RFQ Question and Answers.pdf

Questions for Solicitation FA251826Q0001

NNC Mexican Technical Rescue Training and Development

1. We would like to know if this is a brand new contract OR if there is (was) an incumbent performing these services. If not brand new, could you please provide the current / previous contract number?

A. This is a new contract.

2. Confirming the offeror only desires 2 instructors from the Contractors side to be provided – CENAPRED will provide all other instructors who have completed the Instructor Offering provided in 2024?

A. The only CENAPRED-provided instructors will be those providing training during the two instructor-led trainings. The Contractor should propose the number of Contractor trainers appropriate to meet the requirement. The CENAPRED instructors will come from the participants of the other courses in this contract.

3. Approximately $2,500.00 in lumber, hardware and materials will need to be purchased from local hardware stores to stage the Trench Rescue Program each of the three phases (Operations, Technician and TtT). Much will be able to be reused – will the contractor be required to purchase this or will the Offeror/CENAPRED provide it?

A. The Contractor should propose these materials. If they can be safely re-used, we can request CENAPRED keep and store them so they are only purchased once.

4. Will the Draft materials need to be ready prior to the Conference with CENAPRED of resulting from the conference (after)?

A. Draft materials need to be ready before the Conference in order to allow for a full revision resulting in a final draft after the conference.

5. There is a discrepancy between the NFPA recommended course hours versus those in the Solicitation. NFPA recommends some courses at 24 hours and others at 32 and 40 hours – will each offered program be 40 hours long? Attempting to ensure the content is properly divided for each program.

A. Each course, except Awareness, should be 40 hours long. Awareness should be no less than 4 and no more than 8 hours long. PWS updated to address the above.

6. Will 30 participant materials (25 students + 5 extra) be required or 40 to include the 10 selected instructors?

The following courses should have 30 participant materials: Rope Rescue Operations, Rope Rescue Technician, Rope Rescue Train-the-Trainer; Trench Rescue Operations, Trench Rescue Technician, Trench Rescue Train the Trainer. Awareness course materials are only due to CENAPRED in virtual formats or printed materials as needed for curriculum development conferences/processes.

The following courses should have 40 materials (30 participant materials, 10 instructor materials): Rope Rescue CENAPRED-Instructor-Led Operations, Trench Rescue CENAPRED-Instructor-Led Operations.

Note a PWS revision that Trench Rescue CENAPRED-Instructor-Led Operations should have 10 CENAPRED instructors and 25 participants. PWS updated to address the above.

7. How large a test bank will CENAPRED require?

A. The question bank should be adequate to confirm participant achievement of the theoretical knowledge and skills of the NFPA level. Each NFPA 1006 listed knowledge/skill combination should have more than one question.

8. What Learning Management System (LMS) will CENAPRED be using for the on-line course delivery?

A. Moodle is the current plan. Still, materials should be created according to PWS.

9. Do the requested examples required by Subfactors 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5 count towards the 25 page limit for this section or are they treated as examples of compliance and do not count towards the page limit?

A. All information/examples provided for subfactors 1.1, 1.3-1.6 all count towards the 25 page limit. A Sample Chapter and Master Instructor Guide reference has also been added to the table with additional page limits.

10. There are items missing from the Rope Rescue list of sample equipment on hand needed to a conduct Technician level class. Additional lengths of rope will also likely be needed depending on the condition of the exiting rope - will the contractor be required to purchase this or will the Offeror/CENAPRED provide it or should we just work around it?

A. The offerors can propose with the assumption CENAPRED or NORTHCOM can provide or purchase a few additional ropes.

11. Will the successful contractor be allowed to visit/inspect the Rope Rescue and Trench Rescue sites to confirm suitability and safety?

A. Yes.

12. Can you please share training locations for the proposed Rope and Trench - Ops, Tech and Train the Trainer courses, and would the Federal Government be open to recommendations for specific in-field training facilities by the contractor?

A. Please follow Solicitation section 4 for guidelines.

13. How many curriculum revisions are allowed or expected by the government for each course?

A. Per 8.1.3 and 8.1.3.1, the contractor is expected to make revisions following the NORTHCOM review prior to the conference, present course curriculum draft to CENAPRED, and integrate CENAPRED revisions. Additional revisions are allowed.

14. The CLIN structure does not include Rope and Trench Awareness curriculum draft or conferences - only delivery. Is there no draft and revision expected for the awareness courses in each discipline?

A. CLIN Sheet has been updated to reflect above changes

15. PWS section 6.1.3 indicates there is an Awareness Course Development Conference for each topic (Rope and Trench Rescue) but these Awareness conferences are not included in the attachment 4 CLIN structure. Our understanding is that there are 6 conferences (3x Ropes and 3x Trench), and conferences may be combined, but there are only 4 conferences listed in the CLIN structure. It is also referenced again in PWS

8.1.3 that there are 3 anticipated conferences to review the 3 drafts for each discipline.

Can you please confirm?

A. CLIN Sheet has been updated to reflect above changes

16. Can you confirm that the contract awardee is responsible for all travel, lodging, per diem and other associated expenses regarding both the curriculum conferences and the 6 in-field trainings (Rope Ops, Tech TtT & Trench Ops, Tech and TtT)?

B. Yes, the Contractor will be responsible for travel. Note that there are eight in person courses. Rope Ops, Tech, TtT, Instructor-Led; Trench Ops, Tech, TtT, Instructor Led. CLIN Sheet has been updated to reflect all in field trainings

17. Subfactor 1.6 on the Combined Synopsis is not specifically listed in the quotation section.

A. It has been included.

18. If subfactor 1.6 is added to the quotation section Factor 1 - is the submission page limit expected to remain at 25 or will this be extended?

A. Solicitation has been updated to include subfactor 1.6 in the table, page count remains at 25. A Sample Chapter and Master Instructor Guide reference has also been added to the table with additional page limits.

19. How many anticipated online course delivery hours are expected by the contractor?

A. No less than 4 hours and no more than 8 hours.

20. Is the contractor developing the entire online training platform or only supplying all information, props, power points, training videos etc., and CENAPRED will build the online training to meet their desired Awareness training?

A. The latter. CENAPRED will integrate the Contractor-provided materials into the platform per 9.1.1.

21. The combined synopsis (Description of Requirement) indicates that the base requirement is to provide "course development and instruction for the following four courses with all training materials provided to the audience and CENAPRED": Rope Rescue Ops, Tech, Train the Trainer, and observed and evaluated CENEPRED Instructor led training. This would indicate 4 in-person trainings, but the CLIN Price structure only includes Ops, Tech and Train the Trainer for each discipline. This four course structure is also contained in the PWS 1.0 Description of services. This four course structure is once more referenced in the PWS 9.5. The only identifiable inconsistency is the attachment 4 CLIN structure. Can you please confirm?

A. Two additional CLINS for CENAPRED-instructor-led courses has been added to the CLIN sheet.

22. Can the Government confirm whether the quotation should be submitted as separate files/volumes for Cover Letter, Technical, Subfactor 1.2 Certificates, and Price, or as one consolidated PDF with tabs?

A. This will be at the contractor’s discretion so long as guidelines pertaining to the

Solicitation and page limits are followed.

23. Can the Government confirm whether Subfactor 1.2 trainer certificates, resumes, syllabi, sample manuals, and instructor guides are excluded from the 25-page Technical page limit?

A. Subfactor 1.2 is excluded from the 25 page limit.

24. Can the Government clarify whether Subfactor 1.6, Trainer Development, must be addressed within the 25-page Technical response, given that the page-limit table references Subfactors 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, and 1.5 but the evaluation criteria include Subfactor 1.6?

A. Solicitation has been updated to include subfactor 1.6 in the table, page count remains at 25. A Sample Chapter and Master Instructor Guide reference has also been added to the table with additional page limits.

25. What specific technical rescue certifications will the Government consider acceptable for rope rescue and trench rescue trainers?

A. Certificate of completion of Rope and Trench Rescue Operations and Rope and

Trench Rescue Technician courses.

26. Does each proposed trainer need to hold both rope rescue and trench rescue certifications, or may qualifications be distributed across the proposed instructor team?

A. They may be distributed so long as the instructors that will teach each course have the certification at the Technician level for that topic.

27. What documentation is acceptable to demonstrate Spanish-language fluency for trainers, and is professional fluency sufficient or are native Spanish-speaking instructors required?

A. Full professional fluency or primary written fluency in Spanish to execute the requirements of this PWS at no additional costs to the Government. Evidence of courses taught in Spanish will be considered per 1.1. 1.2 is the contractor’s attestation of Spanish language fluency and ability to conduct courses in Spanish at no additional cost to the government.

28. Should all curriculum, training materials, instruction, evaluations, and deliverables be provided in Spanish only, English only, or both English and Spanish?

A. Spanish only.

29. Will the Government provide existing curriculum, lesson materials, training standards, or learning objectives as a baseline, or is the contractor expected to develop all curricula from the ground up?

A. The NFPA 1006 and 1670 standard should be used to determine training standards and objectives. Lesson materials or curriculum will not be provided.

30. Can the Government provide the expected number of students per course and the expected number of course deliveries for rope rescue and trench rescue during the period of performance?

A. Rope Ops – 25 – 1 course

-Rope Tech – 25 – 1 course -Rope T-t-T – 25 – 1 course -Rope instructor observation – 10 instructors + 25 students – 1 course

B. Trench Ops – 25 – 1 course -Trench Tech – 25 – 1 course -Trench T-t-T – 25 – 1 course -Trench instructor observation – 10 instructors + 25 students – 1 course

31. Should the contractor provide all training equipment, rescue gear, consumables, and instructional aids, or will any Government-furnished equipment be provided?

A. The equipment available for training is in the PWS appendix D. Any additional materials should be considered in the proposed cost. An exception is if there is one-off additional critical equipment not previously identified, other than small hand tools, prop builds, instructional aids, which the government may be able to make available.

32. Can the Government provide the anticipated city/region or general operating environment in Mexico for pricing, staffing, security, and logistics planning?

Please follow Solicitation section 4 for guidelines

33. Should offerors include all travel, lodging, per diem, shipping, customs, equipment movement, and in-country logistics costs within the proposed CLIN pricing?

A. Customs and equipment should not be required, unless shipping of manuals is proposed. Costs for travel, lodging, per diem, and in-country logistics should be included.

34. What level of security clearance, CUI handling, OPSEC compliance, country clearance, or U.S. Embassy/DoD travel coordination is required for contractor personnel performing work in Mexico?

A. OPSEC and travel requirements determined by the Embassy shall be adhered to per PWS 17.0. No CUI or classified material handling, or Contractor clearances, are required.

35. Can the Government provide or confirm the complete Appendix E Table of Deliverables, including required delivery formats, due dates, review timelines, and acceptance criteria?

A. Appendix E confirmed.

36. Can the Government confirm whether each CLIN should be priced as firm-fixed-price inclusive of labor, travel, materials, equipment, and other direct costs, and whether any optional quantities, option periods, or additional course deliveries are anticipated?

A. Yes, firm fixed price. Trench rescue options currently in the PWS are anticipated.

No additional option / mods not currently in the PWS are anticipated.

37. At this time does the government have a projection for conference hours/days of commitment for each discipline and operational level or will this be up to the contractor?

A. This will be at the contractor’s discretion.