CWSS Q A.DOC

Questions and Answers

Comprehensive Workplace Solutions and Services

1) Is an SF 330 required as part of the submission?

A SF 330 is not required in response to this RFQ. See also Question 31.

2) Is there a page limitation on the submissions?

All information on page limitations is contained in Section L, Item 8 Instructions for Submitting Proposals.

3) May we provide performance evaluations from our previous Workplace Solutions clients?

Offerors should follow the instructions in Sections L and M relating to the Past Performance Evaluation Factor.

4) Is an Org. Chart requested?

No.

5) Is there a specific Small and Disadvantaged and Minority participation goal (%)?

The small business goals for this procurement are those of the GSA National Capital Region:

Small Business

40% 8(a)

10% Small Disadvantaged Business 8% Total SDB

18% Woman-owned

5% HUBZone

3%

SDVOSB

3%.

6) What is the deadline for submission of questions?

See Section L, Item 7 Important Dates.

7) Will there be a pre-proposal meeting or conference?

No.

8) If an offeror subcontracts with a Construction Management firm, will their portion of the work be considered small in accordance with NAICS code 236220, or NAICS code 541310?

The NAICS code for this entire project is 541310.

9) Please confirm that we should include Resumes from all Key Personnel, including those from the “Specialty Disciplines”? Is this at our discretion?

Please see Section L.8.b.IV.C Tab C Key Personnel which states, “Offerors shall provide a list of proposed Key Personnel, not to exceed 30…Key Personnel are those individuals the firm feels will most often play major roles or have major responsibilities on most task orders.”

10) We do not find Section K which should contain the Representations and Certifications form. Can you identify?

In lieu of Section K, Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) will be utilized to verify this information. Please visit orca.bpn.gov to complete this portion of your offer. Offerors must accomplish this step by the due dates and times specified by the RFP, as amended.

11) In Section B, the Position Pricing Worksheet line items for Specialty Disciplines and Professional Support Staff both combine several potentially disparate labor categories with the apparent intention to establish an average for these categories. In an actual proposal submission these averages may not be sufficient to cover a required specialty position depending on the requirement. We believe it would be more transparent to establish several specialty rate categories rather than the average rate categories.

Since the specialty disciplines are used less frequently, and support staff are not usually considered key personnel, the Government is seeking a blended rate for these services.

12) In Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Offerors/Bidders, with regard to key personnel resumes, a home address is requested. This requirement may pose a privacy concern for some employees. Is the intent to establish local residence for key individuals or is there another reason for this requirement?

In view of privacy concerns, listing city and state of residence on the resume is sufficient.

13) In Section F, Item 6, the wording of this passage suggests that all tasks either $3,000 to $100,000 or greater than $100,000 are always reserved for small business if the expectation is that offers will be received by 2 or more responsible small business concerns. Does this mean that large business can obtain a task order only if small business does not respond?

RFP Section F has been amended.

14) Is it necessary to list all of our proposed consultants and hourly rates for each at this time?

Please see Section C and Section L, Item 8. Offerors should provide all information solicited by the RFP.

15) Can you please further explain what the real estate services scope entails?

Section C, Item 7 Specialized Services refers to “Repositioning and other Real Estate Studies” and mentions land-use studies, etc. Generally, these real estate services will be studies of various types such as housing analyses, strategy studies, traffic, NEPA, master plans, Section 106, etc. It is not intended to duplicate the services provided under the PBS Broker Contracts such as market research, broker services, etc.

16) As the A/E firm, are we permitted to perform the "re-positioning and other real estate services" as described Section B, item #7 - Specialized Services?

The Government is not aware of any law prohibiting A/E firms from performing any of the tasks identified in the RFP. Your firm should determine whether it has the internal capacity to complete this service.

17) Are we able to submit multiple consultant firms per discipline (i.e., two Structural, two MEP, etc.)? If so, may we use multiple per project as necessary?

Subject to the RFP requirements and limitations, firms may present whatever technical solution they deem necessary to meet the requirements of this RFP. Each proposal will be evaluated on the merits of the proposed solution.

18) Is an electronic copy of each volume of our response required in addition to the originals and copies?

In an effort to reduce the possibility of technical problems, the requirement of electronic mail submission is eliminated. However, any firm that responds to this RFP must include a copy of their technical and price proposals on a CD-Rom. This CD-Rom is to be included with bound copies of proposals submitted, as discussed in Section L. Documents on the CD-Rom shall be in PDF, Word or Word-compatible format. See also Question 24.

19) Does the GSA want a blended rate or individual rates for the professional support staff (Sec. B)?

See Question 11.

20) Do we need to include all specialty consultants as identified in various sections of the RFP?

See Question 14.

21) Should we include rates for all specialty disciplines on the worksheets (Sec. B)?

See Question 11.

22) Where can all the forms required in Volume 1 of the proposal be obtained? (i.e.: Standard form 33, GSA form527, SF LLL, SF 3881) SF 33 will be utilized in lieu of SF 1442. Standard form 33 (SF 33) will be utilized for this procurement, a copy of this form may be obtained at: http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/formslibrary.do?viewType=DETAIL&formId=884DE4C90A9F054C85256A1F005ABDB1. When completing Box 3 of SF 33 please use the following solicitation number; GS-11P-09-YA-D-0073. For Box 7 of SF 33, use information provided for Contracting Officer of record. All other pertinent information with regard to Government (Boxes 19-28) will be completed at the time of award.

23) Please clarify if we are to submit email or hardcopy submissions.

See question 18

24) Please clarify the address for submitting hardcopy submissions (if required): Room 1065 or 7107.

All submissions shall be sent to:

Wendell O. Atkinson

Contracting Officer

Procurement Division, WPP

301 7th Street, SW Room 1065

Washington, DC 20407

Solicitation No.: GS-11P-09-YA-D-0073

See also Question 18.

25) Must we use Times New Roman 12 point with one-inch margins throughout the submission?

The accepted font for this RFP shall be 12 point Arial with one-inch margins throughout. Offerors using Times New Roman instead of Arial shall not be penalized.

26) Within Tab A/Prior Experience, the following statement is written: “In any event Offerors must submit at least one project for each entity proposed for contract performance, and at least one project for each predecessor company.” Are you suggesting that each consultant include at least one project?

With regard to projects submitted for entities other than Offeror, Offerors should provide at least one project for each entity proposed for contract performance. If this requirement, in combination with other requirements, would require provision of more than 10 projects, Offeror should limit its submission to projects performed by the entities who the contractor proposes to make the greatest contribution to contract performance. In other words, if necessary, the Offeror shall prioritize the ten projects it provides based on contract contribution.

27) Please explain the request to provide personnel’s reason for leaving past positions.

The Government is interested in evaluating the quality and suitability of the personnel proposed for performance of this contract.

28) Please explain Tab C/Commitment. Is this intended for firms who are currently hiring additional staff to meet CWSS requirements?

The intent of this inquiry is to assure commitment from all staff proposed within an Offeror’s response. Should more than one proposal contain the same individuals, the Government would like to evaluate the extent to which the said individual is committed to each entity. Should an individual be committed to more than one Offeror, those proposals shall be evaluated accordingly.

29) In the approach to very large projects, will there be deductions for using out of town staff to augment the local design team?

See Section M, Evaluation Factor 3 Key Personnel. While there will be no deductions, the Government will evaluate Offerors on their personnel’s short notice availability.

30) Will the documented use of small business by the previous contract holders figure in to the selection?

See Section M, Evaluation Factor 5 Small Disadvantaged Business Commitment.

31) I thought Form SF330 is required if the NAICS code for this solicitation is 541310 -- Architectural Services. Is an SF330 required?

In choosing a NAICS Code GSA researched which NAICS Code best represented the services being performed under this contract. Because the services could be classified in two or more industries with different size standards, GSA chose the size standard for the industry accounting for the greatest percentage of the contract price. Selection of this NAICS Code does not imply that the statement of work substantially or to a dominant extent specifies performance or approval by a registered or licensed architect or engineer. Instead, selection of this NAICS Code reflects a recognition that while Architectural Services are a clear minority of all the tasks required under the statement of work, the Architectural Services NAICS code describes more of the contract tasks than any other individual NAICS code.

32) Who is the incumbent?

There are no incumbents for this contract: expired in 2008.

33) What is GSA’s current software for project scheduling?

Microsoft Project.

34) What is GSA’s current cost estimating software?

This is proprietary information and/or is available through FOIA request and will not be revealed to prospective bidders.

35) What is the on-site staffing requirement?

Any on-site staffing required would be on a task-order-by-task-order basis.

36) Who are/were the incumbents and under what contracts did they provide similar services to the GSA?

See answer to Questions 32 and 34.

37) What was the value of those contracts?

See answer to Question 34.

38) In this section, GSA details the process for competing task orders, giving small businesses exclusivity in performing task orders valued under $100,000. How does GSA assess whether there are at least two small businesses with the qualifications and capacity to successfully execute task orders over $100,000?

See Question 13.

39) In the original synopsis for the solicitation as well as in Section M on Page 88 (under 1a. Number and Basis of Awards), GSA states that up to 10 contractors may be selected under this IDIQ vehicle. However, in Section L on Page 82 (under FAR 52.216-27 – Single or Multiple Awards), GSA anticipates only three contract awards. Please clarify which statement is accurate regarding the anticipated number of contracts to be awarded. We understand the final results will be based on the quantity and quality of submissions received.

The statement in Section M is the accurate one. FAR 52.216-27 should read as follows:

FAR 52.216-27 -- Single or Multiple Awards (Oct 1995)

The Government may elect to award a single delivery order contract or task order contract or to award multiple delivery order contracts or task order contracts for the same or similar supplies or services to two or more sources under this solicitation. It is anticipated that up to ten awards will be made as a result of this solicitation.

40) The government has classified this work as Architectural Services utilizing NAICS code 541310. Isn't the government obligated to utilize Brooks Act procurement procedures for Architectural Services and this procurement?"

Regarding GSA’s choice of NAICS Code, please review GSA’s answer to Question 31.

With regard to the Brooks Act, that law does not require that contracts be awarded to architectural or engineering (A&E) firms merely because architects or engineers might do part of the contract work. Rather, the Act's procedures, and the restriction to A&E firms attached to them, apply to the procurement of services which uniquely or to a substantial or dominant extent require performance by a professionally licensed and qualified A&E firm.

During the acquisition planning process, GSA undertook to determine whether the services described in the statement of work substantially or to a dominant extent specifies performance or approval by a registered or licensed architect or engineer. In particular, GSA reviewed each of the fourteen task areas line-by-line to determine the extent to which A&E services were required. Of the tasks listed in Section C of the RFP, only four of the fourteen task areas may require the performance or approval of registered architects or engineers, and in some of those, only partially. Thus, while the contract statement of work includes both architect-engineer services and other services, the statement of work does not substantially or to a dominant extent specify performance or approval by a registered or licensed architect or engineer. Consequently, GSA is permitted to follow the procedures in Parts 13, 14, or 15.

41)

Will GSA extend the questions deadline to July 3, 2009?

No the question deadline closed June 26, 2009.

42)

Will GSA accept CCM Certification in lieu of PMI for the Project Manager?

Section H states that certain qualifications for the various disciplines are preferred.

43)

Please confirm that the RFP excluded Sections D, G, I, J and K?

Section I was included. Sections D, J, and K were not included within RFP. There will be no section D or J. With regard to Section K, please see Question 10.

44) The SF 33 is not included in the Solicitation, can you post it on FedBizOpps? Or, should we download a blank SF 33 from the GSA website?

Please refer to Question 22.

45) What is a subcontractor disclosure form? Can you post it on FedBizOpps?

Subcontractor disclosures will be required from awardees only, thus they will only be required should your firm be selected for award.

46) Can we modify the Pricing Worksheets to include all Professional Support Staff and all Specialty Discipline hourly rates? Or, should we use the same hourly rate for all Professional Support Staff and all Specialty Disciplines?

See Question 11.

47) If we set our hourly rates now, can we adjust the rates in the future?

This RFP shall be awarded on a firm fixed price basis. Unilateral rate adjustments will not be permitted.

48) Is this potential task order design oversight of other design teams assigned to other projects?

Yes. Occasionally the Government leverages its staff by contracting for staff to serve as “owner’s reps” – in much the same way that we contract for construction management.

49) Please clarify: (Item # 8 –Space Planning Services) Self certification for life safety codes and accessibility compliance is required.

Awardees will be required to comply with life safety codes and accessibility requirements whenever space planning tasks are ordered, and will be required to certify such. If life safety and accessibility requirements are not met, the space will be re-planned and all drawings corrected at the Contractor’s expense.

50) Please clarify: (Item # 8 –Space Planning Services): Construction documents may be requested when doing so will not violate the Brooks Act.

The Government contemplates that, on rare occasions, it may request construction documents when they are incidental to the performance of the overall task order. The Government will follow all applicable law in soliciting any documentation from awardees.

51) Please clarify what is to be included in the section “(B) TAB B: Past Performance” as it is repeats the information required for “(A) TAB A: Prior Experience.”

A summary sheet of the projects and reference contact information from Tab A is sufficient, along with any additional information permitted by the instructions for Tab B.

52) When it is in the best interest of the GSA, can we provide documents prepared using Revit/BIM?

Awardees will be responsible for verifying deliverable formats for each task order.

53) Regarding formatting, are offerors required to use Times New Roman 12pt font throughout the entire submission, including charts/captions/tables, or is this formatting only required in the sections where specifically noted in the RFP?

Please refer to Question 25. The font restrictions apply to all charts, captions, tables or other items unless unduly difficult, as in the case of font sizes in pasted electronic photographs.

54) OFFEROR PRICING WORKSHEET - Specialty disciplines are listed as a single line item on the worksheet. Can we break out by separate disciplines with their corresponding rates? Also, professional support staff are listed as a single line item on the worksheet. Can we break out by separate roles with their corresponding rates?

See Quesiton 11.

55) What type of Security Clearance is necessary to be awarded and to provide services under this task order?

See Section H, Item 5 Personal Identification Verification for Security.

56) In regards to the proposal submission, is it alright to submit using a format other than Microsoft Word?

See Question 18.

57) Are we to include the SF 1442, found at the beginning of the RFP, with the other forms in Volume 1?

See also Question 22. Form SF 33 should be included in Volume 1.

58) Regarding the requirements for Volume II, Tab A, Prior Experience, do we need to show a separate project (1 of the 10) for a subcontractor if that subcontractor firm worked with the prime firm on a project together? Or can the one project count as representing both firms?

One project cannot be counted for more than one firm. In your hypothetical, the offeror would have to submit the project once for the prime and once for the sub.

59) Does the GSA have specific subcontracting goals (percentages of subcontracting dollars) for this contract?

Please refer to Question 5.

60) Regarding the requirements for Volume II, Tab C, (5) Commitment, do you also need a statement of commitment for those people proposed in the submission? When referring to “your firm” do you mean the prime firm, or all firms proposed for the team, including subconsultants?

If you are proposing someone as a key personnel for this contract, but they do not currently work for your firm or one of your subcontractors, please provide information on the extent to which such person is committed to your firm (or your sub).

61) Is the following page allocation correct for Volume II, Tab C for the submission:

a. Resume = not greater than 2 pages

b. Past Projects = may exceed one page (in addition to the 2-page resume)

c. Short Notice Availability and Commitment Statement = one page (in addition to the resume and past projects pages)

Correct. In addition, please do not forget information required under Tab C, Item 6.

62) Do the tables and charts need to be in 12 point Times New Roman font, or can they be a smaller font?

Please refer to Questions 25 and 53.

63) The SF 1442 provided in the RFP is similar to the SF 33 requested for Volume I. May we use the SF 1442 instead of the SF 33? If not, can you please provide a SF 33 specific to this contract?

Please refer to Question 22.

64) Do the references requested in the Past Projects part of Volume II, Tab C need to be able to speak to each individual’s experience on the project, or do the references just need to speak to the firm’s general involvement on the project?

Tab C examines the experience and past performance of key personnel, not individual firms.

65) If we include a Photographer subconsultant as part of our team (as mentioned in the Specialty Disciplines description), do one of the ten projects for Volume II need to represent their work, even though this would be a small portion of the contract?

Please see Question 26.

66) Please clarify how you are requesting proposals to be submitted. Pg 3 of the SF1442, indicates that “Solicitations will be submitted through email only.”, however, Section L indicates that proposals are to be delivered to 301 7th Street SW Room 1065, with original signatures on signed documents.

Please refer to Question 18. Please also see Question 22.

67) It is unclear what goes behind Tab B. Are we to re-list the references from Tab A?

See Question 51.

68) Is the subcontracting plan required in both Volumes 1 and 2 of the proposal?

Please provide your Subcontracting Plan in Volume 1 only.

69) Are the "Specialty Disciplines" supposed to be included in Tab C: Key Personnel and count as part toward the 30 person limit?

Tab C states, “Offerors shall provide a list of proposed Key Personnel, not to exceed 30…Key Personnel are those individuals the firm feels will most often play major roles or have major responsibilities on most task orders.”

70) Does the 2-page limit for projects in Tab A include photographs, or is the 2-page limit just for text? Can photographs be included in addition to the 2-page limit per project?

The Government will accept one extra page per project (i.e. a total of 3 pages per project) to accommodate photographs and/or graphics. Text shall be limited to two pages.