2016.03_Pre-submission_Meeting_Minutes.pdf

GSA, PBS, Acquisition Management Division

Pre-submission Meeting Minutes Synopsis/Solicitation GS-05P-16-SC-D-7001: Southern Service Center Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract(s) for Architecture and Engineering (A/E) Services

Mtg 1: March 9, 2016 @ 11:00 AM ET @ Bean Federal Center in Indianapolis, IN Mtg 2: March 15, 2016 @ 1:00 PM ET @ Bricker Federal Building in Columbus, OH Mtg 3: March 16, 2016 @ 10:00 AM ET – Teleconference Only

These meeting minutes are not intended to reiterate everything discussed during these meetings, but identify those points that may affect an Offeror’s understanding of the synopsis/solicitation. Included in the minutes are the sign-in sheets documenting everyone that was in attendance.

The purpose of the pre-submission meetings was to discuss the synopsis/solicitation reference above.

Potential offerors were instructed that no statements made by Government representatives during the pre-submissions meetings can add to, modify or otherwise vary from the requirements of the written synopsis/solicitation. In the event that discussions indicate a need to change the synopsis/solicitation, an amendment will be issued via FBO.gov.

Introductions were made; those in attendance representing the GSA were:

Katie Musselman, Contracting Officer Joe Loersch, Contract Specialist Abdulrahman Habeeb, Contracting Supervisor Mike Wolff, Acquisition Management Division Director Jeffrey Yoder, Supervisory Project Manager – S IL/IN Service Center Jeffrey Pavur, Project Manager – S IL/IN Service Center Craig Kozikowski, Supervisory Project Manager - OH Service Center Byron Durham, Project Manager – OH Service Center Michelle Wehrle, Southern Service Center Branch Manager Mariah McGunigle, Preservation Architect

Katie Musselman, Contracting Officer, started the meetings by thanking all participates for their interest and effort in this solicitation. GSA understands that every client presents challenges and GSA is no different in that regard; however, GSA’s challenges may be slightly different than those of private sector clients.

Katie stated that the goal of these meetings was to discuss some of what makes GSA unique, briefing participants on some of GSA’s policies and procedures so that firms can get a good idea of what to expect from GSA as a client. GSA wishes to establish a successful working relationship with our contractors and by providing this fundamental knowledge, we hope to set the groundwork for that successful working relationship.

A review of what to expect from GSA was presented, which included but was not limited to:

a. These contract(s) will be for repair and alterations projects with limited scope engineering and architectural services.

i. 80% of projects are anticipated to have an estimated cost of construction at award (ECCA) of $250,000 or less with performance periods of 120 calendar days or less

b. Some task orders may require a full range of engineering and architectural services with extended budgets and/or performance periods; however, project ECCAs over the current prospectus project threshold (which is currently $2.85M) are not anticipated.

A review of GSA’s expectations of A/E or E/A teams was presented, which included but was not limited to:

a. The Government may award to teams led by Architectural and/or Engineering firms (AE/EA).

Awardee’s must have the appropriate NAICS code (either 541330 or 541310) assigned in SAM.gov.

b. GSA emphasized the importance of reviewing the qualifications and the weightings identified in the synopsis/solicitation – GSA put a lot of time and effort in developing those requirements to be very specific about what we’re looking for from A/E or E/A teams.

c. GSA is looking for well-rounded teams that will provide flexibility in dealing with the unpredictable issuance of task orders.

i. Relevant areas of expertise should be identified in the qualifications submission.

ii. A depth of experience levels is important to GSA - Some relatively simple R&A projects don’t necessarily need an executive level architect or engineer to complete the design.

d. Clear and efficient management plan and team structure

e. Pass through costs (for sub-consultants) is not always efficient or appropriate for smaller R&A projects –

GSA budgets for these projects sometimes have difficulty accommodating these costs.

f. Quality control – GSA wants to know that you have a plan (and what it is) for quality control.

A review of the contract structure was presented, which included but was not limited to:

a. GSA plans to award multiple IDIQ contracts from this synopsis/solicitation

i. Base contract period will be 1 year w/ Four – 1 year options.

ii. Minimum guarantee for the base contract will be $1,500.

iii. Maximum ordering limitation will be $750,000/contract year.

b. Contract(s) will be split between two (2) zones: Zone 1 – Indiana and Illinois (excluding Cook and Winnebago Counties) and Zone 2 – Ohio

i. Teams are encouraged to submit for more than one zone; however, submitting for multiple zones will not positively or negatively impact the selection process.

ii. Within 30 days of awards – teams must have an active production office within or near the planned geographic zone to minimize direct travel costs.

c. After award of the base contract(s), task orders may be issued off of the base IDIQ contract(s); the task order process is as follows:

i. An A/E or E/A team will be selected based on qualification (relevant area of expertise, past performance, familiarity with the facility, etc.)

ii. GSA project manager and/or contracting officer will send a scope of work with submission requirements and the projected schedule to the selected team only – this is a request for quote

iii. The A/E or E/A team will be required to submit their price on GSA Forms 2630 and 2631

i. Costs for projects will be subject to the 6% fee limitation (FAR 15.404-4(c)). The 6% is based on the ECCA for the project and is primarily applicable to the production and delivery of designs, plans, drawings and specifications as indicated in the attached document (copies of this document were handed out at the in-person meetings).

ii. The GSA Project Manager and/or Contracting Officer will be there to help walk team’s through included and excluded costs (regarding the 6% fee limitation) and negotiate the fee for each project.

iv. After task order award – work shall be overseen or performed by individuals licensed in the relevant discipline, with a current registration in the state in which the project’s construction will occur.

d. GSA stated that, as per the synopsis/solicitation, if there is insufficient capacity to meet GSA’s needs within a designated zone, all AE/EA teams may be considered for task orders, based on qualifications.

Also, in the event of additional GSA needs for A/E Services within Region 5 (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan) but outside of a team's designated zone - a mutual agreement between GSA and the prospective team may be proposed. Offer and/or acceptance of such a request would not be mandatory or required.

A review of the IDIQ contract(s) selection process was presented, which included but was not limited to:

a. GSA’s selection for A/E contracts is a two-step process. The first step is qualifications based; the current notice is a Request for Qualifications ONLY.

b. This procurement is set aside for small business concerns meaning that the contract awardee(s) must be registered as a small business at SAM.gov.

c. Cover letter should indicate which zone(s) a team would like to be considered for. If teams would like to be considered for both zones – there is no need to submit 2 separate proposals – 1 proposal with the zone(s) preference on the cover letter is preferred.

d. Submissions for each zone will be evaluated independently by a Source Selection Board (i.e. for example, when qualifications are received, they will be divided into 2 separate piles. The board will spend a few days reviewing qualifications for zone 1. After zone 1 evaluations are complete, the board will spend a few days reviewing qualifications for zone 2.)

e. From the qualifications submission – GSA will short-list the most highly qualified firms. Short-listed firms may be asked to participate in an in-person interview.

f. During the second step of the process – short-listed teams will be required to submit documents and negotiate salary, overhead and profit rates – which will subsequently be used to negotiate task orders.

A question and answer session was conducted after the above information was presented. All questions and answers reviewed during the three meetings and received via e-mails since the issuance of the synopsis/solicitation are below.

Questions / Answers

Q1. The small business size of $15M for Engineering Services and $7.5 M for Architectural Services only applies to the firm that would have the prime contract for the project. Is that correct?

A1. Correct, only the awardee has the requirement to meet the small business designation.

Q2. Will resulting task orders be bid amongst the successful contractors?

A2. No, selections for task order awards will be based on qualifications.

Q3. When are qualification submissions due?

A3. Original, qualifications submissions were due March 29, 2016 @ 2 PM ET. The deadline has been changed from March 29, 2016 to April 12, 2016 @ 2 PM ET.

Q4. Can you provide an estimate of the number of task orders that may be issued for the Zone 2 contract(s)?

A4. Typically, Ohio has about 200 R&A projects each year. Approximately 80% of those require A/E services; the other 20% are done in house.

Q5. Can you elaborate on the included and excluded costs, regarding the 6% fee limitation?

A5. The 6% fee limitation is primarily applicable to the production and delivery of designs, plans, drawings and specifications; PCCS submittal review, pre-construction meeting, bidder questions, etc. are not part of the fee. PCCS submittal reviews and construction management and inspection services (M&I) are not typically negotiated up front, but not awarded until after construction is awarded.

Q6. If the majority of the projects are engineering lead, do you anticipate that they’ll go to engineering firms or architectural firms?

A6. Project selection is based on qualifications and which firm meets the requirements of the project. For example, preservation project might go to a company that has preservation understanding/expertise.

Q7. What is the time frame from when qualifications are received to when AE/EA teams can anticipate receiving a response from the Government?

A7. Teams should hear something back approximately four to six weeks after their qualifications submission; however, this timeline is just an estimate. At that point, GSA would begin scheduling the in-person interviews for the short-listed teams.

Q8. Will the selection board considered or can teams assume that if they’ve done work for the Government before, familiarity with the teams will be a part of the consideration?

A9. The selection board will review qualifications based on the information that is submitted by each team.

Past performance will be a factor in the evaluation and the Government has the right to use corporate knowledge when evaluating this factor. Teams should put together their qualification assuming that the board has not worked with the team in the past.

Q9. Can you elaborate on the definition of near per the following statement, “within 30 days of award, teams must have an active production office within or near the planned geographic zone”?

A9. Near is defined as within 120 miles from the designated zone. Successful teams must have an active production office within 120 miles of the awarded zone within 30 days of contract award.

Q10. Can you elaborate on the definition of the zones?

A10. As stated in the synopsis/solicitation, Zone 1 will cover all of Indiana and Illinois (excluding Cook and

Winnebago Counties); this primary excludes work in Chicago and Rockford, that work is typically handled by a different service center. Zone 2 covers all of Ohio.

Q11. GSA said they anticipate “multiple” awards, can you better define “multiple”?

A11. The number of awards will heavily depend on the number of highly qualified submissions we receive;

GSA’s intention is to have multiple awardees in each zone. GSA has discussed making between eight and twelve awards, but that is only an estimate.

Q12. How are travel costs managed at the task order level and will travel costs be reimbursed outside of the “near” designation for the awarded zone?

A12. Travel costs are excluded from the 6% fee limitation and paid out based on actual costs. During the negotiation of each task order, the PM and/or CO will work with the team to estimate an appropriate number of trips and associated per diem rates.

Q13. The list of primary disciplines and expertise that may be required includes “environmental services,” can you better define what services GSA may need related to environmental?

A13. GSA typical needs are for HAZMAT material identification and remediation for abatement.

Q14. The list of secondary expertise that may be required includes “security,” can you better define that requirement?

A14. Security needs are a reality in almost all projects. Security can be anything from electronics, safes, cameras, perimeter security, x-rays, etc. – it’s a very broad category.

Q15. The list of secondary expertise that may be required includes “real estate market analysis,” can you better define that requirement?

A15. The need for real estate market analysis is infrequent. If required, it would be well defined in the scope of work for the necessary task order.

Q16. We didn't see Risk Assessment as a potential service in the last update. Is this not required?

A16. The list of potential services is not an all-inclusive list.

Q17. We are planning to hand delivery our submittal, are there special instructions that we should follow in order to confirm your receipt?

A17. There are no special instructions; deliveries can be made to the receptionist in the GSA Office.

Q18. Am I required to include a copy, acknowledging receipt, of the modifications to the original synopsis/solicitation in FBO in my qualifications submission?

A18. No, you do not need to include this with your submission.

Q19. Regarding the 6-person team, is it correct that the only team member firms that are listed in Part I, Section C (Proposed Team) of SF 330 are the Architects and Engineers? Should we specifically include MEP/FP and Structural Engineers as part of this package or is that more specialized engineering not required at this time? Do we include AV/IT, Security and additional specialty firms here as well?

A19. We’ve asked for teams to identify 6 key personnel – those personnel can have any specialty/expertise that the team deems appropriate. The six key personnel that are identified should be people that will be the most involved with the task orders. The make-up of the team is completely up to you.

Q20. In regard to the number of resumes of key personnel proposed, does “do not provide more than six key personnel” refer to the overall total number of resumes or is 6 resumes allowed per included firm (team member) (Section E)?

A20. There should be a maximum of 6 resumes for the 6 key personnel that are identified. This is geared towards key personnel not key companies.

Q21. Page 4 - under Standard Form 330 Instructions: Section E. Do not provide more than six key personnel. Does this include a total of six key personnel for both the prime and consultant firms? Or are the six key personnel to be included from the prime firm only?

A21. The total number of key personnel should not exceed 6 people. Any combination of prime and consultant firm personnel may be included – the make-up of the team is completely up to you. The six key personnel that are identified should be people that will be the most involved with the task orders.

Q22. Are there any DBE requirements? Does our team have to comprise of a certain percentage of MBE and/or WBE companies?

A22. The awarded firm must be a registered small business in SAM.gov. Other than that, there are no small business requirements.

Q23. Page 5 - under Standard Form 330 Instructions: Section H. Items A-C. Are we permitted to include additional relevant experience in Section H beyond what is requested in items A-C?

A23. Please provide only the information requested; supplemental information will not be evaluated.

Q24. For our consulting engineering teammates, do you only need their Part II and Resume forms? Or do you also need their Part I?

A24. Your entire proposed team should only submit one Standard Form 330; your team should not provide separate form 330’s for each consultant / teammate associated with your qualifications submission.