RFP Question Set 3.doc

CLASS RFP

Question Set

See response to Question # 212.

See response to Question # 225

See response to Question # 294

So the question is: when there is a large MATO contract with multiple Task Orders, should this block be left blank, or should the various Task Orders be listed here? Is this block only to be completed when the reference is one stand alone Task Order?

This is a follow-up to the response on Question 215. The block for Delivery Order/Order on page 140 should be left blank when the reference is “not a stand-alone reference”.

1.4.25 FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT: The measure of a HCW's annual billable hours on a task order in relation to the standard annual billable hours on the CLASS contract. The requirement for a single FTE on the CLASS contract can range from 1880 to 2000 total annual billable hours for credentialed and non-credentialed HCWs; therefore, total annual billable hours from 1880 to 2000 will be the standard range for an FTE of 1.0 on the CLASS contract. HCW positions with annual billable hours on task orders less than 1880 will be calculated by dividing the number of hours by 1880. For example, a credentialed HCW position with 1504 billable hours would be considered a 0.80 FTE position (1504 hours /1880 hours rounded to the 1/100th decimal point). The number of FTEs for each labor category will be established in the task order and is calculated by dividing the annual billable hours on the task order by the CLASS contract standard range from 1880 to 2000 hours (see Section H.24). HCW positions with annual billable hours within this range will be considered an FTE of 1.0.

For pricing purposes, how many hours should be used for an FTE? 1880, 1920, or should it vary depending upon the hours listed in Attachment 8?

The hours and FTEs as listed in Attachment 8 are to be used for RTO pricing.

Question: Is the intent for the offeror to submit a signed/executed Formal Agreement between the prime and subcontractors appearing in Attachment L-1 with our proposal? If so, will this Agreement count towards the page count?

The Government amended the RFP submission requirement for the measure of merit on M3.1.1.2 to clarify the written documentation. The written documentation does count towards the page limitation. (Please refer to RFP Amendment 0003 posted on the FedBizOpps website at: www.fbo.gov).

would the Government consider work performed for State-operated Veterans Homes and Hospitals to be included within the Highly Relevant Criteria?

No. Table M-4 will not be modified.

Question: does this refer to the place where the submitted past performance reference work was performed (if so this would not work as we are only allowed to enter this information once on the Business Relationship screen)?

Or does this refer to the proposed locations where the contractor will be working?

This is an update to Question #214. The place of work is the place where the contractor expects to provide services in the proposed acquisition.

Question: Is the prime supposed to provide a proposed level of effort for each contractor showing the prime having 50% or more.

The percentage of work as outlined in paragraph 9 of Attachment L-5 is the percentage of work for the contractor named in Figure 7 for the proposed acquisition. Also, the offeror is required to comply with FAR 52.219-14, Limitation on Subcontracting (Dec 1996) as outlined in section H.24j.

I then just write to the Past Performance as I know it or are they supposed to send to us as well so I can place in the PP piece.

The Government will follow the instructions in L7.1.5.2 which requires the primary customer point of contact to “fax or email the completed questionnaire to the Contracting Officer”. Since the Contracting Officer receives the past performance questionnaire from the customer point of contact, the offeror does not need to add a copy in the Past Performance Volume.

At Langley AFB, the Clinical Nurse - Obstetrics clearly states to stay within 40 hour work week (please see the below table); however the Clinical Nurse - Special Care Unit appears to have 12 hour shifts, then will work a few 8 hour shifts to stay within 80 hours per two weeks. If the Clinical Nurse - Special Care Unit works the following 2 week schedule it will put the Clinical Nurse - Special Care Unit in an Overage/Overtime situation:

First Week: 3 shifts x 12 hours = 36 hours

Second Week: 3 shifts x 12 hours plus one shift x 8 hours = 44 hours, which is 4 hours of Overage/Overtime. The Total hours worked is 80 hours in 2 weeks however, per the Fair Labor Standards Act (VA follows the FLSA) any time worked over 40 hours in a week is Overtime and must be paid at time and a half.

Our concern is the Clinical Nurse - Special Care Unit does have 400 hours of Overage/Overtime Hours and 3,000 On-Call Hours, if the Clinical Nurse - Special Care Unit is called back into the MTF this will quickly use up the 400 hours of Overage. If you add the 4 hours of overtime every other week time 4 FTEs this equals (4 hours OT x 26 weeks x 4 FTEs = 416 hours of Overtime). It appears the 400 hours in Overage does not cover this work schedule. Is the 400 Overage/Overtime hours really enough to cover both the work schedule and the Overage/Overtime when the Clinical Nurse – Special Care Unit is required to come back into the MTF? It has been our experience that when a Nurse in on call, there is a high probability that the Nurse will be called and have to report to the MTF. If the Nurse is called back only 25% of the time while on call this would equate to 500 hours needed for Overage. Our logic comes from the following: 3,000hours divided by 12 = 250 days on call. Then 25% x 250 = 62.5 days a Nurse returns to work. Assuming the nurse works at least an 8 hour shift x 62.5 days implies we need 8 x 62.5 = 500 hours

We are concerned about the 400 hours of Overage/Overtime might not be enough. Please advise.

The number of hours on the work schedule includes overage hours, which are hours over the number of duty hours based on the work schedule (see C1.4.38). The work schedule states, “some shifts may be 8 hrs vs. 12 to stay within 40 hour work week”. The Government does not equate overage hours with overtime pay. Overtime pay is determined IAW the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) based on how the offeror chooses to staff the Government’s needs.

Market research confirmed that subcontracting and teaming arrangements are necessary because of the broad scope of the contract requirements; therefore such arrangements are encouraged to ensure mission success. However, during the Clinical Acquisition for Support Services (CLASS) contract competition, if a company is identified as a prime Contractor or teaming partner/subcontractor on any proposal for this acquisition, then that company cannot participate as a prime Contractor or teaming partner/subcontractor on any other offeror‘s proposal. This limitation includes components of mentor-protégé arrangements and joint venture partners. It is the offeror‘s responsibility to ensure teaming partners and subcontractors listed in Attachment L-1 Contactor Team Organization are not teamed with other offerors during the CLASS contract competition. After award of contracts, the teaming arrangement limitation does not apply to subsequent task order awards.

The Company that we planned to team with has pulled out due to emergency reason, does this mean if you do not have a subcontractor or Teaming Arrangement you will be disqualified?

No, an offeror would not be disqualified solely for that reason; however, offerors must have the capability to cover all clinical service categories and Air Force MTF locations in the United States and Guam as outlined in L5.1.2.1 and M3.1.1.1.

The qualifying documentation after task order award is based on subsequent Government minimum requirements, which is stated in H.3d and defined in Section C, paragraph 1.4.56.

If you are subcontractor to a prime, will the prime evaluate the subcontractor’s past performance if they are not on the same team for this contract?

The Government interprets this question to ask whether a prime contractor from a previous contract is the evaluator of one of their previous subcontractors for references on the CLASS acquisition. In response to this understanding, the Government will question the objectivity if the evaluator is an offeror or a team member.

If a team uses the primes 3 past performances and 2 past performances from a first tier team member, and 1 past performance from another 3 first tier team members for a total of 8 past performance references, can the teams proposal introduce a group of second tier team members or a vendor list that will assist with efforts in extreme circumstances.

The Teaming/Organizational structure requirements for “all teaming partners and subcontractors that will be performing under this contract” must be provided in Attachment L-1, Contractor Team Organization. Also note the language in M3.3.6 regarding the limit of references for the Past Performance Volume.

Question A: If offerors with less than three relevant past performance records performed by the offeror choose to submit relevant performance information of key personnel, how should offerors enter the past performance information of the key personnel into the past performance information (PPI) tool? Should the key personnel experience be entered in the form of a resume or as a contract (given the required fields for contract number, contract dollar value, period of performance, etc.)?

Question B: Is a corresponding Past Performance Questionnaire required?

Response A: The information in the past performance tool is based on the contract number; therefore the respective contract number(s) for key personnel being proposed as a past performance reference needs to be provided in the PPI tool. Please refer to the information under the POC and Key Individuals Tab in paragraph 14 of L-5, Past Performance Tool for further instructions. Note: In accordance with Section M3.3.6, Past Performance References, the evaluation for the Past Performance section will ensure the offeror provided a record of relevant and recent past performance on at least five (5), but no more than eight (8) previous/current contracts, with a minimum of three (3) being for the offeror’s performance as a prime contractor and/or subcontractor….”

Response B: We consider past performance of key personnel a past performance reference. Please review the contents for each past performance reference in Section L7.1.5.2.

Question A: Does this documentation count against the 50 page limit of the Technical Volume? Or, is this documentation excluded from the page limit?

Question B: Can the Offeror provide this documentation in Tab 2A behind Attachment L-1: Contractor Team Organization chart? Or, would the government like this documentation placed in another section/tab or another volume?

Response A: Yes, this documentation does count against the page limitation for the Technical Volume, L-1.

Response B: The written documentation is part of Business Approach under Tab 2, Business Plan.