Questions and Answers - FedBizOpps.doc

Can and will the Government have a site visit.

1A. Conducting a site visit is very costly in terms of time and effort and disruption of operations, and these costs are multiplied for every offeror who requests a visit. Furthermore, in our opinion, there is little, if anything, to be gained from a site visit for this requirement; therefore, the costs of conducting a site visit would far outweigh the benefits. Consequently, we have decided a site visit is not warranted. If you have specific questions regarding the facility or the requirement, please submit them and we will make every reasonable effort to respond.

1. The current rates being paid by the contractor are significantly higher than the Metrology rates in the Wage Determination and in past we have seem this type of wage loss in contract change over cause un-repairable damage to the work force thus destroying the entire project. Suggest that the Government establish the rate of ET II, II, and I as the actual base rates for this procurement. Will you mandate as Tinker ALC did that the ET Rate should be used. This has been done before to protect the employees and should be done on this job. The Electronic Technician (ET) rate is not as high as the current pay rates which are conformed but is a lot closer than the MT rate in the WD. This move would help maintain some continuity on the job. This issue is very important to Warner Robins as well as the customer.

2A. The DOL wage determination applicable to the contract is included in the RFP. The wage determination specifies minimum wage and benefit rates; contractors are not prohibited from paying above the minimum requirements. The Air Force does not have the authority to establish minimum wage rates for contractor service employees; only the Department of Labor (DOL) has such authority. DOL reviewed classifications including the type of work activity anticipated to be performed under this contract, and issued a revised SCA Directory of Occupations, 5th Edition, in 2006. This Directory is the basis for the wage determination included in this RFP. The offerors are responsible to review the SCA Directory of Occupations and determine the classifications applicable to the work performed by the employees. Questions regarding the appropriate classifications should be addressed to the US Department of Labor, Wage Hour Division.

2B. We understands the Governments position on this subject. One further question is on everyone’s mind regarding this issue. There are rumors abound about the Unions Immediate intent to organize as we have briefly discussed before. I hope that would not happen until after a new contractor is in place. My questions is if and when it does happen will the Government honor the date of the CBA agreement in doing an equitable adjustment or will there be a set date established by the Government to put off any possible rate changes impacted by the Union. We have experience negotiating with Unions (including the one trying to get in Robins PMEL)but may not have a great deal of effective date influence. What is the Governments position on this issue. None of us made the problem but it is on going as we speak and will certainly have a cost impact when and if it occurs.

Answer: The incumbent employees voted to be represented by a union on 14 Nov 2008, but no collective bargaining agreement currently exists. If the wages and benefits of the employees of the incumbent contractor are required by a collective bargaining agreement during the current contract, Section (4 ) of the Service Contract Act will likely apply to the successor contractor. The government will comply with FAR 22.1012 regarding any applicable collective bargaining agreement or wage determination revision, modifying the solicitation or new contract accordingly. For questions regarding the Service Contract Act, Section 4(c ), offerors are referred to 29 CFR Part 4.

2. PWS 1.1 PMEL Certification; is the lab certified at this time and can we get a copy of their last AFMETCAL Audit Report?

3A. Robins PMEL laboratory is currently certified. A copy of the last AFMETCAL Audit Report will not be provided.

3. PWS, 1.2.3, States that the contractor shall provide written explanation to the QAE within 5 day, documenting the reason for not meeting the schedule turn-around time. Is there a program or set forms this requirement to be used?

4A. There is no standard form or program. A Contractor-developed form is acceptable.

4. PWS 1.2.5, states that the estimated TMDE is 120 items per day. There is no BEQ listing to show the breakdown of these items.

a. Is the government going to provide the BEQ listing by Lab areas?

A. No. A BEQ or throughput listing by lab areas will not be provided. However, historical monthly input data has been posted with the solicitation on FedBizOpps.

b. Does the lab do any on-site calibrations? If so, how many and where?

A. Generally, calibrations are performed in the PMEL facility. The only exceptions are calibrations performed at local engine test cells and one on-site calibration visit per year to Dobbins AFB GA to calibrate scales and engine test cells.

c. Can you provide customer equipment list so that the contract can assess the mix and time requirements for the entire job.

A. Total CTRFA inventory supported has been posted at FedBizOpps.

5. PWS 1.3.2.2, state that historically there is no more than one emergency priority per year. Is this correct? The number seems to be very low since most ALC’s have one a week or more.

A. Robins AFB PMEL has had two such occurrences in six-years.

a. What is the break down percentage of the different type of Priorities (Partnership, RE-21, and Mission Essential….)?

A. Metrics are not collected for this data. Priorities are assigned by the Government and partnerships and other agreements are invisible to the Contractor.

6. PWS 1.6.1, Proprietary Data, will the government order/provide any required data that is proprietary data?

A. Yes. Proprietary data will be provided by the Government, as required.

7. Is the CPR Training supplied by the base?

A. No. The Contractor is responsible for CPR training.

8. PWS 1.12.2 Root Cause Analysis (RCA), does the government have a computer program or set forms that the RCA must be done on?

A. Yes to both questions. Root cause analysis information is placed into the ‘Tracker” FEMS program. Tracker produces a standard form based on data input.

PWS 1.2.4 The report shall document reason(s) for delay and action taken to eliminate and prevent future TMDE delays. Corrective action shall be approved by the Government prior to implementation. The contractor shall strive to reduce turn-around time of TMDE since this is critical to customer service.

What is the impact if the government does not approve of the corrective action plus additional items may be affected during this approval period?

A. Contractor corrective actions are rarely disapproved. The intent is to have a record of the corrective action(s) which when compared to other approved corrective actions may identify a trend.

PWS 1.3.5 Work orders for PMEL owned TMDE are generated by utilizing priority code “1”. PMEL standards shall be worked before routine TMDE. The turn-around time for PMEL Standards is 5 days; or 8 days if TMDE item is selected for a Quality Review (QR). PMEL standards that require continuous monitoring or testing over 5 days are exempt from the 5 day turn-around. PMEL standards shall be worked during the contractor’s normally scheduled work week until completed or placed into a hold status described in paragraph 1.2.2. Once the reason for the hold has been corrected, the TMDE item is placed back into in-progress status and worked until completed.

Are PMEL standards counted in the turnaround time? If so, is there a requirement to document the reason why the turnaround time was missed and corrective action?

A: Yes. PMEL standards are counted in the turnaround time. The 5 days is your goal to strive to achieve. No. Normally a documented reason why the 5-day turn-around was missed would not required. However if it appears that PMEL standards as a whole are taking more than 5 days to complete, then the Government may request an explanation and a corrective action plan.

PWS 1.4 The contractor shall maintain a 95% defect free rate of all TMDE calibrated/inspected monthly. The accuracy shall be checked through the use of output sampling and Quality Deficiency Reports (QDR) from customers. Customers have to complete a QDR within 30 days of calibration date in FEMS/or its replacement. The method of sampling and auditing TMDE items shall be accomplished using TO 00-20-14 Section 9.

Are you referring to the internal contractor program? If so, are you requiring the contractor to not have any individual month drop below 95%? Is the customer QDR’s the only measurement for this standard?

A: No. The internal contractor program you refer to is in fact one quality program for both Government and Contractor employees that follows the guidelines set forth by TO 00-20-14. The 95% comes from the sample of TMDE the QAEs collect once the contractor has placed a TMDE item into AWGQ (ready for government acceptance) and uses the same methods as the “internal program” to perform a full parameter verification. This sampling rate is set at 3%. No. The customer’s QDR’s are not the only measurement of this standard. Customer QDRs are used in conjunction with the QAE collected data.

PWS 1.9 The contractor shall establish and maintain a training program to improve or update technical capabilities of assigned personnel. The Contractor shall provide all training required to meet requirements unless otherwise specified. The Government will provide classroom or computer based training as required for FEMS/or its replacement, Information Protection, Equipment Custodians, Technical Orders, Supply, Fire Extinguisher, Hazmat, and Lock-out/ Tag-out.

Are you requiring the contractor to produce a training schedule for the laboratory operation or individual technicians?

A: There is no requirement to provide a training schedule. The Contractor should establish a training program to fit their needs. It can be as simply as sending some to a manufacturer to learn about calibrating a new system, or using the PMEL classroom to conduct formal refresher training on electrical wiring safety. Training is a key area evaluated by AFMETCAL.

PWS 1.11.1 The contractor shall designate in writing a program manager and alternate that has overall supervision of contractor services and personnel. The program manager shall be the on-site point of contact between the Government and the contractor. The program manager or alternate shall be available during normal duty hours to discuss problem areas. When the program manager is absent for a period of eight hours or more and the alternate program manager is acting, the Government shall be notified.

Can this notification be verbal? A: Yes PWS 1.11.2.1 Contractor employees who, install, test, modify, repair, align, calibrate and certify base reference standards, working standards and common TMDE shall have graduated from a DOD accredited basic PMEL School or have an Associate’s Degree in Metrology. In addition contractor employees must be experienced to the Journeyman level as defined in AFI 36-2201 Vol. 3 paragraph 1.6.2.

If an individual has other DOD training or electronics training would you not accept them on the contract? If an individual has graduated from a DOD PMEL school or has an Associate Degree in but not experienced to the journeyman level, are they considered in the 10% ref. in para. 1.11.2.2?

A: No. Other DoD or electrical training cannot be substituted for DoD training from an accredited basic PMEL school or Associate’s Degree in Metrology. Yes. A DoD PMEL graduate or an Associate Degreed person not experienced to the journeyman level would fall in the 10% category.

PWS 1.11.2.2 The contractor may have 10% of their technician workforce in a trainee status for students enrolled and pursuing an Associate’s Degree Program in Metrology in order to gain work experience.

Is the 10% the maximum allowable number or is it only tied to individuals pursing an Associate’s Degree in Metrology?

A: Up to 10% of technicians may be individuals who are not fully qualified in accordance with the criteria stated in paragraph 1.11.2.1. These technicians must have already satisfied the educational requirements or be enrolled and pursuing an Associate’s degree in Metrology.

PWS 1.12 The contractor shall establish and maintain the PMEL Type IIA Quality Program IAW TO 00-20-14 Section 9. The contractor shall use the current version of the Robins Quality Manual, which is policy mandated by the Government management team. The Government PMEL Flight Chief has overall responsibility for the administration of the Robins PMEL Quality Assurance Program.

Please explain the requirement for the contractor to establish and maintain the PMEL Type IIA Quality Program IAW TO 00-20-14 Section 9 when you state the contractor shall use the current version of the Robins Quality Manual which is policy mandated by the government.

A: The Quality Manual is jointly developed by the Government and Contractor as required by AFMETCAL and is binding to both the Government and the Contractor. The Contractor selected for the follow-on contract, at some point after the initial transition period, will be required to work with the Government quality manager in developing a facility quality program.

PWS 1.23.1 Each completed end item shall be inspected by the contractor, prior to presenting to the Government for acceptance or rejection by the Government QAE, to insure completeness, serviceability, and compliance with the quality requirements. If a TMDE item is not acceptable, it will be returned to the Contractor for re-work. A quality discrepancy report shall be initiated by the QAE. No more than 1% defective rate on TMDE produced monthly shall be permitted.

How do you count the defects by each discrepancy on the item or just the item as one?

A: If government inspection reveals any defect, that item will be counted toward the 1% allowed for that month. TMDE is counted as one defect regardless of the number of individual defects identified for an item.

PWS 2.0

Par Performance Threshold

#1 TMDE Accuracy and Documentation

#2 Turn-around Time

10 days if selected for QR

RE-21, Mission Essential – 3 days

Partnership – 3 days

Emergency- Work continuously until completed

PMEL Owned Standards – 5 days, 8 days if selected for a QR

#3 Government Acceptance Inspection

How you will measure and quantify the 95% defect free rate?

A: By the number of defective TMDE items divided by the total number of TMDE items audited.

Are there variances’ on the turnaround time for periods when the environmental system or standards being down for an extended period especially when a large group comes off a hold status?

A: Allowances may be granted for extenuating circumstances. Such occurrences will be considered on a case by case basis.

How will you measure and determine the 99% defect free rate of Government processed TMDE?

A: Total number of defective items divided by the total number of items produced for the month.

Performance Plan I.f CPAR assesses a contractor's performance and provides a record, both positive and negative, on a given Contractor during a specific period of time. Assessment of the Contractor’s performance shall be based on the monthly QAP reports as coordinated and acknowledged by the Contractor. CPARs data will be collected and reported annually using the monthly QAP report as a basis of evaluating performance. More frequent CPAR updates may be required to document a significant improvement or degradation of the level of contract performance. The QM is responsible for ensuring CPARS data is collected and populated into the CPARS system.

Request a copy of the monthly QAP template that is used to measure the contractor’s performance. Is the report a combination of the contractor’s data and the Government QAE finding’s? What threshold is used to determine the ratings in the CPAR?

A: A copy of the monthly QAP report is attached. No. The monthly QAP report is based on Government findings as validated with the Contractor. CPARs threshold for services is $1,000,000.

Request a copy of the last AFMETCAL Assessment Report be provided?

A: The last AFMETCAL Assessment Report will not be provided.

Request a copy of the last 7808 Report?

A: Report currently not available.

· PWS 1.11.2.1 Contractor employees who, install, test, modify, repair, align, calibrate and certify base reference standards, working standards and common TMDE shall have graduated from a DOD accredited basic PMEL School or have an Associate’s Degree in Metrology. In addition contractor employees must be experienced to the Journeyman level as defined in AFI 36-2201 Vol. 3 paragraph 1.6.2.

If an individual has other DOD training or electronics training would you not accept them on the contract? If an individual has graduated from a DOD PMEL school or has an Associate Degree in but not experienced to the journeyman level, are they considered in the 10% ref. in para. 1.11.2.2?

A: No. Other DoD or electrical training cannot be substituted for DoD training from an accredited basic PMEL school or Associate’s Degree in Metrology. Yes. A DoD PMEL graduate or an Associate Degreed person not experienced to the journeyman level would fall in the 10% category.

B: Normally, the contractor rehires about 85% of the current employees upon contract award. Does the current staffing meet this requirement?

Answer: Yes. The same 10% restriction, as identified in the Government response above, applies to the current Contractor workforce.

· How will you measure and determine the 99% defect free rate of Government processed TMDE?

A: Total number of defective items divided by the total number of items produced for the month.

B: Does the government do a full parameter check plus a documentation and safety check when they process the TMDE.

Answer: Full parameter checks are done only on 3% output sampled. Documentation and Safety checks are done on 100% of the equipment and are considered part of the government’s acceptance.

· PWS 1.2.3 For items that have exceeded the turn-around days, the contractor shall provide written explanation to the QAE within 5 days, documenting the reason for not meeting schedule turn-around time and proposed corrective action.

If you use the daily production report of all items of TMDE produced for the day and identifies each item that exceeded the turnaround time. Are you required to document the reason for exceeding the turnaround time on each item or just the reason for that day for all items that exceeded the turnaround time?

Answer: If a group of TMDE have the same reason, then that would be sufficient, but I could not see one answer being the reason unless something major has happened like having no electricity, environmental system quit working, etc.

Please explain the requirement for the contractor to establish and maintain the PMEL Type IIA Quality Program IAW TO 00-20-14 Section 9 when you state the contractor shall use the current version of the Robins Quality Manual which is policy mandated by the government.

A: The Quality Manual is jointly developed by the Government and Contractor as required by AFMETCAL and is binding to both the Government and the

Contractor. The Contractor selected for the follow-on contract, at some point after the initial transition period, will be required to work with the

Government quality manager in developing a facility quality program.

If this is in fact a JOINT MANUAL, what would happen if by chance during an AFMETCAL Audit that the manual does NOT meet the criteria of T 00-20-14. Basically, who is held liable for the manual, Gov. or contractor, if it doesn't meet an auditors requirements.

Answer: The government has taken on the responsibility for the quality system such as the quality manual, trend analysis report, management review and internal audit. The biggest documentation responsibility for the contractor is the root cause analysis.

Will the contractor have equal input and review for the development of the Quality Document.

Answer: Absolutely. It is a joint quality manual binding to both the government and contractor. Inputs by both parties are essential into making it a good reference source for all to use.