Unrestricted_RFP_Questions_and_Answers.pdf

BMO Unrestricted Questions and Answers

Page

Number

Section

Number

Section

Title

Paragraph

Number Question Answer

Attachment

J.1 SF 33

Blocks 1 through 11

The blocks the government typically completes are blank.

Should the Offeror complete these for the Government?

Please clarify.

This has been corrected and posted with the amendment.

Attachment

J.1 SF33

SF33 provided in Attachment J.1 is blank. No Government information is provided in the blocks they are responsible for.

This has been corrected and posted with the amendment.

Attachment

J.1

Standard

Form 33

The Standard Form (SF)-33 provided with the solicitation was blank with no contract information provided. Are offerors to complete the Government sections of the SF-33 or merely the boxes identified per the instructions?

This has been corrected and posted with the amendment.

Attachment

J.3

Self

Scoring

Sheet

The instructions provided under the Sheet Selection is confusing. It states that an offeror can only submit a self scoring sheet for either Operations and Maintenance or

Facility Support Services but not both. This is the opposite to the information in the RFP in Section L.3 where it states that an offeror can compete for more than one service group by submitting only one proposal.

If submitting for both, the offeror must apply under O&M and input the Facility Support Services as optional services. This instruction has been added to Attachment

J.3

Sheet 1

Attachment

J.3 and

Attachment

J.9

Self-

Scoring

Table and

Price

Template Instructions Should the Instructions be printed for the print version?

The General Instructions can be deleted from the template prior to printing or savings to submit.

Attachment

J.4 and

J.9.1

Standardi zed Labor

Category and Wage

Determina tion

Several occupation codes listed in Attachment J.4 don't match those found in Attachment J.9.1. For example, Attachment J.4 has occupation code 11090 as Landscaping and Grounds keeping Workers while under the same code

Attachment J.9.1 lists this as Gardner. Within Attachment

J.9.1, the different between these wages would be

$17.52/hour for a Gardner and $13.07/hour for Laborer, Grounds Maintenance. Please advise how offerors should use the two attachments to provide comparable rates.

Attachment J.4 is a list of all BMO Standardized Labor

Categories allowable under the BMO contract.

Attachment J.9.1 is a Wage Determination be used to determine the minimum wages and fringe benefits employees must be paid. J.9.1 includes labor categories that are not included or considered for the BMO

Standardized Labor Categories. Offerors should cross reference BMO Labor Categories with the applicable labor categories provided on the wage determination.

Attachment

J.7

Pre-

Award

Survey -

SF 1408

Evaluation criteria instructions in Sectioino M.4.2.5 do not match the form provided in J.7. Either this is the wrong form or the instructions in Section M.4.2.5 need to be revised.

Section M.4.2.5 has been corrected and will be posted with the amendment.

Attachment

J.8

Past

Performa nce

Survey

a) When do the Past Performance Surveys need to be completed by and they must be submitted to whom.

b) Or, if they are to be submitted with proposal; where do these need to be placed.

Past Performance Survey's should be submitted with the offer, in the 3rd folder titled, Section 3-Technical

Experience as indicated in L.10.3 of the Solicitation

Attachment

J.8

Past

Performa nce

Survey General

Please confirm that Past Performance Surveys are to be completed by clients, returned to the offeror and submitted with the proposal. This is correct.

Attachment

J.8

Past

Performa nce

Survey.

Do not understand the significance of Question #14 on the form. Please clarify. What additional proposals are you talking about? Do you mean IDIQ type work?

This could be a modification request, changes request, or a proposal that unnecessary increased the costs of the contract.

NA

Attachment

J.9

Instruction s

Lines 18 &

29, re

Overhead rate

The Contractor is required to provide a single percentage rate for overhead for all positions. However, in practice, there is a huge variation in overhead rates for different positions, particularly as regards workers’ comp insurance. A single employer may have a rate of less than a percent for one group of positions (e.g., clerical) and a rate over 10% for others positions (e.g., janitorial). A single rate for all positions forces the contractor to use the same high rates for all positions. Respectfully suggest that it is in the Government’s interest to allow variable overhead rates. Alternatively, the definition of “Health & Welfare” could be broadened to include insurance.

The contractor must submit a single overhead rate to be applied to all labor categories. This will assist the BMO

Contracting Officer in making a determination of fair and reasonable pricing at the MA-IDIQ level. However, it should be noted that this rate (along with all other cost element rates) are intended to be ceiling rates which an offeror is able to decrease at the task order level to compete for task order awards. Individual labor mix and geographic issues may be considered and accounted for at that time.

NA

Attachment

J.9

Instruction s

Lines 18 &

29, re

Overhead rate and

Row 17 re

SCA wage determinati on

In addition to the considerations raised in the question above, the workers comp rates will vary with location and

Washington DC tends to have very high workers comp rates while other areas in Region 1 have low rates. Respectfully suggest that it is in the Government’s interest to allow for different overhead rates by location as well as by position.

The contractor must submit a single overhead rate to be applied to all labor categories. This will assist the BMO

Contracting Officer in making a determination of fair and reasonable pricing at the MA-IDIQ level. However, it should be noted that this rate (along with all other cost element rates) are intended to be ceiling rates which an offeror is able to decrease at the task order level to compete for task order awards. Individual labor mix and geographic issues may be considered and accounted for at that time.

NA

Attachment

J.9

Instruction s Row 17

This instruction is to provide rates using the enclosed CLS wage determination, which is for the Washington DC area.

We presume that for later task orders in different locations we can use the local wage determinations, but please confirm.

Yes, the pricing structure requires that the prevailing wage standard for a given location be utilized (Service

Contract Labor Standards, CBA, etc).

NA

Attachment

J.9

Price

Proposal

Template

SCLS Column J

As a contractor dealing almost exclusively with the Federal government, we do not have Fully Loaded Hourly Commercial rates. May we enter NA for this column?

Yes, if commercial rates are unavailable they may be omitted. However, a contractor doing business within

Zone 1 would be expected to provide, at minimum, either commercial rates or governmental rates for comparison.

If rates are unavailable in a particular geography, the offeror should utilize rates from the most similar market possible.

NA

Attachment

J.9

Price

Proposal

Template

SCLS Column K

We do not have Fully Loaded Hourly Government rates for the Washington DC area. May we enter NA for this column?

Yes, if governmental rates are unavailable they may be omitted. However, a contractor doing business within

Zone 1 would be expected to provide, at minimum, either commercial rates or governmental rates for comparison.

If rates are unavailable in a particular geography, the offeror should utilize rates from the most similar market possible.

NA

Attachment

J.9

Price

Proposal

Template

SCLS Column B

Many of the SCA job categories listed are not broken into different levels on the SCA wage determination (e.g., Carpenter) and very few are broken into four levels. May we list a Level I price and leave the rest blank (or enter NA) as applicable? Put another way, does the Government expect a price for all four levels? Please clarify Government’s intent and how multiple levels are expected to conform to the SCA.

If a Service Contract Labor Standards rate is not available for a particular level (I, II, III, or IV) of the included labor categories, the highest level (greatest experience/training/requirements) of the applicable

Service Contract Labor Standards rate available may be used. Therefore, a Carpenter III would use the Carpeter

Service Contract Labor Standards rate as its base of comparison. For each labor category, multiple levels

(either three or four, depending on the labor category type) may be submitted. However, no one labor category is required.

Attachment

J.9

Price

Template

Please advise how offerors should fill in the template cell should they be unable to provide a specific labor category.

Offerors are only required to submit a rate for the SOC labor categories that apply to the company's service offerings.

J.9

Price

Template

Tab –

Template

NonSCLS

The price proposal template for NonSCLS assumes that every company has a corporate fringe benefit pool that is equally allocated.

Can the government unlock the cells in column D to allow contractors whose disclosure statement treats fringe benefits as a direct cost and not as a company pool the ability to apply the appropriate fringe benefits per labor category?

The "Fringe Benefits" cost element has been changed to

"Other Costs" to be more inclusive of costs offerors do not assign to other cost elements.The contractor must submit a single "other costs" rate to be applied to all labor categories. This will assist the BMO Contracting

Officer in making a determination of fair and reasonable pricing at the MA-IDIQ level. However, it should be noted that this rate (along with all other cost element rates) are intended to be ceiling rates which an offeror is able to decrease at the task order level to compete for task order awards. Individual labor mix and geographic issues may be considered and accounted for at this time.

Attachment

J.9

Tier

Pricing

Discounts 2

The tier levels listed in the RFP and Attachment J.9 do not match. Please confirm the current tier levels.

The incorrect template was uploaded initially but was corrected and posted as Amendment 1 on FBO.

Attachment

J.9 and

J.9.1

Price

Template and Wage

Determina tion

Some labor categories listed in Attachment J.9 are not available in Attachment J.9.1. (e.g., Levels III and IV Order

Clerk). Please advise offerors how to fill in Attachment J.9 without Department of Labor Wage Determinations.

Attachment J.4 is a list of all BMO Standardized Labor

Categories allowable under the BMO contract.

Attachment J.9.1 is a Wage Determination be used to determine the minimum wages and fringe benefits employees must be paid. J.9.1 includes labor categories that are not included or considered for the BMO

Standardized Labor Categories. Offerors should cross reference BMO Labor Categories with the applicable labor categories provided on the wage determination.

Attachment

J.10

Relevant

Experienc e

Template

Can you relook/correct this form in the following areas:

Remove the "Select the project number:" box. Replace it with

Project Title/Name: Rationale - We the contractor might have to submit several contracts to meet the three (3) different projects per the required services in both service groups. That box only goes up to Project 3. Recommendation - Submit the projects and title them Project 1,2, 3, 4, 5, etc. Then keep the box that tells which services that particular project supports.

Many of our contracts cover most if not all of the services in each Service Group.

The project number box, indicates which project for which service, not a total number of projects. Since three projects are required per service offering, the project number (1, 2 or 3) should correspond with the services selected for that particular project.

J.10

Relevant

Experienc e

Template

General

Instructions

Please clarify what these instructions shown under General

Instructions mean. The template does not ask for additional documents. There is also no additional information to be requested. What exactly are you looking for to be attached or included in the proposals? 4. All proposal documentation associated with this template shall be scanned documents in

PDF format. 5. All requested information shall be highlighted in yellow within the scanned documents. 6. All file attachments shall be included in Offeror’s proposal submission in accordance with the Proposal Format Table in

Section L.10.5.

Additional information (e.g. copies of contracts documents, orders, etc) is not required but may be submitted to accompany Attachment J.10. Instruction # 5 has been removed and will be updated with the amendment.

Attachment

J.10

Relevant

Project

Experienc e 2

Please confirm that Offerors can use the same form for projects that involve multiple services (required and/or optional) and save the forms under different file names as required. This is correct.

Attachment

J.10

Relevant

Project

Experienc e

Bullets numbers 4 and 5

Please clarify how “documentation” is being defined and what specifically is to be submitted to meet the requirement.

Additional information (e.g. copies of contracts documents, orders, etc) is not required but may be submitted to accompany Attachment J.10

Attachment

J.10

Relevant

Project

Experienc e Project

Details --

The form requires us to “Identify initial customer request”. Is

GSA looking for the initial project budget established by the client? Please clarify.

No, this request is to get information regarding the customer's initial request of the proposal and identify if strategies differed from the customer's initial request.

Attachment

J.10

Relevant

Project

Experienc e Table 5

States that all requested information shall be highlighted in

Yellow.

Is it the governments intent that all of our data is highlighted in yellow or will another font color suffice? As it may not be legible if all the entry is highlighted in yellow.

This instruction has been removed from Attachment J.10 and will be posted with the amendment.

Attachment

J.10

Relevant

Project

Experienc e Table

Under Relevant Project Experience Project Details, we must provide Building types, and Size. May we combine like buildings, i.e. Warehouse, Admin/Office, Plants, Etc? As this listing could be extensive (20-60 bldgs) which would not fit within the page limitations of this section.

The Relevant Project Template does not have page limitations. Each text area provided is expandable. The

BMO evaluation team would like to know all the project details to ensure a fair evaluation is being given.

J.10

Relevant

Project

Experienc e

Template

Given the direct relevance of private sector experience, would the GSA consider private and public sector Relevant Project

Experience evaluation the same?

Both private and public sector projects can be submitted.

See section M.4.3.2.1 of the RFP.

Attachment

J.10 and

Attachment

J.11

Relevant

Project

Experienc e

Template and

Project

Zone

Coverage

Template

General

Instructions

Should the General Instructions be deleted from the templates before printing, once the Offeror has completed them?

The General Instructions can be deleted from the template prior to printing or savings to submit.

Attachment

J.10, M4.3.2 and

M.4.3.2.1

Relevant

Project

Experienc e Table

Attach J.10, Last sentence in the last para states “relevant experience is tied solely to the three (3) projects per service offering submitted.”

M.4.3.2.1 – states “…. the offer shall submit three (3) different distinct relevant projects per service offering (e.g.

HVAC, Electrical Maintenance, Janitorial Services, etc) that is similar in scope for the service categories listed in Section C.

If we have one or two contracts/task orders that cover multiple Major Services (O&M, FSS) and each subset (i.e.

HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing and Elevator, Janitorial, Optional

Svcs, etc) may we use the same contract for both O&M and

FSS and for same subset services, HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing, etc. Or must we use a separate contract/task order for each Major service (O&M/FSS) and for each subset service, (HVAC, Elec, Plumb, Elevator, Janitorial, Optional

Svcs, etc.)

Offerors must provide 3 relevant project experienced per service offering (HVAC, Electrical Maintenance, etc). The information in attachment J.10 and section M.4.3.2.1 refers to the same information. Projects are presented on the basis of services (e.g. HVAC, Electrical

Maintenance, etc.) not Service Groups (O&M and FSS).

Each Service group containss service categories under them that must have 3 relevant project experiences offered. Please note, Projects can cover a combination of services (HVAC, Electrical Maintenance, Janitorial, etc).

Attachment

J.11

Project

Zone

Coverage

Template Bullet 6

This bullet states “All file attachments shale [sic] be included in Offeror’s proposal checklist submission in accordance with the Proposal Format in Section LXXXX.”

Please clarify the reference to LXXXX.

The correct reference is Section L.10.5. This correction has been made to attachment J.11 and will be posted with the amendment.

Attachment

J.11

Project

Zone

Coverage, General

Instruction s Bullet 4

This requirement states that “documentation associated with this template shall be scanned documents in PDF format.”

Given that Word documents can be saved as PDFs without having to be scanned, must the document be scanned?

Or may it be saved as a PDF directly from the Word format?

This would be simpler for all concerned. Please clarify.

This document does not have to be scanned it can be saved as a PDF file.

10 B.1

Backgrou nd

Can the GSA provide a general scale of the volume of work each task order will entail?

Unfortunately, GSA does not have a general scale of volume of work for each task order due to this varying from agency to agency based on customer requirements.

10 B.1

Backgrou nd

What is the aggregate square footage of facilities under consideration?

There is not an aggregate square footage requirement under consideration for this contract. This consideration may apply at the task order level depending on the task order requirements.

16 B.1

Backgrou nd

Will the Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative for Building

Maintenance and Operations (BMO) be replacing the 03FAC

Schedule (Facilities Maintenance and Management) on GSA

Ebuy? If it is not replacing it, won’t both of these programs be in competition for the customers?

The BMO solution is not replacing the 03FAC schedule.

It's another tool customers can use to meet their procurement needs. While both may have similarities in scope each vehicle has a various unique attributes that customers may decide suit their needs.

B.1

Backgrou nd Is this BMO RFP an MAS contract under FAR Part 8?

No this is not a MAS contract, it is a Negotiated

Procurement under FAR Part 15.

B.1

Backgrou nd

Are the BMO RFP's Unrestricted and Small two different contracts with different requirements?

Yes, the BMO Unrestricted and BMO Small Business are two separate solicitations with different requirements that will result in two separate contracts.

B.1

Backgrou nd

Are certain supplies or services to be provided under this

BMO contract required to be obtained from a Non Profit agency(ies)?

There is no requirement for supplies or services under this contract to be obtained from Non-Profit agencies.

B.1.2 Authority Are only certain agencies allowed to purchase from BMO?

The BMO RFP is a government-wide solution. All government agencies with authority to use government-wide vehicles can purchase from the BMO vehicle.

2 and 11 B.1.3

Contents and

Services, Ordering and

PricesContents of Section B.1

There is no B.1.3, but a skip from B.1.2 to B.1.4. Please clarify.

The section number is listed incorrectly, this change has been made and will be posted with the amendment.

11 B.1.4

Contract

Type General

Please clarify whether this IDIQ contract vehicle is similar to

(or a precursor for) a new GSA 03FAC Schedule.

a. Will all Federal agencies be able to order BMO services off this contract directly from a contractor, or will all task orders be issued through GSA?

b. Will all task orders be completed or do Federal agencies have the ability to sole source work?

This BMO vehicle is different from the GSA 03FAC vehicle, however there are similarities to in both vehicles.

a. All federal agencies who have authority to use government-wide vehicles can purchase directly from this contract. b.Task Orders will be completed in accordance with FAR 16.505, exclusions may apply. See refer to section H.5

B.1.4

Contract

Type How will contractors be scored? Please see section M.4 through M.6.

B.1.6

Contract

Access

Fee

What is the maximum CAF and what is the percentage? Are

CAF's billed separately?

The maximum CAF is 2%. The CAF will be a separate contract line item number (CLIN).

12 & 42

B.1.6 &

G.3.1

Contract

Access

Fee

(CAF)

Isn't the proposed CAF rate of 2% for the total Fixed price or total estimated costs on the high side? If the total BMO addressable spending for Zone 1 is $1.5 Billion, that would mean $30 Million would be directed towards the GSA operating cost (management & administration) at the expense of the ordering activity or customer. The GSA Ebuy only has a

0.75% fee or CAF. Can you first please clarify why the CAF is

2% and not something more reasonable.

A CAF of 2% is standard across stategic sourcing vechicles. The BMO vehicle is a strategic sourcing vehicle that requires additional oversight, customer support and data management, which is different from the 03FAC vehicles.

12 and 43-

44 and 46

B.1.6 and

G.3.1 and

G.3.4

Contracto r Access

Fees

(CAF) and

CAF

Payment

Data General

Please clarify the following:

a. How will this payment be estimated for the various types of pricing structures allowed? For example, Section B.1.4 allows for Fixed Price, Time and Materials, Labor Hour, a combination of all those approaches, as well as incentives, performance based measures, and multi-year and/or option periods.

b. Would incentives/performance-based pricing options be exempt from the CAF since they are contingent and often unknown at the time of task order proposal when it is submitted?

c. Does the CAF include other direct costs (ODCs) in the calculation?

a. The CAF will be based on the total customer costs and will added to the order as a separate contract line item number (CLIN).

b. Incentives/performance based pricing options will not be exempt from the CAF due to the CAF being based on actual total prices not estimations.

c.Other Direct Costs will be included in the CAF calculation which will be billed as a separate CLIN.

12 B.2

Task

Order

Pricing Please clarify how task orders will be awarded.

Task orders will be awarded based on agency specific requirements, which will be unknown until task order solicitations are released.

12 B.2

Task

Order

Pricing

What is the ratio of task order awarding basis between best value, trade off, and lowest price technically acceptable?

There is not a known ratio between task order awarding basis between best value, trade off, and lowest price technically acceptable due to the variation of agency requirements.

12 B.2

Task

Order

Pricing

How does the GSA plan to accommodate windshield time into rates?

This would be detemined based on the task order type

(e.g FFP, T&M, etc.)

12 B.2

Task

Order

Pricing

Will the GSA allow offerors to provide lowers rates for windshield time?

This would be detemined based on the task order type

(e.g FFP, T&M, etc.)

B.2.1

Labor

Categorie s and

Standard

Occupatio nal

Classificat ions What is the geographic-dependent rate?

Labor rates will incorporate the applicable prevailing wage rate at the task order level, which will vary based on locality

13 B.2.2

Fixed

Price

Task

Orders 2

For the purpose of this proposal is it the intentions of GSA to have offerors build their fully burdened rate based off of Wage

Determination No.: 2005

2103, Revision No.: 16 even though

Zone 1 covers a much larger geographic area than the areas covered by the referenced wage determination number:

Yes, this is correct. The parent contract pricing is based on this wage determination. Actual task order pricing will vary based on locality.

B.2.2

Fixed

Price

Task

Orders At the task order level will the CAF change for any reason?

The CAF rate will not increase, however it may be lower based on an agency having a Memorandum of

Understanding in place. See section G.3.1.

15 B.3.4 Travel 2&3

Can you please clarify what travel will reimbursable? If you have corporate personnel traveling to the work site in Zone 1 for inspections or quarterly visits, will that travel be covered?

Normally it is built into the FFP under ODC's. This whole section is somewhat confusing.

Due to the requirements of of all offerors having the capability of providing service coverage to Zone 1, travel reimbursements are not permitted. Additional travel can be negotiated at the task order level if deemed necessary by the Ordering Contracting Officers

C. 2

Period of

Performa nce

The 10-12 year period of performance is that a 5 year base term with 5yrs option and 2 additional years for extension?

The correct period of performance is for a total of ten

(10) years. This section has been corrected and will be posted with the amendment.

C. 4

Performa nce

Objective s

Is a contractor still eligible to bid if they don't offer both

Janitorial and landscaping services together?

Yes, offerors can bid on either service group (O&M or

Facility Support Service). Offerors must provide the required services within the Service grouping (O&M or

FSS) being offered.

16 C.2

Performa nce

Period

Period of Performance is for base period of five (5) years, with one option period of five (5) years, for a total contract period of twelve (10) years and six (6) months (option to extend services).

The correct period of performance is for a total of ten

(10) years. This correction has been corrected.

16 C.2

Period of

Performa nce 1

This section states there is a base period of five years and one option period of five years, which equals a “total contract period of twelve (10) years.” Five plus five equals ten; please clarify the reference to twelve.

The correct period of performance is for a total of ten

(10) years. This section has been corrected and will be posted with the amendment.

16 C.2

Period of

Performa nce 1

Please confirm whether the period of performance is for twelve (12) or ten (10) years plus the six (6) months extension.

The correct period of performance is for a total of ten

(10) years. This section has been corrected and will be posted with the amendment.

16 and 50 C.2 and

G.5, respectively

Period of

Performa nce and

Option

Determina tion, respective ly

One and two, respectively

In Section C.2, the period of performance is defined as a base period of five years with one option period of five years for a total contract period of twelve (10) years and six months

(option to extend services). Section G.5 defines the period of performance as a base period of five years with an option period consisting of a five-year term, and a second option of an additional two-year term. Please clarify which periods of performance option years are applicable.

The correct period of performance is for a total of ten

(10) years. This section has been corrected and will be posted with the amendment.

C.3

Scope/Re quirement s

Has GSA processed any further defining of zones and a timetable for rollout of other zones?

GSA has begun early planning on defining additional zones. Please visit https://interact.gsa.gov/blog/bmo-proposed-future-zones-feedback-requested for more information regarding the future zones.

C.4

Performa nce

Objective s

Does this preclude a BMO Contractor from utilizing a subcontractor to fulfill service requirements? Where can we get information on the subcontracting clauses?

No this does not preclude a BMO contracting from using subcontractor services. Please refer to section I for clauses regarding subcontracting.

C.5.1

Operation s and

Maintena nce

(O&M) Does CUP (Central Utility Plant) operations fall under HVAC? The BMO team has included CUP with HVAC services.

21 C.5.2.6

Other

Direct

Costs 1

Will other direct costs include infrastructure items such as accounting, technology, vehicles, etc.?

Other direct costs include incidental services and/or supplies that do not fall within the scope of any other service category listed under the BMO acquisition vehicle. Accounting, Technology, and vehicle costs are not defined as other direct costs.

26 C.8.33

Federal

Holidays 1

This paragraph states “…Thanksgiving is always the 3rd

Thursday of November.” Isn’t Thanksgiving in the U.S. on the

4th Thursday of November? Please clarify.

Thanksgiving is on the 4th Thursday of November. This has been corrected and will be posted with the amendment

36 F.3

Period of

Performa nce 5

If there is the potential for a two-year Option 2 as described at

G.5 (page 49, 2nd paragraph), then would the cumulative term of all task orders placed under the BMO SB span up to

17 years? Please clarify.

The correct period of performance is for a total of ten

(10) years. This section has been corrected and will be posted with the amendment.

40 and 73 F.4.2 and

H.33

Complian ces and

Minimum

Task

Order

Awards or

Estimated

Value

Row H.33 and Section

H.33, respectively

In the former (Section F.4.2), the total task order estimated value is identified as $100 Million. However, the Section H.33 identifies the total task order estimated value as $1.25 Million.

Please clarify which estimated value is applicable.

The task order estimated value is $1.25M. This information has been corrected and will be posted with the amendment.

FAR 52.216-

Single or

Multiple

Awards

Reference “ Multiple awards shall be made in each of the

Service Groups. Eight (8) awards are anticipated for the

Operation and Maintenance Service Group and two (2) awards are anticipated to be awarded in the Facility Support

Service Group, resulting in a total of ten (10) awards.

May an offeror be awarded an award in both groups?

Offerors capable of offering both Service Groupings

(O&M and FSS) shall submit their offer under the O&M

Service Grouping were Facility Suupport Services fall under "optional services" and will receive additional evaluation credit in this scenario

41 G.2.4

Ordering

Contractin g Officer

(OCO) 2 and 4

Item 2 under OCO duties refers to H.3 as Terms and

Conditions of the BMO and Item 4 refers to H.4 as the NAICS codes. However, H.3 refers to Normal Working Hours and

H.4 is Emergency Services. Please clarify.

The section number was incorrect, this has been corrected and will be posted with the amendment. The correct section number is H.5 and H.6.

41 G.2.4

Ordering

Contractin g Officer

(OCO) General

For the purposes of the BMO contracting vehicle, will this always be a GSA official, or can other Federal agencies using this contract have an OCO responsible for a task order under

BMO?

This is a government-wide vehicle, all agencies who have authority to purchase from government-wide vehicles can purchase from the BMO vehicle.

44 G.3.2

BMO

Reporting

Module General

How will opportunities, particularly from non-GSA Federal agencies (if permitted), be publicized for the 10 Contractors selected? Through the BMO Reporting Module identified in

G.3.2), a system like GSA eBuy, or directly between a Federal agency and the contractors?

Opportunities will be posted through GSA eBuy. The

BMO Reporting Module is strictly for awardees to post various reporting information as instructed in section

G.3.2.

48 G.3.9 Insurance 4

This section references a “BMO website”. Are we correct in assuming this is the same as the BMO Reporting Module?

This will be a different website and will be provided after award.

48 G.3.9 Insurance 4

How will confidential contractor information be managed on this site? For example, will the specifics of insurance policies and related information be made public or remain confidential? All contractor information will remain confidential

50 G.5

Option

Determina tion 2

Can you please clarify what the duration of the BOM contract will be? The RFP states in some areas that it will be a Base of

5 years with 1 Option of another 5 years (total of 10 years). In this section it mentions an Option 2 for another 2 year term after Option 1. Is it 10 years or 12 years?

The contract term will is for a base of 5 years with one 5 year option, for a complete term of 10 years. This section will be corrected.

50 G.5

Period of

Performa nce, Option

Determina tion 2

G.5 refers to the possibility of an Option 2. However, C.2

(page 11) and F.3 (page 36, paragraph 1) only reference the base period and Option 1. Are there one or two potential option periods? Please clarify.

Section G.5 has been updated to reflect 1 Option and will be posted with the amendment. There is only 1 Option under this contract.

H.11.1

Green

Purchase s (Facility

Services)

Contractors should be encourage to use and provide "Green"

Products that are certified by the "Green Seal" or

ULE/Ecologo

Please refer to Attachment J.6 for information regarding

Green products

55 H.12

Meaningf ul

Relations hip

Commitm ent Letter 5

Can GSA further clarify that a letter from the Parent Company is sufficient to meet this requirement and is not required from the various business units within the single bidding entity.

Yes the letter is sufficient as long as it includes the elements described in Section M.4.1.4

55-56 H.13.1

Facility

Clearance

Level 5

Please clarify the FCL requirements. If a company has an

FCL at their headquarters for the bidding entity, is that sufficient to compete on task orders?

FCL requirements are not mandatory at the parent contract level, however it may be required on various task order requirements. If required at the task order level the Ordering Contracting Officer will specify requirements and qualifications for FCL.

72 H.31

Contracto r BMO web page

Does this web page have to separate from any other web page or can it be incorporated into an Existing web page the contractor currently maintains? Since this web page has to be compliant with the Rehabilitation Act Section 508, can you please provide a copy of that Section?

The web page can be incorporated into an existing web page that the contractor currently maintains. Information on 508 standards can be found http://www.section508.gov/. This information will be added to this section with the amendment.

73 H.33

Minimum

Task

Order

Awards or

Estimated

Value 1 & 2

Please explain the purpose and reasoning behind the requirement to attain a minimum of 5 task orders or a total task order value of $1.25M. If a contractor bids, and is unsuccessful, he will be punished (off ramped or placed in a dormant status). Those that are initially successful will remain successful since their unsuccessful competition will be off-ramped.

This requirement is to ensure awarded vendors remain active throughout the base period of performance (5 years) in order to meet customer needs and maintain competition

73 H.33

Minimum

Task

Order

Awards or

Estimated

Value 1

How many contractors will be allowed on the unrestricted

BMO? Has a number been set? Or will all contractors who submit proposals that meet all the evaluation criteria be allowed on the BMO contract?

The unrestricted vehicle anticipates 10 awards will be made for Zone 1. Please see provisions 52.216-1, Types of Contracts and Clause 52.216-27, Single or Multiple

Awards in section L of the solicitation.

77 H.36.2

Vertical

Contract

On-

Ramping

This section covers BMO SB contractors who no longer certify as a small business. There was no mention or section that covers BMO contractors that start as a large business

(unrestricted) and based upon their 3-yr revenue average return or once again become a small business. Can a large business be placed or moved (Vertically On-ramping) to the

BMO SB contract from the BMO unrestricted acquisition vehicle?

If a large business size standard has changed to a small business during the contract period, the BMO team will consider on-ramping that company to the BMO SB vehicle meeting the same standards identified in this section.

77 H.36.3

Open

Season

On-

Ramping

Will there be a Open Season On-Ramping every year? Or will the BMO be more restrictive? Recommend that contractors can apply at anytime. This would be similar to how you can apply to get on a GSA schedule. The way the BMO is currently written, it is very restrictive and will limit both large and small business competition by having potential

"enrollment" windows.

The BMO team will determine the on-ramping period based on the needs of the program. The need for On-ramping will be dependant upon many factors (e.g.

demand, usage, competition etc.).

52 H.6.2

Predomin ant Task

Order

NAICS

Determina tion 1

Will all task orders issued under BMO be under the 561210

NAICS code? Or will the OCO have the flexibility to utilize one of the 18 NAICS codes associated with the two service groups? Will the OCO also have the ability to assign a socio-economic set aside to a task order?

The OCO will have the flexibility to determine the predominant NAICS code at the task order level. The

OCO will also have the ability perform socio-economic set-asides at the task order level.

52 H.6.2

Predomin ant Task

Order

NAICS

Determina tion 2

What percentage of BMO task orders will placed into the unrestricted category and what percentage will be placed in the small business category?

The BMO team is intending to make 50 awards total for

Zone 1, 10 of those awards are intended to awarded under the Unrestricted solicitation and the remaining 40 is intended to be awarded under the Small Business solicitation.

J.9

Price

Template

The Pricing Template for SCLS has columns for Direct labor

Rates, Health and Welfare, Overhead, G&A and Profit.

Where do bidders place the other required labor based costs, such as FICA, FUTA, SUI and/or Workers Compensation

Insurance assuming that health and welfare only includes the rate required by the Health and Welfare presented in the wage determination provided in the solicitation?

An "Other Costs" column has been added to account for costs the offeror does not assign to other cost elements.

Offerors should include all costs in the other costs, overhead, G&A and profit cost elements in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).

GSA will not be evaluating the individual elements, instead focusing on the fully loaded rates. However, these percentages are ceiling rates not to be exceeded when developing pricing at the task order level.

J.9

Price

Template

The pricing template for NON-SCLS has columns for Direct labor Rates, Fringe Benefits, Overhead, G&A and Profit.

Where do bidders place the other required labor based costs, such as FICA, FUTA, SUI and/or Workers Compensation

Insurance assuming that Fringe Benefits only include rates for pension and health insurance?

An "Other Costs" column has been added to account for costs the offeror does not assign to other cost elements.

Offerors should include all costs in the other costs, overhead, G&A and profit cost elements in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).

GSA will not be evaluating the individual elements, instead focusing on the fully loaded rates. However, these percentages are ceiling rates not to be exceeded when developing pricing at the task order level.

107 of 131 L

Proposal format 10

a) May we Sections 1-3 in the same volume (binder) Section

4 in its own volume (binder)?

b) may we place all 10 copies of the Price in one volume(binder)?

a&b) All 10 copies may be in one binder as long as each section is separated.

109 of 131 L

Proposal

Format

Table 10.5

The example for the File Names under Section 3 appear to be off, are we to name XYZ.SEC4 RPEI.O&M.pdf or XYZ.SEC3

RPEI.O&M.pdf

The correct titling should be SEC3. This section has been corrected and will be posted with the amendment.

109 L.10

Electronic

Copies 2nd Bullet

Please clarify the intent is for each of the 10 DVDs to include all four folders/sections on each disc.

The BMO team requests 10 electronic copies of the offerors proposal that should be submitted on DVD's per the instructions in section L.10. Each DVD should include

4 separate folders/sections with all required proposal submittal information

108 L.10

Number of Copies 1

With a focus on sustainability, might GSA consider a reduction in the number of hard copies required and perhaps increase the number of electronic copies to offset the difference?

Thank you for the information. This consideration will be reviewed for future requirements.

109 L.10

Paper

Copies 4th Bullet

Please confirm that the requirement to fasten or bind each section together means that a single, bound copy that is inclusive of all four sections is required, multiplied by the total number of printed copies. This is correct.

107 L.10

Proposal

Format 1

The RFP indicates that “The Offeror’s proposal shall be formatted into four (4) separate folders by Section Number and Title.” For the hard copy requirement, please confirm we include all four sections in one book as long as we do not include any price information in Sections 1-3.

Proposals shall be submitted in a single binder with four sections for a total of 10 binders. This information has been clarified and correction in this section and will be posted with the amendment.

107 & 108 L.10

Proposal

Format

It states that the proposal is to be broken down into four (4) separate folders by section and title. It then goes on in the paper copies section (pg 108) that each section must be fastened or bound together. Can these four (4) separate sections be placed in one (1) large 3-ring binder separated by tabs? Or does every section have to be separated (e.g. each section in its own 3-ring binder). If every section is required to be separate and there are ten copies required for submittal, that could potentially be forty (40) 3-ring binders being submitted.

The paper versions of the proposal can be separated by tabs and combined into (1) 3-ring binder.

107-108 L.10

Proposal

Format 1

Can GSA please clarify the requirement to format the submission in separate “folders”? For the purposes of the electronic copies the requirement is clear. For the purposes of the hard copies, are these folders similar to tabs/separators within the binder?

Proposals shall be submitted in a single binder with four sections for a total of 10 binders. This information has been clarified and correction in this section and will be posted with the amendment.

107-109 L.10

Proposal

Format and

Number of Copies

1 (L.10) and 1st paragraph

(Number of copies)

This section states “The Offeror’s proposal shall be formatted into four (4) separate folders by Section Number and Title as follows:” L.10.1 Section 1 – General Information, L.10.2

Section 2 – Responsibility, L.10.3, Section 3 – Technical

Experience, and L.10.4, Section 4 – Price.

Under “Number of Copies,” Offerors are instructed to submit

“ten (10) copies in two (2) separate versions of the proposal.

The Offeror shall submit ten (10) paper versions of the proposal and ten (10) electronic versions of the proposal.”

Referring to four proposal sections as opposed to four proposal volumes is confusing. Please clarify:

· Does the Government want 10 print copies of each section, separately bound, which is a total of 40 folders or binders?

· Does the Government 10 bound print copies of all four sections of the proposal, with each section (and corresponding subsection) tabbed appropriately, which is a total of 10 folders or binders?

Proposals shall be submitted in a single binder with four sections. This information has been clarified and correction in this section and will be posted with an amendment. The Government is requesting for a total of

10 binders with 4 sections in each binder.

108 L.10

Proposal

Format, Paper

Copies 1st bullet

May the coversheet include font that is less than 12 point in size?

Yes the coversheet can include font that is less than 12 point in size.

109 L.10

Proposal

Format, Submittal 1

This section requires that proposals be mailed. Is delivery by such services as FedEx or UPS acceptable? Or must delivery be by USPS only? Please clarify.

Delivery by FedEx , UPS or any other mail handler is acceptable.

109 L.10

Proposal

Format, Submittal 4

It is stated that “All proposal documents shall be in Adobe

(.pdf) format except for the Self-Scoring Worksheet in Section

J and Cost/Price Template in Section J [which] shall be in

Microsoft Office Excel -2007 (.xls) format.”

Attachment J-2, Proposal Checklist, is an Excel file. Should it be saved as a PDF or as an Excel file?

Please clarify.

The file extension (.pdf) is listed incorrectly for the Self-

Scoring worksheet, this has been updated and will be posted with the amendment.

108 and

109 and

118-119 and 122-

L.10 and

L.10.3 and

M.4.3.1 and

M.4.6

Paper

Copies and

Professio nal

Compens ation Plan and

Uncompe nsated

Overtime

Policy

3rd Bullet and

General

Per a previous question, if the requirement to include the

Professional Compensation Plan and Uncompensated

Overtime Policy is not revised, please clarify that it is acceptable to omit often provided pricing information within those plans.

The Professional Compensation Plan and

Uncompensated Overtime Policy should include information regarding how the company addresses compensation and overtime. Proposal pricing per section

M.4 should not be included in these documents. It's understandable if various rates are included in these plans, however they should be different than actual proposal pricing.

108 and

118-119 and 122-

L.10.3 and

M.4.3.1 and

M.4.6

Section 3

Technical

Experienc e and

Relevant

Experienc e

Bulleted sections listing factors required and

General

Because the Professional Compensation Plan and

Uncompensated Overtime Policy may include pricing information and thus influence a technical evaluation, might

GSA consider including these two sections under L.10.4 –

Section 4 – Price?

The Professional Compensation Plan and

Uncompensated Overtime Policy should include information regarding how the company addresses compensation and overtime. Proposal pricing per section

M.4 should not be included in these documents. It's understandable if various rates are included in these plans, however they should be different than actual proposal pricing.

108 L.10.4

Section 4

– Price 2nd Bullet

This section states that the Price Section is to be comprised of the Price Template (which is Attachment J.9) and “Cost

Price Requirements.” What is to be provided under “Cost

Price Requirements”? Is there a template or preferred format? Are there page limits?

Please clarify.

The bullet Cost Price Requirements has been removed from this section and will be posted with the amendment.

109 L.10.5

Proposal

Format

Table

Section 1, SF 33

This sub-section is “Limited to the SF 33 only.” However, in the event amendments are issued, the accompanying SF 30 typically instructs that it be completed, signed, and returned with the offer.

Under what Section and Sub-section should any SF 30s be submitted?

Accompanying SF30s (if required) should be submitted in the SF33 section.

110 L.10.5

Proposal

Format

Table

Relevant

Project

Experience, Example

File Name

Example file names are listed as XYZ.SEC4.RPE1.O&M.pdf.

However, if the question above is clarified to mean three projects can be submitted for each required service, there will be 9 references for O&M (HVAC, Electrical, and Plumbing) and 6 references for FSS (Janitorial and

Landscaping/Grounds Maintenance). In that event, should the service also be indicated in each file name? For example:

XYZ.SEC4.RPE1.HVAC. O&M.pdf?

No, service names are not required on the titling of the document as the template will identify which service the project covers.

110 L.10.5

Proposal

Format

Table

Section 3 of the table

As prescribed in RFP Section L.10.5 Proposal Format Table, the file name convention for all of the files identified in Section

3 skips use of the convention XYZ.SEC3 and instead uses only the convention XYZ.SEC4. Please clarify if the file name convention Offerors should use to identify all of the files to be located in Section #3 of the Proposal Format Table is

XYZ.SEC3 versus XYZ.SEC4, as currently identified in the

RFP.

The correct titling should be SEC3. This section has been corrected and will be posted with the amendment.

109 & 110 L.10.5

Proposal

Format

Table

Please review and clarify the chart in Section L.10.5. Under the column of Page Limitation, it states under several entries

"Limited to the template and word restrictions referenced in the template. No Page Limitation" Which is it? No limitation or follow the template?

If it says "limited to the template or form", there are no page limitations as long as you adhere to the instructions of the form and template. Several templates have expandable text fields, therefore the pages can increase.

If it says" limited to the template and word restrictions", the template will inform you if there is a word limit for a particular section of the template and the offeror must adhere to those word restrictions for that section..

109-111 L.10.5

Proposal

Format

Table

M.4.3.2

M.4.4

M.4.10

M.4.11

M.6

The “Page Limitation“ for these sections indicates it is limited to the template and there are no page limitations. Will GSA evaluate a 2-page narrative introduction to these sections in addition to the required templates and requested documentation?

You must adhere to the template, there is no introduction narrative in the template. The template provides space for offerors to expand in the necessary sections of the template.

110-111 L.10.5

Proposal

Format

Table

Section 3, Subcontract ing Plan

The Subcontracting Plan is to be based on “GSAM Appendix

519A, or equivalent.” Which version does the Government prefer: a Commercial Plan, Individual Contract Plan, or a

Master Plan?

This decision is up to the offeror on which plan works best for their company.

110-111 L.10.5

Proposal

Format

Table

Section 3, Example

File Name

The example file names for all electronic files for Section 3 include “SEC4” in their title. At first glance, this makes the file seem as though it should be included with Section 4, Price, although it is not a price document.

Should the electronic file names for Section 3 documents include “SEC3” in their names to avoid confusion?

Please clarify.

The correct titling should be SEC3. This section has been corrected and will be posted with the amendment.

109-110 L.10.5

Proposal

Format

Table –

Relevant

Project

Experienc e

Template

Section 3, M.4.3.2

Please clarify what if any “documentation” is required in addition to the Project Experience Template, and how it should be included in the paper and electronic files?

Additional information (e.g.