Industry_Day_QA.pdf

Industry Day overview Questions and Answers

The answers below may change once the Request for Proposal Package has been reviewed.

1. How do you control a situation of having 10 Delivery Orders (DOs) and only five small business companies that may be overwhelmed?

Answer: Vendors do not have to propose to every DO. This situation will self-regulate by virtue of each company’s capability to provide proposals and perform.

2. Are small businesses required to perform at least 50% or more of the DOs?

Answer: The 50% rule under FAR Clause 52.219-14 does not apply to the number of DOs but rather to the percentage of work performed under DOs awarded to a company. A GAO case has clarified the 50% rule applies to the entire contract ordering period; five years in this case. We will be including language that addresses small business progress to that 50% goal probably at the mid-term of the ordering periods.

3. Section M Slide: Are cost elements and subcontracts cost/direct cost expected in the Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) evaluation?

Answer: These types of elements may be required at the DO level but are not required for the overall IDIQ evaluation.

4. Can you run us through the DO evaluation process? What is the relevance of the price evaluation?

Answer: Each DO will have an evaluation process but in general we anticipate customers will use the Lowest Price, Technical Acceptance (LPTA) process. The price evaluation is used once vendors pass the technical factor.

5. Will rates be used?

Answer: Rates are required within the Representative Labor Effort. Rates need to be competitive and realistic but will not be placed on the IDIQ contract. Individual DOs in the future will rely primarily on a bottom line firm fixed price.

6. There is only a small number of labor categories represented. Why?

Answer: This is only a Representative Labor Effort with a small number of anticipated labor categories that are reasonably expected to be used during this IDIQ effort. This is not and cannot be a comprehensive list of anticipated labor categories.

7. What is the rank of the factors?

Answer: The factors are equal. This is not a full tradeoff evaluation.

8. Can you subcontract for other areas?

Answer: Yes. We fully expect subcontracting/teaming arrangements will be used.

9. What type of contract will the DO be?

Answer: Predominately Firm Fixed Price but we have left room to use Cost type efforts as needed.

10. Can Sub Factor B experience be subcontracted out?

Answer: Subcontractors can be reflected during the oral presentation. The prime must have some experience in handling subcontract agreements or direct relationships with the subcontractor in question.

11. What if our oral presentation is supplemented with 200 slides and we don’t get to some of the areas?

Answer: Vendors only get 90 minutes to present. Any slides that are not presented will be discarded and not reviewed.

12. What is the NAICS code size?

Answer: The NAICS code is 332993 with a small business size of 1,500 employees.

13. How will Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) be handled?

Answer: A generic OCI clause will be included in basic IDIQ and each DO will address OCIs as necessary.

14. Will requirements be at the DO level or on IDIQ?

Answer: On each DO.

15. Can experience be in process or already completed?

Answer: Experience can be in process.

16. Will there always be a synopsis to small businesses with rule of 2 or sometimes will you go direct to large?

Answer: If we do not get two responses from small business stating they will propose, then it will be a full and open competition. Some work may go full and open (or sole source) based on a customer’s fully justified reason. Our goal is to expose small business as much as possible to all work under this IDIQ.

17. Will you have specific small business set aside, i.e. subcategories?

Answer: We are not establishing any small business subcategory set-asides.

18. The acquisition timeline indicates three months for discussions, if that is not needed will you move up the award date?

Answer: Yes.

19. What will be the initial award under this IDIQ?

Answer: Initial award will be a $2K post award conference.

20. Can you make sure provisions for OCI clause and OCI verbiage in SOW are clear and not contradictory?

Answer: We will make sure no contradictions between the OCI clause and the SOW.

21. Will a small business plan be part of a large business evaluation?

Answer: Yes, small business plans will be required for this IDIQ.

22. Is there any limitation on who large businesses can use as subcontractors?

Answer: There are no limits regarding teaming agreements.

23. Will the technical evaluation be done during the oral proposals or wait until 5 December?

Answer: Technical evaluations will occur during the oral evaluations. We are required to input our conclusions in an evaluation program that will create a final decision document. This effort will take some time.

Questions and Answers from One-on-One sessions (Repeated Questions have been deleted)

1. Will you be sending a copy of the attendees list?

Answer: Yes along with the Industry Day slides and these questions and answers.

2. Will the government post DO requirements on line?

Answer: No, they will only be posted to the IDIQ awardees. Only the AA IDIQ contract awardees will be eligible for delivery orders.

3. Do you for see a time period for DO response? Sometimes it is too rapid and it is hard to provide pricing/proposals.

Answer: DO response will be determined between the customer and procurement team taking in consideration the urgency of the requirement and the practicability of receiving viable competitive proposals. At this time we cannot create a static response time. Vendors can request an extension on proposal provided the reason is adequate and does not impact an urgent requirement due date.

4. Are you looking for broad based response during oral proposals?

Answer: Oral proposals should cover/discuss the 7 areas in the SOW to satisfy sub factor A plus provide corresponding experience to satisfy sub factor B.

5. Will DOs have separate evaluation criteria?

Answer: Yes, DO evaluation criteria will be specific to each order.

6. How do you prevent small businesses from just teaming with a large as a subcontract?

Answer: Small businesses must be cognizant of the 50% rule throughout the life of the IDIQ.

With that in mind, small businesses may subcontract to large businesses and small businesses to satisfy the IDIQ DO requirement.

7. Under LPTA, actual performance is sometimes overlooked on DOs?

Answer: Evaluation criteria for DO can include past performance if applicable.

8. Will you have CDRLs at the top level of the IDIQ?

Answer: Yes, for certain reports. Each DO may require CDRLs as well.

9. At the IDIQ level, will pricing be only the rates totaled into an overall price?

Answer: Yes, to satisfy the pricing portion of the LPTA. Individual DOs will have full pricing package requirements as needed.

10. Are there any funds available to put on contract?

Answer: Not at this time but funds will be available to meet the minimum initial DO.

11. What is the role of your customers?

Answer: They bring the requirement to the program office for this IDIQ and we work together to get DOs evaluated and awarded. The customer manages the DOs post award.

12. Will you put out a preliminary notice on a quick delivery order?

Answer: That can be considered on a case by case basis.

13. Have you thought about having an “interest area” to submit white papers?

Answer: This is not a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) vehicle and therefore white papers would be inappropriate. Our current BAA on Federal Business Opportunities page

(FEDBIZOPS)

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=024b6a42af455b0b2330bf6fe5609c8 c&tab=core&_cview=1 would be the avenue for white papers.

14. Do we need to address the SOW paragraphs that are not mentioned in Section M, in the oral proposal?

Answer: The oral presentation should focus on seven areas of SOW as indicated in Section M.

The measures of merit apply to those areas only.

15. SOW paragraphs 4.1 and 4.2 for IDIQ states identify ALL subs for approval, we need clarification because it does not seem reasonable since we do not actually have a requirement?

Answer: Para 4.1 and 4.2 of the SOW address subcontract management but no approval requirement. Vendors are free to subcontract freely as long as the work can be accomplished and there are no security issues.

16. Are there any limitations on teaming?

Answer: No, as long as there are no OCIs and small business primes must do at least 50% of the work over the life of the contract.

17. Is there an obligation to use the subcontractors identified in the IDIQ? (Because if there is, it is tough to commit to subs at the IDIQ level when there really aren’t any requirements.)

Answer: There are no limitations on what subcontractors can be used. Teams should put together a plan on how they plan on accomplishing the seven areas.

18. Please confirm the meaning of small business set aside in para 1.1.2.

Answer: There will be two separate IDIQ RFPs: one for Small Business and another for Full and Open competition. Small business will get a synopsis of DO requirement and need to respond in a short period indicating if they will propose to the effort. If we receive two or more positive responses, the DO will be set aside for small business, otherwise the effort will be become and full and open competition.

19. What is required of large business to use small business?

Answer: Large business will need to follow their Small Business Plans otherwise no specific restrictions.

20. Will you provide a listing of potential DO, to show intent?

Answer: At this time we do not have such a list. We can say our intent is to provide end products/reports that support our armament requirements.

21. When are additional inputs due?

Answer: No later than 12 August 2014.

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=024b6a42af455b0b2330bf6fe5609c8c&tab=core&_cview=1 https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=024b6a42af455b0b2330bf6fe5609c8c&tab=core&_cview=1

22. Can AFRL fund a DO through one of the three customers?

Answer: Yes, as long as the customer provides a requirement to the program management team who will coordinate with the procuring contracting officer.

23. Will every requirement be processed through small businesses?

Answer: As many as possible. Fully justified sole source acquisitions may occur but our emphasis is to expose small business to every DO that is practical.

24. Clarify, all the IDIQs added up cannot exceed $490M?

Answer: The Delivery Order total under the AA IDIQ cannot exceed the $490M ceiling. The procurement office will keep track of expenditures.

25. Will there be a dollar “cap” on each individual company’s IDIQ contract?

Answer: No company cap for the DOs but there may be a mid-term evaluation of small business progress toward the 50% participation rate.

26. Is the criteria for small business the ability to prime at least three areas plus program management?

Answer: Yes. We want small businesses to provide in-house capability (prime) at least three of the technical areas in addition to program management. They must then provide a means of satisfying the other technical areas through teaming/subcontracting.

27. Is the successful criteria for large business the ability to prime at least five technical areas plus program management?

Answer: Actually the number is four of the technical areas.

28. Are you expecting to see large businesses team with small businesses?

Answer: Those are industry business decisions. Of course large businesses need to consider their small business plans.

29. Does the corporate small business plan count for large businesses?

Answer: Yes. Approved Corporate Small Business Plans are acceptable.

30. Isn’t it evident that small businesses have an advantage on rates?

Answer: Small businesses will compete under the AA IDIQ RFP set aside for small business.

Small businesses can compete on the Full and Open IDIQ RFP but they must meet the strictor technical requirements.

31. How will the evaluation address contractor proposals that provide divisional rates not from the division going to do the work? For instance the company transfers work to a different division?

Answer: For the IDIQ LPTA evaluations we expect vendors to provide their most competitive rate per labor category. Future work to another division will convey to a different cage coded entity and therefore be treated as a subcontractor.

32. If there are OCI clauses in the DOs, will the response timeline take into account how long it takes to determine OCI issues? Estimate 10-20 days to determine OCI issues.

Answer: We can take that into consideration but, with our need for rapid acquisition, we will rely on vendors to be expeditious in clarifying any OCI issues.

33. How will you address A&AS contractors and OCI issues on IDIQ?

Answer: The basic OCI clause on the IDIQ addresses these issues but separate OCI issues may be addressed at the DO level.

34. Can you provide a list of disciplines who will be in the oral briefings so we are able to make our presentation catered to the audience?

Answer: We will have technical representatives familiar with the primary disciplines of the

SOW.

35. The oral presentations; will there be 2 or 3 sections where the clock stops for questions and then starts again or how will Questions be handled?

Answer: You will be given a full 90 minutes to make your presentation. The government will break to convene and come back to you with any clarification questions but not to exceed 30 minutes.

36. Will you post the briefing charts to fedbizopps?

Answer: Yes along with these answers.

37. If a company wins an EB task order does it pose an OCI for their company to bid on this IDIQ?

Answer: Not necessarily. Without further detail, this question cannot be answered at this time.

38. Do you actually foresee all the work being done at a company location or do you see the need for using GFP or equipment, tools here at the base, for instance using the Modeling and simulation tools at the base?

Answer: Intent is yes, at the contractor’s location, but will be delineated at the DO level.

39. Are there any fee guidelines?

Answer: No, for the IDIQ we are evaluating a final price based on burdened rates with no breakout of what that burden may be.

40. Explain what type of DO’s will not entertained on this IDIQ.

Answer: Advisory and Assistance, Services, and Construction. Also any work that is not initialed by the primary customers supporting armament needs at Eglin AFB.

41. Can you explain relevancy and recency regarding experience?

Answer: Recency is within the last five years. Relevance goes to the armament field in general within emphasis on the needs of the US Air Force.

42. Do you plan to stick with the current assumed Large Business/Small Business ratio?

Answer: We are evaluating the responses to our industry day and RFIs to determine if the language regarding the number of full and open contracts vs small business contracts is appropriate. We still maintain only plan to award only 20-21 maximum IDIQ contracts.

43. Will Small Business past performance be evaluated?

Answer: All businesses experience will be evaluated as part of Sub factor B of Factor I of the evaluation criteria. There will be no formal past performance evaluations.

44. Are there any Earned Value Management (EVM) requirements?

Answer: Any EVM requirements will be determined as the DO level.

45. Can the rates for Sub factor B come from past experience or do they need to be from present work?

Answer: Rates should reflect current industry standards or those rates already established within your company or any potential subcontractor.

46. Regarding labor rates, are large businesses compared with small businesses or are they separate?

Answer: There are two separate requests for proposals (RFP); one for full and open and another for small business only. The rates comprise a final overall price for each RFP.