Q A21MAY2014COCESS.pdf

FA4613-14-R-0005 – Q & A, 21 May 2014 Questions with Responses

QUESTION 1. Is the offeror required to provide unit prices for Part 2-PLI and Part 3 – NPI? If yes, where shall the offeror insert the unit prices for the base and option periods? (REFERENCE: Attachement 2, Bid List,Exhibit 1)

ANSWER 1. Part 2-PLI and Part 3- NPI are do not require you to provide unit prices. The intent of these parts are to provide you with information only.

QUESTION 2. Where shall the offeror input the discount amount offered? What price shall the discount be applied to? The PWS list a 48% discount for each commodity group. Is the 48% discount required or suggested or an example? (REFERENCE: PWS 1.3.19 Price Listed Items. Price List items are included in Exhibit 1 Part 3)

ANSWER 2. The discount amounts apply to the sections in the PWS 1.3.19. Please return the discount rates by filling in the sections of the PWS. The 48% discount rate is an example. It should not be used as a suggestion or a required rate.

QUESTION 3. Does each employee need 3 years experience on the Point of Sale (POS) system intended to be used under the contract? Does the Store Manager and alternate need to be named at the time of proposal submitted or within 30 days after contract award? (REFERENCE: RFP page 10 Part II. Technical Sub Factors and PWS Section 3.3.2.)

ANSWER 3. The answer to the first question is being reviewed and will be posted as soon as available.

The Store manager and alternate need to be named within 30 days after contract award.

QUESTION 4. Does the customer pay for an order upon delivery? Or does all payment process through WAWF? Does the contractor need to be able to accept any other forms of payment other then invoicing through WAWF (i.e. Governement Purchase Cards)? (REFERENCE PWS 1.5.10)

ANSWER 4. WAWF will be the process for invoices. No other forms of payment will need to be accepted.

QUESTION 5. Under Exhibit 1, Part 2, the solicitation lists 285 items identified as Price Listed. We presume that offerors are to submit pricing for each of these items for submission in the total with CLINs x002. Please confirm that these items are not to be considered as fixed priced after contract award, with prices that will fluctuate as changes are made to the price lists as contemplated under 1.3.19 of the

SOW.

ANSWER 5. Part 2 of Exhibit 1 is for informational purposes only and price submissions are not required.

QUESTION 6. Under Exhibit 1, Part 2, Price Listed Items, we also suggest that requiring contractors to provide individual pricing for each item can lead to pricing that will not accurately reflect prices that the government may pay under a resulting contract. We instead recommend and request that a total market figure be estimated for the government’s anticipated spending for Electrical, Plumbing, HVAC/R and Building Supply items based on prior year spending, and that the discounts that offerors bid be applied to each category in order to calculate a figure for evaluation purposes. We note that methods such as this have historically been utilized by the Air Force for evaluating Price Listed discount offers in COCESS solicitations.

ANSWER 6. Part 2 of Exhibit 1 is for informational purposes only and price submissions are not required.

QUESTION 7. Under Exhibit 1, Part 3, the solicitation lists 1,202 items identified as “Other COCESS Items” and explained as “Non-Priced Items” under 1.3.15 of the SOW. We presume that offerors are to submit cost pricing for each item for submission in the total with CLINs x002. We note that a number of items found in this schedule can be found under standard price lists. Please confirm that these items are not to be considered as fixed prices after contract award, with pricing as dictated by paragraph 1.5.3 of the

SOW.

ANSWER 7. Part 3 of Exhibit 1 is for informational purposes only and price submissions are not required.

QUESTION 8. Under Exhibit 1, Part 3, Non-Priced Items, we also suggest that requiring contractors to provide individual pricing for each item can lead to pricing that will not accurately reflect prices that the government may pay under a resulting contract. As pricing for these items is to be at cost as dictated by paragraph 1.5.3 of the SOW, we instead recommend and request that the government estimate a figure for NPI purchases based on prior year spending, and that this figure be added to the total evaluation for all offers received by the government for this solicitation for evaluation purposes. We note that methods such as this have historically been utilized by the Air Force for evaluating the Non-priced component for COCESS solicitations.

ANSWER 8. Part 3 of Exhibit 1 is for informational purposes only and price submissions are not required.

QUESTION 9. Para 1.3.19 of the SOW. The discount offered to the government off commercial price lists is an area where different contractors could show a real competitive advantage to the government. We also believe it to be unprecedented for the government to dictate the percentage discount offered off these trade lists. We request and recommend revising the SOW and CLIN structure to allow the contractor to bid these discounts as part of his or her price proposal.

ANSWER 9. The 48% is an example only. The Offeror should apply his own discount percentage to the catagories.

QUESTION 10. Block 28 of the SF1449 indicates that offerors should submit one copy of proposals. At the proposal preparation instructions at 52.212-1 (1)(d) (page 9 of 48), offerors are instructed that the government will retain one copy of proposals and destroy any extra copies. How many copies of proposals does the government desire to be submitted?

ANSWER 10. Only one (1) copy of proposal is required.

Question 11. At 52.212-1 (1)(a) (page 8 of 48), offerors are instructed to submit proposals in three parts. May proposals containing all three parts be submitted in a single binder?

ANSWER 10. One (1) single binder is acceptable.

QUESTION 11. At 52.212-1 (2)(II)(b)(1) (page 10 of 48), the onsite personnel submission required in the Technical Proposal does not match the qualifications required under paragraph 3.3 of the Statement of Work. We request that this section be modified so that the onsite personnel submission requirements match those found at 3.3 of the SOW. We also request that 52.212-2(1)(a)(1) (page 13 of 48) be modified to match paragraph 3.3 of the SOW.

ANSWER 11. This answer is under evaluation and will be posted when available.

QUESTION 12. At page 37 of 48, the contract contains a reference to 52.222-41, the Service Contract Act of 1965. As this solicitation is for a Firm Fixed-Price Requirements Supply contract and does not reimburse the contractor for performed services, we request that this reference be stricken from the solicitation.

ANSWER 12. The clause 52.222-41 on page 36 is not marked as included. The reference is on page 37 but does not apply to this requirement but MAY be included in subcontracts for commercial items.

QUESTION 13. Under 52.216-19(a), Order Limitations (page 38 of 48), the solicitation establishes a minimum order threshold of $3,000 below which the government is not obligated to purchase nor is the

Contractor obligated to furnish. As the vast majority of all orders procured through the COCESS over the past several contract periods have been below $3,000, we suggest that this value is set significantly too high. We request that the minimum value for order limitations be reduced to $0.01.

ANSWER. The minimum order threshold will remain at $3,000.

QUESTION 14. Under 52.216-19(b), Order Limitations (page 38 of 48), the solicitation establishes maximum order thresholds of $1,000,000 for single items or $2,500,000 for a combination of items. We suggest that such a high threshold is wholly inappropriate for a contract with the requirement to sell non-priced items at cost. Such huge non-priced sales (in excess of $1 Million) would certainly cause an unreasonable financial burden for the contractor (as an example, the cost of money alone for a $1 Million NPI sale repaid in an average of 45 days would cost the contractor approximately $12,330, with no opportunity for any recompense). We request and recommend reducing the figure found at (b)(1) to $10,000 and the figure found at (b)(2) to $25,000.

ANSWER 14. The maximum order thresholds will remain at $1,000,000 for single items and $2,500,000 for combined items.

QUESTION 15. In the solicitation, (39) 52.225-1, Buy American Act—Supplies (Feb 2009) (41 U.S.C. 10a- 10d) is checked, however, Trade Agreements is not. Stated on page 24: "(3) The Government will evaluate offers in accordance with the policies and procedures of FAR Part 25".

Are all items listed in each tab of Attach_2-Bid_List_Exhibit_1 required to be TAA compliant?

ANSWER 15. The Trade Agreements is not checked and will not be required.

QUESTION 16. Can the government please clarify the expected acquisition/issuing requirements as defined in SOW 1.3, Definitions and SOW 1.5.1.1, Acquisition/Issuing Requirements, shown below:

1.3.10. EMERGENCY REQUIREMENT: Request that requires the property is available to the requester within 24 hours.

1.3.11. EMERGENCY WALK-THROUGHS: Items required immediately and must be available within three

(3) hours. The government reserves the right to purchase these items under alternative methods if conditions stated above cannot be met.

1.3.20. PRIORITY 1: (Emergency Work): Request that requires the property is available to the requester within 24 hours.

1.3.21. PRIORITY 2 : Request that requires the property is available to the requester within five (5) days.

1.3.22. PRIORITY 3: Request that requires the property is available to the requester within fifteen (15) days

1.3.23. PRIORITY 4 : Request that requires the property is available to the requester within forty-five

(45) days.

AND

1.5.1.1. Acquire items from merchants or vendors of Contractors choice in accordance with the timelines identified in Definitions (emergency walk-through 3 hours, emergency 24 hours, urgent 5 days, and routine 30 days).

ANSWER 16. This answer is being reviewed and will be posted as soon as available.

QUESTION 17. Historically, what percent of total sales is from stocked items? Also, what percent of total orders are from stocked items?

ANSWER 16. This answer is being reviewed and will be posted as soon as available.