Questions_and_Answers_5_June_19.pdf

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

SOLICITATON # FA002119RA004

MC-12 MISSION AIRCREW SUPPORT FOR

JAVAMAN TACTICAL SYSTEM OPERATORS (TSOs)

5 June 19

The following questions and answers are provided in response to subject solicitation:

QUESTION 1: Is there a current incumbent contractor performing the duties delineated in the subject effort PWS? If so, can you please provide the contract number and total contract value for that effort? When was that contract awarded?

ANSWER 1: This is a new effort, there is no incumbent contractor.

QUESTION 2: Does the set aside for the small business disabled veteran mean that proposals from non-disabled small businesses will not be accepted or considered?

ANSWER 2: FAR provision 52.219-27, Notice of Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside is in the solicitation. In the Federal Acquisition Regulation, this provision states:

(a) Definition. “Service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern”--

(1) Means a small business concern--

(i) Not less than 51 percent of which is owned by one or more service-disabled veterans or, in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more Service-disabled veterans; and

(ii) The management and daily business operations of which are controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans or, in the case of a service-disabled veteran with permanent and severe disability, the spouse or permanent caregiver of such veteran.

(2) “Service-disabled veteran” means a veteran, as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(2), with a disability that is service-connected, as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(16).

(b) Applicability. This clause applies only to--

(1) Contracts that have been set aside or reserved for service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns;

(2) Part or parts of a multiple-award contract that have been set aside for service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns; and

(3) Orders set aside for service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns under multiple-award contracts as described in 8.405-5 and 16.505(b) (2) (i) (F).

(c) General.

(1) Offers are solicited only from service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns.

Offers received from concerns that are not service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns shall not be considered.

(2) Any award resulting from this solicitation will be made to a service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern.

(d) Agreement. A service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern agrees that in the performance of the contract, in the case of a contract for—

(1) Services (except construction), at least 50 percent of the cost of personnel for contract performance will be spent for employees of the concern or employees of other service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns;

(2) Supplies (other than acquisition from a nonmanufacturer of the supplies), at least 50 percent of the cost of manufacturing, excluding the cost of materials, will be performed by the concern or other service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns;

(3) General construction, at least 15 percent of the cost of the contract performance incurred for personnel will be spent on the concern's employees or the employees of other service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns; or

(4) Construction by special trade contractors, at least 25 percent of the cost of the contract performance incurred for personnel will be spent on the concern's employees or the employees of other service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns.

(e) A joint venture may be considered a service-disabled veteran owned small business concern if--

(1) At least one member of the joint venture is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern, and makes the following representations: That it is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern, and that it is a small business concern under the North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) code assigned to the procurement;

(2) Each other concern is small under the size standard corresponding to the NAICS code assigned to the procurement; and

(3) The joint venture meets the requirements of paragraph 7 of the explanation of Affiliates in

19.101 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

(4) The joint venture meets the requirements of 13 CFR 125.15(b)

(f) Any service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern (nonmanufacturer) must meet the requirements in 19.102(f) of the Federal Acquisition Regulation to receive a benefit under this program.

QUESTION 3: In order to properly assess the required manpower, we request additional workload information:

QUESTION 3a: What is the average duration of each sortie?

ANSWER 3a: Planned sortie (training event) duration is 3 hours per Syllabus of Instruction (SOI). The abbreviation SOI was added to Appendix A and the duration of a sortie was added to Appendix B in the Performance Work Statement (PWS).

QUESTION 3b: How many ranges are supported simultaneously on a given day?

ANSWER 3b: Two “ranges” or target areas would normally be supported simultaneously during each typical training day; however, each training event requires a dedicated ground support team. This information was added to Appendix B of the PWS.

QUESTION 3c. Transportation is required to be provided by the contractor for the OPFOR teams to go to/from and on the ranges. Please provide additional information with respect to vehicle specifications (i.e. 4 wheel drive? Pickup? Flatbed? Off-road capability?) Are the vehicles required to be used for transporting contractor personnel only? Are there any special licenses or permits or training required for contractor transportation to be used on the ranges?

ANSWER 3c: This requirement is performance based, the Government is not dictating the means of transportation to be used. However, the Government uses 4-wheel drive SUVs (GMC Acadia) for its own use as the primary vehicle for this function. The Government also uses 4-wheel drive Crew Cab pickup trucks as secondary options. This is provided for information purposes only.

QUESTION 4: Are the vehicles required to be used for transporting contractor personnel only?

ANSWER 4: Yes. The Government will use Government transportation for Government personnel. This statement was added to paragraph 2.5 of the PWS.

QUESTION 5: Are there any special licenses or permits or training required for contractor personnel to be used on the ranges?

ANSWER 5: No, access requirements only. Sometimes there is a one-time briefing for range usage.

QUESTION 6: Reference PWS 2.2.2.1:

Current and qualified as Aircraft Commander (AC) in the MC-12W within the previous two year OR tactical Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) operational flight experience within the previous four years if the following conditions are met prior to start of performance:

• Performed eight years of military operational flying duty

• BE-300 type-rating and Proline 21 differences certification

• 1000 Pilot in Command (PIC) hours (all aircraft flown) and 300 hours in similar type aircraft

Current and qualified MC-12W pilots possessing an FAA Commercial Pilot or higher Certificate with 100 hours in type can fulfill co-pilot requirements while operating with a qualified AC who meets the pilot requirements listed above.

QUESTION 6a: How will the pilots that do not have a current instrument/qualification AF Form 8 for the MC-12W get their AF Form 8 completed?

ANSWER 6a: Pilots do not require an AF Form 8, pilots may meet the requirement with commercial pilot ratings.

QUESTION 6b: Will there be dedicated contractor sorties allotted to maintaining contractor pilot AF Form 8 qualifications and AFI 11-2FT Vol 1 currency requirements

IAW AFI 10-220?

ANSWER 6b: No dedicated sorties will be allotted. AFI 11-2FT Vol 1 currency requirements do not apply to this requirement.

QUESTION 7: Reference: PWS 2.2.2.2. Sensor operators/CSO’s Current and qualified in the MC-12W OR in tactical ISR platforms, to include the AC-130 within the previous two years.

A former CSO or enlisted sensor operator (1A3, 1A4 or 1A9) would be considered acceptable if qualified within the previous four years and if the following conditions are met prior to start of performance:

• Performed five years of military operational flying duty

• Must have 500 flight hours of which 100 hours experience must be as a qualified electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor operator

QUESTION 7a: The second part of requirement 2.2.2.2 appears to add to the AF qualifications? Can the government confirm the experience listed in PWS 2.2.2.2 is required in addition to the AFI 10-220 qualifications?

ANSWER 7a: Yes, the Government confirms the experience listed in PWS 2.2.2.2 is required in addition to the AFI 10-220 qualifications. Paragraph 2.2.2.2 of the PWS has been revised.

QUESTION 8: Reference PWS 2.2.2.1 Pilots

• Have a current FAA Commercial Pilot or higher Certificate and the appropriate category and class ratings.

• Current and qualified as an Aircraft Commander (AC) in the MC-12W within the previous two year OR tactical Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) operational flight experience within the previous four years if the following conditions are met prior to start of performance:

o Performed eight years of military operational flying duty o BE-300 type-rating and Proline 21 differences certification o 1000 Pilot in Command (PIC) hours (all aircraft flown) and 300 hours in similar type aircraft

• Current and qualified MC-12W pilots possessing an FAA Commercial Pilot or higher Certificate with 1000 hours in type can fulfill co-pilot requirements while operating with a qualified AC who meets the pilot requirements listed above.

QUESTION 8a: If there is pilot turnover, do incoming pilots need to arrive fully qualified, or is there allowance for qualification during the mission? Can this be included in contractor’s documented on-boarding strategy?

ANSWER 8a: Yes, there will be allowance, yes, it can be included in the on-boarding strategy.

PWS paragraph 2.2.2.1 has been revised to include an allowance during pilot turnover only.

QUESTION 9: Does the contract allow C12 pilot cross-flow among all service branches?

ANSWER 9: Yes, as long as the ISR requirements are met. Paragraph 2.2.2.1 of the PWS was revised.

QUESTION 10: Are sensor operators treated as aircrew regarding training and qualification in accordance with corporate training manuals, record-keeping, and on-boarding requirements?

ANSWER 10: Yes.

QUESTION 11: Reference Solicitation 2.3.1, “Offerors are required to maintain a SECRET level facility clearance. Offerors must provide proof of a current U.S. Facility clearance at the SECRET level in accordance with DoDD 5220.22, National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM). The SECRET facility clearance must be current at time of proposal submission. This SECRET level clearance requirement applies to the prime for this contract. This SECRET level clearance also applies to any subcontractors (if any) that will perform work under this contract. For those Offerors submitting a proposal as a newly formed partnership, joint venture, or limited liability company, the requirement can be satisfied through the submittal of documentation evidencing the fact that all of the partners or member companies of the partnership currently possess the required Facility Clearance. Offerors shall include the CAGE and DUNS codes for verification. In order to safeguard the release of classified information, the DD Form 254, Contract Security Classification Specification, AND current Industrial Security Facilities Database (ISFD) screenshot, is a requirement at time of proposal submission.”

QUESTION 11a: Since access to classified information is not required for a company to submit a proposal, would the Government consider sponsoring offerors for their FCL?

ANSWER 11a: No, the Government will not sponsor offerors for their FCL. Paragraph

5.3.1 of the PWS was revised. In addition, Section L, paragraph C.2.3.1 was revised and paragraphs C.1.1 and C1.1.1 were added to Section M of the solicitation.

QUESTION 11b: If offerors are pursuing an FCL, would an interim be acceptable and/or would it be acceptable for offerors to requirement to obtain an FCL prior to award because a contractor must have a FCL the day of award in order to carry out the requirements of the contract?

ANSWER 11b: Yes, the Government would accept an interim FCL at the time of proposal submission. The Government will not consider offers without an INTERIM or SECRET facility clearance at the time of proposal submission. Section L, paragraph C.2.3.1 was revised and paragraphs C.1.1 and C.1.1.1 were added to Section M of the solicitation.

QUESTION 12: (General inquiry) In order to further refine our knowledge of the requirements, can the Govt define the following:

QUESTION 12a: What is current duty day for flight crews used at the unit?

ANSWER 12a: 12 hours is the max duty. Currently there are no flight crews.

QUESTION 12b: Average sortie length?

ANSWER 12b: 3 hours

QUESTION 12c: Maximum sortie length, based on historical training?

ANSWER 12c: 3.5 hours. This information was added to Appendix B of the PWS.

QUESTION 12d: How many aircraft does the unit operate?

ANSWER 12d: The requirement is for up to three aircraft per sortie.

QUESTION 12e: How many aircraft can simultaneously operate within the local airspace (vicinity of OKC) approved working area?

ANSWER 12e: Up to 3 aircraft per sortie. See Appendix B of the PWS.

QUESTION 13: (RFP, Section L, 2.7) We note that there is no page limit for Volume 1 Section 7, thus we intend to submit bank letters of credit in addition to Attachment 4 in order to provide a more robust picture of our financial capability. Can the Government confirm that this will be an acceptable course of action since Attachment 4 is limited in its scope?

ANSWER 13: Documentation IN ADDITION to the Financial Responsibility letter will be accepted. Section L, paragraph C.2.7.1 of the solicitation was revised.

QUESTION 14: (PWS 2.3) “The Government may periodically schedule 137 Special Operations Wing (SOW) pilots and CSOs in place of contractor personnel during sorties.” Is the Government able to estimate approximately how many 137 SOW pilots and/or CSOs per day/week/month will require scheduling?

ANSWER 14: No. Contractors shall plan to execute all sorties with contractor pilots and CSOs.

QUESTION 15: (PWS 4.1) “Government Provided Equipment/Workspace/Services. The government will provide desks, workspace, utilities, electrical power hookups, personal computers, telephone access, administrative supplies for onsite personnel, printers, use safes, and all audiovisual projection equipment.” Will the Government provide tactical radios and other specialized mission related equipment as GFE in support of daily operations?

ANSWER 15: Yes. Clarification added to paragraph 2.5.2 of the PWS.

QUESTION 16: On December 17, 2018, President Trump signed into law the Small Business Runway Extension Act of 2018, which amends the Small Business Act to require that the size of a federal contractor be measured by an average of five years (rather than three years) of revenue for the purpose of determining small business program eligibility. As you may also know, the Act did not have a specific effective date. As such, it is our understanding that the Act is presumed to be effective immediately under longstanding principles of statutory interpretation. In this connection, we would greatly appreciate it if you would kindly confirm that we are to apply the five-year (rather than the three-year) lookback period for purposes of measuring size in connection with this specific procurement.

ANSWER 16: The three year rule is still in effect. The Small Business Act still requires that new size standards be approved by the Administrator through a rule making process. The Runway Extension Act does not include an effective date, and the amended section 3(a) (2) (C)

(ii) (II) does not make a five-year average effective immediately. The change made by the Runway Extension Act is not presently effective and is therefore not applicable to present contracts, offers, or bids until implemented through the standard rulemaking process. Until the SBA changes its regulations, businesses still must report their receipts based on a three-year average.

QUESTION 17: [PWS 2.5.3] “Missions are normally conducted within 160 miles of Will Rogers World Airport.” To estimate fuel usage and fuel cost, can the government please provide estimated annual mileage per vehicle when supporting range activities?

ANSWER 17: 80 miles per sortie * 80 sorties/month * 12 months =76,800 miles. This information was added to Appendix B of the PWS. In addition, the distance in paragraph 2.5.3 of the PWS was changed from 160 miles to 80 miles.

QUESTION 18: [PWS 2.5.4] “The Contractor shall provide their own protective clothing, personal protective equipment, and gear against these conditions or elements.” In addition to protective gear, is the contractor required to provide role-playing costumes and equipment when providing roles and responsibilities as BLUFOR/OPFOR support at the ranges? If so, can the government please provide a detailed list?

ANSWER 18: Costumes or other equipment are not required. OPFOR for this training does not require that level of detail.

QUESTION 19: [PWS 2.14.3] “…Contractor shall submit a copy of their Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).” Can the government please clarify if this is a Contractor Flight Operations Procedures as outlined in DCMA 8210.1c?

ANSWER 19: Flight Ops Procedures (8210.1C) are part of that requirement. However, the requirement is broader. Paragraph 2.14.3 of the PWS was revised.

QUESTION 20: Attachment 1 PWS, Section 2.2. Can we have a copy of the TSO MQT syllabus and CT documents so we can determine MRT/OPFOR scenarios to better determine costs and manning required to support?

ANSWER 20: A copy of the TSO MQT syllabus and CT documents are not available.

Appendix B of the PWS states 2 OPFOR per sortie, one to drive and the other to operate the radio and other equipment. OPFOR can support multiple go’s per day, just one sortie per go though. For example, if we have 2 go’s of 3 sorties each, OPFOR could support the second go’s sorties with the same bodies they used on the first go. As long as the target areas were close to each other. This information was added to Appendix B of the PWS.

QUESTION 21: Attachment 1 PWS, Section 2.8. Can we reduce the amount of time the CO has to respond to submitted resumes? Current time period could lead to delays in hiring causing lost opportunities.

ANSWER 21: No. Five business days allows the Government to fully review submitted resumes.

QUESTION 22: What documentation governs the dress and appearance standards to which contractor personnel must adhere?

ANSWER 22: All Contractor personnel shall meet professional dress and grooming standards and workplace safety standards as defined within the Contractor’s Safety Program.

All contractor instructor personnel shall wear either a "Polo / Oxford" type shirt or company provided flight suit. Shirts may include company name and/or embroidered/badge of aeronautical badges earned while qualified on active duty. When accomplishing in-flight instruction, contractors will wear AF approved flight gear. Contractor patches, if worn, must have patches clearly identifying them as contractors. Any patches developed by the contracting company must be in good taste and approved by the local squadron CC or DO. Training Integrators (TIs) should present a professional appearance (flight suit option is not applicable to TIs). Paragraph 2.9 of the PWS was revised.

QUESTION 23: Attachment 1 PWS, APPENDIX B: What does a CME consist of in man hours?

ANSWER 23: 1,880 Man hours. This information was added to Appendix B of the PWS.

QUESTION 24: FA002119RA004 SF33: In accordance with 52.222.42, can you confirm this contract incorporates Service Contract Act and if so, please provide the Wage Determination. As stated, if the contract is incorporating a Wage Determination, there is a discrepancy in the rate provided. 0113 General Clerk III rate in accordance with the Wage Determination for OK (location of work) is 18.00 per hour. As it currently reads in the RFP, the rate is 14.30 which is consistent with 0113 General Clerk II. Please clarify which rate is applicable, if any.

ANSWER 24: The Wage Determination that applies to this requirement was identified in Section J, Attachments, in the solicitation. Wage Determination 2015-5319, Revision 7, dated 12/26/2018 applies to this solicitation which identifies $16.83 as the minimum wage rate for a General Clerk III. FAR Provision 52.222-42 provides identifies what the Government would pay a General Clerk III in the civilian GS system. FAR 52.222-42 is provided for information purposes only and contractors are to use their business judgement when determining the wage rates for proposed their proposed registrar and scheduler as long as they are compliant with the Service Contract Labor Standards Act. However, the rates in FAR 52.222-42 were incorrect and were corrected to $15.51 per hour in Section I of the solicitation.

QUESTION 25: Specific pricing for unexpected travel is not addressed. For example, if a training sortie is required to airborne divert for Maintenance or Weather, what is the mechanism for travel reimbursement for the contractor?

ANSWER 25: A firm-fixed-price contract will be executed. There is no separate mechanism for travel reimbursement if a training sortie is required to airborne divert for maintenance or weather. All sorties will be local. We expect no diverts. We expect any rescheduling of sorties to be coordinated with the COR. There will be no more than 80 sorties per month. Paragraph 2.1.1 was added to the PWS.

QUESTION 26: ODCs/training and currency costs are not addressed in the solicitations pricing model for this effort. Does the government expect the contractor to roll ODCs into specific category costs?

ANSWER 26: The Government expects the contractor to roll all costs into the firm-fixed-monthly price CLIN for each performance period.

QUESTION 27: Please reference Page 43 of 58 of the Solicitation, Section 4.2. Please clarify…if the prime is in a first time teaming arrangement with its proposed subcontractor(s), is the prime to submit 3 past performance citations for itself plus up to 3 citations for each proposed subcontractor?

ANSWER 27: Yes, if this is a first time joint effort, each party to the arrangement must provide a list of no more than five (5) contracts each. The total was changed from three (3) contracts to

(5) contracts.

QUESTION 28: Can we double turn pilots? Said another way, the same pilot can fly one flight in the morning and one in the afternoon. Is it permissible for a pilot to turn-two per day?

Answer 28: Yes, as long as they remain within their duty day requirements in accordance with 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135.265. This information was added to paragraph

5.2.2 of the PWS.