KO_Response_to_Questions.pdf

Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Chicago Contracting Operations Branch

77 West Jackson Blvd., Room 2517

Chicago, IL 60604-3507

October 1, 2015

Re: Response to Questions; Southeast Region Multifamily Construction Inspection Services Request for Proposal DU205NC-15-R-0009

Prospective Offerors, The government is providing Responses to the following questions:

Question #1: In Section L, it states Technical Proposal shall be comprised of Technical Approach NTE

(Not to Exceed) 30 Pages and Key Personnel and Staffing. Are the resumes requested only for the

Contract/Project Manager and Alternate Contract/Project Manager? Or shall the inspector resumes be included in the proposal as well?

If so, are the resumes and letters of commitment counted toward the Management Plan page count or can they be included in an Appendix Section?

Response: The government is amending Section L provision Addendum to FAR 52.212 – Instructions to Offerors—Commercial Items. The government will require resumes only for Key Personnel.

Resumes and Letters of Commitment will not apply to page limitations.

Question #2: Due date is Monday, October 19 at 1 pm, we will be sending our package via Federal

Express for delivery on Monday morning to the facility. Is the submittal deemed on time, if received at the Metcalfe Federal Building shipping/receiving area by 1 pm?

Response: Section L provision Addendum to FAR 52.212 – Instructions to Offerors—Commercial

Items Addenda to 52.212-1 Proposal Preparation Instructions reads:

Offerors are cautioned the Ralph Metcalfe Building has visitor control procedures requiring individuals not affiliated with the installation must to go through a metal detector and packages are subject to screening prior to entrance. SOME DELAY SHOULD BE ANTICIPATED WHEN

HANDCARRYING PROPOSALS. Offerors should allow sufficient time to arrive at Room 2517 PRIOR to the time specified for receipt. Late proposals will be processed according to FAR 52.212-1(f), “Late submission, modifications, revisions and withdrawls of offers.”

Question #3: Can the Past Performance Survey be provided in a Word or Adobe Form to allow for the reference to complete and submit via email?

Response: The government will provide the Past Performance Survey and Past Performance Information in Word form.

Question #4: Please clarify the number of inspections for Max/Min quantity of 1,650 is for the entire

Southeast Region for Year 1.

Response: The maximum number of routine construction inspections in Year One for the entire

Southeast Region is 1,650.

Question #5: Will CPARS (Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System) rating suffice as an attachment for the Past Performance Survey since we are unable to list government entities/employees as a “reference?”

Response: The answer is “No,” it is not suffice for the offeror to submit the CPARS rating as an attachment for the Past Performance Survey.

Question #6: The Quality Control Plan is requested as part of the proposal submittal in Section L but in the Contract Deliverables Requirements Chart it is shown being required at post award conference. Please confirm if the QC Plan should be a part of the proposal or provided after contract award?

Response: The government will amend the solicitation. The offeror must submit a Preliminary Quality

Control Plan as part of the proposal package. The successful offeror must submit the final Quality

Control Plan after contract award.

Question #7: Please confirm if there is only one inspection per project per month (only Builder’s

Requisitions to be performed).

Response: Correct. The contractor will try to coordinate Builder’s Requisitions inspections with critical phase inspections and Permission to Occupy’s when possible.

Question #8: In Section 2452.216-76 MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM QUANTITIES OR AMOUNTS

FOR ORDER, how do minimum and maximum amounts equate to minimum and maximum quantities?

Response: The minimum amount is the dollar minimum amount for the number of routine construction inspections the government may request. For example, if the unit price is $500, the government may require the contractor to perform 30 routine construction inspections. The government is amending

Section I clause HUDAR 2452.216-76 Minimum and Maximum Quantities or Amounts for Order, paragraph (b): The maximum is now 8,250 routine construction inspections instead of $8,250,000.00.

Question #9: Will the Service Contract Act apply to the prime contract? If so, please provide Wage

Determinations.

Response: The Service Contract Act is not applicable to the Multifamily Housing Construction

Inspection program.

Question #10: HUD has released 4 similar Construction Inspection contracts [sic] (Southeast, Southwest, West, and Northeast). If the offeror is submitting for more than one region, can past performance surveys obtained be used for more than one region?

Response: The solicitation does not prevent an offeror from submitting a past performance survey for more than one Region. Note, past performance surveys submitted for solicitation DU205NC-15-R-0009, are only applicable to DU205NC-15-R-0009.

Question #11: Volume 3 requires a 50 page limit for the entire volume (Technical Approach-20 pages;

Management – 30 pages). Please confirm the Key Personnel section/resumes are not included in the 50 page count.

Response: Key Personnel resumes is not part of the Volume 3 page count.

Question #12: Please confirm all volumes should be included on the CD submittals (a total of 2 CDs) and that each hard copy volume should be contained separately (each volume as a separate bound original copy).

Response: The solicitation states the offeror must submit 2 CDs for each volume.

Question #13: It can be challenging to confirm submission of past performance surveys that are sent directly to the Contracting Office. May we call HUD to confirm receipt of past performance surveys?

Response: No. The contractor may confirm receipt of past performance surveys by email.

Question #14: Will HUD consider alternative proposals?

Response: No. The government will not consider alternative proposals for award.

Question #15: May offerors use a different font in a similar size to TNR 12?

Response: No. Offerors must use the font cited in the solicitation instructions.

Question #16: Will single-spaced text contained in tables, captions, graphs, and text boxes be acceptable by HUD for this proposal?

Response: The government is amending the solicitation, and is adding the following language to the solicitation instructions:

Text color must be black. The offeror may use color in graphics or charts for greater clarity. Text in graphics and charts must be no smaller than 9-point Arial Narrow; text in tables must be no smaller than

9-point Arial. The size and font of headers are not dictated. No fonts may be condensed.

Question #17: Please confirm that pages included in Part III - Technical Proposal, Section c Key

Personnel and Staffing do not count toward the maximum of 50 pages for this volume.

Response: The government is amending the solicitation and will be changing the page limitation requirements in Volume III- Technical Proposal to seventy pages. Key Personnel (Paragraph c) has a page limit of five pages and Staffing Plan (now Paragraph d) has a page limit of five pages.

Question #18: Please provide a specific list of all solicitation information required to be submitted by the prime’s teaming partner.

Response: The government is amending the solicitation and will be changing (4) Teaming/Partnering

Offerors:

4. TEAMING/PARTNERING OFFERORS (Does not apply to page limitations): If the offeror is based on a teaming/partner relationship, the offeror must provide letters of commitment from all businesses they intend to team/subcontract with who will provide more than 10% of the total cost of labor during performance of the contract. All letters of commitment must include the following information:

(i) Reference the solicitation number;

(ii) Clearly state the commitment is for support as a subcontractor on any contract/order award;

(iii) Identify the work or professional service disciplines to be provided through subcontracting;

(iv) Identify the period covered by the commitment (e.g. contract base period and all options or other agreement);

(v) Identify any key personnel to provide support under the subcontract;

(vi) Provide a general description of the subcontractor’s capacity to support proposed task(s) with a specific statement regarding capacity limits;

(vii) Identify specific terms and conditions governing the commitment; and,

(viii) Reference any prior relationship with the offeror that will indicate the potential for successful performance.

The agreement must include information which identifies the responsibilities for each entity under this contract. The agreement must demonstrate the relationship between the firms and identify contractual relationships and authorities to bind each entity of the teaming/partnering relationship.

Question #19: In the Responses to Prospective Offerors Comments/Questions dated Aug 11 2015 the following question was asked regarding the fixed fee: Can it be broken down per state? The

Government’s Response was: The government is revising Section B clause, Schedule of Prices/Costs in each solicitation. The clause will require prospective offerors to submit a unit price for each state

(including Washington DC in NE and Puerto Rico in SE Regional Areas).

Does the government still intend to revise the Schedule of Prices/Costs

Response: The solicitation requires offerors to submit unit prices for routine construction inspections according to solicitation Section B clause Schedule of Prices/Costs.

Question #20: Please confirm how the Past Performance Surveys, attachment #11[sic], should be submitted. Should we direct our references to send them by mail or email?

Response: The offeror will have to make a business decision on how they wish to may direct their reference on the method (mail or email) in submitting their Past Performance Surveys (Attachment #13).

Question #21: The local HUD office may conduct performance meetings on a monthly basis; the CI’s

(Construction Inspector’s) contract manger shall attend these meetings. Normally held by telephone, unless the GTR determines a need for face-to-face meetings. Would this be “Special Purpose

“reimbursement? Where would this "possible" trip be recorded ?

Response: This is not a “special purpose” reimbursement. The government will not reimburse the contractor for travel for face-to-face meetings. The offeror must make a business decision on how they wish to “record” this “possible” trip.

Question #22: Will we need Asbestos consultant, Industrial Hygienist, Radon Technician, Lead Based

Paint Consultant, Foundation/Soils Engineer as an integral part of the Construction Inspection (CI) services?

Response: No, because these disciplines would only be used in case of natural disaster and need of evaluation of government insured properties.

Question #23: Frequency of Construction Inspections (1.5.1). Inspections are generally limited to one per month for the duration of the construction period. Inspections may be increase to two per month.

How would this increase be reflected in the ‘Schedule of Prices?

Response: The government is buying x number of routine construction inspections. For example, the government issues a task order for 600 routine construction inspections. If the government requires the contractor to inspect twice a month, the government would deduct the second inspection from the quantity of 600 routine construction inspections.

Question #24: Transition Period (1.7). On CO’s written notice, furnish Transition-In and/or Transition-

Out services as required. Is this all within the 60 days and 120 days respectively? How would you like for this service fee to be recorded?

Response: Performance Work Statement (PWS) Section 1.7.1, Transition-In and 1.7.2, Transition-

Out, states the transition-in period is sixty days. Section 1.7 states The Transition-Out Plan shall be provided 120 days after contract award. Regarding the “service fee” please read solicitation Section B clause Schedule of Prices/Costs.

Thank you for your interest in HUD contracting.

Sincerely, Gene Hamilton Jackson

Contracting Officer