FA5702-18-R-0002_Questions_and_Answers_(HNCC_Answers).pdf

Questions Answers

To increase the competition and ensure that the Government receives many qualified/competitive offers from industry, will the Government consider removing the past performance requirements (or change it to allow companies with no relevant or comparable PP references to be rated as neutral/acceptable)?

Any past performance information that is recent and relevant will be considered.

Offerors can provide Past Performance information even if a full year has not been completed.

Is there an incumbent supporting the requirements now? If so, what is the name of the incumbent(s) and contract #?

The current requirement for Cultural Advisors is the first of it's type. Currently there is a contract for translation services at Al Udeid Air Base FA5702-12-C-0019 to Allworld Language Consultants.

3 Contract information: Incumbent, Contract #, Expiration Date, Value See response for question 2.

4 What is the anticipated start date? 1-Jul-18

Will the Government require resumes for proposed personnel? If so, is there a page limit on resumes?

Yes, the govermnet requires resumes for proposed personnel. Although there is no page limit, all resume information should be pertinent to establishing the person's credentials for meeting government requirements.

6 Can the Government confirm that housing and meals are provided by the Government?

Housing at Al Udeid Air Base lodging will be provided for all unaccompanied contracted personnel. All contracted personnel can use the base Dining Facilities (DFACs) free of charge.

While traveling to different locations, as part of contractor’s official duty, will the Government cover all travel expenses including: lodging, meals, transportation…etc?

For local travel in Qatar, the government will only provide transportation or mileage reimbursement for contractors who have to use their POVs. For travel outside of Qatar, contractors will receive the TDY reimbursements (transportation, lodging, meals, etc.) prescribed by the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR).

Will the Government assist the contractor in securing visas, sponsorship and work permits for its personnel?

No. The Government will provide information regarding the necessary visas and permits, but the winning company is responsible for securing those items for its personnel.

Will the Government consider candidates with 5 years of experience in other countries beside Gulf Cooperation Council member countries? No.

10 Will the Government require contractor personnel to process through CRC at Ft. Bliss? Yes.

Will the Government cover the cost of flights (deployment and demobilization) of contractor personnel to and from Qatar?

Travel costs will NOT be covered by the Government and should be included in the proposed cost.

Is there any visa requirements for contract personnel to enter Qatar as personnel supporting this mission?

Yes, contractors must obtain a multiple entry visa PRIOR to their arrival in Qatar. It generally takes the Qatari Embassy in Wahington, DC 30 days to process multiple entry visa requests.

Do contractors need to obtain a drivers license issued by the government of Qatar or an International Drivers License will suffice?

Contractors will need to get a Qatari Driver's License (QDL) as soon as they get their Qatar residency card. It generally takes 30 days for Qatar to issue a residency card to a new arrival. The international driver's license can be used while waiting for the residency card.

Is there any polygraph requirements?

Yes, all personnel with Top Secret secuirty clearnaces will need to submit to a polygraph.

"3.4. In the event a contractor is unable to perform their duties due to illness or other reasons, the contractor shall be responsible for providing the name (and all other applicable/necessary information) of a suitable replacement within 3 hours to the HNCC Director/COR and CO without delay."

Is the deadline mentioned here 3 hours or 3 days? What is the maximum days of inability of performance due to sickness? Does any sickness (sick call) trigger the 3 hours deadline?

The deadline mentioned is 3 hours. The contractor would be expected to identify one of his/her local company emloyees who could cover their duties during the illness. All illnesses are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but if the ill contractor will be out for one week or more the company should plan on providing a replacement or develop a coverage plan. The 3 hour deadline does not apply to sicknesses that do not result in the contractor's absence (i.e. a mild cold that the contractor works through).

16 Does the government intend to issue a single award or multiple awards for this IDIQ? The government intends to award a single award IDIQ

Please confirm the desired number of FTEs. Attachment 2 Price List indicates 4 and Attachment 3 indicates 7.

Attachement 2 is the price list that will accompany the contract throughout the life of the contract. Attachment 2 has no relevance to the required FTEs but for the monthly price per FTE for each position throughout the life of the contract.

Attachement 3 is the projected FTE estimates for the first Task Order.

Under Instructions (Part II (a)), the Technical Volume specifies one Example Resume.

Under the Evaluation Factor (B) Technical Acceptability, the criteria lists " Example Resumes". Does the Govt want an example resume for each position? Or just the On-Site Manager?

Reference Page 60 of 64 and 62 of 64 Government will want resumes for each position (Lead, On-Site, and Cultural Advisor) 19 Can the lead Cultural Advisor or Site Lead be either male or female? No. It has to be a male.

Is the JCCS registration required prior to award or submission? There are several documents required for registration that will be untenable to complete prior to submission.

JCCS registration is required to be considered for award. JCCS registration must be completed prior to contract award. Failure to do so could result in an unfavorable proposal.

Are there any other requirements for the Technical section other than the resume and past performance? No.

Does the government have an expectation for staffing timeline after award, factoring time for security processing, SPOT orders, and PCS moves from the U.S.?

The Government expects the company to fully staff the contract by 1 JUL 18. We are expecting to award the contract a few months earlier than performance start date.

It appears housing is provided for all personnel. Can the government provide a short description of the accomodations for recruiting and planning purposes?

Government furnished housing is only available for unaccompanied contractors.

Contractors who either do not have, or decide not to bring, their dependents to Qatar can reside in the dormitories in the Blatchford-Preston Complex (BPC). Every two BPC dorm rooms share a full bathroom and kitchenette.

HNCC Cultural Advisors

FA5702-18-R-0002

If an employee has dependents and wishes to obtain lodging off base, will the government consider providing a housing allowance equal to the value of the base provided housing? Off base lodging will not be covered or reimbursed.

The government anticipates travel, but did not include any travel CLINs in the RFP. Will the government be adding and funding travel CLINs? Is the cost of travel included in the government’s Maximum Order of $4,469,706.59?

No, the Government will not be adding travel CLINs. Any expenses incurred as a result of offical travel will be reimbursed per the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) and is not included in the Maximum Order of $4,469,706.59. Travel shall be processed via Defense Travel System.

In addition to a travel CLIN, will the government consider adding an ODC CLIN for allowable and Contracting Officer-approved ODCs?

No, the Government will not add an ODC CLIN. Travel shall be processed via Defense Travel System.

The CLIN structure and associated Price List is for rates that cover a Base Year (1 Jun 18 – 31 May 19), Option Year 1 (1 June 19 – 31 May 20), and Option Year 1 (1 Jun 20 – 31 May

21) and may require annual escalation. Will the government consider adding separate CLINs for each year to account for escalation?

The current annual projection for cultural advisors will reflect Task Order 1. This should give adequate projections for the future of AUAB.

28 Is this a current or new requirement? See response for question 2.

29 Who is the current incumbent contractor fulfilling this requirement? See response for question 2.

CLIN001 through CLIN 004 list the ordering period as 1 Jun 18 to 31 May 21, while ‘FAR 52.216-18 – Ordering’ lists the ordering period as 1 July 2018 through 31 June 2021.

Would the Government please confirm the ordering period?

The anticipated ordering period is 1 July 18 to 30 June 18 and will not exceed three

(3) years. However, the actual contract award date could potentially move the ordering period earlier or later while not changing the three (3) year time frame.

Reference Appendix A for authorized life support items for Lead Advisor position only.

Appendix A lists “Authorizations for all Advisor”. Would the Government confirm if the authorized items listed in Appendix A apply to all advisors or the Lead Advisor only?

The authorizations in Appendix A apply to all contractors, not just the Lead Advisor.

Submissions should include the company name on the cover page only. All other pages will be sanitized of company name and logo if submitted.

Quote Preparation Instructions Section G.2.(b) instructs Offerors to include the Company/Division name in its Past Performance references. Should this information be omitted from the Past Peformance references?

Offerors should include company name on the Past Performance references.

The lead advisor works in direct support of the AFCENT/CC mission and is not accountable to the on-site manager identified in para 4.4 below.

Would the Government confirm whether the Lead Advisor may also serve as the On-Site Manager? The Lead Advisor CANNOT serve as the On-Site Manager.

The US Government will fund all mission-related/directed travel.

Will the contractor personnel be authorized to fly on Government aircraft for initial deployment and return?

Yes. Furthermore, travel on military air will be authorized for the entirety of the contractor's employment in order to support mission travel to locations not served by commercial airports and to ensure inclusion in any Noncombatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) that could occur.

Quotes shall not exceed 20 pages in length.

Would the Government confirm that the quote page limitation applies only to the Technical Volume? The entire proposal shall NOT exceed 20 pages.

Part E of the Solicitation contains representations and certifications to be completed by the Offeror.

Vendors are required to meet all solicitation requirements, including terms and conditions, representations and certifications, in addition to those identified as evaluation factors or Unclassified/Sensitive Data subfactors.

Under which volume (Price Volume or Technical Volume) should Offerors incorporate the completed certifications?

This is normally accomplished through SAM.gov. If you are not registered in SAM.gov the represenations and certifications can be provided outside of the Price or Technical volume. Page limit of 5 for representation and certifications.

If the government requests completed representations and certifications to be included with the Technical Volume, please provide additional page allowance. See response for question 36.

Quote Preparation Instructions G.2.(b) requests that Offerors submit a list of all recent/relevant past performance data within the last three (3) years. Does the Government require a minimum of 3 past performances from the prime contractor to be evaluated as acceptable?

There is no limit to the amount of past performance that can be provided, as long as performance was within the last three (3).

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