TA_Industry_Day_Questions_and_Answers-FINAL.pdf

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A. Process Clarification

B. Scope Clarification

C. Small Business

D. Regionalization

E. Past Performance

F. Pricing

G. General Clarification

A. Process Clarification

1. What bases will be mandated to use this strategic sourcing?

Answer: 43 Bases will be mandatory use for this effort. These are identified in FAR

Provision 52.212-1 in RFP FA8059-16-R-0001 and included in the Industry Day slides as slide 71.

2. If an IDIQ is in place, how will the AF ensure businesses are getting task orders? In some cases, a business gets on an IDIQ, but no TO’s are issued.

Answer: The Air Force does not ensure businesses are awarded task orders merely because they are awarded an IDIQ contract. Each task order will be competitively awarded based on the terms of the individual task order. Businesses who are awarded an

IDIQ contract will be responsible for providing acceptable bids on 90% of Task Order

Proposal Requests. During yearly Program Management Reviews with the IDIQ holders, the Government team will attempt to assist IDIQ holders who have not been competitive at the base level by identifying weaknesses in their proposals.

3. IDIQ RFP: The basic contract is listed as IDIQ, but will the task orders be awarded as Firm

Fixed Price (FFP)?

Answer: Yes, both the IDIQ and Task Orders will be FFP. The IDIQ will have firm fixed price Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) establishing not to exceed (NTE) Markup

Rates and the TOs will have firm fixed price CLINs for the specific work to be delivered.

An IDIQ contract only means that the delivery terms and performance specifics of the tasks are not known at the time of IDIQ contract award, but Task Orders will be competed for at a later time.

4. Existing contracts that are in place that are in the middle of a period of performance during award of this IDIQ, how would this affect those contracts?

Answer: Slide 69 outlines the anticipated bases coming onto the program based on all option years being exercised. Bases are anticipated to utilize this IDIQ once the current contracts, that are in place and are in the middle of period of performance during the award of this IDIQ, have expired.

5. Will the AF consider setting minimum staffing requirements?

Answer: No staffing level requirements will be included in the RFP. However, the Air

Force requires the awardees to abide by all contract requirements including all of the minimum manning requirements set forth in individual Performance Work Statements based on the applicable Air Force Instructions (AFIs) and Technical Orders (TO).

6. Slide 68 addresses a standardized PWS but the briefer stated that the Base Commanders may supplement the standardized requirements. Will supplemental requirements be addressed in an

O&A CLIN?

Answer: This will be dependent upon the individual task order tailoring done by the bases.

The tailoring will be identified in the Task Order PWS (or other attachment to the Task

Order) and will apply to the CLINs referenced in that PWS.

7. For TAS solicitations that are currently in source selection phase at the local level, how will those solicitations be affected?

Answer: This RFP should not affect solicitations currently in the source selection phase.

However, the Air Force office working an open source selection makes that determination.

8. Would the Gov’t consider making some equipment available as GFE (tow tractor, stair case) if the equipment is already on base? Contractor may consider leasing the equipment from the base and off-set the contract cost. All task orders LPTA?

Answer: Bases will be encouraged to make the appropriate determinations in regards to available GFE for their requirement and may decide to supply them for use at no cost when in the Air Force’s best interest. Leasing equipment from the military will not be an option. Yes, all task orders will be LTPA.

9. If an offeror is not selected initially, when will the next round of MATOC selections happen?

Answer: The earliest the next round of MATOC (Multiple Award Task Order Contract) selections will happen will be 5 years from the initial award date of this IDIQ. Those contractors who are awarded an on-ramp contract may be included in the IDIQ effective award pool for TO competitions before 5 years.

10. Will there be an equitable spread of task orders among MATOC holders, or is it possible for one MATOC holder to win all task orders in their SB category?

Answer: There will be no ‘equitable spread’ of Task Orders. LPTA Task Order competition will take place at the installation level.

11. If a vendor is awarded a MATOC and is in the pool of vendors: are they required to bid on all task orders in their SB category?

Answer: They are required to provide acceptable bids on 90% of all task orders.

12. Will the FFP EPA clause be in the contract?

Answer: No, the FFP EPA clause will not be used.

13. Is the gov’t firm on the type of contract due to risk; there are a number of unknowns due to no national WD, different workers comp, taxes, insurance?

Answer: The government is firm on the type of contract. Market Intelligence indicates that

FFP is the predominant contract type for AF TA Services and will be used IAW FAR

12.207(a).

14. STO PWS para 6.1 alludes to appendix C – for special event services but unable to locate?

Answer: Estimated workload needs to specify special events more clearly. We will amend

Appendix C prior to Formal RFP issuance.

15. Will the 6 month extension be evaluated as part of the TEP?

Answer: Yes, the 6 month extension will be evaluated as part of the TEP.

B. Scope Clarification

16. Has it been identified “which” bases must use these requirements?

Answer: 43 Bases will be mandatory use for this effort. These are identified in FAR

Provision 52.212-1 in RFP FA8059-16-R-0001 and included in the Industry Day slides as slide 71.

17. TA is not an easy market to penetrate for small business – Are there standardized wage determination categories for TA?

Answer: We will not identify which wage categories are to be used because each offeror must determine its own labor mix based on the requirements of the PWS. However, offerors must propose in accordance with Service Contract Fair Labor Standards and all other applicable labor laws.

18. Why don’t you combine TA & wash services? Where applicable?

Answer: Bases will have the option to include wash services under CLIN 0004, Other

Services, if they so choose. This will be determined by individual bases for TO competitions.

19. How were the 8(a) locations determined/selected?

Answer: The 8(a) locations were determined/selected based on TA services that are already accepted into the 8(a) program. The SBA rules govern this determination.

C. Small Business

20. Expand on the evolution of why the AF is combining the TA effort. It seems small business may not be able to participate.

Answer: This is outlined in segment 5 of the Industry Day slides. Our Market Intelligence indicates enough small businesses are capable of performing. In addition, there are enough

SDVOSBs and 8(a) firms capable of performing under a Multiple Award IDIQ contract

(i.e., no one SB is expected to perform the entire workload of the IDIQ).

21. Will the Air Force consider EDWOSB set aside since NAICS 488190 is underrepresented by women?

Answer: The Government is anticipating issuing the RFP as an SDVOSB set-aside with an

8(a) set-aside.

22. Small Business Participation: Does AF have a more favorable view of one teaming arrangement over another?

Answer: No, the Air Force does not have a more favorable view of teaming arrangements one over another.

23. How do you expect SB to bid a TA that requires the purchase of tow vehicle trucks, tow boats, etc.?

Answer: Small Business are currently providing this equipment where needed. For the purposes of evaluating the proposals for award of the MATOCs, the RFP will included a price list to be used in pricing for all potential equipment to be proposed for the Sample

Task Order. After MATOC award, awardees will propose actual equipment needs via purchase, lease, etc. for individual TOs as specified by the bases.

24. Pg 69: FY17 How many bases are 8(a)?

Answer: One (1) base (Eielson AFB) in FY17 is currently considered 8(a).

25. Pg 69: FY17 How many bases are SDVOSB?

Answer: Five (5) bases in FY17 are currently considered SDVOSB.

26. Will there be consideration to award additional 8(a) opportunities outside of the current 8(a) awarded work.

Answer: The embedded 8(a) set-aside will cover six (6) bases, with the potential to add one

(1) base (Hurlburt AFB). All these bases are currently under the SBA 8(a) program. We do not anticipate this increasing.

27. What if a firm doesn’t have 8(a) status at time the proposal is due. Can the firm propose on the 8(a) portion of the solicitation if the firm knows it will have 8(a) status by the time of award?

Answer: No. Offerors to the 8(a) set-aside must certify that they are 8(a) at time of proposal submission and show proof that they are certified. The only agency that can deem a firm to be classified as an 8(a) entity is the classifying authority within the SBA Business

Development Office, HQ SBA, Washington, D.C. The cognizant SBA District Office for the firm will be responsible for supplying that information.

D. Regionalization

28. How does the government determine which bases will be part of the strategic sources?

Answer: For this effort, extensive market research was used to identify TA service requirements for the Air Force. The team examined TA services across 61 locations in order to determine viability for inclusion into our potential solution. Once the team identified our potential processes and savings, each MAJCOM A4 office determined which bases would be “mandatory use” going forward.

29. Will the Strategic sources be regional?

Answer: No. We are proceeding with a national strategy to cover the bases identified in

FAR Provision 52.212-1 in RFP FA8059-16-R-0001 and included in the Industry Day slides as slides 71 and 72.

E. Past Performance

30. How will a company submit Vol III of the proposal if they don’t meet past performance recency or relevancy?

Answer: Submit a document stating you to do not have recent or relevant past performance.

31. Elaborate on the unknown confidence (neutral) rating.

Answer: Unknown confidence is neither favorable nor unfavorable and neither rewards nor penalizes the offeror.

F. Pricing

32. Will pricing on MATOC response be deemed as a ceiling pricing for task orders?

Answer: The only portion of the pricing on the MATOC response deemed as a ceiling price for the task orders is the markup rate.

33. Does the bid that you put in the Dover bid lock your % of markup rate?

Answer: It does not “lock” your markup rate. The bid you propose on the sample task order will establish an NTE markup rate that cannot be exceeded during TO competitions.

These rates will need to be completed in the TA Service Pricing Worksheet, RFP FA8059-

16-R-0001, Attachment 5 with your proposal for IDIQ award.

34. What if the Wage Determination (WD) rate increases?

Answer: Markup rates will be applied to current WD rates at the time of TO solicitation.

35. Can we apply to the markup rate for the option years?

Answer: Offerors must propose a markup rate for the base ordering period and all options on the TA Service Pricing Worksheet, RFP FA8059-16-R-0001, Attachment 5.

36. Since the fully burdened labor rate includes payroll taxes, how do we account for differences state-by-state?

Answer: Offerors are responsible for examining the geographic locations identified as mandatory use for this effort and proposing a markup rate inclusive of the applicable payroll taxes, Health and Welfare, etc. for those areas.

37. Regarding discussion of fringe development on base price

a. A fringe based on federal, state, local taxes and insurance is quite common.

b. HOWEVER, Health and Welfare (H&W) varies based on Service Contract Fair Labor

Standards (SCFLS)/Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)/Commercial Equivalent

c. Paid Time Off (PTO) varies based on seniority for each separate location and

SCFLS/CBA/Commercial Equivalent

d. For example:

an 8/5 (hr/day, 5 days/wk) coverage requirement MANDATES 2080 Hrs direct labor (DL) per year. However, one person will take 2 weeks’ vacation per year and 10 holidays per year of PTO.

Therefore, one person can cover the 1920 DLHrs with 160 PTO.

A second person will need to cover the 160 hrs and a prorated amount of PTO

(160/1920=.08333, 160*.08333=13.33) 13.33 hrs.

this means that the fringe factor must be applied to: 2080 DLhrs + 173.33 PTO hrs = 2253.33 paid hours

This calculation MUST change BY LAW for each person based on their seniority on the government contract in question.

e. Therefore, a fringe based only on Direct labor hours will not be incompliance with federal labor laws

Answer: Offerors are responsible for examining the geographic locations identified as mandatory use for this effort and proposing a markup rate inclusive of the applicable payroll taxes, Health and Welfare, etc. for those areas. Service Contract Fair Labor

Standards wage determinations for the mandatory use locations currently identify a minimum of $4.27 per hour for Health and Welfare. CBA rates for applicable locations will be included in the formal RFP as well. All labor will be proposed and awarded as FFP.

Offerors will be responsible for proposing the number of hours per employee. The application of the markup rate to each labor category (or employee) allows the flexibility required by law.

38. These two factors WILL VARY each fringe calculation made.

a. For this evaluation of Dover, please specify what the PTO assumption will be and if

SCA/CBA

b. Therefore:

If the Fringe rate developed for Dover will be fixed for all future proposals, in order to comply with federal labor laws, please specify that the fringe rate is applied to all Paid

Hours, not just Direct Labor hours.

If a fringe rate developed for Dover, which is not exampled for CBAs, in order to comply with Federal labor laws, please specify that an additional fringe allowance, based on seniority, union benefits and if necessary, mandated “fringes paid as cash”, be added to template calculation that is standardized and specified for each location as they are released.

Answer: For the evaluation of the sample task order requirement, the assumptions for paid time off are as outlined in WD 05-2098 (Rev.-19): 2 weeks after 1 year of service, 3 weeks after 5 years, and 4 weeks after 15 years. Offerors are responsible for including this as required for the employees they propose for performance of the sample task order requirement. Offerors are responsible for examining the geographic locations identified as mandatory use for this effort and proposing a markup rate inclusive of the applicable payroll taxes, Health and

Welfare, etc. for those areas. Service Contract Fair Labor Standards and CBA wage determinations will be provided as attachments to the formal RFP.

39. Given the discussion on fees applied to trucks and materials

a. Are you saying that Other Direct Costs (ODCs) (materials & equipment) purchased to support a contract are considered “direct reimbursable” chargeable to a separate CLIN and invoiced/reimbursed immediately?

b. If not, then these all add to the total direct cost which OH/Fees are then applied

c. Please clarify

Answer: Equipment is included in CLIN 0002 and will be FFP. For MATOC proposal, Equipment unit prices are provided and offerors are responsible for using this pricing to propose the types and quantities of equipment necessary to perform the sample task order requirement. If an offeror is selected for an IDIQ award, for later TO competitions they will be able to propose equipment costs how they see fit, as included in CLIN 0002, as long as the equipment meets all contract requirements. CLIN 0002 will include labor (with markup rate applied) and equipment.

G. General Clarification

40. Which WD categories can we use on contract?

Answer: We will not identify which wage categories are to be used because each offeror must determine its own labor mix based on the requirements of the PWS. However, offerors must propose in accordance with Service Contract Fair Labor Standards and all other applicable labor laws.

41. Do the 3 8(a) contracts include new 8(a) and incumbent 8(a) companies, or refer to new 8(a) companies.

Answer: Any 8(a) company who submits a qualifying proposal may receive an IDIQ award; competition for IDIQ award pursuant to the embedded 8(a) set-aside is not limited to existing 8(a) Transient Alert providers. The award of a target of three (3) IDIQ contracts for the embedded 8(a) set-aside will be determined in accordance with the terms of the RFP. The mix could be all new 8(a) firms, three (3) incumbent firms, or a mix of the two. The Air Force retains the discretion to award more or less than the target number of awards.

42. When an offeror is initially selected to go into the “pool” of companies allowed to bid on task orders, how long will they stay in the “pool”?

Answer: Awardees will stay in the pool they were awarded into for the duration of the

IDIQ contract; that is for a maximum of 5 years, if all options are exercised, unless off-ramped from the program pursuant to RFP FA8059-16-R-0001, Off-Ramp Language.

43. Will a list of AGE be provided as historic workload in the sample task order?

Clarification: Aerospace & Ground Equipment?

Answer: There will be no AGE in the sample task order.

44. Subfactor 4: Technical: what happens if a contractor proposes equipment in the response but possibly misses (1) or (2) pieces, does this mean the contractor is disqualified?

Answer: Offerors are responsible for proposing the quantity and types of equipment necessary to perform the sample task order IAW Sample Task Order PWS, RFP FA8059-

16-R-0001, Attachment 4, and all other terms of the RFP. Missing pieces of equipment may deem the proposal technically unacceptable.

45. Segment 5: Some CBAs are out of control why does the AF not get involved to help keep costs within the realm of the SCA? – Currently one CBA is more than double the SCA –

Answer: The Air Force complies with all applicable laws. The Air Force does not control negotiation of Collective Bargaining Agreements nor does it have inputs on wages established within wage determinations pursuant to CBAs or Service Contract Labor

Standards.

46. At the end of the presentation, in the notes box at the bottom of the presentation, is the following statement: “the meeting contents and audio will be available for by the end of the week.” Will the audio be posted on FBO?

Answer: Audio will not be included. The slides have been updated to remove this statement. These Questions and Answers are posted to provide, in part, the information requested at the Industry Day event.

47. Regarding discussion on information in multiple volumes

a. It is understood that Technical evaluators are not allowed to see pricing and past performance

b. It is understood that past performance evaluators are not allowed to see technical and Pricing

c. However, pricing evaluators have always been allowed to see technical and past performance, as these areas are considered essential for price buildup (ex:

technical staffing, past performance summary recap)

d. Please clarify.

Answer: The Air Force will comply with all RFP provisions and all applicable laws concerning the evaluation of the proposals. When permitted by the applicable evaluation rules and laws, and as required by them, the Air Force may rely on technical information for pricing evaluation purposes.