Questions__Responses_(QR)_Document_Amendment_000002_06032016.pdf

QUESTIONS WITH RESPONSES

SOLICITATION: TRANSIT OUTREACH AND OVERSIGHT PROGRAM

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) NUMBER:

DTFT6016R00004

1. QUESTION: I am hoping to find out if there is an incumbent contractor currently performing these services. If so, could I please find out the contractor name and contract number?

RESPONSE: The current incumbents performing some of the work mentioned in the RFP/Solicitation are Boyd, Caton & Grant (BCG) Transportation Group and Interactive Elements, Incorporated (IEI). The respective contract numbers are as follows: DTFT60-10-F-00007/GS-10F-0376R, DTFT60-11-D-00003, and DTFT60- 11-D-00004.

2. QUESTION: Attachment J-4, SSO Audit Sample Task Order, references the “FTA

Audit Manual” for conducting the Vermont/Nebraska audits. Will FTA please make the FTA Audit Manual available to bidders to support an apples-to-apples comparison in terms of level of effort in pricing the sample task order?

RESPONSE: The scope of SSO Audits, as described in the SOW and on the Sample Task Order is to ensure compliance with 49 CFR Part 659 and any subsequent regulations that might supersede it. The Audit Manual will not be provided until after award. Attachment J-4 Sample Task order has been revised to include a change to the acceptance criteria for the Nebraska and Vermont audits.

3. QUESTION: Paragraph L.7.2 states, “Offerors shall submit four (4) Government and Commercial contracts (prime and major subcontracts) in performance during the past 3 years, which are relevant to the efforts required by this solicitation.” Request government consider reducing the number of past performance submittals to three (3) or even two (2) within the past 3 years. Many qualified small business firms will be precluded from bidding on this requirement since a small business is not likely to have 4 relevant past performance qualifications within the past three years.

RESPONSE: Per amendment 000002 to this RFP/Solicitation, the number of past performance submittals referenced is decreased from 4 to 3.

4. QUESTION: Paragraph L.5.1 calls for responses by 1PM EST Thursday, June 16, 2016. Will the government consider extending the due date two weeks until June 30, 2016? The additional time will allow for teaming arrangements necessary for a small firm to comprehensively address all State Safety Oversight Program requirements in terms of capabilities and personnel.

RESPONSE: The Government has reviewed your concern. However, the due date with time will not be changed at this time.

5. QUESTION: On page 5 of the SOW, the language states “The Period of

Performance (POP) will be three year term, one base year period of 12 months and two one (1) year option periods.” This language is contradictory to that found on page 6 which states “The contract period of performance is from date of award through a five year period.” Please confirm the period of performance for this RFP.

RESPONSE: The period of performance for this requirement will be a total of 3 years in length (one base year period of 12 months and two one (1) year option periods. The language concerning the five years as the period of performance is incorrect. The Government has corrected the language via amendment 000002.

6. QUESTION: Which contractor has been carrying out these or similar tasks for FTA currently or in recent years?

RESPONSE: Please see the response to question 1 in this Q&R document above.

7. QUESTION: Does this RFP combine and/or any existing pieces of work within FTA?

RESPONSE: Yes, some work is existing and others new in terms of being procured by

FTA.

8. QUESTIONS FOR: Task Area 2.1 – Seminars and Workshops:

a. For pricing purposes, please provide the number of trips required by task, or alternatively, a travel estimate that may be used by all offerors for the Base Year and Option Year per task.

RESPONSE: Per amendment 000002, the Government has revised the travel portion to only include a not-to-exceed (NTE) amount for each performance year for the potential offeror to utilize when preparing their price proposal in Attachment J-1.

Revisions have been captured in the RFP/Solicitation and in Attachment J-1 per this amendment 000002.

b. Is the Contractor responsible for costs relating to seminars and workshops, e.g., facility rental?

RESPONSE: Contractors tasked under this specific requirement will not be responsible for locating a facility or the rental of such facilities. Please see RFP/Solicitation further regarding this topic as it was previously addressed throughout the document.

9. QUESTION: On page 5, at the end of paragraph 2, the “total estimated value for this overall requirement is no more than $19.2 across a total of three years . . . ” Should the number be $19.2 million?

RESPONSE: The Government has reviewed your question and agree that the $19.2 figure should have the words “million” proceeding it on page 5, end of paragraph 2 in section B.1 Supplies or Services. It has been corrected via amendment 000002 to this RFP/Solicitation.

10. QUESTION: If the number is $19.2 million, it seems low for the approximately

120,000-hour level of effort plus travel. Is this number correct?

RESPONSE: Yes, these numbers are correct.

11. QUESTION: On page 6 and elsewhere in the RFP, the contract is described as having a one-year term with two one-year options. In paragraph 1 on the same page, the period of performance is described as five years. Can we assume that the term of one year with two option years is correct?

RESPONSE: Yes, the anticipated period of performance for this requirement is a total of 3 years (one base year of performance with two one year option periods). The Government has updated this language in the RFP/Solicitation document to maintain consistency.

12. QUESTION: On pages 6 and 7, 44 trips are anticipated in each of the contract years. In attachment J-1, 39 trips are indicated. Which is correct?

RESPONSE: See the response to question 8 in this Q&R document.

13. QUESTION: How shall we estimate the travel for allocation to the different rows of Attachment J-1 if we do not know the locations of the activities?

RESPONSE: See the response to question 8 and 12 in this Q&R document.

14. QUESTION: On pages 6 and 7, a lump sum of $5,000 is set aside for ODCs. Is it intended that we allocate that sum in the two rows of Attachment J-1?

RESPONSE: Attachment J-1 has been updated to reflect the correction of information needed for the potential offeror to calculate for the price proposal response.

15. QUESTION: On page 62, it looks like the text in the last row of the first column is truncated. Is there additional text? And if so, what is it?

RESPONSE: The Government has reviewed page 62 of the RFP/Solicitation and could not locate what you are referencing to in your firm’s question.

16. QUESTION: The instructions for the required volumes do not include a narrative on what is to be included in Volume IV - Solicitation, Offer, and Award. Can you please clarify what is to be included in Volume IV?

RESPONSE: As it relates to what should be provided in Volume IV, the table clearly states what should be included in the offeror’s response. The Standard Form (SF33), Response to Other Business Factors section, Conflict of Interest Form response on Attachment J-2 and Certifications / Representations and Completed. A signed SF 33 from your firm which reflects authorized signature with date from the respective representative. Also, potential offerors should provide signed copies of each SF33 associated with an amendment to this RFP/Solicitation. Information regarding what the Government is requesting in terms of “Other Business Factors” can be found on page 71 of the RFP/Solicitation document for the response to be submitted within Volume IV. There is a small typo after the word “Completed” in the table which will be removed via amendment 000002. As indicated in the table within the RFP/Solicitation document, there is no page limitation for an offeror’s response to Volume IV.

17. QUESTION: Neither of the states identified for audit in Attachment J-4 has a State

Safety Oversight Agency. What assumptions can we make to enable us to complete the related form J-1?

RESPONSE: Assume these are non-remarkable average SSO agencies (a single program manager with some contract support overseeing a single mid-sized rail transit agency). The audit should be conducted by two personnel over three days.

Allow adequate time to collect and review documents before the review, and to create the report and track findings afterwards.

18. QUESTION: Where can we access the current editions of the FTA Bus and Rail

Audit Manuals referred to in Attachment J-4, rows 5 and 6?

RESPONSE: The scope of SSO Audits, as described in the SOW and on the Sample Task Order is to ensure compliance with 49 CFR Part 659 and any subsequent regulations that might supersede it. The Audit Manual will not be provided until after award. Also, there is no SSO Audit Manual for the Bus program because SSO Agencies do not oversee bus systems.

19. QUESTION: Attachment J-4 calls for reviews in two different states, but

Attachment J-1 does not provide space for separating the costs. Do you want two separate J-1s, a single amalgamated J-1, or a single J-1 with separate rows for each audit?

RESPONSE: For the pricing proposal response to Attachment J-4, the associated costs for each review should be separated out in the spreadsheet under the tab entitled “Pricing for Sample Task Order” tab in Attachment J-1. The Government has revised Attachment J-1 to assist with clarification regarding the need for separation of costs concerning this sample task order requirement via amendment 000002.

20. QUESTION: What is the significance of the column labelled “Acceptance Criteria” in Attachment J-4?

RESPONSE: This column states in what format each respective deliverable should be provided to the Government.

21. QUESTION: It is unclear in which volume Standard Form (SF) 33 is meant to be placed. The table on page 63 shows it clearly in Volume IV, but the narrative on page 72 states "Offerors shall complete and sign SF33" in between paragraphs discussing price proposal (volume III) requirements. Please clarify which volume the SF33 is meant to be placed in.

RESPONSE: The Standard Form (SF) 33 should be placed in the offeror’s response to Volume IV.

22. QUESTION: Can the FTA provide the list of anticipated audits for the first contract year?

RESPONSE: The audit schedule is flexible, and can change for different reasons, but tentatively the next ten states on the list are: MN, TN, AR, VA, FL, NY, MO, AZ, WV, & LA. For estimating travel costs, please use the NTE amount referenced in the updated Attachment J-1 and in the RFP/Solicitation documents.

23. QUESTION: Page 67 states, “At a minimum each representative resume shall be limited to three (3) pages,” and also references that “Each resume submitted must not exceed a total of 5 pages in length for the Government’s review.” Can you please clarify the resume length requirements?

RESPONSE: The correct number of pages concerning the maximum length for submittal of resumes is 5 pages. The Government has corrected this via amendment 000002 concerning its appearance in the RFP/Solicitation to avoid future confusion.

24. QUESTION: Page 63, Section L.4.3 Format states, “Text shall be of a minimum

12-point font size or a maximum of 10 characters per inch spacing.” However, Attachment J-3 Resume Template Final 05-19-2016 utilizes Times New Roman 11-point font size. Can you please clarify font requirements for resumes?

RESPONSE: Resumes submitted must be provided in 12-point font size, Times New Roman. The Government has corrected Attachment J-3 Resume Template to address this as well to avoid future confusion among prospective offerors via amendment 000002.

25. QUESTION: Page 63 states, “The cover letter, title page, table of contents, table of figures, list of tables, resumes, and glossary of abbreviations & acronyms do not count against page count limitations.” Is this statement applicable for each volume?

For example, can we include title pages for each separate volume that do not count against page count limitations?

RESPONSE: Yes, the no page count limitations for the respective parts you mentioned apply to each volume requested for submittal concerning an offeror’s proposal response to the Government.