Global_Investor_QA_Solicitation_4-5-13.pdf

GLOBAL INVESTOR

ID QUESTION/COMMENT GOVERNMENT ANSWER

1 Does the Global Asset Manager need to be US based? US owned? The Global Asset Manager should be US based, but does not have to be US owned..

2 Does the offeror need to have Offices in Europe, Asia or the Middle East? Yes, the Contractor shall have domicile presence internationally.

Is there a threshold percentage or dollar amount of the $50 BB in fixed income assets under management that needs to be either Ginnie Mae and Agency MBS?

No.

Are there any specific goals for subcontracting small and/or disadvantaged businesses for this

RFP that would be advantageous to the offeror?

No

Will Ginnie Mae make an effort to matching small disadvantaged businesses with the winning offeror?

No

Would GNMA allow traders and/or research people to work on the project and continue their current roles?

There is nothing prohibitng this practice that would be a business decision/approach.

7 What specifically is GNMA expecting in terms of yearly travel to Asia, etc.? Ginnie Mae is expecting minimally 2 -4 trips to Asia on an annual basis.

8 How much work/help/organization etc does GNMA need around prep work for conferences? The amount of prep work for conferences will vary and it is project driven.

What is the actual fee structure and how does the renewal option work? There seems to be a maximum of $20 million available for this. Is it reasonable to assume that if the assignment extends to the full 5yrs, that $4mm/yr could be earned?

Please refer to paragaph I.4 of RFP. The maximum order is $20M for entire contract. This is not what can potentially be earned every year but the Maximum Order limit that limits the total dollar value of orders placed on the contract.

What is the scope of this proposal? Are all GNMA programs and products involved? For example, does it include the multifamily program, the GNMA HECM (reverse mortgage) product and manufactured housing, etc.?

Yes, all Ginnie Mae programs and products can be involved in this contract.

Given the amount of work is yet undefined, please confirm that the numbers listed as "Not to

Exceed" figures for Total Estimated Hours, Travel and material (4,450 hours, $90,000, and

$10,000 respectively) are in fact plug numbers which every bidder should use in generating price schedules.

Yes these numbers are estimates.

Please confirm that not every employee working in the categories shown in I.15 will be considered Key, whether additional, non key senior talent may be proposed within the senior categories. Please also clarify whether identifications of some key personnel will be deferred to the point of task order issuance.

Yes each employee listed under I.15 will be considered key personnel. Yes, additional key personnel may be proposed. No, each task order will designate the appropraite key personnel based on additonal key personnel proposed.

L.3's table for Business Quote indicates that a Compensation Plan for Professional Employees shall be submitted. Must compensation plans be submitted for subcontractors at this IDIQ procurement level and projects to account for less than 30% of total cost?

Please see FAR 22.11 and FAR 52.222-46 for additional information regarding the

Compensation Plan for Professional Employees.

Within L.3, Do charts and sample reports count as a page towards the max page count? Can there be addendums to the technical and management capability beyond the 20 page limitation?

Charts, sample reports, and addendums will not count towards the max page count.

It states that prices shall be fixed for task order period of performance and shall not be subject to adjustment. However, what about situations in which a task order extends beyond current period into one of the Option periods which is likely to have been priced at slightly escalated rates? Corollary to this is, how long can a Task Order run?

The period of performance will be specified in individual task orders. In the event that a task order requires performance that extends beyond the current contract term, the contractor shall be required to complete performance within the period set forth in the task order, provided such period does not extend beyond one year after expiration of the contract. See paragarah I5, 52-

216-22 (d) Any order issued during the effective period of this contract and not completed within that period shall be completed by the Contractor within the time specified in the order.

The contract shall govern the Contractor’s and Government’s rights and obligations with respect to that order to the same extent as if the order were completed during the contract’s effective period; provided, that the Contractor shall not be required to make any deliveries under this contract after one year after the contractexpiration.

Within component B.5, I.3, and I.12; All indicate that the Government Technical Representative may place task orders. However, G.2 affirms the limitation that in our experience is placed on any Government Representative who does not have a Contracting warrant - is it the intention that the GTR would be authorized to place an order but not modify? Please clarify.

The GTR and the CO are authorized to place task order for this contract. However, only a warranted Contracting Officer is authorized to make any changes outside of the original scope of the contract.

It provides for payment offsets for financial problems identified by Government inspection, which are caused by nonconformance. Please confirm that these offsets will not be an assessment of damage, and that FAR 52.246-25 Limitation of Liability - Services will take precedence.

Yes it is not an assessment of damages see 52.246-6. 52.246-25 takes precedence.

Can HUD provide examples of the types of delivery orders that are contemplated under the

IQC? Do the deliverables listed on page 14-15 constitute a delivery order or are they deliverables that will be incorporated in all delivery orders to be issued?

Task orders can be written for any tasks under paragraph 3.1 of the SOO. No the deliverables listedon page 14-15 are not deleivery orders.

19 Will the contract start date be adjusted to reflect the actual execution date of the contract? Yes

Can Global Asset Management affiliates that is a current or future Ginnie Mae sponsor participate in this RFP?

No. Issuers do not participate in the Multiclass Securities program. Approved Sponsors in the

Multiclass Securities Program may have an interest in bidding on this particular solicitation. As with most businesses, Chinese walls are required to separate business lines such as sales and trading from Investment Banking.

Please confirm whether email submission is sufficient? or does the government require hardcopy/CD submission?

No, E-mail submission is not sufficient. Please see section L.3 of the RFP

Please confirm that the Contract Audit clause found at E.4 is limited to costs invoiced under this contract.

Correct

As the services requested in the solicitation meet the definition of commercial items, pursuant to the policy set forth at FAR 12.101 (b) [which states that Agencies shall acquire commercial items or non-developmental items when they are available to meet the needs of the agency], would the government consider changing this solicitation from a FAR 15 type procurement to a

FAR 12 procurement in accordance with US Government policy?

No

24 What metrics will be used to determine the success of the global investor program? The metrics that will be used to determine the success of the Contract is yet to be determined.

25 Does Ginnie Mae have any subcontracting target/goal for the solicitation? No, in fact the Subcontracting Plan template, attachment 1 will be removed with an amendment

26 Is the standard size for this solicitation inclusive of the optional periods?

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) small business size standard is specified in the solicitation so that offerors can appropriately represent themselves as small or large. The size of the concern at the time of self-certification prevails for that contract. A concern may grow above the size standard before or after award without loss of eligibility to perform on that contract.

27 Will any of the deliverables or reports become available to the public? No deliverables are between the Government and the awardee.

For the Ginnie Mae investment holding report deliverable, does Ginnie Mae envision the vendor utilizing publicly available data sources to identify investors or are there expectations that the vendor will disclose their firm's client detail? Additionally, will Ginnie Mae provide supplemental data/information to support in the analysis of this or other parts of the deliverables?

For the purpose of this report, the Contractor is not expected to disclose their client detail.

Ginnie Mae will provide supplemental data/information to support in all the deliverables.

For the monthly analytical report deliverable (Global Investors Information) that includes a list of institutional and non-institutional investors, does Ginnie Mae envision an analysis at the company level or by segments of investor type?

The analysis could be done at both the company level and by segments of investor type.

Will the optional periods be assigned through another RFP process or does Ginnie Mae have the discretion to renew with the contractor each year?

No, exercising the option is a unilateral right of the government please refer to FAR 17.207 and

FAR 52.217-9

Are the estimated NTE hours capped out at the specified 4,450 hours per year or does Ginnie

Mae envision flexibilities based on the specifics to the scope during the performance period?

These are estimated hours.

Are all documents submitted to be in Word 2012 format, or can we submit exhibits of our responses in pdf format?

All shall be prepared using Microsoft Word 2010 per Section L of the RFP, however Exhibits can be submitted in pdf format.

Besides the factors that are highlighted in the Proposal Elements, are there additional sections of the solicitation that are required to be completed and submitted as part of our response?

Please refer to section L.3 of the RFP, Proposal Format. See amendment for what else is required.

Do we include any other documents/responses not mentioned in the Proposal Elements section, such as Section K, Subcontracting Plan and or Standard Form 1449, as part of our response? If yes, under what part (I or II) or factor do we include these items?

Please refer to Amendment for clarification.

Do we include Section K as a Word format (e.g., via image from the PDF of the solicitation given the Word format requirement for all submission)?

Yes

Do we include the Key Personnel section as part of the proposal submission? Under what part of the proposal element should we include the Key Personnel section (Part I or Part II and under what factor)?

Yes, Under I.15 HUDAR 2452.237-70 KEY PERSONNEL, it can be submitted under Part I. It is not a factor. And will not be included in the page count.

37 Do we also include biographies or resumes for each key personnel? No

38 Do we also include subcontractors as part of key personnel? Only if they are designated as Key Personnel

39 Past performance survey: Where is the survey that we can send to each POC located? Will incorporate survey with Amendment to RFP.

The scope refers to making global facilities available - are those expected to be available on call year round and in what locations/regions?

No, global facilities are not expected to be available all year round.

Compensation Plan for Professional Employees: What type of information does Ginnie Mae expect to see for this requirement under Part II of the Proposal Element? Solicitation does not appear to have any other information that describes this section.

Please see FAR 22.11 and FAR 52.222-46 for additional information regarding the

Compensation Plan for Professional Employees.

Within Section K.3 (d) does active registration for SAM suffice for ORCA, in addition to CCR and other registration requirements?

Yes

Please confirm that GNMA will consider a responding firm which has under 500 employees, but over $7,000,000 in revenue a small business under NAICS 523930.

This solicitation is full and open to any company that meets the needs and requirements set forth in the solicitation.

Regarding the Global Asset Manager requirement described in L.4.2, will GNMA consider broker-dealers or advisory firms, who won't manage assets, as acceptable firms for this contract?

No.

45 Given cast contract requirements and global each, will teaming be encouraged by GNMA? This is the Offerors business decision/approach.

Has this contract been awarded previously or is this a first-time solicitation? If so, who/which type of firm is the incumbent?

This is a first-time solicitation.