Amendment_No._A0002.pdf

(x)

DTRT5714R20001

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

RVP-31

Cambridge MA 02142-1001 55 Broadway, RVP-31 Contracts&Program Support Services U.S. DOT/Volpe Center

RVP-31

Cambridge MA 02142-1001 55 Broadway, RVP-31 Contracts&Program Support Services U.S. DOT/Volpe Center

04/03/2014A0002

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

FACILITY CODE CODE

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

CODE

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

PAGE OF PAGES

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

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

02/24/2014

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. See the attached continuation sheets for details.

2. Please acknowledge receipt of this Amendment with the submission of your proposal.

3. All other terms and conditions of the Solicitation remain unchanged.

Continued ...

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)

Elizabeth A. Segal

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 .

DTRT5714R20001

Amendment No. A0002

1. The purpose of this Amendment is to revise sections of the Request for Proposal and to provide responses to the questions received in response to the RFP.

2. Section C – Description/Specifications/Statement of Work, is hereby revised as follows:

C.2 Scope of Work, Work Area 8. Regulatory and Policy Compliance, delete the language at the bottom of Page 15 starting with the paragraph “When performed as an integral part of a broader task order …” and the delete the paragraph, along with the bullets at the top of Page 16. The last bullet is “Safety Systems Analysis”. This language is duplicative in this section.

3. Section I – Contract Clauses, Page 49, FAR Clause 52-216-22 paragraph (d) is hereby corrected to read as follows: “(d) that the Contractor shall not be required to make any deliveries under this contract after12 months after the contract ordering period expires.”

4. Section L – Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors or Respondents, Page 78, Other Direct Costs (ODCs), RFP-stipulated ODCs, is hereby corrected to read as follows:

“RFP-stipulated ODCs: Offerors should include the amounts shown in the following table. The travel and equipment amounts should be retained by the Prime. Both costs should be burdened in accordance with established practice as shown on the completed Schedule 8.”

5. Section L – Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors or Respondents, the references of the words “resumed key person” on Page 77 and Page 98 of the RFP, is hereby corrected to read “resumed person”. The reference to the words “resumed Key Personnel” in Exhibit B:

Checklist for Schedules, on Page 81 of the RFP is hereby corrected to read “resumed Personnel”.

6. Section L – Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors or Respondents, Page 94, Paragraph L.5 – Instructions for Technical Proposal, Subparagraph L.5.C. Process, the second paragraph of this section is hereby corrected to read as follows: “After the receipt of offers (proposals) by the Government, every eligible Offeror must make an oral presentation to the Government’s Technical Evaluation Team.” The remainder of the paragraph starting with “Paper copies of any slides ….” is deleted in its entirety.

7. Section L, Section L – Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors or Respondents, Page 101, the second paragraph is hereby corrected to read as follows: “The total overall page limit for the summaries of the Offeror's five most relevant contracts (including any information on the problems encountered on the contracts) is 15 pages. Any double-sided pages submitted will count as two pages. This page limit does not apply to the list of other less relevant contracts required, past performance evaluation reports, or any information submitted by the Offeror to demonstrate that it has made its best efforts to ensure that customers provide past performance reports to the Government.”

DTRT5714R20001

Amendment No. A0002

8. The questions, with the corresponding answers, received in response to Solicitation No.

DTRT5714R20001 are provided as Attachment No. 1 to this Amendment. Attachment No. 1 is 10 pages.

9. Please acknowledge receipt of this Amendment with the submission of your proposal.

10. All other terms and conditions of the Solicitation remain unchanged.

ATTACHMENT NO. 1

SUBMITTED QUESTIONS WITH THE CORRESPONDING ANSWERS

SOLICITATION NO. DTRT5714R20001

Q.1. Will there be specific small-business task set asides? Or, do tasks require large businesses to partner with small business to ensure 40% of task requirements are executed by small business?

A.1. No. There will be no small-business task set asides. This requirement is a Full and Open competitive procurement. Offerors other than small business concerns are required to submit a Small Business Subcontracting Plan, as part of its Cost and Business Proposal.

With regard to the second question, the Government assumes that you are referring to the goals for the Small Business Subcontracting Plan. The Government established a goal of 40.0% of the dollars to be awarded to small business concerns as part of the subcontract awards for this procurement. The 40.0% goal, as stated on Page 93 of the Request for Proposals (RFP), should be included as part of an Offeror’s Small Business Subcontracting Plan.

Q.2. What is the expected number of offerors that will be awarded to the Master Contract per year?

A.2. The RFP states on Page 103, Section M.1., Paragraph M..1.A., that “[t]he Government intends to make a total of four to six awards but reserves the right to make fewer or more or no awards if it is in the best interest of the Government.” The Master Contracts are only awarded once, not yearly.

Q.3. The RFP states 4-6 task orders awards/year. What is the level of effort of a typical award?

A.3. The RFP does not state that 4-6 task awards/year will be made. The level of effort of a particular task order award depends on the task order requirements.

Q.4. Can you provide an expected award range for a typical task order (min=$2500, max=)?

A.4. No, an answer cannot be provided at this time. The min=$2500 is the minimum guarantee for each contract. The RFP states as follows in Section B, Paragraph B.2, Paragraph C, “C. Minimum Guarantee: The guaranteed minimum is $2,500 for each contract.” The maximum task order amount is $10,000,000, as stated in Section I, FAR Clause 52.216-19 (b)(1) and (b)(2).

Q.5. What is the minimum # of bids that each selected team must submit in one year?

A.5. There is no minimum number of offers that each Prime Contractor must submit in any given year. This would depend on the number of Task Order RFPs that are issued in any given year, and a management decision whether or not the Prime Contractor will submit a proposal.

Q.6. Security Clearances may be required? What is the highest level required?

A.6. Yes, security clearances may be required. The required level will be determined when there is a requirement for security clearances at the task order level.

Q.7. If a task requires secret or top secret clearances, will the Volpe Center and/or DoT facilitate the general security clearance process?

A.7. An answer cannot be provided at this time. It would be the responsibility of the Contractor for obtaining appropriate security clearance from the Defense Security Service.

Please refer to Section H, Paragraph H.13 Security and Position Sensitivity Designations.

Q.8. Should a contractor initiate security clearance obtainment upon task order solicitation, in anticipation of an award, or wait until a task is awarded?

A.8. The requirement for security clearances, if any, will be determined at the task order level.

Q.9. How long does the security clearance process take for Volpe Center supported work?

A.9. A definitive answer cannot be provided at this time.

Q.10. Is US citizenship required for any/all work?

A.10. Either US citizenship or a Permanent Resident Alien that is allowed to work in the United States, is required for any/all work.

Q.11. How do government employees in the Volpe Center usually interact with contractors -daily, weekly, monthly contact? Face-to-Face discussions, meetings, Web-based sharing, teleconferences, email?

A.11. A definitive answer cannot be provided at this time, but probably a combination of some or all of the above.

Q.12. Would the Volpe Center prefer that companies have office locations near the Cambridge Center?

A.12. There is no requirement that companies have office locations near the Volpe Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Q.13 Will company conference room space be required or a “nice-to-have” for this work?

A.13. There is no requirement for company conference room space for this work.

Q.14. What is the balance between theoretical and application-based task orders (%)?

A.14. A definitive answer cannot be provided at this time. The details of the task orders will only become apparent as projects develop a need, and it’s difficult to quantify expected theoretical vs. application-based percentages at this time.

Q.15. When explicitly required, the Contractor shall ensure that all systems it develops for or operates on behalf of the Government meet applicable DOT policy requirements for identity, credential, and access management (ICAM) and require the use of a PIV card or PIV-1 for authentication, access, digital signature, and encryption. Will the government fund this purchase and other equipment/service requirements for DOT policy compliance?

A.15. The Government believes your question refers to Section I, Paragraph I.5 TAR 1252.239-70 Cybersecurity Requirements for Unclassified and Sensitive Information Technology (IT) Resources (JUN 2012). This TAR Clause states as follows in Paragraph a) “a) Required Policies and Regulations. Compliance with applicable Federal statutes, policies, standards, and guidelines is the responsibility of the Federal government and may not be abdicated to the Contractor. To achieve such compliance, the government requires the Contractor to conform to all U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and applicable Federal IT Security statutes, policies, standards, and reporting requirements, including, but not limited to: …” Further, Paragraph b) states in part “b) Applicability. The Contractor shall be responsible for Information Technology security for all systems connected to a DOT network operated by the Contractor for DOT, or for Contractor systems that contain DOT information regardless of location. …” The Contractor will be required to comply with all the requirements of this TAR Clause at the Master Contract level and the Task Order level, as necessary.

Q.16. Paragraph F.13 PLACE OF CONTRACT PERFORMANCE (DEC 2013) states that the preponderance of work will be performed at the Contractor’s facility. Please confirm that the government does not have a preference for the geographic location of the contractor facility. If the government does have a preference, what is it and how will it be reflected in the evaluation criteria?

A.16. The Government does not have a preference for the geographic location of the Contractor’s facility.

Q.17. Section C.2—Scope of Work (RFP page 15). Please confirm that the list of disciplines on page 15 pertains to the entire Scope of Work and not exclusively to Work Area 8.

A.17. The list of disciplines at the top of Page 15 of the RFP pertain to Work Area 8 and were duplicated in error. See Amendment No. 0002.

Q.18. Section F.6—Monthly Task Order Cost Reports (RFP page 21). Upon award of an applicable task order, will the Volpe Center consider alternative formats for the monthly task order cost report if it satisfies the Volpe Center’s overall reporting requirements?

A.18. Yes. The Volpe Center may consider alternative formats for the monthly task order cost report, as long as it satisfies the Volpe Center’s overall reporting requirements.

Q.19. Section I.1—Clauses Incorporated by reference (RFP page 49). Clause 52.216.22 appears to repeat the phrase “under this” twice and the second reference should be removed.

A.19. You are correct. The words “under this” appear twice and the second reference should be removed. See Amendment No. A0002.

Q.20. Section L.5.C — Process (RFP page 94) States that “paper copies of any slides to be used in the oral presentation must be submitted with the proposal. Offers may not change their presentation slices or supporting written material after this submission…”. However, during the pre-proposal webinar it was stated that materials for the oral presentation would not be required to be submitted with the technical proposal. Please confirm that slides for the oral presentation are not required to be submitted with the technical proposal and only be provided the day of the oral presentation.

A.20. You are correct. The slides for the oral presentation are not required to be submitted with the technical proposal and are only be provided on the day of the oral presentation. See Amendment No. A0002.

Q.21. Section L.5.C— Process (RFP Page 94), Please provide instructions on the number of copies for the oral presentation slides that the offer should bring on the day of the oral presentation.

A.21. Offerors should provide the same number of copies of the oral presentation slides that Offerors are required to provide for copies of the technical proposal.

Q.22. Section L.4.D—Section II—Information Other than Cost and Pricing Data/Direct Labor (RFP page 76) instructs offerors to provide hourly rates by dividing the annual salary by 2,087 hours. If our standard work year is different than 2,087 hours, please confirm that we can calculate hourly rates using our DCAA approved standard practice.

A.22. No. Offerors are required to follow the Cost and Business Proposal Instructions in Section L.5 of the RFP.

Q.23. Section L.4.D—Section II—Information Other than Cost and Pricing Data/Direct Labor (RFP page 78) provides RFP-stipulated amounts for travel. Do these travel amounts include both Long-Distance and Local travel?

A.23. Yes.

Q.24. Section L.4.D—Section II—Information Other than Cost and Pricing Data/Other Direct Costs (RFP page 78) states that travel and ODC’s “should be burdened in accordance with established practice as show on the completed Schedule 9.” However, Schedule 9 pertains to Subcontractor Information. Please confirm that Schedule 8—Indirect Rates and Factors, is the appropriate reference pertaining to this instruction.

A.24. You are correct. The reference to Schedule 9 in that paragraph is a typographical error. It should be Schedule 8. See Amendment No. A0002.

Q.25. Section L.4.D—Section II—Information Other than Cost and Pricing Data/Indirect Rates (RFP page 78) requires offerors to use contractor site indirect rates only. If an employee currently resides on government site (and is in a government site indirect rate pool) should we still propose their costs as if they were in a contractor site indirect rate pool?

A.25. Yes.

Q.26. Section L.5.B—Page Limits (RFP page 94) indicates that the total page limit for the summaries of the Offeror’s five most relevant contracts is 15 pages. Please confirm that the page limit does not apply to the Offeror’s explanation of why we could not provide a full list of all contracts with the federal government (because it would be too burdensome) and how we selected the contracts for the list?

A.26. Correct. The page limit does not apply to the Offeror’s explanation of why it could not provide a full list of all contracts with the federal government (because it would be too burdensome) and how it selected the contracts for the list.

Q.27. Section L.5.D—Parts of the Technical Proposal/Oral Presentation (RFP page 95) indicates that the Offeror will have time for a 5 minute Introduction followed by a 30 minute Technical Understanding presentation. Will there be a formal break between the Introduction and the Technical Understanding presentation or will the 2 presentations run continuously, without interruption?

A.27. No. There will not be a formal break between the Introduction and the Technical Understanding presentation.

Q.28. Section L.5.D—Parts of the Technical Proposal/Oral Presentation (RFP page 97) states that the offeror may bring no more than 8 persons to the oral presentation, including no more than 2 non-presenting Offeror Officials or employees. Please confirm that an offeror can bring up to 8 presenters plus up to 2 additional non-presenters for a total of up to 10 people.

A.28. No. The Offeror may bring no more than eight people to the Oral Presentation.

Q.29. Section L.5.D—Parts of the Technical Proposal/Oral Presentation (RFP page 97) states that the offeror may bring no more than 8 persons to the oral presentation. However, there are up to 8 Work Area Experts (potentially 1 per SOW area) and the Program Manager. Therefore, we are requesting that the Volpe Center allow up to 9 presenters to ensure that an offeror can address all potential Questions that may be asked during the structured Q&A’s.

A.29. No. See Answer to Question No. 28 above.

Q.30. Section L.5.D—Parts of the Technical Proposal/Part A – Staffing (RFP pages 97 and 98).

The first paragraph of the Staffing Instructions requests that each offeror include a staffing matrix showing the number of staff by discipline and education level. Further, on page 98, a staffing matrix is requested that maps the technical staff to the SOW areas and requests individual specific information. Please confirm that the Volpe Center is requesting 2 different staffing matrices in the Staffing Volume.

A.30. No. The Volpe Center is requiring only one Staffing Matrix. The reference on Page 97 mentions that a staffing matrix is required. The discussion of Staffing Matrix on Page 98 provides the details of what is required for the Staffing Matrix.

Q.31. Section L.5.D—Parts of the Technical Proposal/Part A – Staffing/Proposed Technical Staff (RFP page 98) states that, “Schedule 6 requires the Offeror to justify the realism of the labor cost by providing the unburdened labor rate of the resumed key person being proposed.”

However, the RFP indicates that only the Program Manager is a Key Personnel position. Please confirm that the remaining 20-resumed individuals are not Key Personnel for the ID/IQ contract.

A.31. The remaining 20-resumed individuals are not Key Personnel for the ID/IQ contract.

See Amendment No. A0002.

Q.32. Section L.5.D—Parts of the Technical Proposal/Part B—Past Performance (RFP page 99) requests each offeror to provide a list of contracts over the past 5 years. Should we include in the list ID/IQ task orders that exceed $1M in value in that list or just provide the ID/IQ contract?

A.32. Offerors shall follows the instructions as stated in the RFP, or as amended.

Q.33. Section L.5.D—Parts of the Technical Proposal/Part B—Past Performance (RFP page

100) requests each offeror to provide their 5 most relevant contracts. Can we provide separate task orders under an ID/IQ contract as individual contracts if they meet/exceed the $1M threshold?

A.33. Offerors shall follows the instructions as stated in the RFP, or as amended.

Q.34. Section L.5.D—Parts of the Technical Proposal/Part B—Past Performance (RFP pages 100/101) requests each offeror to provide past performance evaluations for their 5 most relevant contracts. If the contract has not been evaluated, can we have the client agency complete the Sample Past Performance Questionnaire provided in Attachment J-2?

A.34. Yes.

Q.35. Section L.5.D—Parts of the Technical Proposal/Part B—Past Performance (RFP page

101) states that the total overall page limit for the summaries of the offers 5 most relevant contracts is 10 pages. However, in Section L.5.B on page 94 of the RFP, the government indicates that the total page limit for the summaries of the offeror’s 5 most relevant contracts is 15 pages. Please confirm that the page limit for the offeror’s 5 most relevant contracts is 15 pages.

A.35. The page limit for the five most relevant contracts is 15 pages. The reference to 10 pages is a typographical error. See Amendment No. A0002.

Q.36. Section H.18— CONSENT TO RELEASE GOVERNMENT-ORDERED ITEMS (RFP page 43). States that “the Contractor shall neither publish nor disclose in any manner without the written consent of the Contracting Officer the following items that may be ordered through the contract and/or task orders: materials, patterns, designs, sketches, drawings, and plans.” Please define what is included within “materials, patterns, designs, sketches, drawings, and plans.”

A.36. This would be documents produced during the performance of the task order(s).

The type of documents would be determined based on the deliverable requirements of a particular task order.

Q.37. In Section L.4.D of the proposal (page 76), it states “On Schedule 6, provide the name, the actual hourly rates (annual salary divided by 2,087)…”. Standard industry practice is to divide annual salary by 2,080 hours to calculate hourly rates. Did the Government mean to say 2,080 hours?

A.37. No. The Government meant to say exactly what was stated on page 76 of the RFP, “On Schedule 6, provide the name, the actual hourly rates (annual salary divided by 2,087)…”.

Q38. Section L.5.B.2 of the RFP states "The total overall page limit for the summaries of the Offeror's five most relevant contracts is 15." Section L.5.D - PART B - PAST PERFORMANCE (VOLUME II) states "The total overall page limit for the summaries of the Offeror's five most relevant contracts (including any information on the problems encountered on the contracts) is 10 pages." Is the page limit for past performance summaries 10 or 15 pages?

A.38. The page limit is 15 pages. The reference to 10 pages is a typographical error. See Amendment No. A0002.

Q.39. Section L.5.C of the RFP states "Paper copies of any slides to be used in the oral presentation must be submitted with the proposal. Offerors may not change their presentation slides or supporting written material after this submission." Amendment 1, Slide 59 states "Offerors may provide slides/visual aids to the Government on the assigned date of their Oral Presentation, and not in the Technical Proposal." Please confirm whether or not changes to the oral presentation will be allowed between the submission of the proposal and the oral presentation, as referenced during the webinar. If so, will section L be modified accordingly?

A.39. Section L.5.C has been modified. The slides are to be provided on the day of the Oral Presentation. See Amendment No. A0002.

Q.40. Section L.5.D of the RFP states "The presentation shall begin with the Program Manager’s introduction of himself/herself and the Team Members by name, position, and company affiliation." Is the Introduction to the oral presentation limited strictly to introducing the team by name and affiliation, or may additional contextual information be provided regarding the company/team and an overview of the presentation to follow?

A.40. Offerors shall follow the Technical Proposal Instructions as stated in the RFP, or as amended.

Q.41. Section L.5.D of the RFP states "Offerors shall submit their past performance information as a separate part of their proposal for both the Offeror and major (over 20 percent of the hours in the Cost and Business Proposal) proposed subcontractor(s). Offerors shall submit this past performance data under Part B of Volume II, clearly marked and identifiable." Do the prime and the proposed major subcontractors each have 15 (or 10, see question above) pages for their five most relevant past performance summaries, or does this page limitation apply cumulatively to the prime and all major subcontractors?

A.41. The page limit of 15 pages applies “for both the Offeror and major (over 20 percent of the hours in the Cost and Business Proposal) proposed subcontractor(s).”

Q.42. Section L.5.D of the RFP states “The Offeror must provide a list of contracts that it is currently performing or has completed within the past five years.” Section L.5.D also states “In addition, the list must include those applicable contracts reflecting the involvement of the proposed Key Personnel.” Should the list of all contracts include those contracts where the proposed prime contractor's or key person's role was as a subcontractor?

A.42. Offerors shall follow the Technical Proposal Instructions as stated in the RFP, or as amended.

Q.43. Section L.5.D of the RFP states “The Offeror must provide a list of contracts that it is currently performing or has completed within the past five years. The Offeror must make a good faith effort to ensure that the list includes all Prime contracts with a value over $1,000,000 with the Federal Government.” Does the $1,000,000 refer to total value of the contract or annual value?

A.43. “ … with a value over $1,000,000 with the Federal Government.” The $1,000,000 refers to the total value of the contract.

Q.44. Section L.5.D of the RFP states “The Offeror must provide a list of contracts that it is currently performing or has completed within the past five years. The Offeror must make a good faith effort to ensure that the list includes all Prime contracts with a value over $1,000,000 with the Federal Government.” Large companies may have a number of contracts with the Federal Government with a total value exceeding $1,000,000. To make this list manageable, would the government consider limiting the number of contracts to be listed to a specific number, 10, for example, of the most relevant?

A.44. No. Offerors shall follow the instructions as stated in the RFP, or as amended.

Q.45. Section L.4.D of the RFP states “On Schedule 6, provide the name, the actual hourly rates (annual salary divided by 2,087) for the proposed Key Personnel and the labor category rate from Schedule 5.” Should the number of hours to be included in a staff year be 2,080?

A.45. No. The number of hours should be 2,087, as stated in the RFP.

Q.46. Section L.5 of the RFP does not provide any guidance regarding the location in the technical proposal of the oral presentation slides. Should the slides be provided in a PART C - ORAL PRESENTATION of Volume II?

A.46. Section L.5.C has been modified. The slides are to be provided on the day of the Oral Presentation. See Amendment No. A0002.

Q. 47. Section L.5.C (page 94) of the solicitation states that "Paper copies of any slides to be used in the oral presentation must be submitted with the proposal" and that "Offerors may not change their presentation slides or supporting written material after this submission." However, the Pre-Proposal Webinar slides (page 59) state that "Offerors may provide slides/visual aids to the Government on the assigned date of their Oral Presentation, and not in the Technical Proposal." Which is accurate? Should slides/visual aids be submitted with the Technical Proposal or provided on the assigned date of the Oral Presentation? Also, if slides are submitted with the Technical Proposal, may they be changed after submission of the proposal and a new version provided on the assigned date of the Oral Presentation?

A.47. Section L.5.C has been modified. The Oral Presentation slides are to be provided on the day of the Oral Presentation. See Amendment No. A0002.

Q.48. On page 97, the solicitation states: “Only those individuals who have presented a portion of the Offeror’s presentation may caucus during the question-and-answer session.” Will an individual who has presented a portion of the Management Approach be allowed to caucus during the question-and-answer session of the Technical Understanding and vice versa?

A.48. Yes.

Q.49. On page 94, the solicitation states: "The total overall page limit for the summaries of the Offeror's five most relevant contracts is 15." However, on page 101, the solicitation states: "The total overall page limit for the summaries of the Offeror's five most relevant contracts (including any information on the problems encountered on the contracts) is 10 pages." Which is correct?

A.49. The page limit for the five most relevant contracts is 15 pages. The reference to 10 pages is a typographical error. See Amendment No. A0002.

Q.50. On page 98, the solicitation states: "The Offeror shall provide a matrix of technical staff that maps functions identified in the SOW to specific technical staff, including the person's name, title, company affiliation, degree(s), professional license(s) or certification(s), years of relevant experience, intended geographic locations, and planned use for SOW work areas..."

However, the description of the staffing matrix as described on page 104 appears to require different information, as it states: "The Offeror shall include a staffing matrix showing the number of staff by discipline and education level (i.e. BS, MS, PhD)." Which is accurate? If the description on page 104 is accurate, what is meant by the "number of staff by discipline?"

Should this encompass only resumed staff?

A.50. The Staffing Matrix should include all technical staff members proposed in the RFP.

Q.51. The link provided on page 104 for the Transportation Acquisition Manual (TAM) 1215.404-4 Profit, Appendix A, DOT Structured Approach for Profit and Fee Objective appears to be broken. Is there a different link we may use to access the document?

A.51. A different link is as follows:

https://one.dot.gov/ost/m1/m60/Shared%20Documents/Transportation%20Acquisition%2 0Manual/tam.htm. The link to the Weighted Guidelines Profit/Fee Objective Form, DOT Form No. 4220.32, is at the bottom of the page.

Q.52. What fee does VOLPE charge to a DOT agency or a non-DOT agency to use the contract?

A.52. This question is not relevant to the submission of an Offeror’s proposal and will not be answered.

Q.53. The top of page 99 of the solicitation states, “Offerors shall submit their past performance information as a separate part of their proposal for both the Offeror and major (over 20 percent of the hours in the Cost and Business Proposal) proposed subcontractor(s).” Page 99 also states, “The Offeror must provide a list of contracts that it is currently performing or has completed within the past five years.” AND “Copies of the final or most current past performance report must be submitted for the five most relevant contracts.” Is it the Government’s intent that Offerors submit a full list of contracts performed within the last five years for both themselves and their major subcontractors? Also, is it the Government’s intent that Offerors submit copies of the final or most current past performance report for their five most relevant contracts and the five most relevant contracts of their major subcontractor, for a total of ten past performance reports?

A.53. The Government requires that Offerors submit a total of five of its most relevant past performance reports.

Q.54. I.5(a)(7), I.5(a)(8), and I.5(a)(9): where can these documents be found?

A.54. The Government believes your question refers to Section I, Paragraph I.5 TAR 1252.239-70 Cybersecurity Requirements for Unclassified and Sensitive Information Technology (IT) Resources (JUN 2012). At this time, there is not an Internet site that is a repository for Department of Transportation (DOT) Orders. However, the Government believes that the failure to review these DOT Orders and/or other documents will not impact the submission of your proposal.

https://one.dot.gov/ost/m1/m60/Shared%20Documents/Transportation%20Acquisition%20Manual/tam.htm https://one.dot.gov/ost/m1/m60/Shared%20Documents/Transportation%20Acquisition%20Manual/tam.htm

Q.55. I.5(b): in which document are the “System-level” requirements found?

A.55. The words “System-level” are in Paragraph d) of this clause. The paragraph states that “The Contractor is responsible for all “System-level” security requirements in accordance with the FIPS PUB 199 categorization approved for the system unless otherwise indicated in the Statement of Work or the Performance Work Statement.” The “System-level” security requirements would be determined at the time that a Contractor has been awarded a particular task order. The Government believes that the failure to review these requirements will not impact the submission of your proposal.

Q.56. I.5(f): is it the expectation of the DOT that an independent Security Control Assessor will need to offer approval of the selected bidder’s security controls? If so:

Which entity (DOT or bidder) is expected to fund the cost associated with engaging an assessor?

Does the DOT have a preferred list of independent Security Control Assessors?

A.56. This is not a requirement for Offeror’s proposals at the Master Contract level. This would apply if a Contractor has been awarded a task order. Contractors are responsible for the costs associated with engaging an assessor. The Volpe Center does not have a preferred list of independent Security Control Assessors at this time.

Q.57. I.5(j): are the deliverables listed in this section applicable to devices specific to this engagement?

A.57. The Government does not understand what you mean by “this engagement”. This TAR Clause is applicable at the Master Contract level and the Task Order level, as necessary, assuming that your company is awarded a Master Contract and a subsequent task order.

Q.58. Is it the Government’s intent that contractors submit their Oral presentation slides with the cost and staffing volumes on May 1?

A.58. No. The Oral Presentation slides shall be provided on the day of the Oral Presentation. See Amendment No. A0002.

Q.59. Are the client authorization letters excluded from the 15 page limit for the past performance section?

A.59. Yes.

Q.60. Is the 4 page staffing matrix excluded from the 5 page limit for the staffing section?

A.60. Yes.