ED-VAE-15-R-0025_Amendment_0002_Attach_1.pdf

Questions Response from the Department

Page 47 of the RFP specifies a double-spaced, 12 pt. font 20 page limit for the technical proposal. Can you please clarify if the limit is 20 pages for each task proposed and 20 pages for the IDIQ, 20 pages for the IDIQ only or 20 pages for the IDIQ plus all three tasks?

There is a 20 page limit for each task order as well as a 20 page limit for the IDIQ. An offeror may submit up to 20 pages in response to the IDIQ, as well as up to an additional 20 pages for EACH of the three task orders (up to 80 pages in total). The technical proposal for the IDIQ and technical proposals for each of the three task orders (four (4) separate technical proposals) should be limited to a maximum of 20 double-spaced pages each using font size no smaller than 12 points. Specifications pertaining to font and spacing do not apply to tables, figures, or exhibits. Number the pages. Any pages over 20 shall not be considered. The page limit excludes table of contents, resumes, and letter agreements from subcontractor or partners, if any. Offerors shall not put substantive materials in the appendix in order to subvert the page limit.

Page 52 – Instructions for Business Proposal states that the Small Business size standard in

NAICS 541611 (i.e. $15,000,000). The Reps and

Certs form on page 31 states the size standard as $20.5 million. Which size standard is correct?

Please use the published small business size standard of $15M for NAICS 541611.

Page 54 – Small Business Plan. If the prime contractor is a qualified small business is a

Small Business Plan still required?

No, a small business plan from small business offerors are not required

Page 50 – Experience: Past Performance, is there minimum and maximum number of Past

Performance examples? Can you elaborate on

“(7) performance experiences summary”, and what is expected?

The Past Performance section is included in the 20 page limit; it may be in a chart form and charts may use a font smaller than 12 point. The Department does not specify how many references offerors should submit. OCTAE would like past performance references in all four technical volumes. This section should demonstrate the offeror’s organizational capacity and ability to carry out all phases of work associated with the major activities stated in the

PWS. The offeror should describe its past and current experience in conducting projects of a similar or comparable nature as well as its experience with different federal programs.

Related to task order 1, task 2 – there are discrepancies with dates provided under the proposal narrative (pg. 28) and the schedule of deliverables (pg. 43-44). Is deliverable 2.1.a due within 45 days (as per page 28) or within 30 days (pg. 43)? Is deliverable 2.1.b due within 90 days (as per page 28) or within 60 days (pg.

43)?

2.1.a: the white paper on national leadership programs and recommendations for program is due within 45 days after contract award. 2.1.b: the

Draft Leadership Academy implementation plan is due within 90 days after contract award.

Also related to task order 1, task 2 – there is a discrepancy with the number of national meeting in the proposal narrative (pg. 28 #6) and the schedule of deliverables 2.3.a (pg. 44).

Please confirm that there are two national meetings, not three.

2.3.a: Implement the CTE Leaders Academy, including participant application process, selection, and facilitation of two national meetings and ongoing technical assistance with the cohort to begin no later than (4) months after contract award

Related to task order1, task 6 – item 2 (pg. 36) indicates the case studies will be produced, but this task does not appear on the deliverable schedule after 6.2.b. Should deliverables for the final case studies be added to the deliverable schedule?

6.2.b: Final written case studies within four (4) months of contract award

Also related to task order 1, task 6 – In the deliverable schedule the deliverable 6.4.c mentions three webinars with accompanying transcripts, but there is no reference to or direction for any webinars in the proposal narrative (pg. 35-36) for task 6. Should these deliverables be removed from the deliverable schedule?

Page 35: 3. Produce 3 short videos (approximately 2-

3 minutes each) to accompany each CTE topic and featuring CTE leaders discussing innovative practices. Add: 4. Produce 3 webinars with accompanying transcripts

6.1.a: Draft plan for engagement series, including ideas for case studies, videos, webinars, and branding within two (2) months of contract award.

6.4.c: Three webinars with accompanying transcripts by end of the contract award.

Related to task order 1, task 8 – the items 8.2.a

– 8.2.f (pg. 46) in the deliverable schedule do not have any reference or relationship to the task 8.2 Dissemination activities described (pg.

42). The bullets at the bottom of page 42 are for these deliverables, but there is no guidance provided. Should deliverables be added to the deliverable schedule for the required dissemination activities? Should deliverables

8.2.c – 8.2.f as currently written be removed from the deliverable schedule?

The narrative and deliverables are correct. The deliverables include draft and final versions of the three to five career pathways list, data papers, Guides, case studies, videos, and webinars.

Page 51 of the SF1449 form states that the contract award is planned for June 2015. What is the updated contract award date given the

August 2015 release of the solicitation?

The updated award date is September 2015.

For small business primes: Will they only be evaluated against other small businesses for the single award, or will both large and small businesses be scored and evaluated together?

Further, if a small business is selected, would they be eligible to bid on all tasks released through the IDIQ or only on those identified as

“small business” task orders?

All respondents proposals will be evaluated in accordance with Section M of the solicitation.

Nothing in the section states a separate evaluation for small businesses and large buinesses. IDIQ holders are expected to compete for all possible task orders.

What is the rough order of magnitude of each task order?

Please note that this requirement is for Fixed Price services. As such, all interested vendors are advised to offer their best solution to the Government's requirement(s) and price accordingly. The

Government will not provide a price floor or ceiling that interested vendors are supposed to tailor their price to.

Is there a ceiling for the IDIQ? Please see clause Contract minimum/maximum located on page 28 of 62 of the SF1449 solicitation.

The Contract ceiling for all resulting IDIQ shall not exceed $50M.

Does OCTAE anticipate awarding task orders in addition to the three identified in the solicitation?

Yes, OCTAE anticipates awarding task orders in addition to the three identified in the solicitation.

The ordering period of this contract shall be 60 months. OCTAE anticipates awarding additional fixed price task orders in future fiscal years.

On page 4 of 10 ED-VAE-15-R-0025/0001, the technical proposal contents outline jumps from

1, 2, 3 (plus tasks), to #6. Are sections 4 & 5 missing?

B. Organization of the Technical Proposal, The technical proposal shall contain: 1. Table of

Contents, 2. Introduction, 3. Technical Approach

(please note that each task order proposal must address the specific tasks included in that task order’s PWS), 4. Key Personnel, 5. Experience; Past

Performance; Institutional Capacity, 6. Management

Plan, 7. Use of Subcontractor and Consultants, and

8. Small Business Participation

Could a proposer have a different lead partner organization on each different Task Order?

Yes, a proposer could have a different lead partner organization on each different Task Order.

Does a partnership of organizations (three in our case) need to have one Prime contractor named or could each Task Order have different leads organizations as a Prime contractor for that Task Order?

Note from COR to CAM: my understanding is that one IDIQ award will be made to a small business, but not necessarily one of the first three task orders?

The amended solicitation does not (re)mention the intent of the Department to award at least one Task Order to a Small Business. Is it still the intent of the Department to award at least one

Task Order to a Small Business?

Please see Section M of the SF1449 solicitation located on page 56 of the 62, where the Government clearly stated it intends to "award at least one (1) of the three (3) IDIQs to a responsible small business."

It is understood that if a small business leads the effort they get the full 10 points for small business participation. It is further understood that the Department offers 10 points to bidders who who that "small business will perform substantive work in a meaningful capacity to fulfill the requirements of the performance work statement (A meaningful capacity for substantive work includes work other than courier services, office supplies or travel services; therefore, a valued approach for this contract will be one in which technical, analytical, or significant service is performed by a small business). The extent to which the offeror states the work to be performed by a small business and the percentage of work proposed to be performed by a small business as a percentage of the total subcontracted amount. The extent to which the offeror states the name of the small business and category of the small business."

We are wondering whether the department has further defined what level of substantive involvement of a small business is considered substantive enough to achieve a rating of excellent - and therefore 10 points under this rating criterion. For example, assuming that the work is shown to be substantive and not menial, would 33% involvement of a small business be considered to have reached that level?

The definition of what is deemed "substantive effort" can be in itself, subjective in nature, as it is up to the Government to decide which work is considered as such. The Government will review each submitted subcontracting plan, and evaluate accordingly.

Are subcontractors expected to price their services at GSA/MOBIS rates? Assuming that they have GSA/MOBIS agreements.

Please note that this is not being solicited in accordance with FAR Part 8 guidance. In addition, the Government will not dictate how contractors/subcontractors should create their pricing proposal or the logic behind the pricing build-

up. It is up to the prime/subcontractor to decide the pricing structure themselves

Our GSA/MOBIS contract and Pricelist is being reviewed and is currently awaiting approval.

Shall we submit the updated rates included in the 5 yr option renewal application or include rates approved under our current contract?

Please note that this is not being solicited in accordance with FAR Part 8 guidance. In addition, the Government will not dictate how contractors/subcontractors should create their pricing proposal or the logic behind the pricing build-up

The business quote requires a separate price build-‐up for subcontractors. Can DoED please describe level of detail required? For example, is it sufficient to simply identify those hours/rates associated with subcontractors?

The Government needs to see this information to understand how the offeror intends to tie its contract pricing to its proposed subcontracting plan.

In addition, for small business offerors, it needs to show that as a prime, it will be doing at least 51% of the contract effort, and not merely acting as a pass through for a large business vendor pg.52 of the SF 1449 states that in the Price

Buildup "The price shall be presented by task and/or subtask". Does the Price Buildup only need to be presented by the task/subtasks provided under the "Project Objectives and

Tasks Required Under this Task Order" (IDIQ

PWS pgs.26, 52,65) or does it need to be presented by all subtasks stated in the Schedule of Deliverables (IDIQ PWS pgs.43, 57,68).

The payment schedule will end up being tied to the

Schedule of Deliverables. Offerors are advised to plan accordingly and present pricing buildup that will allow invoices, that are in line with the deliverable schedule, to be submitted to the

Government for payment.

In the time commitments table under the management plan (SF 1449 pg.50), does "Total" refer to total dollar amount or total number of hours?

It refers to the total number of hours.

Can you clarify the difference between the

Project Director and Project Manager? Is the

Project Director focused on the management of the IDIQ contract? If so is the assumption that there is funding associated with the overall contract? (PWS pgs. 18-‐19)

The Project Director is responsible for the overall direction of a task order. The Project Manager Is responsible for day-to-day administration of a task order. See "IDIQ, F. Staff Qualifications." There is no funding associated with the overall IDIQ contract.

On page 7, section C.1 it makes reference to attachments B-‐E. Can you clarify what each of these attachments are?

Attachment B is Task Order 0001 PWS

Attachment C is Task Order 0002 PWS

Attachment D is Task Order 0003 PWS

E is listed in error.

On page 2 of Amendment 001, it states that a separate business proposal should accompany each individual task order technical proposal.

However in section C (pgs 6-‐9) of the

Amendment 001, the instructions seem to indicate only one overall business proposal.

Please note that in Section C, the Government stated that the business proposal must allow for a

"separate analysis of the proposal for Task Order

0001, 0002, and 0003." The Government will not dictate whether interested offerors should submit three different files, etc. Only that its business proposal(s) comply accordingly with Section M of this soliciation.

On page 7 of Amendment 001, the proposal price chart to be completed includes the IDIQ base. Can you confirm that funding is associated with the base IDIQ?

Please note that IDIQs, by its nature, are not bulk funded contract types. Funding will be incorporated in the resulting task orders, not the base IDIQ.

In section B of the instructions (pgs 3-‐6) of

Amendment 001,the numbering of the sections goes from "3. Technical Approach" to "6. Key

Personnel". Please confirm that there are no sections 4 or 5.

B. Organization of the Technical Proposal, The technical proposal shall contain: 1. Table of

Contents, 2. Introduction, 3. Technical Approach

(please note that each task order proposal must address the specific tasks included in that task order’s PWS), 4. Key Personnel, 5. Experience; Past

Performance; Institutional Capacity, 6. Management

Plan, 7. Use of Subcontractor and Consultants, and

8. Small Business Participation

On page 61 of SF1449 under Past Performance

Evaluation, it states that "the Government shall review the submitted past performance evaluations and, based upon the received individual evaluations, the Government shall evaluate performance information on each offeror based on data independently obtained from other government and commercial sources." Please clarify whether or not past performance evaluations are to be submitted, and if so, what are the instructions related to this requirement?

The Past Performance section is included in the 20 page limit; it may be in a chart form and charts may use a font smaller than 12 point. The Department does not specify how many references offerors should submit. OCTAE would like past performance references in all four technical volumes. This section should demonstrate the offeror’s organizational capacity and ability to carry out all phases of work associated with the major activities stated in the

PWS. The offeror should describe its past and current experience in conducting projects of a similar or comparable nature as well as its experience with different federal programs.

Is the time commitments chart referenced on page 5 of Amendment 001 also needed for the base IDIQ proposal?

Though most of the time management requirements apply at the task order level, the Government needs to understand how the interested offeror intends to manage multiple concurrent task orders. With that in mind, please identify how the offeror intends the manage the program, not just the individual project(s).

Please clairfy the contract award date for planning purposes. Page 6 of Amendment 001 states June 2015.

September 2015 is the planned contract award date.

The tasks listed under Technical Approach, Criterion 1 (page 57 SF1449) differ from tasks described on pages 3-‐4 in Amendment

001. Please clarify.

B. Organization of the Technical Proposal, The technical proposal shall contain: 1. Table of

Contents, 2. Introduction, 3. Technical Approach

(please note that each task order proposal must address the specific tasks included in that task order’s PWS), 4. Key Personnel, 5. Experience; Past

Performance; Institutional Capacity, 6. Management

Plan, 7. Use of Subcontractor and Consultants, and

8. Small Business Participation

P 49/62 of Form SF1449 states that the daily rate for SMEs is not to exceed $75/hour, yet page 12 of the PWS states that the hourly rate is not to exceed $77/hour? What is the maximum hourly rate that the contractor should use for SMEs?

The U.S. Department of Education, Office of

Communications and Outreach, Conference Policy and Operations staff members have established

$77/hour as the hourly rate. Offerors may submit justification such as precedent for paying a different rate.

Will successful contract holders be required to bid on all task orders issued under the IDIQ?

Yes, offerors selected to be part of this Multiple

Award IDIQ setting should make every effort to propose on ALL possible task orders. Failure to do so may result in the IDIQ contractor being eliminated from the competitive pool and/or the IDIQ's option not being exercised

The evaluation criteria appear to apply to the

IDIQ proposal. Are there separate evaluation criteria for the Task Orders?

The technical evaluation criteria for each technical proposal are: Technical Approach; Key Personnel;

Experience, Past Performance, Institutional Capacity;

Management Plan; and Small Business Participation.

Each Criterion 1, Technical Approach, has been tailored to list the specific tasks required under that specific Task Order. For instance, this is the criterion tailored for Task Order 1: Criterion 1: The extent to which the offeror includes a table of contents and introduction that briefly describes the offeror’s overall plan for achieving the objectives of this contract, the scope of work, intended products, and the applicability of these products to the objectives.

Additionally, the extent to which the introduction includes a short summary of the offeror’s qualifications and unique strengths relevant to this activity. The extent to which the offeror’s technical and theoretical approach demonstrates a clear understanding of the goals, objectives, and requirements upon which the project will focus, and is of such scope and design that the goals and objectives of the project will be achieved. The extent to which the proposal addresses each task and describes specific procedures with regard to each task and sub-task: Task 1: Project Management and Administration; Task 2: Design and Implement the CTE Career Pathways Leadership Academy; Task

3: Design and Implement Two-Tiered Technical

Assistance Model for States and Local Areas; Task 4:

Conduct Research and Create Playbook on “Scaling

CTE Career Pathways”; Task 5: Create Content for

Online Dissemination; Task 6: Conduct a CTE

Stakeholder Engagement Series on Innovation; Task

7: Facilitate a Bridge Building Institute for Principal

Offices such as OCTAE, OESE, and OPE; and Task 8, Conduct Research and Generate Knowledge for

Stakeholders about Staying Current with the Labor

Market.

p.32 Text is missing from item i. under the

Series of 6 national calls/webinars. Can you please clarify?

i. Produce a plan, including the proposed topics for the national calls within the first 60 days of the contract. The calls/webinars may delve more deeply into topics covered during the capacity building technical assistance meetings, and may also address implementation of a new Perkins law, should

Perkins be reauthorized during the period of performance of this contract. Topics might include the revised Career Pathways Toolkit, information about the six key elements and 10 Program of Study

Framework components specifically geared to implementation of quality CTE (e.g., career guidance), Perkins performance data issues, noteworthy practices, innovation, and WIOA implementation.

Task 1.4 -‐ Will the final report need to include an evaluation of the TA provided in Task 5.3?

Yes.

p54-‐5 and 58 -‐ The description of Task 3 does not match the numbering/description in the schedule of deliverables. Can you clarify and adivse whether the refined technical assistance strategy is part of the summary report or a separate document (belonging to Task 5), and whether the deadline is 15 or 30 days following the meeting)?

Develop and disseminate a summary report from the convening; the summary report shall include a refined technical assistance strategy based on the results of the meeting, no later than 15 days after the meeting. 3.2: Summary report from the convening due no later than 15 days after the convening p.66 -‐ Are the 9 effective pre--

‐apprenticeship programs mentioned in Task

2.1 the same as the noteworth programs mentioned in Task 2.2?

Yes, they may be the same.

p. 69 -‐ Will draft and final materials to support the webinar be included in the deliverable list?

If so, what are the due dates?

3.3.a: Draft webinar materials for CTE leaders and stakeholders, due within twelve months after contract award and 3.3.b: Final webinar materials for CTE leaders and stakeholders, due within thirteen months after contract award

The chart on page 7, listing the offeror's proposal prices, includes a row for the IDIQ

Base. Does this mean that funds can be allocated for overall management of the IDIQ, for example, for the Project Director specified in the PWS? If so, should a Price Buildup for overall management be provided?

Please note that IDIQs, by its nature, are not bulk funded contract types. Funding will be incorporated in the resulting task orders, not the base IDIQ.

Interested offerors should price the task order(s) accordingly, as a separate CLIN(s) for IDIQ management payments will not be created or funded

Can you please clarify the desired staffing, as discussed on PWS page 18 and following. Are there any staff in addition to the Project

Director for the overall IDIQ, for example, a

Project Manager? Or, does the Project Manager role occur only at the task order level, to manage a specific task order? Is the Project

Director expected to also serve as staff on one or more task orders?

The Project Director is responsible for the overall direction of a task order. The Project Manager Is responsible for day-to-day administration of a task order. See "IDIQ, F. Staff Qualifications." There is no funding associated with the overall IDIQ award.

Is there an estimated level of effort for each of the Task Orders?

The estimated level of effort for each task order will not be disclosed. Interested offerors are instructed to propose their best estimates/pricing proposal that mirrors the proposed solution for each task order.

Should the Letters of Commitment and resumes be included in an Appendix to the Technical

Proposal?

Yes.

Amendment 1, Proposal Instructions, p. 2:

“The technical proposal for the IDIQ and each

Task Order should be limited to a maximum of

20 double-spaced pages.” Confirm that TO proposals should follow the same organizational outline as the IDIQ provided in

Section B, Organization of the Technical

Proposal, Items 1, Table of Contents through

10, Small Business Participation. If OCTAE desires an alternate organizational outline for

Task Orders, provide instructions.

B. Organization of the Technical Proposal, The technical proposal shall contain: 1. Table of

Contents, 2. Introduction, 3. Technical Approach

(please note that each task order proposal must address the specific tasks included in that task order’s PWS), 4. Key Personnel, 5. Experience; Past

Performance; Institutional Capacity, 6. Management

Plan, 7. Use of Subcontractor and Consultants, and

8. Small Business Participation

RFP, Proposal Instructions, Section B.

Organization of the Technical Proposal, 8.

Management Plan, p. 49 and Amendment 1, Section B. Organization of the Technical

Proposal, 8. Management Plan, p. 6: Award

Date: “For planning purposes, the contract award is planned for June 2015.” Please provide the anticipated contract award date to be used for planning purposes, since June 2015, is in the past.

September 2015 is the planned contract award date.

Amendment 1, Proposal Instructions, Section

B. Organization of the Technical Proposal, 6.

Key Personnel and 8. Management Plan, pages

5 and 6: Section 6 indicates: “The offeror shall outline all contractual obligations existing for each key staff member proposed during the anticipated course of the contract. The funding sources for other projects and the percentage of time allotted shall also be provided.” Section

8 indicates: “Time commitments, to be expressed in person-hours and shown in tabular form as follows: (See Chart on Instructions to

Offerors p.4)

The offeror should outline all existing obligations over the period of the contract for staff proposed for the contract, including the percentage of time allotted to existing projects.

The chart must include a total for each task and for the entire contract.”

Please confirm that the required information does not have to be presented for all staff in both locations, given that the Key Project defined in the IDIQ PWS are Project Director, Project Manager, SMEs (for seven distinct areas of expertise), Senior Analyst, Analysts, Events/Logistics Coordinator, Senior

Communications Coordinator, and IT Systems and Graphic Design Support within a 20 double spaced page limit.

The Key Personnel needed to perform the work under a specific task order must be described in that specific task order's proposal. However, the work to be performed under a specific task order may not require all of the Key Personnel described in the

IDIQ PWS. For instance, not all task orders will require subject matter experts in all seven areas of expertise.

Attachment A, PWS, Task Order 0001, Task 2, Item 6, pp. 28–29 and Schedule of Deliverables

Table, Task 2.3.a, p. 44: Task 2, Item 6 indicates

“The contractor shall include two national meetings as part of the implementation plan, one of which shall be a kick-off meeting to be held in the Washington, D.C. metro area.” The description of Schedule of Deliverables Table, Task 2.3.a indicates “Implement the CTE

Leaders Academy, including participant

2.3.a: Implement the CTE Leaders Academy, including participant application process, selection, and facilitation of two national meetings and ongoing technical assistance with the cohort to begin no later than (4) months after contract award application process, selection, and facilitation of three national meetings and ongoing technical assistance with the cohort.” Confirm the correct number of national meetings.

Instructions to Offerors, Page 52, asks offerors to provide “a statement certifying that the vendor meets the size standard of NAICS

541611.” Will the government please confirm that this is solicitation is not a small business set-aside, as stated on SF 1449?

Yes, this solicitation is NOT a Total small business set-aside, but interested offerors must still comply with FAR 52.212-3. Offerors who are claiming small business status are subject to the size standard for

NAICS 541611 of $15M.

Evaluation Criteria, Small Business Participation, page 60. Criterion 1 is described as “the extent to which a small business will perform substantive work in a meaningful capacity to fulfill the requirements of the performance work statement.” If the offeror subcontracts meaningful work to a small business subcontractor, how much of the contract value must be allocated to the small business for an offeror to receive all 10 points?

The definition of what is deemed "substantive effort" can be in itself, subjective in nature, as it is up to the Government to decide which work is considered as such. The Government will review each submitted subcontracting plan, and evaluate accordingly.

Would OCTAE like offerors to submit one business proposal that contains pricing information for the IDIQ and each of the three task orders, or would OCTAE prefer four separate business proposals?

Please note that in Section C, the Government stated that the business proposal must allow for a

"separate analysis of the proposal for Task Order

0001, 0002, and 0003." The Government will not dictate whether interested offerors should submit three different files, etc. Only that its business proposal(s) comply accordingly with Section M of this soliciation.

How would OCTAE like offerors to submit pricing information for the IDIQ? The IDIQ has no defined scope so there is no way for an offeror to price tasks.

Please note that IDIQs, by its nature, are not bulk funded contract types. Funding will be incorporated in the resulting task orders, not the base IDIQ.

On page 49 of the solicitation document, OCTAE asks for detailed descriptions of qualifications for “key personnel” and specific level of effort for each key personnel. Who

Please see "IDIQ, F. Staff Qualifications." The

Project Director, Senior Analysts, and SMEs are considered key project staff unless otherwise stated does OCTAE consider “key”? at the task order level.

Page 50 of the Solicitation document asks offerors to submit summaries of past performance. Is the Past Performance included in the 20 page limit? How many references should offerors submit? Would OCTAE like past performance references in all four technical volumes, or in just the IDIQ technical volume?

The Past Performance section is included in the 20 page limit; it may be in a chart form and charts may use a font smaller than 12 point. The Department does not specify how many references offerors should submit. OCTAE would like past performance references in all four technical volumes. This section should demonstrate the offeror’s organizational capacity and ability to carry out all phases of work associated with the major activities stated in the

PWS. The offeror should describe its past and current experience in conducting projects of a similar or comparable nature as well as its experience with different federal programs.

Is the Time Commitments table included in the page count? Would OCTAE like Time

Commitments table for each task order and the

IDIQ?

Yes, the Time Commitments table will be counted towards the page count. Time Commitments table should be submitted for each task order. As for the the IDIQ level, only the extent that the offerors shows how it intends to manage concurrent task orders, and the program as a whole, not just the individual task order/projects

Are the Delivery Table and Gantt Chart included in the page limit?

The Delivery Table, if submitted as part of the vendors technical approach, will count towards the page limitations. If the Delivery table is used to re-emphasize a narrative already stated in the technical approach, then it will not be counted toward the page limitations. Gantt charts are typically not counted toward the page limitations, unless the interested offeror discusses it in detail in their technical approach(es).

Because the IDIQ has no defined scope, do offerors need to submit a Gantt Chart and

Delivery Table for the IDIQ, or just for the Task

Orders?

No.

Task Order 1. On page 31 of the PWS OCTAE discusses developing a registration website. Can this be an "off the shelf" product/site or should this be a custom site?

This may be an "off the shelf" product/site; it does not need to be a custom site.

OCTAE uses the word “tool” or “tools” throughout the RFP. Does this term mean

“materials” (e.g. a toolkit that could include fact sheets, flyers, guide books, brochures, etc.), or is this term referencing an online tool or an app that has functionality?

OCTAE uses the word “tool” or “tools” to mean

“materials” (e.g., a toolkit that could include fact sheets, flyers, guide books, brochures, etc.); this term is not referencing an online tool or an app that has functionality, unless the offeror identifies potential and/or anticipated problems and suggests proposed variations in the design of the work; the time frame for completing tasks, and/or deliverable due dates that may facilitate successful completion of the scope of work’s tasks and objectives.

OCTAE mentions on page 35 of the PWS that social media should be with "minimal human intervention". Will the contractor be executing social media on behalf of OCTAE, or will the contractor’s suggested strategies and content calendars be executed internally by OCTAE?

The contractor may be executing social media on behalf of OCTAE, and the contractor’s suggested strategies and content calendars may also be executed internally by OCTAE.

Does OCTAE anticipate outreach and promotion tasks to support the engagement series described in Task 6 of Task Order 1? Will OCTAE be responsible for executing outreach and promotion for the engagement series, or will this be the contractor’s responsibility?

Yes, OCTAE does anticipate outreach and promotion tasks to support the engagement series described in

Task 6 of Task Order 1. OCTAE will not be responsible for executing outreach and promotion for the engagement series, this will be the contractor’s responsibility.

In reference to Task Order 1, Task 8.2 on page

42, and Task Order 2, Task 5 on page 56, does

OCTAE anticipate Website development as part of the scope of work for Task Orders 1 and 2?

Can OCTAE elaborate on what is being requested for these Web tasks?

The contractor shall not create a new website;

rather, it shall design a web page and provide new content on this initiative for the existing PCRN website at cte.ed.gov. Web-based tools shall use software compatible with the Department’s Perkins

Collaborative Resource Network (PCRN).

Is there a minimum or maximum number of qualifications to be included within the IDIQ and three task order responses?

The Government will not dictate the offeror's proposed labor mix/structure. Interested offerors are instructed to propose the its technical approach and the labor mixture that meets its proposed technical approach

Should estimated meeting costs be included in the pricing or will that be a reimbursable item post-award?

The Government will issue fixed-price task orders.

All meetings should be built in and already included in the overall proposed contract pricing.

How should estimated travel and material costs for the project team be included in business volume?

The Government will issue fixed-price task orders.

All travel and material costs should be built in and already included in the overall proposed contract pricing.

For the IDIQ: should we submit only the labor categories and fully –burdened labor rates we expect to use on IDIQ or should we submit labor rates (fully-burdened) and estimated costs for maintaining the IDIQ?

Since this is a multiple award IDIQ setting, all future requirements will be competed amongst the IDIQ holders. As such, interested offerors should submit all labor categories and fully-burdened labor rates to be used on the IDIQ to create a baseline.

Is the hourly rate for SMEs capped at $77/hr or is it negotiable?

The U.S. Department of Education, Office of

Communications and Outreach, Conference Policy and Operations staff members have established

$77/hour as the hourly rate. Offerors may submit justification such as precedent for paying a different rate.

How should other direct costs (web-hosting fees, etc.) for software services needing to supportcontract be included in the pricing?

The Government will issue fixed-price task orders.

All subcontracting pricing should be built in and already included in the overall proposed contract pricing.

Should key personnel only appear in the IDIQ response or can they appear within Task Order responses as well?

Key personnel must appear within Task Order responses as well.

Standard Form 1449 requires submission of 2 copies of the signed form. As it appears that offerors are only to submit one copy of the proposal via email, can the Department of

Education kindly confirm the requirement for 2

SF 1449 forms, and clarify how the second should be submitted?

Interested offerors only need to submit one (1) signed version of the SF1449 solicitation

Page 53 of the RFP requires that the Payment

Plans for each Task Order be submitted in

Excel. Are offerors required to submit each detailed budget in Excel, or just the Payment

The Government only requires the payment plan to be submitted in Excel format.

Plans?

Page 28 of the RFP references a white paper due 45 days after contract award. The schedule of deliverables, item 2.1a indicates it is due 1 month after award. Will you please clarify the due date of the white paper?

Please comply with Schedule of Deliverables

Page 28 of the RFP references two national meetings for the Leadership Academy. The schedule of deliverables, item 2.3.a states there will be three national meetings. Please clarify number of national meetings for the Leadership academy.

Page 28 of the RFP correctly references two national meetings for the Leadership Academy. The schedule of deliverables, item 2.3.a should state that there will be two national meetings.There will be two national meetings for the Leadership Academy.

For Task Orders 2 and 3, will ED clarify or specify the length of the short videos and webinars? Additionally, would videos and webinars be archived on ED’s Website?

Typically, short videos run less than five (2-3) minutes and webinars run an hour. Videos and webinars will be archived on ED’s Website.

RFP Page 50; Amendment1 Page 5 (Experience;

Past Performance; Institutional Capacity): How many past and how many current Past

Performance references are required for this solicitation in the IDIQ technical proposal?

The Past Performance section is included in the 20 page limit; it may be in a chart form and charts may use a font smaller than 12 point. The Department does not specify how many references offerors should submit. OCTAE would like past performance references in all four technical volumes. This section should demonstrate the offeror’s organizational capacity and ability to carry out all phases of work associated with the major activities stated in the

PWS. The offeror should describe its past and current experience in conducting projects of a similar or comparable nature as well as its experience with different federal programs.

RFP Page 50; Amendment1 Page 5 (Experience;

Past Performance; Institutional Capacity): Are specific Past Performance references also required for each of the task order technical proposals? If so, how many for each?

The Past Performance section is included in the 20 page limit; it may be in a chart form and charts may use a font smaller than 12 point. The Department does not specify how many references offerors should submit. OCTAE would like past performance references in all four technical volumes. This section should demonstrate the offeror’s organizational capacity and ability to carry out all phases of work associated with the major activities stated in the

PWS. The offeror should describe its past and current experience in conducting projects of a similar or comparable nature as well as its experience with different federal programs.

RFP Page 50; Amendment1 Page 5 (Experience;

Past Performance; Institutional Capacity): Is there a specific number or limit for the number of references for prime contractors and subcontractors?

The Past Performance section is included in the 20 page limit; it may be in a chart form and charts may use a font smaller than 12 point. The Department does not specify how many references offerors should submit. OCTAE would like past performance references in all four technical volumes. This section should demonstrate the offeror’s organizational capacity and ability to carry out all phases of work associated with the major activities stated in the

PWS. The offeror should describe its past and current experience in conducting projects of a similar or comparable nature as well as its experience with different federal programs.

RFP Page 50; Amendment1 Page 5 (Experience;

Past Performance; Institutional Capacity): Are descriptions of the ten categories only required for the specific references, or do all mentions of relevant experience and institutional capacity require all ten of these descriptive categories?

Or is a broad overview sufficient for general descriptions of experience and capacity, particularly given page limits for the proposals?

The Past Performance section is included in the 20 page limit; it may be in a chart form and charts may use a font smaller than 12 point. The Department does not specify how many references offerors should submit. OCTAE would like past performance references in all four technical volumes. This section should demonstrate the offeror’s organizational capacity and ability to carry out all phases of work associated with the major activities stated in the

PWS. The offeror should describe its past and current experience in conducting projects of a similar or comparable nature as well as its experience with different federal programs.

RFP Page 50; Amendment1 Page 5 (Experience;

Past Performance; Institutional Capacity): Will

OCTAE be accessing CPARS for any Past

Performance reference information?

The Past Performance section is included in the 20 page limit; it may be in a chart form and charts may use a font smaller than 12 point. The Department does not specify how many references offerors should submit. OCTAE would like past performance references in all four technical volumes. This section should demonstrate the offeror’s organizational capacity and ability to carry out all phases of work associated with the major activities stated in the

PWS. The offeror should describe its past and current experience in conducting projects of a similar or comparable nature as well as its experience with different federal programs.

RFP Page 51; Amendment1 Page 2 (proposal instructions): The amendment clarified that offerors should submit 4 technical proposals

(IDIQ – TO#1 – TO#2 – TO#3), but is now inconsistent with other instructions under

“Organization of the Proposal” that indicate that two separately packaged proposals should be submitted: (1) technical proposal and (2) business proposal. Given that this is an electronic submission, should offerors provide the technical proposal as one document/volume with dividers for four sections (IDIQ – TO#1 – TO#2 – TO#3) (in other words, one combined electronic file) or as four separate documents/volumes (in other word, four electronic files)? The same question applies to the Business proposal – should offerors provide one business proposal document/volume with dividers or separate documents/binders for all four?

There are no contradictions: The Government expects interested vendors to submit a technical and business proposal for EACH task order as well as the

IDIQ. Please note that in Section C, the Government stated that the business proposal must allow for a

"separate analysis of the proposal for Task Order

0001, 0002, and 0003." The Government will not dictate whether interested offerors should submit three different files, etc. Only that its business proposal(s) comply accordingly with Section M of this soliciation.

RFP Page 51 (Management Approach): The management approach states that, “For planning purposes, the contract award is planned for June 2015.” Can the government provide an updated anticipated award date?

Can the government provide the overall Period of Performance for the 60-month period of the

IDIQ?

September 25,2015 is the planned contract award date and the 60 month period will commence from then

RFP Page 52 (Task Order 0001 Price Buildup):

The instructions for the business proposal state that offerors should identify proposed labor categories by named individuals, including fully burdened rates and hours. In firm fixed prices

For the purposes of the task orders, allocation of resources is important to understand how the interested offeror intends to meet the requirements of the PWS. As such, it is important for the offeror to identify who the proposed individual is, and the contracts, the contractor is not required to submit information about the rates of individuals. Would the Department consider dropping the requirement to show the rates and hours of individuals?

proposed allocation in relation to the over all task order pricing.

RFP Page 53 (last bullet): Should offerors assume that the 50% notation only refers to the potential small business primes that may apply and not to other bidders that are not small businesses?

The Government needs to see this information to understand how the offeror intends to tie its contract pricing to its proposed subcontracting plan.

In addition, for small business offerors, it needs to show that as a prime, it will be doing at least 50% of the contract effort, and not merely acting as a pass through for a large business vendor

RFP Page 57 (evaluation criteria): Criteria 1 for the Technical Approach gives an outdated list of tasks. Please clarify the criteria to apply to the tasks of the IDIQ and each of the Task Orders, respectively.

B. Organization of the Technical Proposal, The technical proposal shall contain: 1. Table of

Contents, 2. Introduction, 3. Technical Approach

(please note that each task order proposal must address the specific tasks included in that task order’s PWS), 4. Key Personnel, 5. Experience; Past

Performance; Institutional Capacity, 6. Management

Plan, 7. Use of Subcontractor and Consultants, and

8. Small Business Participation. The technical evaluation criteria for each technical proposal are:

Technical Approach; Key Personnel; Experience, Past

Performance, Institutional Capacity; Management

Plan; and Small Business Participation. Each

Criterion 1, Technical Approach, has been tailored to list the specific tasks required under that specific

Task Order. For instance, this is the criterion tailored for Task Order 1: Criterion 1: The extent to which the offeror includes a table of contents and introduction that briefly describes the offeror’s overall plan for achieving the objectives of this contract, the scope of work, intended products, and the applicability of these products to the objectives.

Additionally, the extent to which the introduction includes a short summary of the offeror’s qualifications and unique strengths relevant to this activity. The extent to which the offeror’s technical and theoretical approach demonstrates a clear understanding of the goals, objectives, and requirements upon which the project will focus, and is of such scope and design that the goals and objectives of the project will be achieved. The extent to which the proposal addresses each task and describes specific procedures with regard to each task and sub-task: Task 1: Project Management and Administration; Task 2: Design and Implement the CTE Career Pathways Leadership Academy; Task

3: Design and Implement Two-Tiered Technical

Assistance Model for States and Local Areas; Task 4:

Conduct Research and Create Playbook on “Scaling

CTE Career Pathways”; Task 5: Create Content for

Online Dissemination; Task 6: Conduct a CTE

Stakeholder Engagement Series on Innovation; Task

7: Facilitate a Bridge Building Institute for Principal

Offices such as OCTAE, OESE, and OPE; and Task 8, Conduct Research and Generate Knowledge for

Stakeholders about Staying Current with the Labor

Market.

RFP Page 62 (Cost/Price Evaluation): Can the government clarify since it is their intention to award one task order out of the three task orders to a small business, why would all three task orders prices be combined for evaluation?

Would the government consider evaluating each task order cost/price separately?

Please note that in Section C, the Government stated that the business proposal must allow for a

"separate analysis of the proposal for Task Order

0001, 0002, and 0003." The prices will be combined to identify the offerors proposed IDIQ price, for the purpose of evaluation. Please see page 62 of 62 of the SF1449 solicitation

IDIQ PWS Page 6: There is a discussion on evaluating the TA provided each year. Is this part of each Task Order that offerors should include in their proposals, or is this being performed by another entity?

On an annual basis, the selected contractor shall gather feedback from states that does not require

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance but is sufficient to evaluate the effectiveness of the technical assistance provided under the contract, learn how the technical assistance has been used, and refine ongoing technical assistance in the remaining months of the contract period. The results of this assessment will be included in a more general annual performance report to inform OCTAE on the innovations, benchmarks, and challenges of states throughout the year. Note that this is part of each

Task Order that includes technical assistance as an activity. It is not being performed by another entity.

IDIQ PWS Page 15: Regarding the descriptions of non-federal personnel and SMEs attending meetings, can you please clarify what travel costs are to be included in our proposals or what costs are covered outside the fixed cost contract?

Each task order generally includes the number of non-federal individuals for whom the contractor should budget travel/lodging/per diem.

TO2 PWS CTE Career Pathways: Under Task 2

Leadership Academy, the PWS includes two national meetings, but no other activities. Can you elaborate as to what extent, if any, you envision academy participants to interact between meetings?

Academy participants are expected to interact between meetings.

Across all TO PWSs:…