDIQ contract with no specific tasks delineated, would the Government consider eliminating the requirement in paragraph (b)?

The requirement will remain unchanged.

70 Section L.4 Part II (b) requires offerors to include “[n]ames and positions of It refers to their proposed labor category.

personnel…” Does “positions of personnel” refer to their title at their company or the proposed labor category while working under this IDIQ?

71 Section L.4 Vol II, Part I (b) (2) states, "Complete the labor rate chart

Attachment J.1 including the hourly fully burdened rate and the estimated number of hours of each position." Attachment J-1 has no information on hours offerors to be bid, and the labor chart does not accommodate hours. Would the Government please consider removing the reference to hours from the referenced

RFP section?

Yes. The Government will remove this reference from the RFP.

72 Section L.4 Which subsections of Part III information should be completed only by the Prime?

All of Part III should be completed by the Prime

Contractor.

73 Section L.4 Vol II, Part III (a) is unclear on Attachment J-3 Disclosure of

Lobbying Activities submission requirements. Would the

Government please clarify the RFP to indicate Attachment J-3

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities is required from Prime only?

Correct, it is required of the Prime only.

74 Section L.4 Part III (a) states “Standard Form LLL – Submit a completed

Standard Form 33…” FAR 52.203-11, (d) Disclosure, appears to indicate that offerors do not need to submit a Standard Form LLL if the offeror does not have any qualifying lobbying contacts to report. Please confirm that offerors can state in their proposal (as applicable) that there are no qualifying lobbying contacts to report in lieu of submitting the Standard Form LLL.

Please fill out the Standard Form LLL, regardless of lobbying contacts.

75 Section L.4 For the purposes of the past performance evaluation, what does the government consider to be “major or critical aspects of the requirement”?

Significant portions of the work.

76 Section L.4 Which subsections of Part III information should be completed only by the Prime?

All subsections of Part III should be completed by the Prime only.

77 Section L.4 Should the Other Financial /Organizational Information requested be provided subcontractors as well as for the Prime?

Yes, it should be provided by subcontractors.

78 Section L.4 Part III (b) states that offerors must list contracts terminated for the convenience of the Government within the past 3 years as well as any contract terminated by default within the past 5 years.

Does this include contracts with any client, or only with the

Federal government?

Government only - Any Termination for

Convenience for 3 years

Any contract terminated in past 5 years

79 Section L.9 Section L.9 lists the pre-proposal conference date as “Friday, March 14, 2016”. Please clarify if the meeting will be held on

Friday, March 11th or Monday, March 14th?

The pre-proposal conference will be held on

Monday, March 14, 2016.

80 Section L.9 The Questions in Advance sections references a “Site Visit”.

Please clarify where a site visit is intended.

This information will be removed. There will be no site visited.

81 Section L.11 1252.239-71 requires that offerors address the Information

Technology Security Plan and Accreditation. In which volume and part of the proposal should this information be provided?

Part II – Cost/Price

82 Section L During the pre-proposal teleconference we were told that the

Cover, Table of Contents, and Acronym List were included in the page count. Normally these items are part of the front matter of

Volume I and II and are not in Part 1 (with a 60-page limit) nor

Part 2 (with a 60-page limit). What page count would the Cover, Table of Contents and Acronym Lists be counted against?

Each part has a 60 page limit. Any items included in either part will count toward that part’s page limit. i.e. If part 1 has a 3 page table of contents, the body of part 1 should be 57 pages.

It is the contractors discretion as to what page count/part would go towards the Cover, Table of

Contents and Acronym Lists