Q and A.pdf

Questions and Answers

1. The current Page limit is 10 pages for the technical proposal. The Technical Capability section of the solicitation requires quite a large amount of detailed information. Would it please be possible to have a larger page limit in order to provide a fully comprehensive response to the requirements outlined in the Quote Preparation Instructions?

a. The page limit for the technical proposal will remain at 10 pages. This page limit is necessary to ensure the government has efficient time to go through all proposals effectively and in a timely manner.

2. Would it be possible for any certificates, licenses and evidentiary documents to be provided as an annex to the technical proposal, and for this annex to be excluded from the page limit?

a. All certificates, licenses, and evidentiary documents can be referenced and then attached to the proposal as a separate document. These will not be included in the proposal and therefore will not count towards the page limit.

3. Section 2 of the Technical Capability response instructions requires – ‘Submission of all licenses, insurance documents, and registrations required by UK Law’.

Whilst this is mostly possible for responsible companies to provide, there are some specific licenses and documents that can only be provided by the incumbent contractor e.g. some licenses (specifically the registration number for the WMLCL12’s and any specific SSSI permissions) for RAFL and RAFM can only be registered to the organisation / company responsible for the Wildlife control at RAFL and RAFM. Natural England will not speculatively grant registrations for these site specific documents to prospective offerors.

In the case of site-specific registrations / licenses, please can the government confirm that evidence that a company will be able to obtain these licenses (or holds equivalent licences and registrations for other UK locations) will be sufficient to be found technically acceptable under Section 2 of the technical capability proposal?

a. For all licenses and documents that can only be provided to the incumbent contractor, evidence that your company will be able to obtain these licenses if awarded the contract will be sufficient.

4. Please can the government provide current copies of the RAFL and RAFM BASH Plans?

a. No, the current plans cannot be shared during the solicitation phase due to security reasons. Any plans/specifications deemed necessary that are not outlined in the PWS will be provided to the awardee upon contract award.

5. Please can the government provide any site specific documentation for the SSSI at RAFL such as a base SSSI management plan or relevant information as found in the Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan? This information is not included on the Natural England website but may impact what contractors can do during the course of providing Wildlife Control Services.

a. As stated in the PWS, the government is not responsible for providing the SSSI publication as this is governed by a separate UK/EU agency. However, all site-specific documentation that the contractor will need to properly perform, will be provided to the awardee prior to the work beginning.

6. Will a site visit be conducted for this solicitation?

a. Due to the time constraints and manning available during this solicitation, a site visit will not be conducted. However, all relevant information has been provided in the PWS and all other site specific documentation will be provided to the awardee after contract award.

7. The Price element is a 2-page form that needs to be provided, is this within the 10-page limit meaning that we only have 8 pages for Technical? Or is it a 10- page limit for Technical plus 10 pages for Price as it is a separate document?

a. The price element is a separate document from the 10-page technical capability.

8. Within Part I Technical Capability, Subfactor 2, documentation demonstrating licensing and insurance is being requested, which for our insurances alone exceed 10 pages. Are copies of documentation referenced/annexed outside the 10-page limit?

a. All licensing, certificates, insurances, etc. that are referenced are excluded from the 10-page limit.

9. In general, the scope of this risk programme at RAF Lakenheath/Mildenhall is vast, with the PWS exceeding 10 pages in itself. Considering that for the existing contract a 35-page limit was set, allowing for offers to demonstrate quality and effectiveness, would 48 CONS review the 10-page limit for technical?

a. Due to the time constraints and manpower for this contract, a 10-page limit has been set.

However, as mentioned previously, all required documents outlined in the PWS can be referenced and provided as a separate document, and this would not count towards the page limit.

10. In the Attachment 2 – Pricing Schedule, the 2nd blank column for input is titled “Extended Price”.

Should this read “Total Price” etc? As the instructions state Extended Services will be calculated by the Contracting Officer.

a. This column is for the total price of the line item, and this can and should be filled out by the offeror.