Set 1_QAs_FA5613-20-R-0001.pdf

Questions and Answers Form SET 1 KMC Grounds Maintenance Services

FA5613-20-R-0001

The Government is working on additional Questions & Answers which will be provided as soon as possible.

Solicitation/ Attachment Reference

Cross Reference Discussion/Comment/Question Government Response

1 PWS

1.1.15 – Sports Field Maintenanc e

Part of position 1.1.15, “Sports Field Maintenance”, is also to install sod. Are minor repair spots mentioned? How big is the percentage in comparison to the total work?

“Installation of Sod” does not cover the whole sportsfield. It only includes minor repairs and spot repairs to a max. of 10% of the field. PWS paragraph 1.1.15 will be revised.

2 PWS

1.2.3 – Perimeter Fence Line

Maintaining perimeter fence lines requires an immense effort of manpower on the part of the contractor. Due to a campaign of the Government over the past years to set many sandstone barriers as Force Protection barriers, it is nearly impossible now to drive along the fence with mowing equipment. In addition, steel bollards with heavy steel ropes have also been set along the fences. A Government representative determines the work to be 80% manual work. Has the campaign finished yet or will it continue in the future during the lifetime of the contract?

The campaign has not finished yet. There will be continuous efforts to install more sandstones and steel bollards throughout the lifetime of the contract due to safety reasons. A timeline for installation is not known yet. However, they are not only installed along the perimeter fence line.

They can be installed all over the installations or outside. It is roughly estimated to have approx. 5,500 linear meters of sandstones for all installations.

They may be within improved and semi‐ improved grounds.

3 PWS

1.1.15 – Sports Field Maintenanc e

How many sportsfields have an irrigation system?

Please see Atch 1 to this Q&A Set entitled “Sportsfields Info”.

4 PWS

1.1.15 – Sports Field Maintenanc e

Can the water for irrigation be taken free of charge from existing tapping points?

Yes. See PWS paragraph 3.2.

The Government is working on additional Questions & Answers which will be provided as soon as possible.

5 PWS Housing Area

Are the gardens in the housing area, which are separated by fences, part of “Improved Grounds”?

The fenced‐in gardens are the residents’ responsibility and not part of this solicitation.

6 PWS Housing Area

Are the front gardens in the housing area part of the contract?

The front gardens in the housing area are the residents’ responsibility and not part of this solicitation.

7 PWS Is a clearance profile to be cut on trees along the outer fences? If so, up to what amount?

Please see PWS paragraph 1.2.3 “Perimeter Fence Line”.

8 PWS Do we have to register pavement closures? No, they don’t have to be registered.

Warning signs are sufficient.

9 PWS

1.7 – Perform Snow/Ice Removal, Page 11 of

There are several references for services that state, “RESERVED in its entirety.”

Question: Does the Government intend to add these services during the performance of the contract, or is there a separate contract to cover these services?

Currently, the Government does not intend to add these services marked as “RESERVED” during performance of the contract.

10 RFP

Price Schedule:

CLIN 0008,

Improved Grounds_Fe rtilization

(PWS

1.1.9.1);

CLIN 0010,

Improved Grounds_La wn Renovation

The CLINs include the statement, “** (Separate Task Order required).” Also, the PWS references “an additional Task Order will be issued by the CO.”

Question: Is the offeror required to price this with the initial proposal or is this a separate requirement to be negotiated at the issuance of the separate Task Order?

Please clarify.

The offerer is required to price these CLINS with their proposal. Please note Addendum to FAR 52.212‐1 paragraph (b)(6)(i) specifically stating “Offers not submitted in EURO and offers for partial or incomplete CLINs may not be considered for award.”

The Government is working on additional Questions & Answers which will be provided as soon as possible.

(PWS

1.1.11);

CLIN 0016,

Maintain Unimproved Grounds

(PWS 1.4);

CLIN 0018,

Maintain Surface Drainage Ditches

(PWS 1.6);

CLIN 0027

CLIN 0033,

CLIN 0034

11 RFP Price Schedule

Several CLINs are not sequential or appear to be missing.

Question: Is this the intent of the Government or are there CLINs missing?

Please clarify.

The CLIN numbering is intentional (for internal Government conformance) and the CLIN schedule is complete as published.

12 PWS

Paragraph 1.2.1, Mow, The contractor shall maintain swamped areas if the site condition permits safe performance.

Question: Will the Government please identify in quantity and square meters how much of the covered area is considered “swamped areas”?

Approximately 150,000 sqm of semi‐ improved grounds is considered as “swamped areas”.

13 RFP Instructions, VOLUME II –

The CLIN Schedule is included in the Pdf solicitation file, and not Excel.

The Government will not provide an Excel document and contractors have to submit

The Government is working on additional Questions & Answers which will be provided as soon as possible.

PRICE, Page

Question: Will the Government provide the CLIN Schedule in Excel, or allow offerors to convert the CLIN Schedule to Excel for proposal submittal?

their proposal in accordance with the solicitation requirements.

14 PWS

PWS, 3.1.1

Floor Space, Page 16 of

The PWS states “The contractor shall contact the COR concerning optional placement of an office container on the exterior space provided.”

Question: Is it the Government’s intent that offerors will have an office container, placed on‐site, with hook‐up to available Government‐provided utilities?

It is not the Government’s intent, but optional in accordance with PWS paragraph

3.1.1 Please also refer to PWS paragraph 3

in general.

15 PWS

PWS, 4.2

Background, Page 17 of

The paragraph states, “Some grass areas in the KMC are fenced in and can only be accessed by appointment through the COR.

A list of these areas will be provided by 786 CES/CEOES upon contract award”.

Question: Will the Government please provide the locations and the percentage of the grass areas that are only accessible by appointment so offerors may determine the additional time necessary to access the locations and include in estimates and pricing?

See attached list “Buildings Accessible by Appointment”. The referenced locations are estimated and may change throughout the period of performance.

16 PWS

PWS,

paragraph

4.14 Safety

Requiremen ts and Reports, The paragraph states, “The contractor shall perform work in a safe manner as required by Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Safety and Health requirements.” Question: Will the Government please clarify if this also

The PWS will be revised accordingly (paragraph 4.14 “Safety Requirements and Reports”). It includes German Safety and Health requirements.

The Government is working on additional Questions & Answers which will be provided as soon as possible.

Page 23 of includes German Safety and Health requirements?

17 PWS

Solicitation, CLIN

Schedule, Page 3 and Appendix A, Grounds Description/ Workload Estimates

There appears to be a large discrepancy between Appendix A, workload for “Maintain Improved Grounds” and the “Estimated Quantity” for CLINs X002 and X003.

Question: Will the Government please validate which is the correct estimate for this task, or provide an explanation for the significant difference?

In reference to CLIN X002 and X003, PWS Appendix A shows the estimated quantities per month. The amount showing in the pricing schedule for CLIN X002 IG “Growing Season” identifies the quantities for 2 years (monthly qty x 9 months x 2 years). The amount showing in the pricing schedule for CLIN X003 identifies the quantities for 2 years (monthly qty x 3 months x 2 years).

18 PWS

PWS,

Appendix A, Grounds Description/ Workload Estimates, Page 26‐27 of 31

Items 18‐21 reference “Not applicable, obsolete in AF COLs 3” or “Emergency Only in AF COLs 3”.

Question: Will the Government clarify if AF COLs 3 applies to all services to be performed under this contract? If not, do any AF COLs apply? If so, what level for each service?

All services under this solicitation are based on AF COLs 3.

19 PWS

PWS,

Paragraph 1, Description of Services, The PWS states, “The contractor shall provide non‐personal services, to include all personnel, equipment, tools, supervision, and other items and services necessary to ensure that grounds maintenance is performed in the Kaiserslautern Military Community (KMC) area.”

Question: Will the Government please confirm that the consumable materials to include fuel are Government‐provided?

Please refer to PWS paragraph 3.2. The Government only provides electricity, water and sewage as necessary and no fuel.

The Government is working on additional Questions & Answers which will be provided as soon as possible.

20 PWS

PWS,

Appendix A, Grounds Description/ Workload Estimates, Page 26‐27 of 31

Question: Are the quantities provided in Appendix A the total quantities to be maintained in the Kaiserslautern Military Community (KMC) to include Ramstein Air Base, Vogelweh Admin & Housing Area, Rod & Gun Club, Kapaun Annex, Einsiedlerhof Annex, Landstuhl Annex, Kaiserslautern Cold Storage including T‐37 & T‐41 Storage Facilities, Bann Communications Site, Pirmasens‐Husterhöhe Communications Site and Breitenbach?

This is correct. The quantities identified are the estimates per month or service for all of the installations referenced.

21 PWS

Attachment

1, PWS,

Appendix B, Area Maps or Site Plans, Page

The Government states “MAPS ARE

AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING PRIOR TO

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DURING SITE VISIT.”

Question: Will the Government please provide the maps and site plans available beyond the site visit as we need to see these so we can determine equipment sizing, locations of various functions, and access issues, etc. for estimating and pricing?

Site maps cannot be publicly shared. Upon request, they can be reviewed at the 700th Contracting Squadron, Building 2767, Kapaun Air Station, Germany.

22 PWS

PWS,

Paragraph 1.1.7.2 Disposal Operations, and 1.1.7.3 Recycling, The PWS states, “The contractor shall dispose of all collected non‐bio debris (to include trash collected from receptacles), except deceased animals, in refuse collection dumpsters located at designated Recycling Centers on Ramstein and Vogelweh. The contractor shall recycle all collected material for the purpose of waste reduction and cost reduction. The contractor shall sort all non‐bio debris, as practicable, The Government does not have such data available.

The Government is working on additional Questions & Answers which will be provided as soon as possible.

and place it into the appropriate dumpsters at the designated Recycling Centers.”

Question: Will the Government please provide the quantities of all collected non‐ bio debris to be sorted out for recycling?

23 RFP

Solicitation, FAR 52.212‐

1(b)(2)(ii)

The solicitation states that proposals may only be submitted via email. This may pose challenges with attachments being stripped from emails by Government servers due to size, etc.

Question: May offerors also have the option to submit proposals via DoD SAFE?

See solicitation amendment, addendum to FAR 52.212‐1, paragraph (b)(2), proposals may only be delivered via email and it is the offeror’s responsibility to ensure the Government PoCs receive the proposal in its entirety prior to the closing date and time.

Also refer to paragraph (f)(2)(i)(A) of the solicitation with specific instructions on transmissions through electronic commerce methods.

24 RFP

Solicitation, FAR 52.212‐

1, p. 67 and

P. 67 of the solicitation specifies that the SF1449 should be included in Volume II – Price and p. 69 specifies that the SF1449 should be included in Volume III – Past Performance.

Question: Will the Government please clarify whether the SF1449 should be submitted in Volume II or if it should be submitted in Volume III?

This was a format error and has been corrected in Amendment #0002, released 25 Aug. The SF1449 must be submitted in Volume II.

25 RFP 52.212‐1

I would like to kindly ask you for a clarification regarding the price rounding for the KMC Grounds Maintenance project. The solicitation requires price rounding up to two digits after the comma. However, since the unit price shall be reflected per square meter, a third digit after the comma will be

Rounding to the third decimal place for unit prices will be permitted and an amendment incorporating such is forthcoming.

The Government is working on additional Questions & Answers which will be provided as soon as possible.

needed and will be in the Government’s favor. For example, a price of 0.02 EUR multiplied per 2 million of square meters will have different total than a unit price of

0.019 EUR. Please let us know if we can

round the price to the third digit after the comma.

26 AMDMT #

00001

CLIN

Schedule

We have reviewed Amendment #00001, released on 14 August, that included adjusted estimated quantities for CLINs 0002, 0003, 0006, 0007, 0012, 0013, 0017 and 0043. However, we are concerned that there could be an error. For example, CLIN 0002 in the original RFP had an estimated quantity of 5,038,000 m2 . The adjusted estimated quantity for CLIN 0002 is now 45,342,000 m2 . The Government stated the update was to account for the base period being two years. This is an increase of 9x the original estimated quantity. Additionally, the Government stated the PWS was not changed. The workload estimate in Attachment A shows the “Maintain Improved Grounds” is 2,519,000 m2.

There are no discrepancies. The quantities listed in the pricing schedule represent the total estimated quantities based on its performance period. As such, if properly divided, these quantities match the estimated quantities stated in the PWS per month or service.

27 RFP

Solicitation, FAR 52.212‐

1(b)(2)(ii)

We would like to inquire about the possibility of using the DoD SAFE platform for submission of our proposal for the subject referenced solicitation, because sometimes we are facing difficulties and some emails with attachments do not reach your end.

See solicitation amendment, addendum to FAR 52.212‐1, paragraph (b)(2), proposals may only be delivered via email and it is the offeror’s responsibility to ensure the Government PoCs receive the proposal in its entirety prior to the closing date and time.

Also refer to paragraph (f)(2)(i)(A) of the

The Government is working on additional Questions & Answers which will be provided as soon as possible.

solicitation with specific instructions on transmissions through electronic commerce methods.

28 RFP

Solicitation, FAR 52.212‐

Is it possible to advise please – as part of Volume II, if the full 112‐page Amendment 00001 and SF1449 should be returned undersigned, or only Amendment #00001 p.

1 – 25 (the actual pricing schedule) plus

SF1449?

For Volume II, only the first pages of all amendments, the signed SF1449 plus the pricing schedule also including the Offeror Representations & Certifications, FAR 52.212‐3, shall be returned. Read FAR 52.212‐1 carefully with all instructions to offerors.

29 RFP PoP

Could you please confirm that the base period of the solicitation is two years, starting from 1 Feb 2021 through 31 Jan 2023, and there are five option years, from 1 Feb 2023 through 31 Jan 2028?

Per the solicitation, the base ordering period is two years (1 Feb 21 – 31 Jan 23), and there are five option years (1 Feb 23 – 31 Jan 28).

30 PWS

1.1.15 – Sports Field Maintenanc e

The PWS for KMC Grounds Services does not include irrigation of the sportsfields, except one‐time watering after seeding and re‐ seeding of the terrain. However, the sportsfield terrain is irrigated on a regular basis, which is not part of the requirements of this PWS. Please let us know how often, at what time and how long during the week the sportsfields are irrigated? What type of irrigation system is used?

The one‐time watering only applies to PWS paragraph 1.8.9. “Reseeding”, 1.8.11 “Installation of Sod”, 1.8.14. “Converting Landscaped Areas with Grass Seed,” and

1.8.15 “Converting Landscaped Areas with Installation of Sod”. According to paragraph 1.1.15, irrigation for the sportsfields is required after maintenance to promote green, healthy and uniform lawns. For irrigation questions, please review Atch 1 to Set 1 QAs entitled “Sportsfield Info”.

31 PWS

1.1.15 – Sports Field Maintenanc e

During the site visit, we saw two football terrains and one golf playground. Please send us a list with all sportsfield types and dimensions that are covered under the PWS.

During the site visit, we did not drive by our golf course. The golf course lawn is not part of this solicitation. For all sportsfield types in the contract, please review Atch 1 to Set 1 QAs entitled “Sportsfield Info”.

The Government is working on additional Questions & Answers which will be provided as soon as possible.

32 PWS

1.1.15 – Sports Field Maintenanc e

Please specify if there is electricity in the sportsfields vicinity.

Yes, please review Atch 1 to Set 1 QAs entitled “Sportsfield Info”.

33 RFP

Pre‐ proposal Conference

The contract award date was noted as 12 January 2021. Is this correct? It would allow a successful bidder only 13 working days to finalise procurement of equipment and staff in order to mobilise for the start date of 1 February 2021.

This is correct, the anticipated/estimated award date is currently January 2021 or earlier.

34 RFP

Pre‐ proposal Conference

Will there be a dual running period if a new contractor begins?

There will not be a dual running period or phase‐in period if a new contractor begins.

35 PWS

1.8.1.5 – Emergency Tree and Stump Removal

Item 1.8.1.5 is titled “Emergency tree and stump removal”. As per question #7, trees are not included. Is it possible to clarify from which diameter tree stumps are considered as size “large”?

The PWS will be revised (Amendment forthcoming) and will be corrected to state “Emergency Tree Stump Removal.” There will be no removal of trees in accordance with PWS paragraph 1.8.1.4. The diameters are described in paragraph 1.8.1.4, “Large” is considered 90cm and above.

36 RFP Estimated Quantities

As discussed during the conference, the estimated quantities in the PWS do not match those of the solicitation. Please can you advise when the correct estimated quantities will be released?

This information is included in Amendment #00001 of the solicitation released on 14 Aug. As per the PWS, the estimated quantities are listed per month, resulting in the total estimated quantities on the pricing schedule for the period of performance.

37 RFP 52.217‐9

Please could you advise the notice period for any option year?

This information is included in FAR 52.217‐9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract, included in the solicitation and amendments. Please refer to paragraph 52.17‐9(a).

The Government is working on additional Questions & Answers which will be provided as soon as possible.

38 PWS 3.2 –

Utilities

Is the provision of utilities, in particular electricity supply, limited?

It’s not limited, but according to PWS paragraph 3.2., the contractor shall adhere to all base‐level utility conservation practices.

39 PWS 1.1.5

The PWS of the RFP lists a munition storage area in item 1.1.5. How big is it? Are bunkers on it and how many? How is the incline of the bunker slopes? Is it allowed to be mowed with a robot?

The munition storage area is approx.

436,366.00 sqm. Yes, there are bunkers on

it. There are approx. 85 bunkers in the area.

The incline of the bunker slopes varies between about 30‐50%. It is allowed to mow with a robot, however this requires prior approval of the ammunition authorities.

40 PWS

1.1.15 – Sports Field Maintenanc e

Referring to 1.1.15: A domestic water outlet at a building is not sufficient to properly irrigate a sportsfield. Are there functional irrigation systems at the sportsfields? At other facilities we maintain, we are responsible for the recurring maintenance of fire hydrants and it is strictly forbidden that contractors use/connect the hydrants.

Does the Government provide and furnish a functional water connection?

Please review Atch 1 to Set 1 QAs entitled “Sportsfield Info”. For use of a fire hydrant, a backflow preventer is mandatory.