Attachment 7 - AFE FY27 QandA (Amendment 0003).pdf

Requirement Questions and Answers

FA302226Q0305 Attachment 7 – AFE FY27 Q&A

Included are the questions received for this requirement and the answers to the questions.

Requirement Name Aircrew Flight Equipment Service FY27 - (Columbus Air Force Base, Columbus MS)

Notice ID FA302226Q0305

Question: The CBA was not released with the solicitation. We understand an active CBA is in place, and we will need to bid to the requirements contained within the CBA.

Answer: The solicitation has been amended. The CBA is attached as Attachment 4.

Question: Instructions to Offerors. Does the Government have a page limitation for Technical and Past Performance references?

Answer: Yes, the solicitation was amended to include instructions. Please see the page limit detailed in Attachment 6.

Question: How many past performance references can we submit? What is the recency requirements for those references? We would like to include our previous performance at Columbus, but that contract ended in 2016. We do have three other highly relevant/current references.

Answer: Past performance submission is not required. Past performances information includes Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), and other information available to the Government.

Question: Does the Government want the price volume to be separate from Technical & Past Performance for evaluation purposes?

Answer: Yes.

Solicitation Information

Question: Is the 25-page count a total for both volumes combined?

Answer: The 25-page limit applies only to Volume II.

Question: Are the Table of Contents, List of Figures, Title Page, and Cover Letter excluded from the 25 pages?

Answer: No, all Volume II documents and pages count toward the page limit.

Question: Where should Offerors include their Past Performance references and information, and is it included in the 25-page count?

Answer: Past Performance submission is not required.

Question: Given that a site visit was not offered, it is our understanding that the service areas supporting the AFE operation are dispersed. Can you provide a geographical description for the following operations: 1) Parachute Press room 2) Fabrication and Vision Restriction Devices 3) Sewing Shop and 4) Munitions storage area.

Answer: Parachute room has two tables currently for packing and the presses are also located in this room at the end for required steps. The only munitions are small and stored in a munition locker in the parachute room. The sewing/fabrication room is across the hall with a supply room and a spot for vision restraint devices to be constructed. There is an office for the Lead to do paperwork. Up Stairs there is a room for floatation life rafts and preservers to be inspected. All areas are in a centralized location.

Question: CBA Clarifying Question: Paragraph 24.0 references “benefits as summarized in Appendix C.” The copy of the CBA provided does not contain an Appendix C. Can the Government please provide Appendix C or confirm whether it was omitted from the document?

Answer: CBA clarifications are not available as of Amendment 0003 and will be posted with a later amendment.

Question: CBA Clarifying Question: On page 46, the statement regarding health, dental, and vision plans says that any cost increases or decreases will be passed along to the employee based on the “current cost share percentage reflected above.” This language appears under the section labeled “100% Employee Paid.” Can the Government confirm whether the intent of the Agreement is that health, dental, and vision plans are fully employee-paid?

Answer: CBA clarifications are not available as of Amendment 0003 and will be posted with a later amendment.

Question: CBA Clarifying Question: The table provides Position, and current/projected hourly pay rates within the table. However, the table shows what appears to be annual pay increases of approximately 4%, however, the effective dates all have the same dates: “1 Oct 2025 to 30 Sep 2028”. Will the Government clarify the pay rates that will be effective 1 October 2026, and 1 October 2027?

Answer: CBA clarifications are not available as of Amendment 0003 and will be posted with a later amendment.

Question: Reference: PWS 3.1. Publications: Is internet access currently available to contractors within the AFE facility (Building 1030, rooms 121 and 122)?

Answer: Yes

Question: Reference PWS 3.6 . Publications: What are the configuration requirements for the contractor provided “stand-alone laptop computers to facilitate a paperless publication system”?

Answer: The stand-alone laptop is for the company to maintain its own programs and should be outfitted with software to create forms (PDF, Word, Excel, etc.). Laptops are provided to perform daily work

Question: Reference PWS 3.6 . Publications: Upon review of the PWS, we have some performance risk concerns regarding contractor owned, contractor configured computers accessing Government computers and electronic systems. Please describe the process on how the Government provides “all publications and changes to the contractor electronically”?

Answer: Contractors will be issued a government computer and will require all security checks to get a Common Access Card (CAC). Logging into the provided computers with a CAC will allow access to all publication required.

Question: Reference PWS 3.6 . Publications: Will the contractor’s owned computers access the publication data via the government network or will the contractor need to provide Wi-Fi access for these computer?

Answer: No, the government will issue computers to be able to get on the internet and get the publications and Technical Orders needed. Contractor’s owned computers should be used for contractors training if any, timecards, etc.

Question: Incumbent staffing. The PWS lists approximately 10,546 annual workload hours and requires uninterrupted coverage plus a qualified two-person team for parachute inspections, but it does not specify minimum staffing. Please provide the current incumbent headcount/FTE level by CBA classification—Aircrew Flight Lead, Senior and Specialist—including current vacancies, if any.

Answer: Currently there are only 3 personnel and a Backfill individual performing task. We do not dictate the number needed to complete the required tasks outside of publications and Technical Orders. Based on this there are currently no vacancies. There currently is a Lead, Senior, and Specialist. Recommend no less than 4 personnel

Question: Contract Manager. May the Contract Manager also serve as a productive AFE technician, or does the Government expect a separate full-time management position? May the Contract Manager be offsite if continuously available during the required hours?

Answer: If the Contract Manager meets all requirements outlined in the PWS and gets required training on specific task associated with this contract then that individual could fill a position as needed

Question: CBA wage schedule. Appendix A of the CBA appears to contain duplicated or incomplete date headings for the wage-rate columns. Please identify the applicable hourly wage for each classification during the base year and each option year and confirm the required health, welfare, pension and other fringe-benefit obligations.

Answer: CBA clarifications are not available as of Amendment 0003 and will be posted with a later amendment.

Question: Successor workforce requirements. Please confirm whether the awardee must offer a right of first refusal or otherwise comply with any nondisplacement requirement for qualified incumbent service employees. Please also confirm that the posted CBA will bind the successor contractor under the Service Contract Labor Standards.

Answer: Nondisplacement is not a federal requirement, however the successor contractor must comply with CBA requirements, if any. The CBA is binding under the Service Contract Labor Standards.

Question: Site visit. The combined solicitation data identifies a July 21, 2026, site visit, although the SAM.gov narrative does not provide site-visit instructions. Was a site visit conducted, was attendance mandatory, and may a prospective quoter obtain a late, virtual or individual walkthrough before quotations are due?

Answer: There is no Site Visit.

Question: Government-furnished property. Please provide a complete inventory of Government-furnished facilities, equipment, tools, sewing machines, parachute presses, computers, software/accounts, technical publications and consumable materials available at contract start, including condition and quantities.

Answer: It is one facility with multiple rooms, all items required to perform the tasks outlined in the PWS are Government furnished. If any issues arise, we get notified and order replacements. There are 8 items on the equipment account that a custodian will be assigned. Some items are furnished through other maintenance contracts. Computers are issued to the individuals and are signed for.

Question: T-7 workload. The PWS states that the current requirement does not represent the future T-7 aircraft workload. Please confirm that no T-7 effort is included in the evaluated fixed price and that any future T-7 requirements will be added and priced through a contract modification.

Answer: Pricing and evaluation will exclude T-7 workload, and any future T-7 requirements will be processed through a contract modification.

Question: Six-month extension. The clause package permits a total contract duration of five years and six months, but the pricing schedule contains only the base year and four option years. Should quoters provide a separate six-month extension price, or will any extension be priced using the then-current monthly option rate?

Answer: No separate extension pricing is required. A six-month extension will be priced using the then-current rates.

Question: Partner personnel and experience. May a small-business prime rely on the technical personnel, relevant past performance and Quality Control experience of a committed first-tier small-business teaming/subcontracting partner? If yes, what commitment letter, organizational information, resumes or certifications should be included?

Answer: Offerors may submit a subcontractor’s personnel and experience, but only to support the specific portions of the Performance Work Statement (PWS) that the subcontractor is actually slated to perform. The Offeror's capability to manage the overall project will still be evaluated. A commitment letter and other supporting documents are not mandatory.

Question: Technical-volume attachments. Do personnel resumes, FAA rigger certificates, military training records, organization charts and partner commitment letters count toward the 25-page Volume II limit? Are any of those documents mandatory with the quotation?

Answer: These documents will count toward the 25-page limit. These documents are not mandatory, however Offerors should consider PWS requirements.

Question: Security. Please confirm whether any personnel security clearance is required at award. The PWS states contractor personnel may not enter restricted areas without escort, but it does not identify a clearance level.

Answer: They need a favorable investigation for access to Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)

Question: Phase-in. Please identify the anticipated phase-in period before October 1, 2026, and whether phase-in is separately reimbursable or must be included in the base-year fixed price.

Answer: The phase-in is usually the week prior to 1 Oct. Phase-in must be included in the base-year fixed price.

Question: Price evaluation. Please confirm that Total Evaluated Price will be calculated from all 60 priced months only, excluding any unpriced six-month extension.

Answer: Total Evaluated Price is the sum of the base year and four option years, excluding any six-month extension.