DTNH2215R00036_Amendment_01_Responses_to_Offeror_Questions.pdf

DTNH2215R00036 Amendment 01 Responses to Offeror Questions

Question 1: Reference L.8 Proposal Format. The solicitation states that “The Technical Proposal should contain a cover sheet that clearly identifies the Offeror’s name, RFP number [DTNH2215R00036, date, and the number of the copy (i.e., copy x of 5)]."

Q: Will the cover page be omitted from page count?

NHTSA Response 1: Yes

Question 2: Reference L.9. Part II: Past Performance and Experience. The solicitation states that "The Offeror shall provide a list of recent projects completed that were similar to the effort described in the solicitation." Will the government allow past performance references that are ongoing and have not been completed? If not, will the government consider allowing contracts that are ongoing that have completed the 12 months of the contract?

NHTSA Response 2: Past performance references may be from projects that are ongoing.

Question 3: Reference Section C.5.2 entitled Digital and Production Coordination and Program Management. Has the incumbent staff met high performance standards?

NHTSA Response 3: NHTSA has exercised option periods based on the Contractor performance.

Question 4: Reference Section C.5.2 entitled Digital and Production Coordination and Program Management. Does the DOT NHTSA anticipate keeping any of the current staff related to this requirement such as the Digital Manager?

NHTSA Response 4: It is the Offeror’s responsibility to propose a staffing plan in response to this RFP; this may include current or other prospective staff.

Question 5: Reference SOW Section C.6.3.2. "ALTERNATE WORK LOCATION." Does the Government expect most of the work to be completed on-site or would it consider allowing most of the work to be done at the Contractor's own facility if the Contractor can prove it would be of benefit to the government?

NHTSA Response 5: It is the Offeror’s responsibility to propose a staffing plan in response to this RFP. The Government anticipates some work will be completed on-site and some may be completed at the Contractor’s own facility.

Question 6: Reference SOW Section L.9. "TECHNICAL PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS, PART II: PAST PERFORMANCE AND EXPERIENCE". Should the 3 provided references be the same points of contact as those submitting the three Past Performance Questionnaires?

NHTSA Response 6: Yes.

Question 7: Reference SOW L.9. "TECHNICAL PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS, PART IV:

PROJECT PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS". Does the Government expect each anticipated labor category to be filled by a single member of the Contractor's team?

NHTSA Response 7: It is the Offeror’s responsibility to propose a staffing plan in response to this RFP. The Contractor may choose to propose either single or multiple personnel to fill positions.

Question 8: Reference Section B.1 Supplies / Services. Since this is a Cost Plus fixed fee contract are you able to tell us the anticipated costs for each year?

NHTSA Response 8: It is the Offeror’s responsibility to develop a cost proposal based upon the requirement identified in the RFP and its organization’s cost structure.

Question 9: Is there an incumbent, if so, who is the company?

NHTSA Response 9: The incumbent is Bowhead Systems Management.

Question 10: Is the incumbent eligible to submit a proposal?

NHTSA Response 10: Yes, the incumbent is currently eligible to submit a proposal.

Question 11: How long has the incumbent been working on the contract?

NHTSA Response 11: The period of performance for the current contact is September 14, 2010 through March 31, 2016.

Question 12: Who had the contract before the current incumbent?

NHTSA Response 12: The Contractor before the incumbent has no effect on the resultant contract as those requirements have been revised.

Question 13: How long has the contract been in existence?

NHTSA Response 13: The current contract has been in place since September 14, 2010.

Question 14: Does the incumbent have partners and subcontractors working on the contract, if so who?

NHTSA Response 14: There are no partners or subcontractors working on the incumbent contract.

Question 15: Does the contract have option years, if so, were they exercised?

NHTSA Response 15: Yes, it does, and the Government exercised all three (3) option periods.

Question 16: What was the contract award amount per year?

NHTSA Response 16: The contract award amount was for $960,000.00 (base year 1), $998,400.00 (base year 2), $1,037,979.20 (option period 1), $1,079,865.60 (option period 2), and $1,123,065.60 (option period 3) for a total of $5,199,310.40.

Question 17: What was the total contract award amount for all years with options years included?

NHTSA Response 17: The contract award amount was for $5,199,310.40.

Question 18: What are the key personnel positions currently working on the contract?

NHTSA Response 18: NHTSA will not provide the key personnel positions of the current contract. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to propose a staffing plan in response to this RFP.

Question 19: What is the highest paid salary of the key personnel working on the contract?

NHTSA Response 19: NHTSA will not provide the salary of the key personal working on the current contract. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to propose staffing and costs plans in response to this RFP.

Question 20: How many positions are currently working on the contract?

NHTSA Response 20: NHTSA will not provide the number of positions working on the current contract. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to propose a staffing plan in response to this RFP.

Refer to page 62 of the RFP; NHTSA has identified the anticipated labor categories for the proposed requirements.

Question 21: What positions are considered key personnel for this contract?

NHTSA Response 21: Refer to page 62 of the RFP for NHTSA’s definition of Key Personal as well as the definition found in Section G.7 TAR 1252.237.73 – Key Personnel (April 2005).

Additionally, it is the Offeror’s responsibility to determine who it considers its key personnel to be.

Question 22: Does the current vendor have any special certifications, 8a, HUBZONE, Service Disabled veteran?

NHTSA Response 22: Yes, see NHTSA response 10.

Question 23: Do any of the people currently working on the contract have advance degrees, if so, how many and what’s the highest?

NHTSA Response 23: NHTSA will not provide this information. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to propose a staffing plan in response to this RFP.

Question 24: Are there any expected ODCs?

NHTSA Response 24: It is the Offeror’s responsibility to develop a cost proposal based upon the requirement identified in the RFP and its organization’s cost structure.

Question 25: Is there a ceiling cap on ODCs, if so, how much?

NHTSA Response 25: There is not a cap on ODCs. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to develop a cost proposal based upon the requirement identified in the RFP and its organization’s cost structure.

Question 26: Is this a new requirement?

NHTSA Response 26: No.

Question 27: Is there a requirement for Key Personnel to be current full-time employees of the firm, or can they be contract-based employees?

NHTSA Response 27: They must be employees of the contractor who holds the contract with the Government.

Question 28: Is the contractor required to provide an estimated price for Other Direct Costs, e.g.

Travel, on-site collateral, materials, etc?

NHTSA Response 28: Yes. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to develop a cost proposal based upon the requirement identified in the RFP and its organization’s cost structure.

Question 29: Will the contractor pay for the Other Direct Costs and be reimbursed by the government?

NHTSA Response 29: Reasonable, allowable, and allocable costs will be reimbursed by the Government for costs incurred in the performance of this requirement under the resultant contract.

Question 30: Is this an existing requirement? If so, can you provide the contract number of the existing contract and/or name of contractor providing these services?

NHTSA Response 30: Please reference NHTSA Responses 9 and 26, and the current contract number is DTNH2210C00182.

Question 31: Reference Section L.8, “Proposal Format,” page 56. The solicitation states “The Technical Proposal should contain a cover sheet that clearly identifies the Offeror’s name, RFP number [DTNH2215R00036, date, and the number of the copy (i.e., copy x of 5)]. In Section L.3 (3), “Proposal Delivery,” p54, the instructions indicate a preference for delivery of proposals via e-mail. Can the offeror submit one electronic copy of each proposal volume via email or would the government prefer five separate files for each volume to represent Copies 1-5?

NHTSA Response 31: The Offeror can submit one electronic copy of each proposal volume via email at NHTSAOAM@dot.gov.

Question 32: Reference PART IV: PROJECT PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS, p61. The solicitation states “The Offeror shall provide résumés that detail information on the qualifications and abilities of the Offeror’s proposed staff and reflect each individual’s ability to meet the proposed requirements of their role.” How many resumes are required to be submitted in addition to the Digital Manager/Program Manager?

NHTSA Response 32: Part IV: Project Personnel Qualifications (See M.4.3) details the requirements for résumés. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to submit appropriate résumés that will allow the Government to evaluate proposed staffing for all personnel whom the Offeror has committed to perform work under the Contract.

Question 33: Reference Part I (b), “Business Proposal Breakdown,” p 72. The solicitation states “Other Direct Costs (ODCs): a separate schedule shall be provided to breakdown ODCs. The schedule shall provide a detailed itemization of each ODC proposed, and shall also provide rationale for the need of each item.” Can the government provide an estimated “plug” number for all offeror’s to propose equally for evaluation purposes?

NHTSA Response 33: See NHTSA response 24.

Question 34: Reference “ESTIMATED LEVEL OF EFFORT,” p74. The solicitation states “If the Offeror deems the Government’s estimated level of effort is an underestimation or overestimation to complete the project, the Offeror shall provide an explanation.” Can the government confirm that all bidders are to provide only an explanation if warranted but propose the actual hours identified in the level of effort table on page 74 for cost evaluation purposes?

NHTSA Response 34: Offerors may propose a level of effort and/or labor categories that are not consistent with those detailed in the solicitation in their cost proposal for evaluation, but in doing so, the Offeror shall provide an explanation for the different labor categories or level of effort.

Question 35: Reference M.2.A, EVALUATION, NEGOTIATIONS, AND AWARD PROCESS, p76. The solicitation states “PHASE TWO - The Offeror’s proposed prices as reflected in Section M.5 BUSINESS PROPOSAL will be considered if their technical proposal is found to be technically acceptable as a result of the evaluation in PHASE ONE.” Based on the criteria presented in Section M.4, what criteria must be met and how does the government intend to evaluate “technical acceptability?”

NHTSA Response 35: Section M.4 Technical Evaluations Factors discusses the technical evaluation factors the Government will use to evaluate proposals.

Question 36: Reference M.3, “BASIS OF AWARD,” p77 and M.4 “TECHNICAL EVALUATION FACTORS,” p77. Section M.3 states “When combined, the technical evaluation factors are more important than cost.” However, Section M.4 states “All evaluation factors listed below, when combined, are significantly more important than cost.” Please clarify the relative importance of the technical evaluation factors in relation to cost.

NHTSA Response 36: As stated in Section M.4, all technical evaluation factors, when combined, are significantly more important than cost.

Question 37: Reference M.4.2. “TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT,” p78. The solicitation states, “The Offeror will be evaluated on the suitability and sufficiency of the proposed staffing plan including the organizational structure to provide the necessary support.” Can the government provide performance metrics for the SOW elements to help offerors substantiate workload and organizational staffing?

NHTSA Response 37: The Estimated Level of Effort on page 74 of the RFP provides this information.

Question 38: Reference M.4.3. “PROJECT PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS,” p78. The solicitation states “The Offeror will be evaluated on how well the qualifications of the proposed staff demonstrate technical background relevant to the effort including fluency in Spanish languages.” The labor category descriptions do not appear to require fluency in Spanish. Please clarify which labor categories will be evaluated against a requirement for fluency in Spanish.

NHTSA Response 38: NHTSA anticipates fluency in Spanish will be required for the writers.

At this time, NHTSA is not anticipating an ongoing need for fluency in Spanish.

Question 39: Reference Attachment J.4 “Cost Proposal Template.” The template has columns titled “Task One, “Task Two,” and so forth. Neither the SOW (p4) nor the Level of Effort Table (p74) provide a breakout of services by task. What are the specific tasks that the cost template is describing? Is it sufficient to bid the hours/categories proposed in the Level of Effort Table on page 74?

NHTSA Response 39: Offerors may modify or submit a Cost Proposal that reflects its technical proposal and includes the major elements (Column A) of Attachment J.4 “Cost Proposal Template”. Offerors are cautioned that cost proposals must include rates along with proposed levels of efforts.

Question 40: Reference Attachment J.4 “Cost Proposal Template.” The template has columns titled “Task One, “Task Two,” and so forth. Please provide detailed metrics for each SOW element in order to permit offerors to have sufficient information to determine the proper resource allocations by task.

NHTSA Response 40: See NHTSA response 39.

Question 41: Reference C.6.3.2 “Alternate Work Location.” The solicitation states that, “the Contractor shall make certain that Contract staff obtain their Government security credentials in a timely manner per DOT’s security policy.” Will the government please specify what government security credentials are required?

NHTSA Response 41: After award, the successful Offeror will work with the Contracting Officer’s Representative to obtain required government security credentials.

Question 42: Are there any incumbent contractor(s) supporting this requirement today? If so, please provide the company names, contract numbers, and periods of performance.

NHTSA Response 42: Please reference NHTSA Responses 9 and 30, and the period of performance is from September 14, 2010 to March 31, 2016.

Question: Reference Section I.2, regarding 1252.239-70 and 1252.239-71, p. 41. 1252.239-70 states: “(c) Within 30 days after contract award, the contractor shall submit the IT Security Plan to the DOT Contracting Officer for acceptance. This plan shall be consistent with and further detail the approach contained in the offeror’s proposal or sealed bid that resulted in the award of this contract and in compliance with the requirements stated in this clause.” Should an IT Security Plan be added to the Deliverables section F.4? Will the Government please clarify if the offeror should respond to Security concerns within Volume I or Volume 2? If so, where should the response be addressed? If the offeror is required to provide a response in Volume I, will the Government allow the response to be added as five page addendum to ensure adequate response?

NHTSA Response 43: Requirements of clauses in Section I will not be added to Section F.4 Deliverables/Milestones. The successful Offeror will remain responsible for ensuring that all requirements of Section I are met. The Offeror may respond to security concerns in Volume 2.

Question: Reference Section I.2, regarding 1252.239-70, p. 41: “(d) Within 6 months after contract award, the contractor shall submit written proof of IT Security accreditation to the DOT for acceptance by the DOT Contracting Officer. Such written proof may be furnished either by the Contractor or by a third party. Accreditation must be in accordance with DOT Order 1350.2, which is available from the Contracting Officer upon request. This accreditation will include a final security plan, risk assessment, security test and evaluation, and disaster recovery plan/continuity of operations plan. This accreditation, when accepted by the Contracting Officer, shall be incorporated into the contract as a compliance document, and shall include a final security plan, a risk assessment, security test and evaluation, and disaster recovery/continuity of operations plan. The contractor shall comply with the accepted accreditation documentation.”

Will the Government be adding the 6 month written IT Written Proof requirement to the Deliverables section F.4?

NHTSA Response 44: Requirements of clauses in Section I will not be added to Section F.4 Deliverables/Milestones. The successful Offeror will remain responsible for ensuring that all requirements of Section I are met.

Question 45: Reference Section I.2, regarding 1252.239-70, p. 41: (e) On an annual basis, the contractor shall submit verification to the Contracting Officer that the IT Security Plan remains valid. Should a yearly verification of IT Security Plan validity be added to Section F.4 Deliverables?

NHTSA Response 45: Requirements of clauses in Section I will not be added to Section F.4 Deliverables/Milestones. The successful Offeror will remain responsible for ensuring that all requirements of Section I are met.

Question 46: Reference Section L.8, p. 57, Volume II, paragraph 3: “The electronic submission(s) of the Business Proposals shall allow the Government to interact with the data.”

Please verify that .pdf submission of Volume II is acceptable for the narrative information that is contained in Parts I, II, and III; and Excel format (unlocked) is acceptable for the pricing sheets (Attachment Js).

NHTSA Response 46: That is correct.

Question 47: Reference Section L.8, p. 57, Volume I, paragraph 2 and p. 57 Volume II paragraph 1: “…contain a cover sheet that clearly identifies… and the number of the copy (i.e., copy x of 5).” If we are submitting via email (electronically), does the Government want only one submission marked as Original, or 5 individual submissions marked according to this statement?

NHTSA Response 47: Please reference NHTSA Response 31.

Question 48: Reference Section L.8 Proposal Format. Will the Government accept proposals in a font format of 12 point font for text and no smaller than 10 point font for graphics and tables?

NHTSA Response 48: Yes.

Question 49: Reference Section F.2, p. 17: Period of Performance. What is the proposed start date for the Period of Performance?

NHTSA Response 49: The Government estimates an April 1, 2016 start date.

Question 50: Reference Section B, B.1.b, p. 3 Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs; Section L, L.4; FAR 52.216-1 Type of Contract (APR1984). The Government stated that it anticipates issuing a CPFF contract. Does the Government intend to issue a CPFF/Term contract? As described in Section C - Description/Specifications/Statement of Work, the nature of the work is more conducive to a T&M contract. Will the Government consider changing the contract type from CPFF to T&M?

NHTSA Response 50: The Government intends to issue a Cost Plus Fixed Fee—Term contract and would only change the contract type to Time and Material if it is determined that the successful Offeror does not have an adequate cost accounting system.

Question 51: Reference Section G, G.9.b.7, Submission of Invoices, p. 25. As the Government anticipates issuing a CPFF contract type, will the Government remove the invoice requirement to report the "Associated Labor Rate for each Labor Category Billed" as this is a requirement associated with a T&M contract and not a CPFF contract type?

NHTSA Response 51: This requirement would stay as the resultant contract is anticipated to be a CPFF contract type and it will be necessary for invoice approval for the reviewing and approving officials to ensure that the labor rates billed are reasonable, allowable, and allocable to the effort.

Question 52: Reference C.4. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS, p.5; C.5.4.2. WRITING SERVICES, p.9; C.5.4.3. SOCIAL AND DIGITAL MEDIA SERVICES, p.9; M.4.3. PROJECT PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS (See L.9, Part IV), p.78. Will the Government please clarify what level of Speaking and Reading proficiency is required for Spanish translation for Writing/Social & Digital Media Services, e.g., typical levels of Minimum Professional Proficiency (3-Intermediate - Able to read standard newspaper items addressed to the general reader, routine correspondence, reports, and technical materials in the individual's special field); Full Professional Proficiency (4-Advanced - Able to read all styles and forms of the language pertinent to professional needs); or Native/Bilingual Proficiency (5-Superior - Equivalent to that of an educated native)? Will the Government pay for any required language proficiency certification of the proposed linguist(s) from an accredited language proficiency testing firm?

NHTSA Response 52: No, the Government will not pay for an proficiency certification of the proposed linguist(s) from an accredited language proficiency testing firm.

Question 53: , Can work be performed from a remote location or is it a must for the work to be performed at the contractor’slocation?

NHTSA Response 53: See NHTSA Response 5.

Question 54: If an Offeror is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, and would consider responding to this opportunity, can NHTSA confirm if this is a clerical error or if this is only set aside for 8-a (low income) firms? Would this solicitation consider other set asides such as, SDVOB?

NHTSA Response 54: This solicitation is only set aside for 8(a) firms.