FA4814-15-R-0001_Questions.pdf

Questions and Answers

1. SF1449 Indicates a due date of 01 January 2015 at 10:00 am, however Page 49 of the proposal, #2 indicates a due date of 19 January 2015 at 12:00 pm. Will the Government please clarify the due date and time.

The SF 1449 states that proposals are due on 30 January at 1000 EST. The addendum to FAR provision 52.212‐1 will be amended to change 19 January to 30 January in order to match page 1 of the SF 1449.

2. Will the government allow a reduced font size of Ariel 9 for tables, charts and graphs?

According to the addendum to FAR provision 52.212‐1, on page 50 of the RFP, text size shall be no less than 12 point. There are no exceptions to this as anything smaller may be illegible.

3. Past Performance: Will the government indicate the number of past performances it is requiring from the prime and the number required for each of its subs.

The Government must obtain enough recent/relevant past performance information for the offeror and each subcontractor so that the offeror may demonstrate that all services required will be performed with "substantial confidence" (page 55 of RFP).

4. In 1.2.6 the offeror is instructed to provide a cover sheet in each volume. In 3.1 the offeror is instructed to provide a title page. Does the government want both a cover sheet and a title page. If so, will the government clarify what it expects to see on the title page.

According to FAR provision 52.212‐1, page 48 of the RFP, the offeror shall annotate its DUNS number on the cover page. According to the addendum to FAR provision 52.212‐1, page 51 of the RFP, a cover sheet will be bound in each book/binder and will be marked by the volume number, title, copy number, solicitation identification, and the offeror's name. As per page 50 of the RFP, the cover page will be excluded from the page count. Page 51 of the RFP states the title page is part of the page count and will precede the table of contents. It is recommended that the title page include everything from the cover page, but that is not required. What to include specifically on the title page is up to the offeror;

however, a title page is required.

5. On page 53 within Source Selection a. Basis for Contract award, the Government indicates this is a Best Value award. On page 54 Evaluation Factors, the government indicates LPTA award. Finally on page 55 under Factor 3: Past Performance (1) (2) the Government describes both LPTA and best value.

Will please clarify that basis of award and/or factors for evaluation.

The Government will not be utilizing LPTA (lowest price technically acceptable) to evaluate proposals nor is LPTA mentioned in the RFP. The Government will be utilizing PPT (past performance tradeoff) procedures to evaluate proposals and will evaluate in accordance with the procedures illustrated beginning on page 54 of the RFP.

6. On page 50 the Government indicates that Performance Information Sheets (PIS) will not be counted toward page count. On page 56 the Government indicates that it will use the past performance information forms (PIFs) and other source information to evaluate the offerors response.

However the Government provided Past Performance Questionnaires. Will the government please provide these two forms. Does the Government intend for the offeror to submit the PPQs in place of the PIS/PIFs.

"Past performance information forms" and "past performance information sheets" are synonymous with past performance questionnaires. According to page 56 of the RFP, "In conducting the Past Performance evaluation, the Government reserves the right to use both the information provided in the offeror’s Past Performance proposal volume and information obtained from other sources available to the Government, to include, but not limited to, the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS), Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), Electronic Subcontract Reporting System (eSRS), or other databases; interviews with Program Managers, Contracting Officers and Fee Determining Officials; the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), and commercial sources." None of the past performance information will be counted toward the page count.

7. On page 50, 1.2 Organization, Volume II Content the government list Proposal Risk. Will the government please define proposal risk and how it will be evaluated.

The proposal risk is the overall performance risk of each proposal. According to FAR 15.101, "the less definitive the requirement, the more development work required, or the greater the performance risk, the more technical or past performance considerations may play a dominant role in source selection."

According to page 54 of the RFP, offerors must propose a price that reflects a clear understanding of the requirements. When the Government determines an offer low when compared to the anticipated costs of performance and the offeror fails to explain these underestimated costs, the Government will consider a lack of understanding of the technical requirements… and therefore, a greater amount of performance risk.

In the proposal risk section of volume II, the offeror must mitigate any performance risk by explaining any underestimated costs and illustrating a clear understanding of the requirement.

8. When the Contractor provides Written Translation Services, can we perform this work at our own facility and securely transmit translated material to CENTCOM when it is completed?

Yes. Translation work can be done at the contractor’s facility and then sent electronically to the client.

9. Can Surge Linguists work on translating written material at a Contractor‐chosen facility that does not require them to be at a specific location?

Yes, assuming the translation work is being done prior to or following an actual exercise planning trip for which travel to a specific location will be required.

10. The Industry Standard is to have on‐site (at a specific CENTCOM‐chosen location) be billed by the full or half day and for remote translation (at a Contractor‐chosen location) to be billed by the word. Can all translation services that are billed by the word be performed at a Contractor‐chosen facility?

Yes, the translation can be done at the contractor facility and would be billed by the word.

11. How much lead time will the Contractor have before Surge Linguists are needed?

As per CLIN 0002 in the SF 1449, the Contractor will be notified of the type of language required at least 30 days in advance.