RFP Questions and Answers Set 1.docx

RFP FA8523-11-R-23465 Questions and Answers - Set 1

1. Items No. 0008, 1008, and 2008 in Section B (Page #8, 17, and 27) do not list an estimated quantity. Please confirm that 12 MO should be utilized for Items No. 0008, 1008, and 2008 as defined in follow-on Item No. 3008 and 4008.

Response: There is not a quantity requirement for CLINS 0008, 1008, or 2008. The Financial Management Support is only required for Option III (3008), an estimated quantity 12 MO, and Option IV (4008) for an estimated quantity of 12 MO, and Option to Extend Services, an estimated 6 MO.

2. Item No. 5001 in Section B is not ½ of Item 4001. Please clarify if the government estimates 24 MO for Item No. 5001 not 18 MO.

Response: The estimated quantity for CLIN 5001 is 18 MO which is ½ of the estimated quantity of 36 MO for CLIN 4001.

3. Inconsistencies exist between the number of personnel requested for this effort. The total number of Full Time Equivalents (FTE) derived from Schedule B is 18 FTE, however the PWS and Current Projections document indicate 15 FTE are required. Please clarify.

Response: The number of personnel requested for this effort is 15. 13 of the 15 personnel will be housed at RAFB. The offeror is required to provide housing (office space) for 2 of the 15 personnel, as indicated by the estimated quantity of 24 MO for CLIN X009.

4. In regards to the delivery of Volume II. In L-900, Para C – second paragraph, calls for the delivery of Volume II ten (10) Calendar days prior to the required due date for proposals. It also states the Volume I is due on 4 May 2011. Ten days before that would be 24 April 2011 which is a Sunday. Is there going to be anyone available to accept proposals on that date?

Response: 24 April is the date for early submission of Volume II, however, please note – Volume II is NOT REQUIRED to be submitted early, though requested. Volume II MUST be submitted along with Volume I by the RFP due date, 4 May 2011.

Please note also: when submitting Volume II questionnaires via email, the email MUST be encrypted and a test encryption email to exchange certificates must be accomplished prior to submitting the questionnaires. Otherwise, questionnaires must be submitted via mail. Volumes I & II are not permitted to be submitted electronically, in accordance with the instructions at section L-900.

5. Please clarify what is to be priced in CLIN X009. What labor categories will be employed off-site, at what locations and for what durations? Without this information, particularly labor categories and duration of travel for each, there is no basis for an estimate.

Response: The price for CLIN X009 should be the amount of expense incurred to house any two personnel covered by CLINs X001-X007 for the basic, Option I and Option II and CLINS X001-X008 for Option III and Option IV. The location will be determined by the offeror. The duration would be the basic period and any options if exercised. Please note: the PWS, para. 3.0 requires on-site meeting support within 30 minutes notice.

6. The FACTS Sheet contains approximately 3-1/2 pages of boilerplate which appear to add little value (see F.3, I, J, K, L). Can the boilerplate be eliminated or edited to make this a more efficient, reader- friendly form for evaluators and offerors?

Response: The FACTS sheet was designed to accommodate different scenarios; some sections may not be applicable to all. Please utilize the sections applicable to your circumstances.

7. Does the Government expect to see input after the last sentence of F.1 or is all the information required to be input into the table?

Response: As indicated in Section F – a narrative description should be provided AND the table filled in with supplemental data.

8. Section F states that two additional pages beyond the FACTS sheet limitation may be added. Do these added pages include the expansion of the table after it is filled in or is the table part of the two pages? If nothing is changed on the FACTS Sheets with respect to boilerplate, and the FACTS sheets are filled in “as is”, what is the maximum number of pages that the FACTS sheets may total?

Response: Please see Section L, D(2) which gives the page requirements for the additional FACTS sheet responses as a maximum of two (2) sheets front and back. The two pages do not include expansion of the table after it is filled in. The fill-ins to the table must not expand the table by more than one sheet front and back. The FACTS sheets and expansion sheets must not exceed 11 pages, this includes the one additional page (front and back) allowed for the table expansion and the two pages (front and back) allowed for FACTS sheet narrative sections.

9. The table in Section F was created using two different font sizes. Can the boxes be filled in using the font size that column 2 of the table was created in, i.e., 10 point font?

Response: The column of the table titled “Fill-in for the Effort Identified in Para. B (Offeror completes)” should be filled in using 12-point font as instructed in Section L, Para A (1).

10. Is the offeror expected to fill in columns 2 and/or 3 of rows 1, 2, and 8?

Response: The offeror should fill in column 3 of rows 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,and 10.

11. In the FACTS sheet provided in Attachment 1 of the RFP, Information Assurance is listed in Group 1. In Section M of the RFP, IA is listed in Group 2. Also in Section M, Product Assurance is listed in Group 1 but Product Assurance is not contained on the FACTS sheet in Attachment 1. Please clarify.

Response: We recognize Group 1 should included Product Assurance instead of Information Assurance, and that Information Assurance should be included under Group 2. The FACTS sheet will be amended.

12. Paragraph 1.b of the FACTS sheet discusses qualifications of Engineering personnel however the only personnel discussion in Section L relates to personnel whose experience will be submitted in lieu of company experience for those companies which do not have adequate past performance. For companies having adequate past performance there does not appear to be any requirement to submit personnel qualifications. If a company has recent and relevant past performance, demonstrated by current contracts as defined in Section L, is it necessary to complete paragraph 1.b of the FACTS sheet?

Response: Yes, it is correct that for companies having adequate past performance there is not any requirement to submit personnel qualifications. Para. 1b of the FACTs sheet will be deleted in the forthcoming amendment. No personnel qualifications are required to be submitted.

13. Clause 52.222-42, page 71: what are the equivalent Civil Service (GS) levels for each of these rates? The rate for an Information Assurance Specialist who is qualified to obtain DoD 8750.01-M IAM level II certification is not in line with salaries for that level of qualification in the Warner Robins market.

Response:

Data Management Specialist – GS-11 Equipment Specialist – GS-11 Financial Management Specialist – GS-12 Information Assurance Specialist – GS-11 Manpower Support Analyst – GS-7 Program/Logistics Manager – GS-12

14. Section M-900, Subsection B.1.iv: This section appears to state that a Team’s contracts will be evaluated in aggregate for both relevancy and confidence. Is this correct?

Response: Yes, the team may elect to consider separate contracts in the aggregate if they were performed concurrently and may reflect a greater level of magnitude of complexity.

15. Please, provide clarification on the number of Past Performances to be supported by Questionnaire to the client. We do understand 3 from Prime with FACT sheets and Questionnaire are required. If there is a Teaming partner, do we provide 3 from prime and 3 from teaming Partner, or a combination of three (3) from prime and Teaming partner is required. ? Does Teaming Partner have to send questionnaires to their clients as well or FACT sheet is sufficient?

Response: Up to Three (3) Questionnaires from the Prime/Joint Venture may be submitted, and three (3) questionnaires from the critical subcontractor, if included in the proposal.

16. Please, advise whether this is a Wage Determination Contract, or Wage Determination rates are provided for information purposes only.

Response: Yes, the contract will be subject to the Service Contract Act (SCA). The applicable wage determination is attached to the solicitation.

17. Could you please clarify whether you require 1 or 2 paper copies of the Present/Past Performance Information as per Section L, Proposal Instructions?

Response: The RFP requires one (1) paper copy and one (1) CD-R or DVD-R (write once-read only) copy of the Present-Past Performance Information volume II.

19. Could you please clarify to which address the proposal should be sent? Section L States that the proposal should be delivered to:

WR-ALC/ GRWKA

ATTN: Magdalene Dickerson or Garett Nelson 460 Richard Ray Blvd.

Robins AFB, GA 31098-1813 Solicitation No. FA8523-11-R-23465

However, block 9 of the RFP cover page contains a different address. 542 COMBAT SUSTAINMENT GROUP, ATTN: WR ALC GRWKA, EW/AVIONICS, 265 PERRY ST, BLDG 249, ROBINS AFB GA 31098-1607.

Response: Proposals should be mailed to the address indicated in Section L and also shown in Block 7 of the solicitation. Proposals should be delivered to the address indicated in Block 9 of the solicitation.

20. Per Section L of the RFP in paragraph D.(1), the following is stated: “Note: If the contract you are submitting is an ordering type contractual vehicle (e.g., an Indefinite Delivery “D” type contract per FAR 16.5), only after issuance of a delivery/task order does performance occur. Given this, an individual order (or orders) under the basic ordering contract should be submitted in lieu of just the basic ordering contract itself. Each submitted order shall be considered a separate effort unless information is provided indicating follow-on or series of orders for continued performance of the same scope and such can be verified by the user/customer.” If a team member cites past performance for more than one Task Order awarded under a single contract. If the Contracts POC is the same for each of these TOs, are we required to send individual past performance questionnaires to the customer?

Response: Separate and individual past performance questionnaires are required unless information is provided indicating follow-on or series of orders for continued performance of the same scope and such can be verified by the user/customer.

21. Per Section L of the RFP in paragraph D (1), paragraph 2, “Staffing and retaining is defined as an offeror/joint venture partner’s ability to ensure that the Government does not experience unreasonable breaks in contractor support.”

Is it the government’s intent that we discuss key personnel, staffing, and retention? If so, where should we address these?

Response: Section L-900 D (1), only requires submission of Past Performance. This paragraph provides instructions for when no past performance is available for the offeror.

22. Per Section L D. (5) “The offeror shall exert its best efforts to ensure that at least two POCs per relevant contract submit a completed Present/Past Performance Questionnaire directly to the Government not later than the date established in this RFP for the present/past performance proposal submission.”

Please confirm that the government requires two (2) Present/Past Performance Questionnaires from two (2) different POCs for each Present and Past Performance contract cited.

Response: The government requires two (2) Present/Past Performance Questionnaires from two (2) different POCs for each Present and Past Performance contract cited.

23. Reference: Section M, para B 1 IV. “The Government may consider an offeror’s/joint venture partners’ contracts in the aggregate in determining relevancy, should the offeror’s present and past performance lend itself to this approach. That is, an offeror’s/joint venture partners’ three (3) contracts may by definition represent only a rating less than very relevant when each contract is considered as a stand-alone effort. However, when these contracts are performed concurrently (in part or in whole) and are assessed in the aggregate, the work may reflect a greater magnitude of complexities and/or magnitude of effort.”

Under what criteria and circumstances does the Government make a determination of aggregating an offerors past performance citations?

Response: When performed concurrently the Government may make a determination to consider an offeror’s past performance citations in the aggregate.

24. Per PPQ (Attachment 4). Question 16 asked specifically about “What R&M tools did the company use in order to manage and execute your R&M program….” and “was R&M data …incorporated seamlessly into the R&M tools?”

How are these answers to be evaluated in source selection?

Response: The Government will evaluate the answers for relevancy in the source selection.

25. Per the CDRL Package A001 - A007, A009 - A011 supplied do not include Data Item Descriptions or list any tailoring.

Does the Government intend that CDRL deliveries will conform to the most recent DiD or will they provide them as part of the solicitation?

Response: Block 4 – AUTHORITY (Data Acquisition Document No.) of each CDRL references the most recent DiD.

26. Per PWS 4.13 and Performance Plan pg 6 para h states that, “All contractors who physically perform work on Robins AFB must receive EMS awareness training. All prime contractors must complete the training prior to beginning work on RAFB and must ensure that all subcontractors comply with this requirement.”

Will the Government (78 CEG/CEV Workflow Mailbox) provide this training package as part of the solicitation?

Response: The EMS Awareness training will be provided by the government to the successful offeror prior to beginning performance.

27. Performance Plan II item 3 states “The contractor must provide qualified personnel within ten (10) work days from a government request for same.”

The CAC badging cycles are often out of the contractor’s control. Would it be possible to amend this requirement to accommodate?

Response: No, it is not possible to amend this requirement.