DU2050NC-15-R-0012_Response_to_Offeror_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 5, 2015

Re: Response to Questions; West Region Multifamily Construction Inspection Services Request for

Proposal DU205NC-15-R-0012

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

Question #1: 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 Section L provision Addendum to FAR 52.212 – Instructions to Offerors—Commercial Items. The page limitation for Part III – Technical Proposals is now seventy pages. The page limitation for Section I.3.d, Key Personnel is five (5) pages. The page limitation for

Section I.3 e, Staffing Plan, is 5 pages. Resumes and Letters of Commitment are not subject to page limitations.

Question #2: 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 #3: Part IV-Past Performance Information

Evaluators shall send survey to the government no later than seven days after receipt of this questionnaire.

The government will not accept questionnaires from the offeror being evaluated. HUD is requesting offerors to submit Past Performance Information TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE DATE FOR RECEIPT

OF PROPOSALS.

Please confirm contractor’s understanding that the Solicitation Issue Date for the West Region is

September 18 th , 2015. The SF 1449 indicates such but the actual issue date was not referenced anywhere in the solicitation.

Response: September 18, 2015 is the date the government issued the solicitation.

Question #4: Please clarify if ONLY the Past Performance Information Chart referenced as Attachment

#11 is due within 10 days of the due date of the solicitation request. Is there a specific date on which the

Past Performance Surveys (Attachment #13) from the evaluators are due to HUD?

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

Commercial Items, Section I.4 (a) Past Performance Surveys does not have a requirement requesting the Past Performance Information Chart is due within ten days of the due date of the solicitation request.

The due date for past performance surveys is the date and time proposals are due.

Question #5: Regarding past performance submissions, if the prime choses [sic] to submit relevant teaming partner experience, will this experience be evaluated in the same regard as the prime’s experience?

Response: Section M provision Addendum to FAR 52.212-2 – Evaluation-Commercial Items, reads, The government will access the past performance of the proposed prime contractor (or in the case of joint ventures or in the case of joint ventures or some other teaming arrangement, the primary member of the team) or that of substituted key personnel. If significant subcontracting/use of other teaming arrangements is anticipated, the government shall evaluate the past performance history of the proposed subcontractors/other team members.

The government will evaluate the teaming partner with the same consideration as the prime contractor.

Question #6: 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 #7:

a: With the proposal requirements of Times New Roman, Font Size 12pt, Double Space will not allow for much room regarding projects descriptions, would HUD consider allowing two pages for project descriptions as opposed to one? May offerors use a different font in a similar size to TNR 12?

b: May offerors use a different font in a similar size to TNR12?

c: May offerors use a smaller, yet easily readable, font for tables, captions, text boxes, graphs, and graphics?

d: Will single-spaced text contained in tables, captions, graphics, graphs, and text boxes be acceptable by

HUD for this proposal?

Responses:

a: The government is amending the solicitation, changing the following language in the solicitation instructions to: A page must consist of one side of a single sheet of 8.5” x 11” paper, single spaced, using not smaller than 12 point type font, and having margins at the top, bottom, and sides of the page less than one inch in width.

b: An offeror may use a font type other than Times New Roman, using not smaller than 12 point type font.

#c and d: The government is amending the solicitation, 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 #8: Section C. (1.5.1 and 1.5.2): Since the inspections will take place in different states and a job site will be required to inspect at least once a month. Will different job sites inspection will not follow the same day (at least 3 day window), to avoid schedule conflicts forth [sic] inspector, therefore giving the inspector time to travel to new location?

Response: Performance Work Statement (PWS) section 5.2.2.1 reads:

The Contractor shall provide one (1) inspection per month per project for all FHA construction programs, between and including the initial start of construction and substantial completion, unless determined by the GTR/GTM that inspections shall be more frequent than once per month. The need for additional inspections shall be within the sole discretion of HUD. The Contractor shall establish a day and time for their inspections at the HUD Preconstruction Conference with the Builder and

Supervisory Architect and commit to a consistent day and time each month for the monthly inspection (self-added emphasis)……

The contractor must work with the Builder and the Supervisor Architect to establish a day and time to schedule inspections. It is the contractor’s responsibility to provide the number of inspectors in the West

Region, in order to adequately staff and perform construction inspection services and meeting the terms and conditions of the contract.

Question #9: Please submit projected number of inspections per State trip. How many average inspection [sic] will take place per visit to a specific state. Is such the possibility that I will have to travel to a State just to perform one inspection?

Response: Please read Section B clause, West Region Quantity Estimates, and Section L provision, Historical Quantities – Informational Purposes. Thirteen is the average number of construction inspections for a FHA New Construction/Senior Apartment project. Four is the average number of construction inspections for a 223f Refinance/Acquisition Apartments project. A contractor may have to travel to a State to perform a monthly inspection.

Question #10: Regarding state licenses to perform deferent inspections; such as Radon, Led [sic], etc. in different states. Will my state license (UTAH) cover me to do inspections in other states since this is a federal project. This way I do not have to become license on all the list of Western states cover under this solicitation.

Response: Radon and Lead inspections are not required on routine inspections, but may be required for

Special Purpose Inspections (SPI). The inspection contractor is not required to be a licensed in any SPI disciplines. Routine inspections do not require the inspector to have a state license: just experience as stated in the PWS.

Thank you for your interest in HUD contracting.

Sincerely, Gene Hamilton Jackson

Contracting Officer