FA4610-11-R-0009 _Questions_and_Answers_Document_1.docx

FA4610-11-R-0009 Simplified Acquisition of Base Engineering Requirements (SABER) Program Industry Day Questions and Answers Document 1

1. Q: Is attendance of Industry Day mandatory?

A: It is not mandatory.

2. Q: What is the expected volume of work?

A: Historically, 80-100 projects/year were awarded using the SABER program. Last year, approximately 40-60 projects were awarded, however based on the current fiscal environment, an expected annual volume cannot be estimated.

3. Q: Historically what is the average task order amount?

A: Task orders typically averaged around $150,000

4. Q: How much work will be done at Pillar Point AFS?

A: Historically, 2-3 projects per year. Last year, 10 site validation walks were held, and 2 contracts were awarded.

5. Q: Is there a lot of work to be done?

A: Work requirements remain at the historical levels, however, the amount of work that will be performed will be dictated by budget constraints.

6. Q: Will specialize project be given to certain contractors?

A: The possibility exists that a project will be sole-sourced to a specific contractor based on specialty; however, the Government is not expecting to receive such projects.

7. Q: Why is a review on technical acceptability still required after awarding the contract to the 3 contractors?

A: Technical acceptability reviews will be conducted to ensure contractors thoroughly understand the requirement and provide fair opportunity to all contractors.

8. Q: Will contractors have to provide certified drawings?

A: No certified drawings will be required. The drawings can be performed in house, similar to shop drawings.

9. Q: Is the scope of the 5 Year SABER basewide to include the secured locations?

A: Yes, the SABER program will include all sites on Vandenberg AFB and Pillar Point AFS.

10. Q: Are major projects expected this year?

A: None; all fiscal year (FY) 13 have been planned and will not be part of the 5-Yr SABER program

11. Q: After a task order is awarded, will the other contractors be notified?

A: Task order award amounts will be provided upon request.

12. Q: Can contractors utilize four 10-hour days?

A: On-site work availability will vary by task order.

13. Q: Are the task order evaluations accomplished line by line or as lump sum?

A: The line items and quantities used in the task order proposals will be evaluated.

14. Q: Is it typical to group O&M with construction?

A: Some O&M projects can be classified as construction, such as replacing an HVAC.

15. Q: What kind of construction is involved?

A: Most projects required interior renovation, but projects some are exterior projects such as constructing a fence or replacing chillers

16. Q: How can projects not under this SABER be pursued?

A: Contractors should monitor FedBizOps for contracting opportunities at Vandenberg.

17. Q: What is CCASS?

A: CCASS is the Construction Contractor Appraisal Support System and is a database used to report contract performance.

18. Q: Will full scale proposals be required on each task order?

A: SABER Technical Specification 01 00 00 identifies all the elements that will be required for task order proposals.

19. Q: What will comprise the technical factor on task orders?

A: The technical acceptability requirements will be identified on each task order request for proposal.

20. Q: What is the difference between the mini-SABER and the 5-Yr SABER?

A: The mini-SABER will be used for the current fiscal year and until the award of the 5-Yr SABER.

21. Q: Will the winning contractor need to have an office on base?

A: No

22. Q: Will there be a phase-in period?

A: No, but contract start date will be at least a few weeks after the contract award date.

23. Q: How many contracts will be awarded for the 5-Yr SABER?

A: Up to 3 contracts will be awarded

24. Q: Since the maximum program amount is $90M, will each contractor be capped at $30M?

A: No, a contractor will not be capped at $30M.

25. Q: Will all winning contractors be proposing using RS Means and CostWorks?

A: Yes, winning contractors will use RS Means on their proposals for the task orders. Contractors may use alternate software, as long as it is compatible with CostWorks.

26. Q: Will all of Division 1 in RS Means be available for the contractor to use?

A: SABER Technical Specifications Sections 01 00 00 and 01 04 00 do not restrict the use of any line items in RS Means, however, A-E related services will not be required and should not be used.

27. Q: What is the deadline for additional questions?

A: 19 June 2013.

28. Q: Will attendance list/roster be made available to contractors?

A: Yes.

29. Q: When will contract start?

A: The contract is projected to begin in FY 14.

30. Q: When does the current 5 Year SABER expire?

A: It is already expired.

31. Q: Can the coefficient be the same in the out years and meet the downward sloping requirement?

A: No, the coefficient must be lower in each of the option years to meet the downward sloping requirement.

32. Q: Is the coefficient worksheet required to be used?

A: The contractors will be required to provide their own worksheet and narrative for the coefficient.

33. Q: Can the downward sloping coefficient be demonstrated at the 10,000th decimal place?

A: Yes

34. Q: Can the coefficient worksheet be multiple pages?

A: Yes.

35. Q: Why does coefficient matter since its LPTA?

A: The coefficient may be comprised of indirect costs. It is up to the contractor on how much risk they are willing to accept. Coefficients can be lowered on each task order in order for a contractor to gain a competitive advantage.

36. Q: Is the coefficient worksheet on the draft solicitation null and void?

A: Yes, it will be removed on the actual solicitation.

37. Q: Is the downward sloping coefficient an Air Force policy?

A: The requirement for cost efficiencies in the out years is a requirement established by Air Force Space Command.

38. Q: Has there been a successful contractor with a less than 1 coefficient before?

A: Yes.

39. Q: Will bonding be part of the coefficient?

A: The contractor will determine what costs are included in their coefficient.

40. Q: Where can more research on coefficient be done?

A: 30 CONS is unaware of a particular resource to use in developing a coefficient.

41. Q: Is the project design up to 100% included in the coefficient?

A: The contractor should determine what costs are included in their coefficient.

42. Q: Will the RS Means training and software costs divided amongst the winning contractors?

A: Yes, the costs associated with the RS Means training will be divided amongst the winning contractors.

43. Q: Is the RS Means training costs in all years?

A: RS Means training will only be required in the base year.

44. Q: Will coefficient from previous contracts be made available?

A: The coefficients from previous contracts will not be released.

45. Q: Will the demonstration project change from the draft solicitation to the formal solicitation?

A: The only anticipated change in the demonstration project is the removal of the requirement to propose alternates options.

46. Q: For the demonstration project, is it required to use RS Means?

A: RS Means is not required for demonstration project. Contractors will be required to provide a cost estimate in a similar format (line item breakdown).

47. Q: The demonstration project SOO states that the project may be awarded at the end of the fiscal year, will it be awarded?

A: The demonstration project will not be awarded. This statement was added to require a contractor to demonstrate an understanding of scheduling requirements.

48. Q: Will there be environmental issues that need to be worked on the demonstration project?

A: The demonstration project may require a contractor to address environmental issues.

49. Q: Will there be a site visit for the demonstration project?

A: No.

50. Q: Will a soils report or flow data be included/required?

A: No.

51. Q: How many alternatives are needed to satisfy the Value Engineering requirement?

A: The requirement for alternatives will be removed.

52. Q: Should the pavement be rejuvenated and maintained on the demonstration project?

A: The offeror should propose the solution they believe best fulfills the Governments requirements.

53. Q: Is the demonstration project pass/fail?

A: Yes, see Sections L and M.

54. Q: Will the Demonstration Project be awarded?

A: No, the demonstration project is for evaluation purposes only.

55. Q: What are the evaluation criteria for the Demonstration Project?

A: See Sections L and M of the solicitation.

56. Q: Are certified inspectors really required?

A: SABER Technical Specification 01 31 00 states the requirements for Construction Inspectors, or equivalent position. These requirements state that the personnel be certified or have 5 years construction inspection experience.

57. Q: Should all the information about roles and responsibilities be included in the block diagram?

A: No, the roles and responsibilities can be identified in the narrative.

58. Q: Does there need to be more than one person filling any of the roles identified in sub-factor 1?

A: Offeror’s proposal should reflect their company’s actual structure.

59. Q: A project superintendent is not listed, is it required to be submitted on?

A: Offeror’s proposal should reflect their company’s actual structure.

60. Q: Can one person fill more than one role within the organization (e.g. Contract Estimator and Construction Inspector)?

A: Offeror’s proposal should reflect their company’s actual structure.

61. Q: For the Construction Foreman/Craftsman/Tradesman, do you need to see all individuals within the company?

A: Refer to Sections L and M.

62. Q: Should the Quality Control Plan section focus on the demonstration project or the SABER program?

A: The SABER program.

63. Q: Can the Quality Control Plan reference back to the organizational chart?

A: Yes, any reference to another section should contain the page and paragraph number.

64. Q: Is a Quality Control Plan required?

A: Yes

65. Q: Can out-of-state contractors submit a proposal and can it be awarded to them?

A: An out of state contractor may submit a proposal as long as it has an SBA bona fide office in CA and possesses a California General Contractor’s License Type “A” or “B” license as of the proposal due date.

66. Q: Should the license requirements be “A” and “B” instead of “A” or “B”?

A: The license requirements will remain as “A” or “B”.

67. Q: A California General Contractor's License Type A is more suited towards NAICS codes in the 237 range, are you sure you would still like to use it?

A: A California General Contractor's License Type A will be acceptable.

68. Q: Should NAICS code 236220 be the primary NAICS code for an offeror?

A: No, as long as the SBA recognizes the NAICS for your company.

69. Q: Will an electronic version of the proposal be required?

A: No.

70. Q: What can act as evidence of 8(a) status from the SBA?

A: Any signed correspondence from an SBA representative that shows an active 8(a) status can be used.

71. Q: For the description of work intended to be performed to meet the requirements of clause FAR 52.219-14, should it be focused on the level of work for the demonstration project or the program as a whole?

A: The description of work should represent the offerors level of work for the program.

72. Q: There is a discrepancy between the bonding ($3M single project) and the maximum order amount ($5M). Please address.

A: The minimums and maximums will remain as stated.

73. Q: Why is the project open to joint ventures?

A: In accordance with 13 CFR 124.513 (b)(1) "A joint venture of at least one 8(a) Participant and one or more other business concerns may submit an offer as a small business for a competitive 8(a) procurement so long as each concern is small under the size standard corresponding to the NAICS code assigned to the contract, provided:

(i) The size of at least one 8(a) Participant to the joint venture is less than one half the size standard corresponding to the NAICS code assigned to the contract; and

74. Q: There is a discrepancy between the proposal times in the solicitation and the specification. Please address.

A: The specifications will be corrected prior to the official RFP release.

75. Q: Do you weight the technical acceptability of the proposals?

A: No, see Sections L and M.

76. Q: Will the Government review CCASS during evaluations?

A: No.

77. Q: Is there an expected Request for Proposal (RFP) date?

A: The RFP is currently expected to be released in early August. Contractors should monitor FedBizOps (www.fbo.gov) for updates on the RFP.

78. Q: Aside from the 3 winning contractors, will alternate contractors also be selected?

A: No alternate contractors will be selected.

79. Q: On one section of the draft solicitation it states the use of Standard Hours, but on a different section, it also states the use of Non-standard hours?

A: The non-standard hours section of the solicitation was provided as a definition in the event a task order requires the use of non-standard hours.

80. Q: On the mini-SABER, changes to the solicitation were listed on FedBizOps as amendments, but no SF30 or amendment document was posted. Will that happen on this Request for Proposal, if so, how do you acknowledge the change?

A: Any changes to the solicitation will be issued as amendments on an SF 30.

81. Q: If a contractor is awarded the Mini-SABER, is that contractor precluded from winning the 5 Year SABER?

A: Any winning contractor on the mini-SABER will not be precluded from being awarded the 5-Yr SABER.

82. Q: What happens if a contractor’s 8(a) certificate expires before solicitation comes out?

A: A contractor has to have a current 8(a) certification at the time of award.

83. Q: How many proposals is 30 CONS expected to receive?

A: Unknown.

84. Q: When will 5-Yr SABER be awarded?

A: 30 CONS is looking to make an award around December 2013 – January 2014 time frame barring any discussions from contractors. If discussions are held, award might not be made until summer of 2014.

85. Q: Is a joint venture acceptable?

A: Yes as long as SBA certifies the joint venture.

86. Q: What are the bonding requirements?

A: $3M single; $10M aggregate.

87. Q: What qualities from contractors will be looked at?

A: The required qualifications are listed in Sections L and M of the solicitation.

88. Q: What are the technical Evaluation criteria?

A: See Sections L and M of the solicitation.

89. Q: Will there be a change on the qualification on technical aspect?

A: No major changes to the evaluation criteria are expected, however, contractors should fully review the official solicitation and attachments when it is released to ensure their proposal meets all requirements.