QAs_2nd_Set_of_Clarification_Questions27Mar12.docx

1. The answer to question 29 says “Prime and every team member (propose to perform 20% or more of the work) must submit labor rates in accordance with paragraph 5.4.1.” We have team members who are proposed at less than 20% of the basic contract work. Should labor rates be included for ALL team members, or just those proposed to perform 20% or more of the work?

Answer: The previous answer to question #29 was incorrect. Prime and ALL team members shall submit fully burdened labor rates (CONUS home office and field rates) IAW section L, paragraph 5.4.1. Any team member as a minimum must provide at least one labor rate.

2. The Government response to question 49 states, “…only those services listed in section L-2 will be evaluated.” RFP Section L 4.5(a) states that “The proposal shall describe in detail the team’s experience, in supporting the identified 12 mission areas and 7 highlighted mission tasks,” and the Government response to question 85 states, “only those tasks denoted by an asterisk in attachment L-2 will be used for the evaluation of corporate experience.” Are we correct in interpreting that the Technical Subfactor 1.2 – Corporate Experience narrative should describe in detail only the 12 mission areas and the narrower list of seven denoted tasks, as stated in Section L 4.5(a) and the response to question 85?

Answer: Yes, the corporate experience narrative should describe in detail only the 11 mission areas and the seven PWS mission support tasks as stated in Section L 4.5(a).

An offeror‘s workforce management approach should reflect work on all PWS tasks since prospective contractors may be asked to perform any PWS tasks on any given task order. Attachment L-2a was not intended to include all aspects of the PWS. All 11 mission areas (a technical service was deleted) and all 17 PWS Support Tasks listed on L-2a will be used to evaluate the information submitted on the L-2a table for corporate experience. The 11 mission areas and those seven PWS mission support tasks denoted by an asterisk in L-2a will be used for the evaluation of written descriptions of corporate experience.

3. The answer to question 63 says "The formula in the pricing model for the average takes into consideration the zero and does not count them." The formulas in column Q of the "ALL AVERAGES" tab does take "into consideration the zero and does not count them," but the array (B6:P17) which that formula references, does not. For instance, if you enter $100 for Professional V under the "Home Average Rate" on the PRIME tab (or TP1 - TP14), the average on that tab calculates $50, which carries over to the "ALL AVERAGES" as $50. In order to correctly calculate the average, the field rate would need to be deleted. Can the model be revised so that cell values in the PRIME and TP1 - TP14 tabs are used in the average only if those cell values are greater than zero?

Answer: Attachments L-4 and L-5 must be filed out completely by the prime and all team members to include CONUS home office and field rates. If the entity only has one rate structure (e.g. a home office rate) for billing purposes, that rate must also be inserted in the field rate column in order to properly compute an average rate. Unless an entity is not proposing a rate for a specific labor category, it is mandatory that both home office and field rates be filed in even if it’s the same rate.

4. The answer to question 123 says “Yes, you are required to offer all holidays except when holidays are performed in accordance with the Contract Holidays Clause located in the PWS, paragraph 5.3.” Is this requirement applicable to contract personnel performing services in contractor-provided facilities or only on-site contractor personnel at government provided facilities?

Answer: This clause applies to both contract personnel performing services in contractor-provided facilities and to on-site contractor personnel at government provided facilities.

5. The removal of Technical Services from the Mission Areas (PWS Para. 2.1) portion of L-2a has resulted in us being unable to use some of the work efforts that we had planned to in order to meet all of the requirements for On-Site Customer Support & Technical Expertise. We are working with our teaming partners to evaluate work efforts to replace the ones we had originally been working with, this may also impact our teaming partners expected work share and change which partners have at least 20% expected work share. In addition, there continues to be some ambiguity surrounding the cost/price data submission requirements applicable to team partners. As a result, precious time has been lost in our team partners’ development of their professional and administrative burdened labor rates and the indirect rate package necessary to support their pricing. We are requesting an extension of 4 weeks to the proposal due date (from 9 April 2012 to 7 May 2012).

Answer: The “technical services” mission area in the original PWS was deleted. It was deleted because the other mission areas encompassed the actual technical services needed to perform the GEITA11 requirements. Therefore, removing technical services did not change or alter the technical requirements or expected mission areas. Your comment regarding ambiguities surrounding cost/price data requirements is noted. We will take your comments and concerns into consideration when making a determination to extend the proposal due date.

6. Reference: Section L, section 4.4., paragraph (d),page 18, and Q&A, posted March 15, 2012, response to question #28, Evaluation of Compensation for Professional Employees. In response #28, the government indicated that the page count will be increased from 10-15 pages to allow for incorporation of the offeror's professional compensation plan.

Comment: We request the page count be increased from 15 pages to 20 pages. This request is based on the assumption that in cases where an unpopulated Joint Venture will be submitting a proposal each Joint Venture member is required to submit their individual firm's Professional Compensation Plan. Increasing the page count from 10-15 pages does not provide enough pages when a JV consisting of two or more JV members is being proposed. If the requirement to submit a Professional Compensation Plan only applies to the Managing JV venturer, the request to increase the page count from 15 to 20 pages will be withdrawn. Another alternative to increasing the page count from 15-20 pages would be to allow the Professional Compensation Plans to be included as attachments to Volume II?

Answer: The page count will be increased from 10 to 20. An RFP amendment will be forthcoming to incorporate the page increase change in the table 2.2.

7. Reference: Government Q&A, posted March 15, 2012, Response to question #29

Comment: The Government’s response implies that only team members who are anticipated to perform 20% or more are required to submit labor rates in accordance with Section L, paragraph 5.4.1. This appears to contradict numerous other responses that state all Team members are required to submit labor rates regardless of percentage of effort anticipated. Please clarify.

Answer: The previous answer to question #29 was incorrect. Prime and ALL team members shall submit fully burdened labor rates (CONUS home office and field rates) IAW section L, paragraph 5.4.1. Any team member as a minimum must provide at least one labor rate.

8. Reference: Government Q&A, posted March 15, 2012, Response to question #25

Question: Is it technically acceptable to include a Team member on L1 and L2 and not include an example of their work effort in the description of the team's experience?

Answer: The response given to question #25 was in reference to section L, paragraph 4.5(b). Only table L-3 will be used to evaluate geographically dispersed task orders. There is no requirement to provide detailed written descriptions of all the 40-50 task orders submitted.

Your question specifically refers to section L, paragraph 4.5(a). The corporate experience narrative should describe in detail only the 11 mission areas and the seven PWS mission support tasks as stated in Section L 4.5(a).

An offeror‘s workforce management approach should reflect work on all PWS tasks since prospective contractors may be asked to perform any PWS tasks on any given task order. Attachment L-2a was not intended to include all aspects of the PWS. All 11 mission areas (a technical service was deleted) and all 17 PWS Support Tasks listed on L-2a will be used to evaluate the information submitted on the L-2a table for corporate experience. The 11 mission areas and those seven PWS mission support tasks denoted by an asterisk in L-2a will be used for the evaluation of written descriptions of corporate experience.

9. Reference: Government Q&A, posted March 15, 2012, Response to question #157

Question: With regard to the cost proposal narrative only are Team members required to:

a. Provide narrative for all areas of section 5 (5.1.1 through 5.4.6)?;

Answer: No, Prime and all team members must provide a narrative only IAW 5.4.4.

b. Provide narrative only for area 5.4.4 under which the Team members would support with narrative the basis of estimate for all direct and indirect factors to include profit?

Answer: Yes.

10. Question: Does the requirement to provide the cost proposal narrative only apply to those Team members that are contributing 20% or more of the effort or does it apply to ALL Team members regardless of the percentage level of effort?

Answer: The previous answer to question #29 was incorrect. Prime and ALL team members shall submit fully burdened labor rates (CONUS home office and field rates) IAW section L, paragraph 5.4.1. Any team member as a minimum must provide at least one labor rate.

11. Reference: Government Q&A, posted March 15, 2012, Response to question #21

Comment: The Offeror is concerned with the response to question #21 in that the rationale for the SCA not being applicable to this procurement is based on the fact the "preponderance" of the anticipated A&AS is of a professional nature. The response indicates there will be minimal GEITA11 program requirements for SCA covered labor categories. Historically, GEITA program requirements have resulted in administrative labor categories, non-professional SCA covered, being placed on task orders. The following is an excerpt from 29 CFR 4.187(e)(5), see url below, which states "(5) Reliance on advice from contracting agency officials (or Department of Labor officials without the authority to issue rulings under the Act) is not a defense against a contractor's liability for back wages under the Act. Standard Fabrication Ltd., Decision of the Secretary, PC-297, August 3, 1948; Airport Machining Corp., Decision of the ALJ, PC-1177, June 15, 1973; James D. West, Decision of the ALJ, SCA 397-398, November 17, 1975; Metropolitan Rehabilitation Corp., WAB Case No. 78-25, August 2, 1979; Fry Brothers Corp., WAB Case No. 76-6, June 14, 1977."

Our concern is that all Offerors performing GEITA11 may believe SCA is not applicable while the CFR statute clearly holds contractors responsible in cases where SCA covered employees are utilized even if the Contracting Officer has made a determination SCA is not applicable.

Request the 772d ESS/PKS revisit the applicability or non-applicability of SCA to GEITA11 and provide the CFR citation which determines SCA not applicable when the "preponderance" of the labor contracted for is of a professional nature.

Answer: It has been determined by Mr. Quiroga, the AF Labor advisor from SAF/AQC, with concurrence with the Department of Labor representatives, that SCA is not applicable to the GEITA11 basic ID/IQ contract. 29 CFR 4.187(e)(5) specifically addresses contractor’s liability for “back wages” when a violation to the SCA has occurred and it does NOT address requirements for making a determination of SCA applicability. The non-applicability SCA determination for this GEITA11 requirement has been reconfirmed with the appropriate Air Force personnel.

Chapter 14 of the SCA, Paragraph 14c07 titled “Contracts which have as their principal purpose the procurement of a type of service where service employees will not be used” states the following.

(a) Coverage of the Act does not extend to contracts for services to be performed exclusively by persons who are not service employees, i.e., persons who qualify as bona fide executive, administrative, or professional personnel as defined in the FLSA regulations found at 29 C.F.R. Part 541. For example, a contract for professional services performed essentially by bona fide professional employees, with the use of service employees being only a minor factor in contract performance, is not covered by the SCA. However, a contract for professional services that requires the use of service employees to a significant or substantial extent (in terms of number of employees or hours worked) is covered by the SCA, even though professional employees may be used in the performance of the contract. (See 41 U.S.C. 357(b); 29 C.F.R. 4.113(a)(3), 4.156; FOH 14b05.) Rev. 660 FIELD OPERATIONS HANDBOOK – 10/25/2010 14c07 - 2

b) In practice, a 10 to 20 percent guideline has been used to determine whether there is more than a minor use of service employees. (See Preamble at 48 Fed. Reg. 49736, 49743-44 (Oct. 27, 1983).)

The majority of the GEITA11 task order requirements is expected to be performed predominately by bona fide professional employees.

12. Thought I would just mention, before you put out a modification, that the "ALL AVERAGES" spreadsheet in L-6 has an error. Cell M2 should read 'TP11'!$A$3' instead of 'TP10'!$A$3'. Right now, it's just repeating the information from the cell to its left.

Answer: Cell #M2 of the Pricing Model (L-6) has been corrected. An RFP amendment will be forthcoming to incorporate a revised pricing model, L-6 attachment.

13. Would like to seek a clarification on question #64 from the GEITA11 Q&A: The answer indicates that "A stand alone contract does not include the basic ID/IQ contract. However, Task Orders issued against GEITA05 and GEITA Bridge can be counted as a separate work effort." Can multiple task orders under a single ID/IQ contract (GEITA05 or GEITA Bridge) be written up to represent a "Major Work Effort?" "For example, can we group multiple Task Orders under GEITA Bridge or GEITA05 to prepare the write-up for one (1) Work Effort or Major Work Effort in Attachments L-1 and L-2?"

Answer: Yes, separate task orders under a single IDIQ contract such as, but not limited to, GEITA05 or GEITA Bridge, will be considered as separate "Major Work Efforts" and will be evaluated and counted separately.

14.XXX is interested in submitting a response to the GEITA Solicitation FA8903-12-R-8000. Our question at this point is regarding the 3 years of financial documentation required for submittal: we have already submitted our financial information to the DCAA for previous proposals. Would we be required to submit it for the GEITA solicitation regardless?

Answer: Yes.

15. There appears to be a problem in the linkage for the name of Team Partner 11 on the “All Averages Tab” in L-6. The cell, M2, where the name of “TP11” should appear, is apparently linked to the name of “TP10” as this name appears in both L2 and M2. Since this file is password protected, it is impossible for us to make the required changes. Respectfully request the Government make this change and post a revised copy of the file.

Answer: Cell #M2 of the Pricing Model (L-6) has been corrected. An RFP amendment will be forthcoming to incorporate a revised pricing model, L-6 attachment.

16. We have already sent Financial Statements for prime and team members, who will perform 20% or more of the proposed contract effort, in sealed packages to the address in the SF33 by the deadline stipulated in the solicitation.

a. Does this satisfy instructions/evaluation for Sec L 5.6(a)/(b)?

Answer: Yes, but if you have not submitted an electronic copy (via email) of the L-9 form, send to the GEITA11 email address (afcee.geita11@us.af.mil). Additionally, the electronic copies (CD-ROMs) of all financial statement documentation must be mailed to:

If using USPS Mail, use the following mailing address:

772d Enterprise Sourcing Squadron/PKS ATTN: Mr. Kim Walton 2261 Hughes Ave Ste 163 Lackland AFB TX 78236-9861

If using Couriers/Physical Address (Fed Ex, DHL, and UPS) use the following address:

772d Enterprise Sourcing Squadron/PKS ATTN: Mr. Kim Walton 3515 S. General McMullen, Bldg 171 San Antonio, TX 78226-2018

The proprietary financial information submitted by the prime on behalf of any team member may be submitted in a sealed envelope; however, the prime shall ensure that two electronic copies (CD-ROMs) are included in the sealed envelope/package.

b. Do we also need to provide e-copies of each of our subs confidential financial statements? If yes, how do you expect this information to be transmitted?

Answer: Paragraph 2.3.10.3 of section L provides instructions for submitted electronic copies (e-copies) for all proposal volumes. These e-copies are only CD-ROMs not electronic email copies. Electronic (CD-ROM) and hard copies of financial statements are required to be submitted 15 days after the solicitation posting date. The proprietary financial information submitted by the prime on behalf of any team member may be submitted in a sealed envelope; however, the prime shall ensure that two electronic copies (CD-ROMs) are included in the sealed envelope/package.

The e-copies (CD-ROMs) and hard copies of the financial statements shall be mailed to:

772 ESS has two (2) physical addresses. Please use one of the appropriate addresses below.

If using USPS Mail, use the following mailing address:

772d Enterprise Sourcing Squadron/PKS ATTN: Mr. Kim Walton 2261 Hughes Ave Ste 163 Lackland AFB TX 78236-9861

If using Couriers/Physical Address (Fed Ex, DHL, and UPS) use the following address:

772d Enterprise Sourcing Squadron/PKS ATTN: Mr. Kim Walton 3515 S. General McMullen, Bldg 171 San Antonio, TX 78226-2018

The only documents that need to be emailed to the GEITA11 email address at afcee.geita11@us.af.mil are the L-8 and L-9 attachments. These two documents will also be submitted along with the contract and cost/price volumes of the proposal.

17. Do the Financial Statements referenced in the question above also have to be included in sealed packages with the proposal submittal? If the answer is yes, this will result in two sealed packages for each team member: one due 15 days after solicitation was posted and the other due on the proposal due date of April 9. Please confirm that this is your intention.

Answer: No, copies of the financial statements are required to be submitted 15 days after the solicitation posting date. See answer to question number 16 above.

18. Do the Financial Statements referenced in the questions above also have to be provided electronically? If yes, how should this confidential information be provided to the government? Table 2-2 in Sec L does not allow the number of CDs that would be required to transmit this confidential (sealed information) in flexible cases with 2 holes punched. Please consider making a blanket statement that all confidential information provided to the prime in sealed package does not have to be submitted electronically.

Answer: Paragraph 2.3.10.3 of section L provides instructions for submitted electronic copies (e-copies) for all proposal volumes. These e-copies are only CD-ROMs not electronic email copies. Electronic (CD-ROM) and hard copies of financial statements are required to be submitted 15 days after the solicitation posting date. The proprietary financial information submitted by the prime on behalf of any team member may be submitted in a sealed envelope; however, the prime shall ensure that two electronic copies (CD-ROMs) are included in the sealed envelope/package.

The e-copies (CD-ROMs) and hard copies of the financial statements shall be mailed to:

772 ESS has two (2) physical addresses. Please use one of the appropriate addresses below.

If using USPS Mail, use the following mailing address:

772d Enterprise Sourcing Squadron/PKS ATTN: Mr. Kim Walton 2261 Hughes Ave Ste 163 Lackland AFB TX 78236-9861

If using Couriers/Physical Address (Fed Ex, DHL, and UPS) use the following address:

772d Enterprise Sourcing Squadron/PKS ATTN: Mr. Kim Walton 3515 S. General McMullen, Bldg 171 San Antonio, TX 78226-2018

The only documents that need to be emailed to the GEITA11 email address at afcee.geita11@us.af.mil are the L-8 and L-9 attachments. These two documents will also be submitted along with the contract and cost/price volumes of the proposal.

19. Question #4 on pg 1 of 58 states that all team members are required to provide L-4 and L-5. Question #29 on pg 9 of 58 states that prime and only team members who will perform 20% or more the work effort should provided L-4 and L-5. This is a direct contradiction. In light of this apparent contradiction, please clarify the following:

a. Does Table L-1 apply to “All Team Members” or “Prime and Team Members who will perform 20% or more of the proposed contract effort”?

Attachment L-1 applies to the prime and all Team Members who will perform 20% or more of the proposed contract effort. However, major work efforts from other team members not performing 20% or more may be included at the offeror’s discretion.

b. Does Table L-2 apply to “All Team Members” or “Prime and Team Members who will perform 20% or more of the proposed contract effort”?

Attachment L-2a applies to the prime and all Team Members who will perform 20% or more of the proposed contract effort. However, major work efforts from other team members not performing 20% or more may be included at the offeror’s discretion.

c. Does Table L-3 apply to “All Team Members” or “Prime and Team Members who will perform 20% or more of the proposed contract effort”?

Attachment L-3 applies to the prime and all Team Members who will perform 20% or more of the proposed contract effort. However, major work efforts from other team members not performing 20% or more may be included at the offeror’s discretion.

d. Does Table L-4 apply to “All Team Members” or “Prime and Team Members who will perform 20% or more of the proposed contract effort”?

Answer: Attachment L-4 applies to the prime and all team members. The previous answer to question #29 was incorrect. Prime and ALL team members shall submit fully burdened labor rates (CONUS home office and field rates) IAW section L, paragraph 5.4.1. Any team member as a minimum must provide at least one labor rate.

e. Does Table L-5 apply to “All Team Members” or “Prime and Team Members who will perform 20% or more of the proposed contract effort”?

Answer: Attachment L-5 applies to the prime and all team members. The previous answer to question #29 was incorrect. Prime and ALL team members shall submit fully burdened labor rates (CONUS home office and field rates) IAW section L, paragraph 5.4.1. Any team member as a minimum must provide at least one labor rate.

f. Does Table L-8 apply to “All Team Members” or “Prime and Team Members who will perform 20% or more of the proposed contract effort”?

Answer: Attachment L-8, the Contractor Data Sheet for Accounting System Pre-Review Audit form applies to the prime only.

g. Does Table L-9 apply to “All Team Members” or “Prime and Team Members who will perform 20% or more of the proposed contract effort”?

Answer: Attachment L-9, the Financial Capability Risk Assessment Pre-Review form applies to the prime an all team members performing 20% or more.

h. Does Section L, 5.3.1 Estimating System apply to “All Team Members” or “Prime and Team Members who will perform 20% or more of the proposed contract effort”?

Answer: It applies to the prime and ALL team members.

i. Does Section L, 5.4.3 apply to “All Team Members” or “Prime and Team Members who will perform 20% or more of the proposed contract effort”?

Answer: It applies to the prime and ALL team members.

j. Does Section L, 5.4.4 apply to “All Team Members” or “Prime and Team Members who will perform 20% or more of the proposed contract effort”?

Answer: It applies to the prime and ALL team members.

k. Does Section L, 5.4.5 apply to “All Team Members” or “Prime and Team Members who will perform 20% or more of the proposed contract effort”?

Answer: It applies to the prime and ALL team members.

20. Question #38, 39, 40, 49, 126, and 148 all relate to Section L, 5.1 General Instructions and 5.2 Volume Organization. Suggest updating Section L Table 2.2 Proposal Organization to delete 5.1 and change 5.2 to Table of Contents, because:

a. Question #126 says no tab is required for general instructions. Deleting 5.1 from Table 2.2 will remove confusion about what offeror is actually suppose to provide with the proposal.

Answer: Paragraph 5.1 “General Instructions” will be deleted from Table 2.2 as suggested. An RFP amendment is forthcoming to incorporate the needed change to the solicitation.

b. Question #148 says that Volume Organization is Table of Contents. Amending Table 2-2 to change 5.2 to Table of Contents might remove some confusion.

Answer: Paragraph 5.2 “Volume Organization” will be changed to read “Table of Contents” as suggested. An RFP amendment is forthcoming to incorporate the needed change the solicitation.

21. Q#49 – Are we required to provide narratives for Information Management Support in the corporate experience section? If yes, then please clarify why because according to the answer to Q#49 it is not part of L-2 and therefore will not be evaluated.

Answer: No, information management support will not be evaluated separately under Section L 4.5(a) as part corporate experience. However, an offeror‘s workforce management approach should reflect work on all PWS tasks since prospective contractors may be asked to perform any of the PWS tasks on any given task order.

22. Q#49 – Is Information Management required to be addressed in the workforce management plan only?

Answer: Yes.

23. Question #70 gives two addresses for submittal of proposal and financial data sheets based on preferred method of shipment. SF33 offers only one address for submittal. Please amend SF33 block 7 to show both addresses or provide both addresses in Section L Instructions to Offerors.

Answer: The SF33, block 7 will not accept two separate addresses. Therefore no change will be made to the SF33. Please use the appropriate mailing address based on your preferred method of shipment.

24. Question #71 states that hard copies and electronic documents of Financial Statements for prime and 20% team members are required to be submitted and that electronic copies shall be submitted to the GEITA11 email address. Section L, 5.6(b) states that these Financial Statements can be sent in sealed packages with the Prime’s proposal. Please consider that it is not possible for the Prime to submit sealed packages electronically to the GEITA11 email address. Please amend your request to state that information in sealed packages which the Team member gives the Prime does not have to be submitted electronically to the GEITA11 email address.

Answer: Paragraph 2.3.10.3 of section L provides instructions for submitted electronic copies (e-copies) for all proposal volumes. These e-copies are only CD-ROMs not electronic email copies. Electronic (CD-ROM) and hard copies of financial statements are required to be submitted 15 days after the solicitation posting date. The proprietary financial information submitted by the prime on behalf of any team member may be submitted in a sealed envelope; however, the prime shall ensure that two electronic copies (CD-ROMs) are included in the sealed envelope/package.

The e-copies (CD-ROMs) and hard copies of the financial statements shall be mailed to:

772 ESS has two (2) physical addresses. Please use one of the appropriate addresses below.

If using USPS Mail, use the following mailing address:

772d Enterprise Sourcing Squadron/PKS ATTN: Mr. Kim Walton 2261 Hughes Ave Ste 163 Lackland AFB TX 78236-9861

If using Couriers/Physical Address (Fed Ex, DHL, and UPS) use the following address:

772d Enterprise Sourcing Squadron/PKS ATTN: Mr. Kim Walton 3515 S. General McMullen, Bldg 171 San Antonio, TX 78226-2018

The only documents that need to be emailed to the GEITA11 email address at afcee.geita11@us.af.mil are the L-8 and L-9 attachments. These two documents will also be submitted along with the contract and cost/price volumes of the proposal.

25. Question #81 states that 5.4.3 Fully-Burdened FFP Hourly Labor Rates is required from prime and all team members. According to the answer to Question #29, L4/L5 are required only from prime and team members who will perform 20% or more of the work effort. If the answer given to Question #29 is correct, then why would you need 5.4.3 for other team members who will Not perform 20% and do Not have to provide L4/L5?

Answer: L-4 and L-5 applies to the prime and all team members. The previous answer to question #29 was incorrect. Prime and ALL team members shall submit fully burdened labor rates (CONUS home office and field rates) IAW section L, paragraph 5.4.1. Any team member as a minimum must provide at least one labor rate.

26. Question #81 – 5.4.3 is allowed to be submitted in sealed packages. The prime cannot provide electronic versions of information we receive in sealed packages. Please revise the requirement in Table 2-2 and all of Section L to remove the requirement of electronic versions of confidential information given to the prime in sealed packages. If you cannot do this, then please revise the number of e-copies allowed for Volume III in Table 2-2 from 2 (two) to unlimited, because the only other option to meet your requirement is to submit two (2) e-copies/CDs of each team member’s confidential information. Should these multiple CDs also be in a flexible sleeve marked clearly and two-hole punched?

Answer: The two electronic copies do not mean you are limited to submitting two CDs for the cost/pricing volume. It means offerors are required to submit two electronic copies of all the required cost/pricing data which may consist of several CDs but still count as one electronic copy of all cost/price information. Note: Attachments L-4 and L-5 (CONUS Fully Burdened FFP Hourly Labor Rates) are not considered proprietary information.

Yes, all CDs must be in a flexible sleeve clearly marked and two-hole punched per section-L, paragraph 2.3.10.3(a).

27. Q#82. If 5.4.4 is provided to the prime in a sealed envelope, then the prime cannot provide the government with an electronic version as required in Table 2-2. Table 2-2 allows only two CDs for Volume III. Providing each team member’s information in a sealed envelope would require each team member to include a CD (or e-copy) of their information in the sealed package as well. This will result in more than two CDs. Please clarify how you expect to receive e-copies of information that the Prime will receive in a sealed package.

Answer: Table 2.2 of section-L mandates an electronic copy of volumes I and II and a total of two electronic copies for the cost/price volume III. This does not mean you are limited to submitting two CDs for the cost/pricing volume. It means offerors are required to submit two electronic copies of all the required cost/pricing data which may consist of several CDs but still count as one electronic copy of all cost/price information. Any proprietary cost/price information submitted by the prime on behalf of any team member may be submitted in a sealed envelope; however, the prime shall ensure that two e-copies of the cost/price information are included in the sealed envelope/package. An RFP amendment is forthcoming to incorporate the needed changes to the solicitation to clarify this requirement (section-L, paragraph 2.3.10.3).

28. For Question #84 as well as others, how is the Prime suppose to give the government e-copies of information the Prime receives from the team members in a sealed package? Do you want a CD from each team member that is in a flexible protective sleeve, clearly marked, and two-hole punched? If the answer is yes, please consider extending the deadline for submittal of proposals.

Answer: Yes, all CDs must be in a flexible sleeve clearly marked and two-hole punched per section-L, paragraph 2.3.10.3(a). Any proprietary cost/price information submitted by the prime on behalf of any team member may be submitted in a sealed envelope; however, the prime shall ensure that two e-copies of the cost/price information are included in the sealed envelope/package. An extension to the proposal due date is being considered. If an extension is deemed necessary it will be included as part of the forthcoming RFP amendment.

29. Regarding question #104: we have already submitted financial statements for the prime and 20% team members. Team member’s information was submitted in sealed packages in hard copy form. Do you want electronic versions of this information also? If so, how is the Prime expected to submit e-copies of this confidential information to the government?

Answer: Electronic (CD-ROM) and hard copies of financial statements are required to be submitted 15 days after the solicitation posting date. The proprietary financial information submitted by the prime on behalf of any team member may be submitted in a sealed envelope; however, the prime shall ensure that two electronic copies (CD-ROMs) are included in the sealed envelope/package.

The e-copies (CD-ROMs) and hard copies of the financial statements shall be mailed to:

772 ESS has two (2) physical addresses. Please use one of the appropriate addresses below.

If using USPS Mail, use the following mailing address:

772d Enterprise Sourcing Squadron/PKS ATTN: Mr. Kim Walton 2261 Hughes Ave Ste 163 Lackland AFB TX 78236-9861

If using Couriers/Physical Address (Fed Ex, DHL, and UPS) use the following address:

772d Enterprise Sourcing Squadron/PKS ATTN: Mr. Kim Walton 3515 S. General McMullen, Bldg 171 San Antonio, TX 78226-2018

The only documents that need to be emailed to the GEITA11 email address at afcee.geita11@us.af.mil are the L-8 and L-9 attachments. These two documents will also be submitted along with the contract and cost/price volumes of the proposal.

30. Please revisit your answer to question #107 and amend the RFP to say that all BOUND versions of Vol I, II, and III shall be double sided, and UNBOUND versions shall be double sided when practical.

Answer: All pages shall be printed double-sided (original and hard copies) on recycled paper as much as practical as per section-L, paragraph 2.3.11.1(a). The original volumes shall be unbound as per section-L, paragraph 2.3.10.1(b). All other hard copy volumes shall be bound as per section-L, paragraph 2.3.10.2(a).

31. In regards to Q#131, does each subparagraph in the PWS Sections 2.1 and 2.2 need to be addressed in the Workforce Management Plan?

Answer: The Offeror's Workforce Management Approach should reflect the Team's approach to accomplishing all areas the PWS to include: the specific AFCEE mission areas (PWS section 2.1), Mission Area Tasks (PWS Section 2.2); at worldwide locations, regardless of size in terms of supported contracted Man year Equivalents (CMEs) or cost.

32. In regards to Q#143, how does the government expect to receive e-copies of confidential information that the team member gives the Prime? An e-copy given to the Prime cannot be sealed unless conveyed by CD in a sealed envelope; therefore, the Prime cannot email the confidential information to the GEITA11 email address. Please clarify and revise your requirement for e-copies of confidential information.

Answer: Paragraph 2.3.10.3 of section L, provides instructions for submitted electronic copies (e-copies) for all proposal volumes. These e-copies are only CD-ROMs not electronic email copies. Electronic (CD-ROM) and hard copies of financial statements are required to be submitted 15 days after the solicitation posting date. The proprietary financial information submitted by the prime on behalf of any team member may be submitted in a sealed envelope; however, the prime shall ensure that two electronic copies (CD-ROMs) are included in the sealed envelope/package.

The e-copies (CD-ROMs) and hard copies of the financial statements shall be mailed to:

772 ESS has two (2) physical addresses. Please use one of the appropriate addresses below.

If using USPS Mail, use the following mailing address:

772d Enterprise Sourcing Squadron/PKS ATTN: Mr. Kim Walton 2261 Hughes Ave Ste 163 Lackland AFB TX 78236-9861

If using Couriers/Physical Address (Fed Ex, DHL, and UPS) use the following address:

772d Enterprise Sourcing Squadron/PKS ATTN: Mr. Kim Walton 3515 S. General McMullen, Bldg 171 San Antonio, TX 78226-2018

The only documents that need to be emailed to the GEITA11 email address at afcee.geita11@us.af.mil are the L-8 and L-9 attachments. These two documents will also be submitted along with the contract and cost/price volumes of the proposal.

33. Question #157 states that the cost narrative describing build up may be submitted in a sealed envelope to the prime for submission to the government. Section L, 2.3.10.3 and Table 2-2 state that e-copies of each volume are required to be submitted with the proposal. It would be impossible to submit the entire Vol 3 electronically on only two CDs because the information is being transmitted to the Prime via sealed packages. Please consider revising your requirements to say that information submitted by the team member to the Prime in a sealed envelope does not need to be transmitted via e-copy by the Prime to the government.

Answer: The two e-copies do not mean you are limited to submitting two CDs for the cost/pricing volume. It means offerors are required to submit two e-copies of cost/pricing data which may consist of several CDs but still count as one e-copy of all the cost/price information.

Paragraph 2.3.10.3 of section L, provides instructions for submitted electronic copies (e-copies) for all proposal volumes. These e-copies are only CD-ROMs not electronic email copies. Therefore, the proprietary cost narratives shall be submitted by the prime along with the proposal. If team member elect to provide their cost narratives to the prime via sealed packages, the prime shall ensure that two e-copies (CD-ROMs) of all cost information are included in the sealed envelope/package.

34. The answer to Question 166 says that “Project Managers need to come from the list of available labor categories.” Most project managers would then be typically mapped into the Professional Level III, IV, or V labor categories. While the qualifications of these categories would permit mapping the various skill sets of project managers, the pricing is limiting. There are significant jumps in minimum qualifications as you move from level III to level IV to level V. Particularly troubling is that level IV minimum qualifications is a Masters’ AND professional registration AND 5 years of experience OR Bachelor’s AND professional registration AND 20 years. The next step up at level IV is Master’s AND professional registration AND 20 years of experience. This means that many project managers would be excluded from level IV or V and have to be mapped to level III. For example, a professional with 18 years of directly applicable experience and a Bachelor’s degree would have a market-based salary in the level IV or V range, but would have to be priced at the level III range. Given that Section L, paragraph 5.4.1 states “the proposed fully-burdened FFP hourly labor rates shall be based on the minimum labor category qualifications,” pricing would not have the flexibility to cover many of the professionals needed for these services. If you don’t add another labor category, can you reduce the minimum education, certification, and years of substitution qualifications in level IV and level V to cover such highly experienced professionals?

Answer: Attachment L-7 entitled “Personnel Qualification and Experience”, paragraph 2 (d) is here by being amended from “A minimum of a Bachelors degree plus 20 years directly related experience…..” to “A minimum of a Bachelors degree plus 15 years directly related experience….” for the professional level IV labor category.

Answer: Attachment L-7 entitled “Personnel Qualification and Experience”, paragraph 2 (e) will be amended to reflect a change in the total number of years of experience required for the professional level V labor category from “20” to “18”.

An RFP amendment will be forthcoming to incorporate the revised years of experience qualifications for the professional IV & V labor categories.

35. Is it authorized to use an IDIQ/BPA in its entirety (as a single contract entry) for completing Attachment L-1 (Corporate Experience Summary) and L-2a (Corporate Experience Matrix) and then use the IDIQ/BPA's individual task orders to complete Attachment L-3 (Matrix of Geographical Dispersion)?

Answer: No, in order to populate attachments L-1 and L-2 entries must represent major work efforts. A major work effort is defined as an effort (e.g., a job order, purchase order, interdivisional work order, task order under IDIQ, stand alone contract, etc) under which the effort demonstrates performance of at least one mission requirement area as defined in the PWS Section 2.1 and four or more PWS mission/support tasks (PWS Section 2.2) are performed.