Questions and Answers_17 Jan 24.docx

FA7014-24-R-0011 (A4LR) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

(January 16, 2024)

1. Considering the potential for the awarded contractor to transition incumbent personnel, would the Government consider representative resumes for key positions?

ANSWER: Yes. Note Attachment 2: FAR 52.212-1 ITO Section 5.4.1.2 The offeror shall submit resumes for all Key Personnel for review to show the offerors understanding of the requirement. Resumes should include the following information at a minimum, educational background and the required five years of Work History or as specified in the PWS to demonstrate past experience/qualification.

The Government requires a copy of all commitment letters to accompany all resumes unless it is a representative resume.

2. Is the Government open to retaining incumbent employees?

ANSWER: Yes.

3. Given this is a business process reengineering program requiring continuous improvement and innovation, has the Government increased the required skill sets of employees beyond those skills required for the scope on the current contract?

ANSWER: Yes, the skill sets have increased due to new systems and policies driven for the Air Force enterprise.

4. Is it sufficient for the Prime Contractor to have a secret FCL, or must proposed subcontractors/team members also have a secret FCL at the time of proposal submission?

ANSWER: Both the prime and subcontractor or teaming arrangement will need to have a secret FCL at proposal submission.

5. Can the government clarify what the expected/accepted due date is for the Past Performance Questionnaires?

ANSWER: The due date for the Past Performance Questionnaires has been changed to mirror the proposal due date.

6. Please reference Attachment 2, ITO, 5.2 VOLUME ORGANIZATION, Page 3 of 9.

a. The requirement for a redacted copy has been removed; however, two copies of Volumes I and II are still required. Since submission is required via email, is there a physical difference in the second required copies?

ANSWER: No there is no difference between the two documents. Additionally, the requirement has been changed to reflect only 1 copy is required for the Staffing Plan, Personnel Management Plan, Transition-in Plan, Cover page, and Executive Summary.

7. The ITO, at 5.4.1 FACTOR I: TECHNICAL and 5.4.1.2 Staffing Plan, instructs Offerors to include/submit Resumes for all Key Personnel.

6.9.1 Key Personnel, of the ITO, lists management-level positions with required qualifications and experience prefaced with the statement “the following is a list of all key personnel” (emphasis added).

The PWS, however, at 6.31.2 List of Employees, asserts that “all personnel working in support of this requirement are considered key personnel” (emphasis added).

a. Please clarify the Government’s definition of “Key Personnel,” and what positions require a resume to be submitted with the Proposal.

ANSWER: Within the PWS paragraphs 6.9.1 it states, “The following is a list of all key personnel to include the necessary qualifications” and as you stated before, paragraph 6.31.2 “All personnel working in support of this requirement are considered key personnel “. Paragraph 5.4.1 of Attach 2- ITO states that resumes are required of all key personnel.

8. Attachment 3, Evaluation Factors, 2.2.1 Factor I: Technical Approach, doesn’t include resumes.

a. How will resumes be evaluated?

ANSWER: Attach 2 – ITO, paragraph 5.4.1.2 states “The offeror shall submit resumes for all Key Personnel for review to show the offerors understanding of the requirement. Resumes should include the following information at a minimum, educational background and the required five years of Work History or as specified in the PWS to demonstrate past experience/qualification.”

9. Are resumes included in the 15-page Staffing Plan limit?

ANSWER: Attach 2 – ITO, paragraph 5.4.1.2 states “Resumes are not included in the page limitation count of the technical volume.

10. Are Commitment Letters included in the 15-page Staffing Plan limit?

ANSWER: Commitment letters are not included in the Staffing Plan page limit. Attach 2 – ITO was also updated to reflect this change.

11. Please provide the incumbent contract number and the company name of the incumbent contractor.

ANSWER: Contract Number FA7014-18-C-1013 and the company name is Sabel Systems Technology Solutions, LLC.

12. The ITO states that, “The Government requires a copy of all commitment letters for every required position” and the recently released Q&A document response 1 states that the government will consider representative resumes for key positions yet maintains the language that “The Government requires a copy of all commitment letters for every required position” in the response.

Can the government please confirm that representative resumes unaccompanied by a letter of commitment will be acceptable if offerors are unable to obtain a letter from the candidate?

ANSWER: com

13. The government has specified that it is requiring two (2) copies of offerors’ Staffing Plan, Personnel Management Plan, and Transition-in Plan for VOLUME I: TECHNICAL; however, it is also specifying that only one (1) copy of the Cover Page and Table of Contents be submitted for the Volume.

a. Can the government clarify what it is expecting relative to the submission of the single Cover Page and Table of Contents for both required copies of VOLUME I, e.g., should the Cover Page and TOC be separate from the content of each copy, or should one copy have the Cover Page and TOC and the other not?

ANSWER: The requirement for two copies has been reduced to one copy. The one copy should have a cover page and a table of contents that do not exceed the page limitations.

14. The government has requested that offerors submit “SF 1449 Amendments” as part of the Compliance Documents.

a. Can the government clarify if it is requiring solicitation amendments only, or if offerors are to submit the signed SF 1449 as well as any amendments as part of the Compliance Documents submission?

ANSWER: Offerors are required to sign the SF 1449 Solicitation and any applicable amendment(s) to the solicitation. The amendments have been moved from the compliance documents to Volume III, Price.

15. The government has a column in the Uniform Pricing Template for Basis of Estimate, however there are no instructions in the Pricing Template nor Attachment 2 instructing offerors what is required for the basis of estimate.

a. Can the government provide guidance and/or requirements relative to vendor submission of Basis of Estimate?

ANSWER: Within the Basis of Estimate Column, Offerors should identify how they arrived at the estimated labor rate (i.e., historical prices from a previous contract to include the contract number, published rates, etc…).

16. In the amendment posted on 4 January, the PWS and the Attachment 4 Uniform Pricing Template tab labeled 4. Labor Category Description added an additional key personnel, AF Ground Transportation – Jr Analyst. However, in the Attachment 4 Uniform Pricing Template tab labeled 1. Labor Costs, the government has listed a different additional Labor Category called Equipment Policy Jr.

a. Can the government please provide an updated pricing template where the labor categories column of tab 1. Labor Costs match the Key Personnel labor categories from the PWS and tab 4. Labor Category Descriptions?

ANSWER: The Labor Categories on Tab 1 and Tab 4 now match.

17. There appears to be an issue with some formulas on the tab “1. Labor Costs”. The ODC Subtotal formula for Option Year 1, Option Year 2, Option Year 3 and Option Year 4 is only including the travel and is not adding the Other Direct Costs (ODCs). The formulas are located in cells D51, D70, D89, and D108. It is computing correctly for the Base Year.

a. Can the government clarify or confirm if the formulae in Tab 1 Labor Costs are accurate and to be used in the submission of Attachment 4 and our pricing?

ANSWER: The formula has been updated in the Uniform Pricing Template. If another error is to be found in the pricing template, please make the adjustment in your proposal and explain the adjustments made.

18. In the 4 Jan 2024 release of attachment 4, tab 1 (Labor Costs) the Equipment Policy Jr. Labor Category was added but the was not defined in Tab 4. (Labor Category Descriptions). Can the government clarify the Description and Skill level requirements for the Equipment Policy- Jr Analyst?

ANSWER: The Equipment Policy Jr. Analyst was removed from the Uniform Pricing Template. However, an AF Ground Transportation Jr. Analyst was added and can be found on tab 1 and tab 4.

19. In the 4 Jan 2024 release of attachment 4, tab 4 (Labor Category Descriptions), there is a requirement for an AF Ground Transportation-Jr Analyst position. This position requires a BA/BS degree, as well as 5-10 years of experience which is far more than the Jr Analyst position listed for the Data Integrity Management position (1-5 years). Additionally, this position is not listed in Tab 1 (Labor Costs). Can the Government clarify this position and skill level should be higher than a Junior and added Tab 1?

ANSWER: The qualifications have been changed from saying AND to OR when it comes to education and experience for the AF Ground Transportation-Jr. Analyst position.

20. Will the government clarify if this is FFP or FFP/LOE? Section 6.7 of the PWS requires monthly hours worked to be provided to the COR. If this is a FFP contract, are hours worked required to be submitted?

ANSWER: The contract type is FFP. The work hours are submitted each month in the monthly status report for data purposes not for evaluation of payment.

22. Would the government please consider allowing for a smaller font size for charts, graphs, drawing, diagrams, and illustrations, such as 10-point font?

ANSWER: No changes will be made to the font size for charts, graphs, drawings, diagrams, and illustration as these are not requirements.

23. The chart in Section 5.2 Volume Organization indicates a page limit of one page for the Cover Page and the Table of Contents. However, the instructions in 5.2.1 Format of Written Proposal indicates: “The page limitation includes any cover page, charts, graphs, drawings, diagrams, supporting illustrations, spreadsheets, etc., tailor the information requested but excludes any table of contents or list of acronyms (if utilized).” Please confirm that the chart in 5.2 is correct and that the cover page and table of contents are limited one page each and not included in other page limitations found within each volume. Additionally, please confirm that, if included, an acronym list does not have a page limitation and is not included in any other page limitation found within each volume.

ANSWER: Chart 5.2 is correct in that the cover page and table of contents are limited to one page, and they are not included in the other sections/volumes page limit. Additionally, an acronym/definition page(s) is not included in the page limit within each corresponding volume.

24. The chart in Section 5.2 Volume Organization, indicates that SF1449 amendments should go in Compliance Documents volume. Section 5.4.3 Factor III: Price indicates that the price volume should include “a completed SF 1449, Solicitation FA7014-24-R0011 and any other information required to complete the contract.” Please confirm that the SF 1449 and Amendments are to appear in separate volumes, with the Amendments in Compliance Documents volume and the completed SF 1449 itself in Volume 3: Price.

ANSWER: Please include the SF 1449 and its corresponding amendments in Volume III, Price. The ITO has been updated.

25. The table in Section 5.2 lists “Executive Summary/POC Listing for PPQ” as a required section in Volume II: Past Performance, but the instructions at 5.4.2 make no mention of an Executive Summary. Please clarify.

ANSWER: The “Executive Summary” requirement has been removed.

26. The table in Section 5.2 lists “Executive Summary/POC Listing for PPQ” but makes no mention of the relevant experience mentioned in Section 5.4.2. Please clarify if relevant experience/contract narratives are required or if the Government is only asking for a listing of PPQs.

ANSWER: The government is asking for PPQs relevant experience should be captured in the questionnaires.

27. Please provide guidance regarding the intent of the Shipping and Materials sections in the ODCs tab of the Pricing Template, and if applicable, under which CLIN these costs should be included in the Pricing Schedule, as we only see two available CLINs: x001 for Labor and x002 for Travel.

ANSWER: The government does not anticipate any Shipping and Materials requirement for this procurement. The Uniform Pricing template is a template that can be modified to accommodate your proposal.

28. 52.212-1 ITO, Section 5.4.2 Factor II: Past Performance indicates that five contracts/work efforts are to be included to provide “examples of past performance and/or affiliated experience that indicates a high expectation that the Offeror will successfully perform the required effort.” Please confirm that this is guidance for the PPQs and not a separate requirement to provide additional narratives for each contract within Volume II?

ANSWER: That is correct that the information stated in section 5.4.2 is guidance for the PPQ. Offerors are only required to have Past Performances Questionnaires submissions.

29. If an offeror submits a CPAR in lieu of a PPQ, should the CPAR be included in the offeror’s Volume II submission? Additionally, will the CPAR be excluded from any page limitations?

ANSWER: Yes, CPAR should be included in the Volume II, Past Performance submission. CPAR is excluded from page limitations.

30. This section states, “Each individual PPQ submission shall be from separate work efforts and will be reviewed and rated on three aspects: recency, relevancy, and quality (see sections a, b, and c below).” Please define “separate work efforts”? For example, if two companies have formed a team to bid on this work and these two companies also serve as a prime and subcontractor on a relevant contract, can each company submit the prime contract and subcontract, respectively, as separate PPQs given that these are contractually separate work efforts?

ANSWER: Yes

31. This section requires that offerors provide a copy of the signed commitment from a subcontractor if we are including the subcontractor’s past performance in our proposal. Please confirm that these signed commitments should be included in Volume II and will not be counted in any page limitation.

ANSWER: The commitment letters are required for the workforce/employees to identify that the offeror will have the required workforce to execute the required services upon contract award. Commitment letters and resumes will not count against the page limit of any volume but instead are additional supporting documents for the Staffing Plan.