VENDOR_QUESTIONS.pdf

Attachment 17 - Questions from Prospective Offerors

28 May 2013

-Will you consider one of the following changes for the final solicitation:

1. Writing requirement as "Comparable or Equal" to Safariland?

No this is a Brand Name Only requirement for the Safariland holster.

2. Moving the items from Category 2 to another Category since Category 2 primarily includes Concealable Body Armor?

No the categories are set as is.

-Per the Solicitation Section B: Supplies and Services and the Salient Characteristics the carrier must be able to support additional soft or hard trauma plate. I should have provided some additional background information on the fully structured female vest trauma plate pocket. The optimal/appropriate plate pocket for a fully structured female vest is 5" x 7" because it can go on any size female vest. Some of the female sizes can accommodate a 5" x 8".

1. Can the Government specify the size of this trauma plate pocket by CLIN?

Minimum trauma plate pocket size shall be able to accommodate a 5”X7” plate

2. Does the Government require the trauma plate pocket on the front and back, or just the front?

Trauma plate pocket shall be located on the front of the vest.

3. Does the Government have a preference if this/these trauma plate pocket(s) are internal pockets or external pockets?

Trauma plate pocket can be either internal or external so long as it allows easy access for the user.

-I see evaluation-COTS items will be used included FAR 25.5 evaluation foreign offers. Does this mean Berry is no longer mandatory for Black Nylon Gear /Accessories portion?

The Berry Amendment is implemented through the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) at Subpart 225.7002. The contract clause that applies is DFARS 252.225-7012.

You can also find policy on the Berry Amendment in Procedures, Guidance and Information (PGI) 225-

70. Clause 252-225-7012 is incorporated in the RFP.

-A question came about during our reading of the RFP document. On page 74, it states:

(f) Buy American Act--Balance of Payments Program Certificate. (Applies only if the clause at Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.225-1, Buy American Act--Balance of Payments Program--Supplies, is included in this solicitation.) But, on page 84, there is no "X" marking this insertion (left margin is left blank, but several other insertions have an "X"):(39) 52.225-1, Buy American Act—Supplies (Feb 2009) (41 U.S.C. 10a-10d). Are we to assume this clause does not apply, or is this a typo ?

Clause 252.225-7001, Buy American Act and Balance of Payments Program is used instead of clause 52.225-1 due to DFARs regulations.

-Please confirm that the Government does not require a small business to submit a subcontracting plan with their proposal.

Please see FAR 52.212-1, 52.219-8, and 52.219-9 for instructions to offerors and regulations on subcontracting plans.

-SPEC: Mini Flashlight: Black in color; tested lumen value minimum of 41.0; minimum of 1.0 watt LED lamp module capable of 10K hrs; minimum of 40 hrs battery burn time; tail switch that provides constant on/off or momentary action; CNC-machined aluminum with deep knurled grip; multi-colored lenses included (red, green and blue as a minimum); water resistant; safety lockout switch that prevents inadvertent switching; shall use a standard, nonproprietary battery(s) that is/are readily available off the shelf (standard batteries are defined as size AAA, AA, C, and D batteries); battery(s) is/are not required but, if included

Question: Mini Flashlight (from Salient Characteristics, Page 3 Item 4) Standard batteries have been defined as size AAA, AA, C and D Batteries. CR123 batteries are COTS available and no longer a proprietary battery from multiple manufacturers for components which could be used to fulfill salient characteristics of lights used within this solicitation. Will the government consider light products that utilize the CR123 battery?

The CR123 batteries are not acceptable due to overseas (APO) mailing/shipping restrictions.

-SPEC: Rechargeable Heavy Duty Flashlight/Spotlight: Utilizes light-emitting diode (LED) light source;

rechargeable; includes AC220V-110V/DC 12V charger; shock-absorbing internal battery module;

minimum 1,000,000 candlepower; provides minimum of 2-hour run time on full charge; unbreakable ABS body with polycarbonate lens and thermoplastic rubber shroud; weatherproof; includes battery;

battery must be able to be shipped OCONUS.

Question: Rechargeable Heavy Duty Flashlight/Spotlight: (from salient characteristics page 5 item 6)-The requirement for 1,000,000 candlepower. Candlepower is not a performance characteristic used by any flashlight manufacturer that adheres the ANSI standard FL-1 2009 developed by NEMA.

Could the government please define the Lumens or Candela (peak beam intensity) required of this light?

A copy of the ANSI FL-1 standard can be found at http://www.nema.org/Standards/ComplimentaryDocuments/FL-1-2009-final.pdf and http://www.nema.org/news/Pages/NEMA-Publishes-ANSI-NEMA-FL-1-2009-Flashlight-Basic- Performance-Standard.aspx Flashlight/Spotlight should have a minimum of 200 lumens.

-Attachment 01, LEE Salient Characteristics, referenced on page 96, notes that the date of the document is 28 March; however, the file name of the attachment is dated 18 April. Please confirm that 18 April is the final document.

18 April 2013 is the correct date

-Please confirm that the Air Force Law Enforcement Equipment Requirements Acceptability Checklist, RFP Attachment 12, is not counted in the page limitation.

The Air Force Law Enforcement Equipment Requirements Acceptability Checklist will not be counted toward your page limitations.

-Please confirm that front matter such as the Cover, Title Page, Table of Contents, and a short Executive Summary are not counted toward the page limitation.

These items will be counted toward your page limitations.

http://www.nema.org/Standards/ComplimentaryDocuments/FL-1-2009-final.pdf http://www.nema.org/news/Pages/NEMA-Publishes-ANSI-NEMA-FL-1-2009-Flashlight-Basic-Performance-Standard.aspx http://www.nema.org/news/Pages/NEMA-Publishes-ANSI-NEMA-FL-1-2009-Flashlight-Basic-Performance-Standard.aspx

-When offered products are reviewed, which of the weighted factors takes precedence in the selection:

Salient characteristics or Buy American Act?

Products must meet both the salient characteristics and the Buy American Act.

-Does the surge requirement listing on page 66 (6.2 (ii) also include the 1st year numbers or is it intended for years 2-5? Is the volume of the first year acquisition at 75% within 30 Days CONUS being viewed by the government as a valid requirement of vendors considering material ordering, production lead time and transportation time? That is, for body armor alone does the government expect industry to produce and deliver 9,577 (of multiple sizes) of 12,770 vests to all CONUS locations in 30 days and 45 Days for OCONUS?

The surge requirement listing also includes 1st year numbers. Language will be amended to state the volume of the first year acquisition at 40%. Years 2-5 will remain at 75%.

-We understand that text is required to be Times New Roman, 12 pt. font. May tables, exhibits, graphics and diagrams use a smaller font size?

All fonts should be Times New Roman 12 pt. font.

-Page 63 states, “The offeror shall provide the completed Air Force Law Enforcement Equipment Requirements Acceptability Checklist (RFP Attachment 11).” We assume that this is actually Attachment 12, as shown on page 96. The date for Attachment 12 is 27 Feb; however, the document file notes that it was last modified on 28 April. Please confirm that this is the correct file.

Attachment 12 should be dated 28 April 2013 and is the correct document.

-Page 62 states, “If an offeror is submitting proposals for more than one category, the offeror shall submit a separate proposal for each equipment category.” Does the government wish that each category have its own two volumes? Or, can a volume address multiple categories—perhaps separated by tabs?

Each category should have its own volumes and be treated as separate proposals.

-Please indicate what volume of the proposal the Subcontracting Plan should be in.

Volume I-Technical Proposal

-The RFP states, “Offerors are required to submit an original compact disc (CD) of their entire proposal and a copy. Please confirm that it is acceptable to put both the Technical Volume and the Pricing Volume on the same CD.

It is acceptable to have the two volumes on one CD.

-The NAICS Code for this solicitation is 339113 which is for Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing. Can the Government help us understand why that was chosen?

Concealable Body Armor is one of the largest items being procured under this initiative and it falls under NAICS Code 339113.

-A question was submitted in reference to the Draft RFP about the Black Nylon Utility Belt being molded and the Government responded that the Salient Characteristics for that item would be revised (New Vendor Comments Action Item Log (Updated 28-Mar-13)). The Salient Characteristics for the Black Nylon Utility Belt still state it is to be molded. Does the Government intend for the Black Nylon Utility Belt to be molded or will the Government remove this language?

The language will remain the same as the utility belt is required to be molded.

-Mini Flashlight Page 3 of the characteristics at Item #4– The specs called for in the salient characteristics during the RFI with regard to run time etc were able to be matched up with current commercial off the shelf products from multiple manufacturers. The added requirement and definition of standard batteries “defined as size AAA, AA, C and D Batteries” has eliminated these products unless the CR123 batteries are added to the standard battery list. Is the CR123 battery acceptable, especially since they are not a “proprietary” battery any longer?

The CR123 batteries are not acceptable due to overseas (APO) mailing/shipping restrictions.

Language will be amended to state “minimum of three (3) hours continuous burn time”.

-I had a question regarding the specs on the Mini Flashlight under the Common DoD Civilian & Military Items. As the salient characteristic is written, I wanted to express my concerns regarding the salient characteristics. Based on our research, there is not a current light that meets all the specs as written.

There are some websites where incorrect and outdated information is listed for flashlights that may meet salient characteristics, but they are no longer in production. I recommend you to only utilize any posted information by the Manufacturer directly. Could you please confirm that the posted salient characteristics are what the customer still wants to go by? If not all specs are met, will another flashlight be considered as technically acceptable?

Specifications changed to address these concerns.

-On page 63, the Government states that "the offeror shall provide the completed Air Force Law Enforcement Equipment Requirements Acceptability Checklist". If an offeror is proposing on multiple categories, does the Government require that all proposed categories be filled in on one checklist to be submitted with each category proposal, or does the Government prefer that only the category being proposed on in that particular proposal be filled in?

Each category is seen as a separate proposal so each proposal would need the checklist filled in for only that particular category.

-Product Category: Black Nylon Gear / Accessories Page 7 of 97 / CLIN 0010 - Black Nylon Chemical Spray Holder - Please take a look at the Black Nylon Chemical Spray Holder. You are asking for a container that will hold the MK-4, Z-305, 4 oz dispenser. The Z-305 is a 1 oz dispenser and is closer to 4.5"H x 1-3/8" in diameter. We can get you a MK-4 holder but the Zarc Z-305 will not fit. Can you please give some direction? Any changes will affect sample delivery on this item. A MK-4 case will hold a canister 6.25" in height and 1.50" in diameter but the Z-305 does not match this measurement.

Language will be amended to state “Must hold the MK-4, 4oz dispenser”.