Q A 28 March 2012.pdf

Date Question Answer Posted to FBO on

1 2/15/2012 Has a final determination been made on the small business size standard? Yes, this requirement will be set-aside for Small

Business 2/29/2012

2 2/15/2012

Ref. Section L 2.17 - Will the Cross Reference Matrix be considered toward the page count limitation for the Technical Capability Volume?

No, the cross reference matrix is listed as an exception to the page count in Section L paragraph 2.15

2/29/2012

3 2/15/2012

Ref. Section L.2.19.1 – “font shall be no less than 12 point and lines shall be double spaced.” Request clarification on double spaced text as typically government proposals are submitted in single spaced text.

Requirement has been changed to single spaced and the page count for the technical capability volume has been changed to 60 pages.

2/29/2012

4 2/15/2012

Ref. Section L 5 Past Performance – “Do not submit a past performance volume for this requirement.” Yet Section M 2.4 Factor Three requires an evaluation of past performance. Does the government need at a minimum list of relevant contracts and/or questionnaires supplied by the customers?

This requirement has been revised. See updated Sections L&M 2/29/2012

5 2/15/2012 Are the LCAP inspections in AFMC announced or no-notice? Will they be conducted simultaneously with the AFMETCAL audit?

AFMC LCAP inspections are generally no notice.

2/29/2012

6 2/15/2012 If the contractor develops efficiencies that reduce calibration time, will the affected part numbers change category?

Not as general rule.

2/29/2012

7 2/15/2012

CBA Article 9 Section 1 states standard workweek is M-F 8 hours. Appears to conflict with PWS 3.6. 5,4,9 work schedule?

The only portion of the current CBA that is binding for the follow-on contract is the rates.

Work schedules will have to be negotiated between the contractor and union as the 5,4,9 schedule is what best fits the governments need for this requirement.

2/29/2012

8 2/15/2012

CBA Article 17 Section 1 shows 11 observed holidays. Appears to conflict with

PWS 3.7 which shows 10 holidays?

The CBA list includes Good Friday which the

Government does not grant as a paid day off. 2/29/2012

9 2/15/2012 CBA Article 17 Section 2 - Will a current employee years of service listing be provided?

No 2/29/2012

10 2/15/2012 RFI CLIN 0003 and PWS 2.9 - Will a listing of TDYs/travel/on-site support be provided showing duration, locations, number of items supported?

No, TDY and on site support will be on an as needed basis.

2/29/2012

11 2/15/2012

Will employee relocation allowances be a reimbursable cost factor or should they be included in overhead?

Relocation expenses will not be reimbursed.

Offerors can capture this cost in overhead rates, but should consider whether or not such a strategy is competitive.

2/29/2012

DRAFT RFP

PMEL Questions & Answers

12 2/15/2012 PWS 2.4.1 - Will there be a process to order parts commercially on a reimbursable cost when the SBSS process is not timely?

Yes 2/29/2012

13 2/15/2012

PWS 2.6 - Will a sample or format for the Production and Quality Metrics CDRL

A001 be provided?

The government will work with the contractor to ensure needed data is captured. 2/29/2012

14 2/15/2012 PWS 2.9 - Are vehicles required for travel and are they Government provided? No

2/29/2012

15 2/15/2012 PWS 3.2.4 - Will an estimated annual man-hour requirement be provided for support of Force Protection Conditions?

No, there is no way to estimate this requirement.

2/29/2012

16 2/15/2012 PWS 3.4.2 - Is there a commercial internet provider and connectivity available in the PMEL?

No, All internet connectivity will be through the Air

Force networks.

2/29/2012

17 2/15/2012

PWS 3.9 - Will long distance telephone service be provided or will the contractor require commercial telephone service? Will commercial telephone service be able to be installed at this facility?

The Base phone system has long distance service that may be used for official business 2/29/2012

18 2/15/2012 PWS 4 Item 4 - LCAP Inspections. Are the PMEL LCAP Checklists available? The Checklists are not available at this time.

2/29/2012

19 2/15/2012 PWS 4 item 5 - TAT. Will a list of authorized delays be provided? Yes a list of delay codes and usage will be provided at contract award.

2/29/2012

20 2/15/2012 PWS 5.2 - Will the QASP be provided? YES, a QASP will be provided at contract award.

2/29/2012

21 2/15/2012

PWS 6 - Will the contractor be required to maintain the Technical Order (TO) library and establish a TODO account?

No, the contractor will not have to establish a

TODO account or maintain the official library.

However the TODO does not maintain hard copies of electronic TO's so the contractor will have to manage those.

2/29/2012

22 2/15/2012

PWS 6.2.9 - Will replacement tools be a reimbursable cost? Tools are provided through the Air Force Tool Crib and replacements will be issued from the crib, thus the contractor will not be required to purchase tools.

2/29/2012

23 2/15/2012 PWS Appendix G - Will CPR training be available for contractor personnel at no cost?

No 2/29/2012

24 2/15/2012 Is there classified workload? A classified safe? No to both questions. The Classified workloads are performed by government personnel 2/29/2012

25 40954 Will contractor employees require a security clearance? No 2/29/2012

26 2/15/2012

What cost/performance factor is in-place when TEP quantity thresholds are exceeded?

TEP quantities are based on historical data and are for proposal purposes only. The contractor will bill by the unit regardless of any increase or decrease in overall quantity. The average throughput time cited in the PWS must be met regardless of any quantity increase.

2/29/2012

27 2/15/2012

Is the current contract operating under a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)?

If so, will you publish the CBA?

Yes, the CBA was posted to FBO on 5 December

2011. The CBA will also be attached to the formal

RFP as a wage determination.

2/29/2012

2/15/2012 PWS 2.3: At contract start, how will the items exceeding the 20 day thru-put be counted against the new contractor? Will the contractor be permitted to work overtime during the start-up to reduce the backlog?

An exception will be granted for those items that have already accumulated 20 or more countable days, that will include a reasonable time to clear those items from the back log.

2/29/2012

29 2/15/2012 PWS 2.3: The requirement for a 12 day average thru-put, will thru-put be reset with the start of the new contract?

No 2/29/2012

30 2/15/2012

PWS 2.2.7 States: The contract shall provide metrology related technical assistance to TMDE owners/users. Are you requiring the contractor to go onsite if needed? How many hours per year do you anticipate for this requirement?

Historically, what were the hours per year or is this a new requirement?

On site visits are very limited and are on an as needed basis. No historical data exists.

2/29/2012

31 2/15/2012 PWS 2.3: Is there a limit on the number of items that can be scheduled in a day? No, all TMDE will be scheduled as it is received.

2/29/2012

32 2/15/2012 PWS 2.3.3: States- All status changes shall be updated within four hours. If the contractor can only work until 3:30, how is this addressed at the end of the day?

For example - when items are processed or come off hold for parts?

The requirement for status changes is being changed to 1 business day.

2/29/2012

33 2/15/2012 PMEL Section M Para. 2.3.4.3: If a proposed management team does not meet this requirement, will the technical be rated unacceptable?

Yes 2/29/2012

34 2/15/2012

CLIN 0002 Materials: States no fee or profit shall be paid on parts, material, or equipment. Can we assume the contractor will be allowed to add G & A?

Yes, G&A may be applied to materials ordered from commercial suppliers as well travel. See updated

DRAFT TEP Worksheet and Section L.

2/29/2012

35 2/15/2012

PWS 3.4.4: Is the Zamboni floor cleaning machine identified in the GFE listing on a maintenance contract or will the PMEL contractor be responsible for repairs?

No, it is not on a maintenance contract.

2/29/2012

36 2/15/2012

PWS 3.7: The contractor shall not work in bldg. 214…unless authorized by the

ACO on any of the following holidays: last bullet states: any other day designated by Federal Statue, Executive Order or Presidential proclamation. The question is using Thanksgiving for example, if Fri after Thanksgiving meets this requirement, is there an adjustment for throughput.

No

2/29/2012

37 2/15/2012

What is the planned date for the site-visit? Bidders need to see first-hand the work site due to the multiple locations and workflow requirements?

No Site Visit is planned at this time.

2/29/2012

38 2/15/2012

Section M 2.4.2: States – In the context of acceptability/unacceptability, a contractor with no or unknown past experience will be given an “Acceptable.” Is this a typo? Did you mean “Unacceptable?”

The language in Section M is correct. Offerors without a record of relevant performance or for whom past performance information is not available, may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably for past performance IAW FAR

15.305(a)(2)(iv) and the DOD source selection guide. However, offerors should be referencing prior performance within their technical proposals in order to validate their technical knowledge and capabilities. For example, paragraph 2.3.4.3 requires offerors to provide proof of successful past performance with AFMETCAL certifications.

2/29/2012

39 3/9/2012

Will the Government consider comparable management team experience with Navy METCAL certification to meet this requirement due to the similarity of the certification processes?

No, the offeror's experience must be related to

AFMETCAL.

3/20/2012

40 3/9/2012

PWS, Section 2. Does E-FEMS have the capability to print certification labels

(AFTO Forms 99, 108, 394, and 398 specified in Appendix B) as part of the TMDE certification data? If not, what system and hardware are available for that function?

No, FEMS does not have the capability to print labels. Label Printers for each type of label are available and are connected to the network. The software may have to be developed or acquired.

We are researching this issue.

3/20/2012

41 3/9/2012

PWS, Section 2. Does E-FEMS have a quality module? If not, is the contractor required to provide a quality module to meet TO 00-20-14 requirements?

E-FEMS has a quality module that meets the minimum requirements of 00-20-14.

3/20/2012

Follow Up Q&A

42 3/9/2012

PWS, Section 2. Is a Software User Manual available for the functionality/capabilities of the E-FEMS system? If available, can it be posted?

Not specifically for the FEMS implementation.

FEMS is a customized application of IBM's Maximo equipment management system.

3/20/2012

43 3/9/2012

PWS, Section 2.3.1. Are holidays excluded from the 14/7 calendar day throughput time (TAT)?

No, holidays are not excluded from the throughput time. 3/20/2012

44 3/9/2012

PWS Section 2.3.1. Is additional throughput time (TAT) time added to the 14/7 calendar days for conducting Quality Reviews (QRs)? If so, how many days?

No additional time will be allowed for QR's.

3/20/2012

45 3/9/2012

PWS, Section 2.4.3.9. States requirement for Hazardous Waste Site

Manager training, but training course is not listed in Appendix G, Training.

Is this training provided at no cost to the contractor?

Yes

3/20/2012

46 3/9/2012

PWS, Section 3.4.2. States the Government will provide computers and equipment needed to interface with Government systems. However, there is no Automated Data Processing Equipment (ADPE) listed in the GFE spreadsheet. Will the contractor have any property control or administrative responsibilities for the Government provided ADPE? Can a listing of ADPE assets be provided?

The ADPE is inventoried and tracked by the base IT function. The contractor's responsibility will be to contact the IT trouble desk when ADPE assets are not functioning correctly or need replacement. 3/20/2012

47 3/9/2012

PWS, Section 6. In the 29 February 2012 Q&A, it's stated that the

TODO does not maintain hard copies of electronic TO's and the contractor will have to manage those. Is the Enhanced Technical Information Management

System (ETIMS) eTools function for viewing electronic TO's in the TODO library available? If the eTools function is available, are Government provided hardware assets (Laptops) available to utilize this capability?

Yes, the ETIMS TO Viewer is available. However the hardware and wireless network are not.

3/20/2012

48 3/9/2012

PWS, Section 6.3.1. Can a current list of Government Furnished

Materials be posted?

No, the list and current inventory will be made available after contract award. 3/20/2012

49 3/9/2012

PWS, Appendix D, Workload Estimate. Are Estimated NRTS Actions (All

Categories) and Estimated GFE Work Orders (All Categories) included in the

Total All Categories?

Yes

3/20/2012

50 3/9/2012

PWS, Appendix E, Government Furnished Equipment. Is the posted

GFE.xlsx file the Section J attachment referenced in Appendix E? Is this all the GFE/GFP that will be turned over to the contractor and require property management? Are there any other Section J attachments?

Yes, this is a complete list of GFP. All documents

(i.e. PWS, CDRLS, Sections L&M, TEP worksheet, etc) will be included as attachments in Section J. 3/20/2012

51 3/9/2012

PWS, Appendix F, Government Furnished Facility. Can drawings of the facility/building highlighting the contractor controlled areas be posted to accompany Appendix F?

Drawings of the Facility are available in the Industry

Day slide presentation slides 14 and 15. The highlighted areas on slide 14 1st floor are contractor areas. On Slide 15 2nd floor the TO library right outside the east entrance to the lab, the restrooms and the MIC (room in upper left of drawing) are not contractor controlled areas.

3/20/2012

52 3/9/2012

PWS 2.3.1 Throughput time changed from 12 day average to 7 day 20 day per item to 14 days. Will you permit additional time when an item is selected for a QR? With the 5-4-9 schedule and shutting down when the government has a down day example: the Friday after Thanksgiving that is 4 days lost-Result would be increased cost to support higher staffing levels. Has the increased cost been reviewed to support this change? By not limiting the input and not being able to work outside the regular work hours, the staffing will increase.

No additional time will be allowed for QR's. It is understood that tighter thresholds may require the contractor to increase staffing, but it is the government's desire to have the work performed within the standard schedule to the maximum extent possible. Please note that this schedule does allow the contractor to increase staffing on

Fridays, i.e. have down personnel work overtime. In the example presented, the only day that would be lost is Thursday, as the day after is not considered a government holiday.

3/20/2012

53 3/9/2012

Paragraph 2.18.2 says, "Tables and Figures do not count against the page limitations..."

Does this mean that tables and figures are excluded from the page count for the entire proposal?

Yes

3/20/2012

54 3/9/2012

PMEL Section M Para. 2.3.4.3 Has specific requirements for the management team.

PWS 2.7 Personnel – Identifies four positions. Is this the management team?

Yes

3/20/2012

55 3/9/2012

PMEL Section M Table 1 Proposed Organization – Page limit for Vol 2 is 60 pages. Does this include all parts of the Quality Manual ie. SOP, Plans, Appendices ?

The page count has been increased to 100, which includes all parts of the quality manual. 3/20/2012

56 3/27/2010

PWS 6.2.7 Shared Equipment: States the contractor shall allow the Government personnel the use of equipment listed in PWS Appendix E. Is this limited to working standards and not reference standards?

Working Standards

3/28/2012

57 3/27/2010

Section M: Paragraph numbering --- Beginning on Page 3, Para 2.3 Factor Two –

Technical Capability – beginning with para 2.1 and all the way thru para 2.3.1.4 on page

6 – are numbered incorrectly.

The paragraph numbering has been corrected

3/28/2012

58 3/27/2010

Reference: TEP worksheet, Materials and Travel CLINs. Companies that have a DCAA audited G&A rate have no choice but to bid that rate. Companies without DCAA approved G&A rates can bid 0% and decrease their TEP.

a. Will the Government consider not adding the G&A dollars to an offer’s total bid and only use the Yearly Estimate for bid purposes?

b. Would the Government consider just using a fixed G&A rate?

Because adequate competition is expected, the government is not requiring cost or pricing data and consequently will not be reviewing your DCAA approved G&A rates. Further, approved rates are generally ceiling rates, not fixed rates, there is nothing that prevents from lowering them to be more competitive on a Fixed

Price Contract. No changes will be made to the pricing strategy.

3/28/2012

3/27/2010

A question from the 11/30/2011 questions asks "Will the contractor be paid for NRTS and RTO items and if not is there an estimated number of

NRTS/RTO items per year?"

The response was: "No the contractor will not be paid for NRTS items. A estimate of the number of items NRTS'd annually will be provided."

Question 49 dated 3/9/12 asks: "PWS, Appendix D, Workload Estimate.

Are estimated NRTS actions (all categories) and estimated GFE work orders

(all categories) included in the Total All Categories?"

The response was: "Yes"

This appears to be in conflict. If the contractor will not be paid for NRTS items, why are the quantities included in the Total All Categories?

The estimated quantities are based on historical data and are provided for information purposes.

Offeros may take this data into consideration when developing their category rates.

3/28/2012

3/27/2010

Question 47, dated 3/9/12 asks about eTools availability. The response was: "Yes, the ETIMS TO Viewer is available. However the hardware and wireless network are not."

Is the hardware and wireless network on order and will this be made available to the contractor?

Is the quantity on order or to be made available in sufficient quantity to support increased manning levels?

There is no anticipated date for installation of a wireless network. The contractor will use desktop computers to access the ETIMS TO Viewer.

3/27/2010

PWS Section 2.2.8 requires USER approval for limitations and record data in E-FEMS.

Is this approval process required for repeat limitations previously approved?

No, only new & changed limitations not directed by

T.O. require user approval.

3/28/2012

3/27/2010

PWS Section 3.4.

Will the contractor be permitted to make purchases at the GSA store?

No

3/28/2012

3/27/2010

PWS Section 3.4.3 computer supplies.

Will paper and printer cartridges be provided to print technical orders as required?

Yes